Prevailing west wind and showery today

Tried Brading NR and had the largest number of swifts and house martins I've had this year

 

Whilst watching this hirundine/swift acrobatic display, a lesser whitethroat sounded off very close by.

Sylvia curruca (background; chaffinch, moorhen? and barn swallow)

Sunday 17th evening

Went to a local island spot well known for seeing/hearing nightjars and woodcocks at this time of year. Didn't take long to hear a nightjar, quickly followed by a woodcock. Both with near darkness views too, both of which were out in the open on the path albeit momentarily.  At one point one woodcock seemed to be coming right at me along the pathway.
Another obvious nocturnal target I had in mind was any owl species, but none seen or heard in that area this evening. Earlier in the day though I did have a more of a surprise sighting of a barn owl in broad daylight at about 08:20 as it flew over a road in the Whippingham area.

silhouetted Eurasian woodcock scolopax rusticola

Couple of vid captures of a flyover one. Remarkably quick movers.

European nightjar caprimulgus europaeus

Brading today

Aside from the spotted fcs, a hobby along laundry lane was sweet. At times great views of it perched, but the blustery conditions made it tricky to photograph.
Modest numbers of Swifts and swallows and house martins about.
An orange tip butterfly that never settled, my 1st of the year. Lone black tailed godwit.
1 cuckoo heard.

falco subbuteo

preparing for take off

gone

docile

Spot the spotted flycatcher(s)

At least 3 along Gander down fence line

 muscicapa striata There are 3 in there

Action shots

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St cath's point 11th May

Not a great deal birdwise. Quite misty and drab.

13th April 2015

Heard my first cuckoo at Brading. Then the day after along Gander down Brading took this quickly-taken record shot of one, unfortunately interrupted by a dog walker soon after..

27th April 2015

Heard two cuckoos at Brading, in two opposing directions and within quick succession. Interestingly a satellite tagged cuckoo called 'Chris' had been recorded as stopping at Brading on the 26th and 27th, so it's quite possible I heard him.  

Chris returns for fourth time - 27 Apr 2015

Chris is back in the UK once again! From western Spain he has covered 1080km (670 miles), travelling over France and the English Channel to reach a location in the Isle of Wight by the 26 April.  He still has a little way further to go yet to reach his breeding grounds which are to the north-east, in Norfolk. This is the fourth return trip of his that we have been able to follow since he was tagged in 2011.  

10th May 2015

From Gander today. Assuming they didn't have permission and were just ignorant?! these three idiots took to the marsh and travelled down the eastern Yar (private RSPB land). Not a good time to be out there. I got a message to the warden but probably too late and any damage from disturbance would have been done. Disappointing.....

May 4th

No sign of the hoopoe at Ryde golf course A.M, but Binstead beach had a wheatear, yellow wag north, and 3 sandwich terns east. Stock dove singing too.

Later on at Brading NR (RSPB) had my first lesser whitethroat, few swifts north, swallows and house martins. At least 3 lapwing chicks were easily viewable from laundry lane. Earlier in the year the field where they nested was sealed off with a more secure perimeter fence so as to minimise the possibilities of predation, so good to see the fruits.

Locustella naevia, 21st April 2015, WHD,  Alum bay and Headon warren in the background

Looking back: 21st April 2015

Went to West high down that day and it was a bright day with a good variety of grounded migrants. Not long after leaving the car willow warblers were heard and seen. Then moved along the north fence line and on the slopes was a ring ouzel, my 1st of the year. Continuing along the fence line two more ringos were perched up and sounded off, eventually flying towards and over me, followed by 3 common redstart, 1 gropper, 10 wheatear, and 2 whinchat. Total of 5 yellow wags went over north, one seen coming up the slope of the old battery/needles headland was particularly nice as it was on my eye level. Also a black redstart there restlessly moving around that area. Another common redstart nearby made an interesting juxtaposition.
Willow warblers must have totalled 30 by that point. Some were alighting the fence, either working their away along it or flying off north into a head wind.
On the way back also noted a garden warbler and heard the gropper again, the latter of which, probably more known for its concealed reeling, gave me a brief view.

Two willow warblers are in this picture

Today, blustery strong S to SW winds... sunny and bright

SCP 4:30pm - 6:15pm, picked up at least a couple of skuas going east, one an arctic (dark), the other possibly a pom, but not certain regarding the latter. Plus 6 manxies west. Pom would have been 5:50pm.

This is my first birding blog post.

At the moment any photos are only record shots really, simply using a smart phone camera aimed through a telescope, but I may invest in something more substantial in the future. But for the moment I'm content to use this blog as record of what I've seen.

Here are some recent local Isle of wight sightings:

Merlin falco columbarius

Near shepherds chine, first saw this Merlin there on the 23rd of march. Then again on April 6th. With many incoming meadow pipits it was a well chosen spot.

Ruff philomachus pugnax

One was at Brading NR on the 23rd march. On the 16th march two were seen. Not a numerous island bird to see by any means, so nice to see. Last ones I saw were two there in 2012.

 

Common sandpiper Tringa ochropus

 

 

One present at Brading on the 13th April. Also present was a white wagtail.

Little ringed plover charadrius dubious

Same field at Brading nr, three were present there on the 3rd April.

Video from a couple of years ago (not mine):