West high down

Similar weather with easterlies and bright but chilly start. Started off with a teking lesser whitethroat that showed well. Then heard a clacking - 1st ring ouzel of the autumn, but it didn't show. Several goldcrests heard. Then gliping crossbills went over, at least four.
Quite a bit of vis mig; swallows predominated with 600 at least moving east throughout the morning. 10 alba wags. 1 yellow wag. 160 mipits. 30 siskin.

When I reached the headland/old battery another ringo took flight and headed out of sight towards the needles; seen briefly again when I went round the other side. Not a bad morning but still hasn't quite delivered its full potential concerning autumn migrants.

alba wags

goldfinch

mipit 

 resident peregrine

SCP

Gorgeous weather at the moment with high pressure and easterlies, so heading to the coast was a no brainer really. Got there later than I'd planned after deciding to get up early and see the eclipsed blood 'super moon' and going back to bed before getting up again for a morning out.

Save hirundines, mipits and alba wags moving it was fairly quiet about St cath's. Wheatear about and grey wag over.
The highlight though was almost stepping on a female/imm merlin; it was on the f/p leading down to rocken end. It was initially looking away from me, but as soon we made eye contact, and despite me standing dead still, it took off, circled, and headed east out of sight.

 03:17

 White wash: despite being the closest I've ever been to a merlin, this was all I got of it.

 

 

Tracking my brother on a daily basis: wonder what he's seen at sea and along the coast

 

 

 

 

SCP: Osprey south and a hobby east into a westerly movement of hirundines (hobby is the spec in the above pic). Yellow wags present. Siskin movement. And dolphins west past the Lighthouse.

 

Dolphins are 'awesome'

 

Ventnor downs dotterel

After missing the afton down dotterel I thought maybe 2nd time lucky. As this bird was very obliging and literally was hanging about near the car park, a local twitch seemed too much to resist. However my window of opportunity within my work schedule was limited, so I could only check this bird out in the most horrendous of conditions: wind, rain, mist etc. Grabbed some ropey record shots and left it at that. Great little birds though.

Charadrius morinellus

Blustery

Not the most pleasant of conditions to be and about in but this time of year you have to plug away as yesterday showed with the finding of wryneck in a sheltered spot. I opted for WHD but finding a sheltered spot wasn't easy. Low on expectations I persevered: did the north fence line, then down into Alum bay chine, and finally along Headon warren fence line looping back to WHD. But it was V quiet. Always next week.

Culver wryneck

Weather has changed again and winds have swung west. Blustery and wet with sunny intervals. Got a message about a wryneck up on culver. Having not seen a wryneck for a couple of years I thought I'd have a look. Did manage to get a brief flight view of it as it crossed the footpath but that was about it.

Decided to move on to Brading NR and did the old sea wall to Laundry lane. A few sand martins of note passing through but it was hard work in the wind.

Later at the doctors I heard a peregrine. Looked up and one landed on the church. Luckily had my scope and camera. Peregrines and churches go well together, as do the ravens. Also saw it chasing some doves.

 

 

 

 

 

Birding just got serious

Sometimes you have to treat yourself

 

 

So I went to Brading later in the day to try out these new bins: I wasn't disappointed.

A couple of hobbies over the marsh and a juv peregrine christened them; not a bad start. Not a great deal of note. Two redstart along the old sea wall looked amazing through the new bins.

 

 

 

Messing about digibining



West high down 7:15am - 11am

Finally some settled fantastic weather this week with clear blue skies.
What has been noticeable for a week or so is siskin movement; I don't think a day has passed I haven't heard one or two going over somewhere on my rounds. Today the sound of them going over seemed to be constant from the moment I stepped out of the car. Not all were seen but several flocks were and overall I would estimate 50 in total. But they seemed to be moving in all directions so difficult to be absolutely accurate. (More moving over Havenstreet this evening).

Other vis mig included 3 tree pipit and a few more yellow wags going over. 100s of hirundines made up of mostly swallows were constantly moving east hugging the cliff line.

On the deck of note: 1 whinchat, 4 redstart, 1 spot fc, and 1 lesser whitethroat. Bashed the bushes on the north side but nothing scarcer of note.

 

 

 Saxicola rubetra (north fence line)

 

Autumnal sounds

Couple of days off

Yesterday on the last day of august I went to afton/Freshwater golf course to twitch a juv dotterel that had been very obliging. However, I dipped. The weather had turned so that may have played a part in either moving it to a more sheltered spot, or moving it on completely. Otherwise 2 wheatear about there.

Today was one of two halves really. Went up onto Luccumbe from Shanklin down in the morning with a very misty start that gradually brightened up. Started off with a few yellow wagtails and mipits moving over.

One bird though was something of real interest. It was on the eastern slope of Luccumbe down and it was moving about in some hawthorn. The first distant head-on view showed me quite a whitish belly with more yellowish tones towards the throat. My initial thought was willow warbler or something like, but nevertheless I was drawn to it and to having a closer look. As I approached it, it naturally moved into cover, but it's curiosity meant I could see its head as it extended it outwards. What struck me with the head was the lack of any supercilium; I became fixated on this. A ring around the eye was prominent from all angles and at different distances/lights, but no super could be seen? Off the top my head all I could think of was icky/melodious?


Vis mig on Luccumbe:

6 yellow wagtails west
3 tree pipits (1 flushed from the field)
1 gropper (flushed)
4 spot fc
5 redstart
2 whinchat
2 wheatear
2 siskin west
1 lesser whitethroat
3 blackcap
hirundines streaming through including 40 house martins

Brading PM:
not much different along the old seawall from last week, save more blackcaps

One of three spotted FC with 2 redstart and 1 lesser whitethroat present.