Seaford Head & North Norfolk 10/5/15

Seawatching was hopeless very early on today so a walk on the Head was in order where totals consisted of the following:

Spotted Flycatcher - 7

Firecrest - 1 singing male still

Spoonbill - 1 still on scrape (green ring on right leg above knee coded V094......details sent to BTO

The mega alert then sounded and after much thought and waiting down Splash Point hoping for more consistent and positive news, myself, John King, Richard Fairbank and Mick Davis eventually left for Holkham Pines in North Norfolk for a Citril Finch. 

We made very good time (3hr 45mins to Holkham Pines) and after a sweltering half hour walk, we were watching this 2nd for Britain feeding on the ground and flying around calling for prolonged periods. Scope views were superb although the bird was constantly obscured.

Afterwards a short detour to nearby Choseley Drying Barns where a large 'trip' of 24 Dotterel were seen distantly, hence I only managed to see 19 of them. 

A great twitch with fantastic company along the way. That's now 4 megas in 5 weekends........what next?

 Citril Finch in Norfolk - poor phone scoped shot

 my first view of the bird

one of six Spotted Flycatchers in Harry's Bush this morning - the other being in Hope Gap

Seaford Head 8/5/15

What felt like ideal conditions for a late spring fall produced far from that. In fact, I only noted four new arrivals throughout the entire walk. I was very pleased to find my 7th Spoonbill of the spring on the scrape viewed from the Head. A couple of migrants were about, the best being a singing male Firecrest. Totals are:

Spoonbill - 1 immature on the scrape - Cuckmere Haven
Reed Warbler - 1 male in song and seen briefly
Firecrest - 1 male singing
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 in Harry's Bush

 sleeping Spoonbill on the scrape, though as the morning went on it became more active - as nice as it is finding Spoonbills, another scarcity would be nice for a bit of variation

male Firecrest on Seaford Head

Splash Point 7/5/15

An uneventful seawatch this evening between 5pm-7.30pm produced the following flying east. Despite a few flocks of Poms off Portland there weren't any seen here today, so where are they going??

Arctic Skua - 2 both l/p
Sandwich Tern - 8
Whimbrel - 11

The recent strong winds has washed up plenty of seaweed onto the tide line, and the local Kittiwakes were busy collecting this for their nests.

Splash Point 5/5/15

The one year anniversary since the big Pom day, and although far from a repeat this year, at least there were a couple of Poms passing today. During my two seawatch sessions today there was a continuous flow of Hirundines coming in, and mixed in were a couple of raptors. The mid afternoon session produced a few small groups of Manxies.

Totals between 9.10-12.40 were:
Pomarine Skua - 3 @ 12.08 including 1 dark phase bird
Arctic Skua - 2
Great Skua - 6
Manx Shearwater - 1
Little Tern - 1
Black Tern - 1
Sandwich Tern - 7
Commic Tern - 17
Marsh Harrier - 1 fem flew in at 11.05
Mediterranean Gull - 3
Whimbrel - 19
Common Scoter - 32

and between 2.00-5.00 are:
Pomarine Skua - 1 pale phase @ 3.35 (also seen by LGRE!!)
Arctic Skua - 1 d/p
Great Skua - 1
Manx Shearwater - 8E & 7W (1 flock)
Hobby - 1 flew in
Common Scoter - 4
Shelduck - 6

a rough sea, but at long last some Poms

Splash Point & Cuckmere Haven 3/5/15

A vast improvement on the seawatch this morning (the first ten minutes were better then yesterdays six hours) with a small movement of Skuas and Terns. The Head was covered in fog all day so I didn't fancy walking up there. The Cuckmere again wasn't too bad with a small increase in Waders, but nothing spectacular.

Totals for Splash Point 5.30-12.30 are:

Black Tern - 7
Little Tern - 32
Commic Tern - 396
Arctic Tern - 30+
Sandwich Tern - 109
Arctic Skua - 13
Great Skua - 7
Grey Plover - 30
Dunlin - 12
Sanderling - 4 (all s/p)
Whimbrel - 20
Bar-tailed Godwit - 42
Gannet - 120+
Little Gull - 2 (one first summer)
Mediterranean Gull - 2 (both 1st summer)
Common Scoter - 267
Tufted Duck - 1
Brent Geese - 72
Black-throated Diver - 1 s/p
Red-throated Diver - 2

Cuckmere Haven
Grey Plover - 1 flew north calling
Common Sandpiper - 1 on scrape
Dunlin - 3 flew north
Bar-tailed Godwit - 10
Whimbrel - 10
Sand Martin - 2

 Bar-tailed Godwit in the Cuckmere

 dark phase Arctic Skua

three Great Skuas

Splash Point, West Rise & Cuckmere Haven 2/5/15

Pretty much all day spent out today and it was hopeless. About six hours of seawatching, four hours of walking and a short twitch in between for a Red-rumped Swallow at West Rise Marsh.

The seawatching today was dire with highlights being two Greenshank on the beach first thing, Seaford Head produced a flyover Yellow Wagtail with no new migrants at all in the bushes, but the Cuckmere was alright with a pair of Garganey on the scrape and four Bar-tailed Godwits showing well on the AGP pool late this evening.

 the stunning Red-rumped Swallow at West Rise Marsh being my 3rd in Sussex. Well done Kris on yet another good find.

 Bar-tailed Godwits on the AGP Pool

drk Garganey on the scrape with the female out of the image- the 7th in the Cuckmere this spring

Seaford Head & Abbotts Wood 1/5/15

If it wasn't for a calling Wood Warbler in Hope Gap, today would have been a disaster. It wasn't far from this however with no new arrivals (apart from the Warbler and a Swift flying north) and the seawatching was grim to say the least. I've never known the first day of May to be so bad, but things can only get better.

The Wood Warbler was only my 4th record on Seaford Head since I started watching here in 2004, and all records have been spring birds. Interestingly, the first bird I found here was also on the 1st of May, back in 2009.

A quick trip to Abbotts Wood produced a few Nightingales.

Nightingale at Abbotts Wood