Purple Sands (Ventnor)

Today was another fine sunny and crisp day. Bumped into Andy B along Wheelers Bay who told me he'd seen three Purple Sandpipers further along towards Ventnor Esplanade: after he grabbed his camera from home I tagged along: sure enough we found two near the Esplanade car park. Up to four have been along this stretch of coast since (at least) just before Christmas day; a high count for Ventnor. 

One right below us (Ventnor) - very active (feeding) and seemingly unbothered by the attention - Jan 3rd.

(female) Kingfisher - Bembridge Harbour - 03/01

(1st winter) LBB Gull - Sandown Canoe Lake - 08/01

Cropped image of the LESSER YELLOWLEGS at Pennington Marshes, Hampshire.
Original photo by Jeremy MCclemen, pic.twitter.com/LMYyYNmJVm

— MarcM381 (@aquilabirding) January 6, 2025

New Year (WTEs)

New year's day: similar conditions as over the Christmas period: mild, gusty S.W, and some rain. A quiet NYD sea watch at SCP: auk sp, lone DB Brent, eight fulmars, Kittiwakes etc. 

Jan 2nd: a complete change: sunny, cooler temps just above freezing, light Northerly winds. Three White-tailed Eagles circled around right above me, near Atherfield (coastal) Cottages; always a welcome sight and hard to believe it's been six years? since they were first re-introduced. A lone Dunlin with common gulls at the coastal pool - but pretty quiet...

Jan 2nd: soaring Eagles - and nice to see blue skies after a very dull December

 Dunlin - pool near Atherfield Point/Cottages - Jan 2nd

End of year

A look back of sorts: some of my more interesting moments (probably not exhaustive by any means). The year started off as it left with the Hooded Crow still at Cowes College. A Black-necked Grebe off Ryde pier on Jan 31st. Spring included sea watches that were pretty average (by memory). However, a calling Serin flew past me and landed briefly atop a tree near Haddon's Pits on April 14th was nice; the start of a few scarcer highlights: a Wood Warbler singing (Luccombe Down copse) on May 3rd, an odd singing acro (poss. marsh/blyth's?) and a Hoopoe (seen with Mark B, Luccombe) on May 13th, followed by Bee-eater calls heard over Ventnor on May 17th. 

The month of June was memorable: finding a very vocal Greenish Warbler near Corner Cottage, Luccombe down, on 3rd, which many local birders got to see and hear too; and Steve J finding a Marsh Warbler along the Ventnor coast later the same day. The next morning (June 4th) I heard a Golden Oriole near Luccombe Farm. Capped off by finding a singing Blyth's Reed warbler on June 26th, hanging about the scrub on Nansen Hill (also part of the Ventnor Downs complex); it stayed for most of the day. 

Autumn: good Tree Pipit counts over the downs (Aug/Sept). SCP sea watch included sooty and Balearics. A Honey Buzzard over Ventnor Downs on Sept 4th, seen with Neil, was the only one I saw departing the coast line, which was odd given the numbers I've had in times recent - but several singles were recorded by other birders during that period. 

It was an autumn for Hawfinches with my first one on September 25th that landed before moving off (Nansen Hill). It would be the 1st of many and part of an influx: four on Oct 23rd (Luccombe Copse) and three over Bonchurch Down on Nov 1st being notable; but overall and collectively over the period were nigh on 20 birds in the Ventnor area alone. A probable Corn Bunting went over Nansen calling on Oct 17th.

A Richard's Pipit at SCP found by George H on Oct 15th was still there on 16th: seen in flight and heard. However, the autumn's real highlight was the Hume's Warbler at Ventnor on Oct 26th found by Steve J, along Bath Road - and many of us locals (10+) got to experience it too; and later it was joined by a vocal Siberian Chiffchaff - nice! My last Hawfinch experience (heard-only calls) came on November 6th, again near Luccombe Copse. However, four lingering birds were eventually found by others, in and around Shalfleet Church (early December), the same place where I found one back in 2018.......Here's to 2025!

Sandown Bay - December

Ventnor Bay - New Year's Eve

Black-throated Diver & Velvet Scoters

A very showy BTD has been in Bembridge Harbour last few days and I caught up with it today: very close at times but also very active. Afterwards, I briefly stopped at Puckpool to scan the Solent; aside from a lone Great Northern Diver, four Velvet Scoters were nice to see (at 14:27): initially they were seen flying west but turned back east [five in total this autumn following a single west at SCP back on Nov 24th].

