SCP sea watches (Ventnor Shorty)

Breezy SW winds, overcast and drizzle at times, brought the mipits down low enough to see going over Ventnor Downs today. Made counting them easier, though movements were on a broad front, it didn't take long to get to an estimated c300 (in just over 1hrs obs) piling through Northwards. 

Also, first Willow Warbler in Coombe Bottom today. Couple of Sikins over. 

Ventnor Downs, 21/03: Brambling alighted a tree before leaving northwards, and Siskin (over).

SCP, Sea watch, 25/03, 06:00-10:30, south/SE winds (with several local watchers): eastward passage:

DB Brent 144, Gannet 93, RT Diver 9, C.scoter 66, Shoveler 4, Teal 10, Kittiwake 22, Sandwich Tern 12 etc....

SCP, Sea watch, 27/03, 06:00-09:25, due south to ssw winds, cool temps (with several local watchers): eastward passage:

BT Diver 1 (08:03), RT Diver 12, Arctic Skua 4 (two yesterday were the first), Manxies 3 (first of the spring), C. Scoter 45, Eider 4, Kittiwake 252 (most on a distant line), Gannet 178, S. Tern 17, DB Brent 36...etc....

SCP, Sea watch, 28/03, 06:00-08:50, SSW, (with OD & IMR): east movements:

Arctic Skua 3, RT Diver 6, S. Tern 1, Brent 28, Kittiwake 36, C. Scoter 47, Manx 1, Fulmar 5, Common Gull 8 etc....(Probable Bonxie and Whimbrel/Curlew). 

Ventnor Downs, 30/03, 11:30am: Easter weekend: sunny, winds going SE/E:

Short-eared Owl x1, Red Kite, Snipe x5 (notable), Siskin.

SCP, sea watch, 31/03, 06:35-10:40, Easter Sunday, E/ENE winds, overcast, with several local watchers:

A pretty good mix, eastwards: BT Diver 1 (photographed by Derek), RT Diver 5, C. Scoter 416, Little Gull 1, Shoveler 12, Barwit 20 (flock), Whimbrel 1, Shelduck 4, Oystercatcher 1, DB Brent 60, Sandwich Tern 39.. Etc...Linnets and chiffs in off.. And Ian R stayed on till midday adding an Arctic Skua and a Velvet Scoter.

SEO - Ventnor Downs 30/03 - first one for me since last autumn

Derek's BT Diver photograph, passed by east just after 8am, sea watch at SCP, 31/03 (DBH/IOW sightings website)

Early Spider Orchid, Isle of Wight today. Near Bike Box Cafe, Freshwater Bay pic.twitter.com/PNBOTeGuPq

— Nick Lever (@lever_nick) March 22, 2024

Spring (Brambling)

Sea watch(s). Quiet but not completely dead; some signs of spring..

SCP, sea watch, 06:45-09:00, 04/03:

Heading Eastwards: 68 Kittiwake, 22 Meds, 1 Shelduck, 2 Oystercatcher, 3 RT Divers, 8 Scoter, 60 Gannets...

A White-tailed Eagle appeared over Knowles Farm around 8:30 and carried on east towards Niton/Undercliff. First south coast one I've seen in a while.

Luccombe Down, 06/03, 7am: a lone Brambling (over east calling), Skylark 2E, a few mipits (south east winds)...

[Forecast is for Easterlies mid week onwards...]

Sea watch, SCP, 07/03, 06:30-09:15, with GAH and DBH:

East winds. East movements: Pintail 2, Shoveler 4, Teal 8, Duck sp 6, C.Scoter 19, DB Brent 56, RT Diver 5, LBB 3, GBB 9, Common Gull 14, BH gull 3, Little Egret 1. Plus a couple of alba wags, chiffs in off, and a few mipits, northwards.

Sea watch, SCP, 08/09, 06:25-08:15, (East winds):

East: Pintail 10 (mf), Teal 3on then east, C.Scoter 8, Mallard 2, RT Diver 1, GC Grebe 1, Med Gull 2, Common Gull 4, Mipit c75 (min) in off low and north. 

