Haddon's Pits NT

Been a bit quiet for me, of late, as May and perhaps spring closes out...The nice weather continues, though the lack of rain is surely concerning...

A pleasant walk and round trip to Haddon's Pits from Ventnor today. May have to pay that area more of a visit, especially this coming autumn; I've only been there a couple of times including the twitch of the Greenish Warbler (Sept '21). 

Bird-wise: couple of swifts, Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Whitethroat, chiffchaff etc. En route at least two singing Firecrest heard in Ventnor and Bonchurch. 

Looking north over Sandown Bay

Nightingale and Bittern (Brading Marsh) plus Leo juvs

Some nocturnal sound recordings recorded in and around the Brading Marsh area (16/05/22) 21:30 - 23:15).

Four new species added: Bittern, Greenshank, Gadwall, and Nightingale:

Painted Lady, Wall Brown, and Glanville atop Coombe Bottom (17/05). Plus Adonis and grizzled skippers - and a black lizzard. 

Oak Eggar (lasiocampa quercus)

Cream-spot Tiger (arctia villica)

Leo juveniles on 19th (Rowlands)

Short evening sea watch (SCP) on the 20th, 18:30 - 19:50, breezy WSWs produced very little other than a couple of manxies and kittiwakes etc...

Pom Day

SCP/Rocken End (South/Easterlies): Double figure counts of poms (east). Two arctic skuas.

2cy Little gull (E). Four fulmars. Also cetaceans: five Bottlenose Dolphins (Chale Bay).

Crossbills - Ventnor Downs

Tight crossbill flock (11) went over west today. Plus a siskin and cuckoo (heard). Increase in swallows. Hobby yesterday (April 30th), Nansen Hill then north at 09:25. 

Local breeders very active: mipit, linnets, dartfords, whitethroats etc

Just a fraction of the tons of large gulls feeding in Chale Bay (off Rocken End) - c600 mostly herring gulls, though distant (03/05/22). Two whimbrel (W) and three oystercatchers (E) was about it, but only casually watched.