Scope record shot - BT Diver - 23/12

BTD at its closest - Bembridge Harbour - 23/12

A hasty attempt at trying to capture the passing Velvets off Puckpool - 23/12

Ventnor Downs - looking North - on a recent December day

Black-Throated Diver at Emsworth mill pond still showing well. @HantsIWWildlife @BirdGuides @CanonUKandIE #birdwatching #birdphotography pic.twitter.com/2ApMoMKIjP

— jeremy mcc (@jeremymcclemen1) December 23, 2024

December (Hen Harrier)

December 2nd: Ringtail Hen Harrier over the fields near Whale Chine. 

Cormorant - Bonchurch Pond - 02/12

Ringtail Hen Harrier Lytchett Bay Poole Harbour Dorset @harbourbirds @DorsetBirdClub @LytchettP @Natures_Voice pic.twitter.com/QXnPc61Ypl

— Pete Corbin Wildlife Photography (@petey632) December 10, 2024

Tail end of things...(Velvet Scoter)

Following a protracted mild period since the summer, conditions suddenly changed with the first frost (Nov 20th) and a light dusting of snow (Nov 21st). However, it looks short-lived (here at least) with a return to milder temps along with stormy weather (Storm Bert) this weekend. Unsurprisingly, the vis-mig has somewhat dropped off - but still worth a punt. 

A morning sea watch at SCP on Sunday Nov 24th: dry, gusty F7-8/SW/SSW: 07:50-0920: a single Velvet Scoter (west) at 08:34 was the highlight. Also: Common Scoter E, Kittiwake 121 (88E/33W), Gannet 36, RTD etc.... 

Crisp morning - November 20th 

1st winter YL Gull - Wheelers Bay - Nov 28th

Winter magic at Winkle Street ✨

Today’s snowy scenes are straight out of a postcard ❄️😍

📸 @Siennaeve101#IOW #IsleofWight #LoveGreatBritain #UNESCO #AONB #IsleofWightNationalLandscape #IsleofWightNL #Coast2024 pic.twitter.com/uRIodI55T1

— Visit Isle Of Wight (@VisitIOW) November 21, 2024

A couple of LITTLE AUK off Mudeford Quay today brought in by Storm Bert today @CHOG_birds @DorsetBirdClub @BirdGuides pic.twitter.com/qIaJ9ZTC5i

— Scott Usher (@SStanpit) November 24, 2024

Sound recordings (Hume's)

Recent uploads: all of my recordings of the recent (October) Ventnor Hume's warbler calling merged into one track;  and the same with most of the vis-mig autumn (Sept/Oct) Hawfinch recordings.

Flushed a Woodlark on Luccombe Down (Nov 12th). My recent run of Hawfinches seems to have come to an end, as well as generally across the Island; though one was in a Freshwater garden on Nov 14th. A likely flyover Snow Bunt on Nov 9th was a near-miss of sorts; distantly heard only (Luccombe Down/A.M); and the recorder failed to pick it up....

jonspar · Hume's Warbler (Ventnor Isle of Wight)

jonspar · Hawfinch(s) 2024

Another Hawfinch - seen and heard over the fields near Luccombe Village - November 5th.

Nice to see the sun again after the recent daily grey and overcast conditions. 

Firecrest - one of two outside my window - a few pairs breed close by and hear/see them almost daily; but always a treat!

Redwing - 'gak' type calls 

BOOM! What a morning. Caught this Estonian 8th Hume’s Warbler in the Sõrve B.O garden this a.m. Second humei which has been ever ringed in the country. Also long waited Estonian tick for me. pic.twitter.com/2F42Q5oFAv

— Tarvo Valker @birdinghaapsalu (@TarvoValker) October 23, 2024

Two call-types of a Hume's Warbler (Phylloscopus humei) recorded by Arnoud B van den Berg at Geldermarsen, Gelderland, Netherlands, 12:23, 29th November 2020. Background: Eurasian Magpie. (Photo: Toon Pop, Texel, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, 30th October 2022) @dutchbirding pic.twitter.com/zKDfb1lWRq

— Mark Constantine (@Markatlush) November 29, 2022