Sea watch, SCP, 09/03, 06:20-10:30 (Easterlies), with SS, IMR, OD:

East: DB Brent 135, Pintail, Teal 2, C. Scoter 24 (plus a duck sp?), RT Diver 19, Shelduck, LBB Gull 5, GBB Gull 16. Two Turnstone along the shore. 

Vis mig, Luccombe Down, 11/03, 10:00-11:15, light NW winds, overcast:

Highlight was 234 Chaffinchs over North/NE. Chiffchaffs arriving. Redwing x 33. 

[Following Easterlies, winds variable; but generally now south/SW, breezy at times, getting gradually milder].

Sea watch, Ventnor, 13/03, quiet, onshore winds: RT Diver 7e, C.Scoter 3w

Vis mig, Luccombe Down, 14/03, southerlies, 06:45-08:30, another Brambling over, Crossbill 2, and Siskin heard. A WT Eagle flew over (07:15) and carried on west towards the undercliff. Mipits trickling northbound.....Elsewhere, the first Wheatears have arrived on a typical date: WHD, Culver, SCP etc.

Teal on sea - St Cath's - before leaving eastwards. March 8th.

Following a very wet and dank Feb, nice to see some sun atop Ventnor Downs, if a touch chilly - March 3rd. 

Black-necked Grebe

One BNG off Ryde (west sands/Pier) yesterday (Jan 31st). Quite distant. Gary had a RNG off Seaview. The Hooded Crow still lingers (Cowes).

Ventnor, sea watch, Feb 4th: 62 Red-T Divers East was about it; very few auks and gannets, or gulls even. 

SCP, sea watch, Feb 21st; v quiet, 41 Gannets, six Kittiwake etc (onshore winds, rain, mild)...

Far out BNG - Looking towards the mainland, Southampton water

Between the dire weather 

Gulls - disappointing of late. First LBB I've seen for a while with GBB - Sandown (Feb 7th)

Three LBB gulls at Atherfield today - including a 2cy (Feb 10th).

1st winter GBB and LBB (adult LBB just out of shot)

New Year (interesting Stonechat)

Quiet start to 2024. The mild spell finally gave way to some colder northerlies from about the 7th onwards (ongoing for another week at least). Temps have mostly been just above freezing; a brief dusting of snow back on the 8th. 

Atherfield/military road: coastal fields have several pools at the moment. Must be nigh on 400 common gulls milling about in the area, including the fields east of Whale chine; not that I could pick out anything else of much interest amongst them - meds, BH, Herring, GBB etc. Yesterday, four Dunlins were feeding at one of the pools; quite unusual on this side of the Island (do see them on sea watches and sometimes hear them at night, mind). 

SCP sea watch on 28th: RT Divers x68 (mostly east), seven common scoters etc. (of note). [slightly more Milder conditions of late]. 

Peacock Butterfly, Ventnor, on 28th.

Juv/2cy buzzard outside my window 

Distant local WT Eagle swooped in and caused quite a ruckus at dusk (brents, shelduck etc.). Mobbed by two adult GBB gulls. Great to see them mature. 

I was going back through some old photos (2020 is old now?!) and came upon some I'd taken of a stonechat atop Ventnor Downs. I remember at the time thinking it looked 'interesting'. And looking at it again, along with looking at photographic examples of maura types, I haven't changed my mind. Unfortunately, I never saw its rump/upper tail; and it flew it off, never to be seen again... One that got away? Maybe. 

The date was around October 31st, 2020, and coincided with a fall of stonechat on Luccombe Down (at least c10) I seem to recall. 

Stood out as being paler overall, both the throat and supercilium looked almost white at times. However, how prominent those features were varied when it moved, when viewed at different angles. A possible siberian? - Oct 2020

Waxwing winter: 

Some were reported on the island today, at East Cowes. But I'm yet to connect with any...

Old photo from Christmas 2018 when I got to see 70 odd in Edinburgh; and to date the last ones I saw. 

End of year review

Bird of the year was undoubtedly the European Roller at Brading Marsh, a great find by Paul White on July 8th. Other memorable moments: joining Neil atop Ventnor Downs and seeing a juv Pallid Harrier on September 22nd. A sea watch at SCP with many large shearwaters, both Cory's and Great, seen to pass by on October 13th. Personal highlights: A Night Heron at Bembridge/Brading Marsh on May 17th. Some pretty decent autumn vis mig stuff: added Bearded Tits (Oct 22nd) and Serin (July 21st) to my local Ventnor Downs flyover list. Also: good numbers of Honey Buzzard, Woodlarks, Tree Pipits, and Crossbill, etc. Here's to 2024....

A gusty & mild end to the year: New Year's eve sea watch produced low numbers of Kittiwakes, Fulmar, Gannets etc

Hooded Crow and RN Grebe

December: back on the 3rd, twitched the Hooded Crow at Cowes high school. Showed quite well.... But the crappy (oft rainy) weather continues - though it is mild again after a brief cold snap.

Ventnor, 14/12: two Velvet Scoter east the sea watch highlight; plus nine RT Divers west.

Bembridge Harbour: the Red-necked Grebe was still present in the harbour (15/12). Off of Spring Vale: GN Diver (x2), plus three distant Diver sp flew off (probably GN too), 1 x Slav, and common scoter (8), on Solent waters. 

Christmas period: given the mild weather being more or less stuck with consistent blustery westerlies: most of my birding time and attention has been given to morning sea watches, from either Ventnor or SCP; it's been reasonably productive:

- Christmas Eve: moving west past Ventnor, Kittiwake 17, Fulmar 10, Gannet 88, Auk sp 54, C.Scoter 1.

- Christmas Day: Ventnor: Black-throated Diver 1, RT diver 4, Kittiwake 54, Fulmar 12, Auk sp 200, Gannet 250.

- Boxing Day (calmer day/no sea watch): Black Redstart (Spring Gardens, Ventnor), and two Blackcaps. 

- 27/12: SCP; SSW (50mph gusts); 0745-1030; Kittiwake 134, Gannet 300, Auk sp 450, c.scoter 5, and a couple of misses, a skua sp and diver sp. 

- 28/12: Ventnor: 07:50-0930: GN Diver 1, RT Diver 26, Fulmar 15, Kittiwake 73, Auk sp 280, Gannet 169. 

RN Grebe in Bembridge Harbour on Dec 15th

Extensively walked this area not long ago...😲

Devil's Chimney beauty spot feared 'destroyed' in Bonchurch landslip. #iwnews #IsleofWight https://t.co/HZGRYkFw85

— Isle of Wight County Press (@iwcponline) December 12, 2023

The biggest landslip in 30 years, only just around the corner from me... The smugglers tea rooms, devils chimney all gone..
Thoughts are with those affected 😔#IsleOfWight #Landslip #Bonchurch #Ventnor #SmugglersTeaRoom pic.twitter.com/vnNA5fJ9PQ

— Matt Wickham (@MattwicksBMR) December 11, 2023

Snow Bunting - Atherfield

Not a lot of note of late - overhead passage at my local downland site seemed to quickly drop off during the first part of a stormy November - even with improved conditions yesterday I could only muster a Brambling and some woodpigs (c200). [Northerlies have just dropped the temperatures somewhat; first frost yesterday morning; single figures].  

This morning I visited Whale Chine and soon heard a calling Snow Bunting along the coast, not far from the car park; however, I didn't initially see it on the deck - only after carrying on half a mile or so west towards Atherfield, I heard it again (or perhaps another?) - and got to see it too, albeit briefly, along the field's edge; nice to see and hear one to some extent. Also, I tried the east side of the Chine and encountered a Short-eared Owl along the coastal path there. 

Looking towards Blackgang/Rocken End

Record shot?! [My first snow bunt since 2021].

Ollie saw it again - his photographs.

And a snippet of the vocal Snow Bunt:

Couple of evenings ago: the moon and Jupiter (+ moons left to right: Calisto, Europa, and Ganymede; I believe)