Sea watch - Sooty & Balearics

SCP (St Cath's Lighthouse):

Late afternoon/early evening (Aug 22nd), 15:50 - 18:40, blustery SW and drizzly conditions (Storm Lilian).

An intermittently interesting sea-watch at the 'point' with a single Sooty Shearwater (at 18:15) and Balearics x3 singles (West). Also, a few passing Manx and Kittiwakes x11. Etc. 

Otherwise, Tree Pipits have been steadily going over my usual Ventnor Downs site most recent mornings. 

28/08: Luccumbe Down: Tree Pipit x32 over (noteworthy morning count), Yellow Wag x6, Pied Flycatcher x1, Spot FC x3.

Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Ventnor (24/08)

  

Tree Pipits and Pied Fly (etc)

First half of August:

Sunday (Aug 4th) the more productive day so far. First tree pipits went over.

Luccombe Down: Tree Pipit x5 

Gropper (Nansen Hill)

Luccombe Farm area: c30 Willow Warblers (collective total). Spot FC x1.

And heading home via Bonchurch Down there was one Cuckoo on the slopes. 

Saturday 10th, Nansen Hill, AM: my first autumn Pied Fly, Spot FC, WWs c10, Siskin, and a flyover Green Sandpiper (calling/sound recorded); the latter being a site first for me. PM: met Neil atop Luccombe Down - but seemed quieter (breezy westerly). Wheatear, Swifts c20 overhead, hirundines including a few Smartins, etc.

Tuesday 13th, 06:15-08:15, Nansen Hill/Luccombe Down: Tree Pipits x26 (south/sw), Yellow Wags x5 (N/ENE), Green Sandpiper over at 06:26, c15 Willow Warbler, steady trickle of hirundines (mostly swallow), etc. 

My first autumn Pied Flycatcher (record shot) - Nansen Hill - 10/08

We are delighted to report that two White-tailed Eagle chicks have fledged from a nest in Southern England this summer. This is the second year that the adult birds have bred successfully.

Read more on our website here: https://t.co/WkuxLETjNn@SeaEagleEngland @ForestryEngland pic.twitter.com/Y0qfQ4HFY5

— Roy Dennis Foundation (@RoyDennisWF) August 7, 2024

Groppers

Some signs of early autumn migration have begun:

Yesterday (27th) on Nansen Hill, two active groppers showed well in a patch of buddleia, along with a Sedge Warbler seen and heard. More gropper-like calls were heard in the vicinity, so there may have been more hidden in the scrub. Willow Warblers were very evident too, working their way through the bushes, with c8 a very conservative count. One wheatear seen further up the slopes (and a Painted Lady). Overhead has been very quiet so far; yet to get a tree pipit even. 

From Nansen Hill looking towards Culver - a calm warm spell of weather - July 27th.

Yellow-legged Gull (4cy & juv)

As it's that time of year, I went looking specifically for a juv YL gull near Sandown Pier this morning, but instead came upon a mature individual, preening and resting. Age-wise, I assume it's a sub adult (4cy) as it appears quite advanced; and P10 appeared to have a mirror - but not an age I'm overly familiar with. [Single juvenile there on July 24th].

Not much else to mention: a couple of Siskin went over Luccombe (Village) back on 2nd. A Roseate Tern has been seen by other birders off Fort Vic/Solent waters. Sand Martins are starting to move south...

Yellow-legged Gull larus michahellis - Sandown Beach - July 10th

My first juv YL of the year - Sandown beach - 24/07

Juv Black Headed gull

At least nine juv Med Gulls - July 20th - Sandown

Marbled White - melanargia galathea

Ventnor Bay

Blyth's Reed Warbler (Ventnor Downs)

Heard another vocal 'acro' this morning (26/06), along Bonchurch Road (north side of Nansen Hill, Ventnor Downs) at 08:45am that immediately sounded very 'Blyth's' like. And the more I listened, the mimicry and scalic fluty-type notes etc made it apparent it was one. Sound recorded and shared a vid via the news group: Iain Outlaw soon joined me and got to hear it too. Mostly concealed in the downland scrub - but I may have seen it briefly perched in the open. It remained in situ for at least a couple of hours or so (and reported again in the evening). 

30/06: Another singing (common) Reed Warbler near Luccombe Village. At least one pair of Swallows have probably bred in the farm area (often seen overhead). Swifts (c50) over Ventnor. 

Scarce chaser

Second half of June: fairly quiet since the Greenish. Weather has been nice. Warmer temps. 

A Scarce chaser along Gander Down this morning (managed to get a phone pic). Pleasant walk from Yar bridge to Brading Marsh: Sedge and reed warblers, Lesser throat, Skylarks etc in song. One WT Eagle seen in its usual preferred spot/tree. 

♀ Scarce chaser Libellula fulva (23/06) Gander Down

From Gander Down looking North

Distant WT Eagle

Good showing of Viper's Bugloss - and Lupin? 

Looking west from Ventnor Downs (nr Coombe Bottom)

A very special encounter with this common stingray in the Isle of Wight’s Solent #seagrass! The Solent is one of few areas in Britain where stingrays occur regularly, but are still an uncommon sight underwater! A wicked glimpse of just how wild the Solent’s seas can be! #solent pic.twitter.com/7t3TH3cZfX

— Theo Vickers (@tvmarinelife) June 24, 2024

Greenish Warbler (Luccombe Copse Bonchurch Road) and Marsh Warbler

This morning on my early walk to Luccombe Farm and back, I came upon a Greenish Warbler persistently singing at 08:30am; heard near 'Corner Cottage', entrance to footpath SS7, just off Bonchurch Road [50.612507,-1.188928]. After I put the news out, it stayed around for at least a couple more hours and other birders got to experience it too; and although it was never particularly showy, Mark Buckley managed to get some photos. First time I've found this local scarcity and only the second Island-one I've experienced so far; the last one being at (the relatively nearby) Luccombe, Haddon's Pits a couple of years ago (03/09/21). 

Later on the same day Steve J. found an 'acro' along the Ventnor coast (near Dudley Road Car park and Ventnor Holiday Villas). I popped down to have a listen and met Steve, Mark, & Pete: it sounded very much like a singing 'Marsh' Warbler. But not seen. Capped off an interesting day... 

Vocal Greenish Warbler phylloscopus trochiloides:

Photo of the Greenish by Mark Buckley

Herring Gulls - One of two occupied nests atop this house - Ventnor

Glanville Fritillary - Pyramidal orchid - Holly Blue - H.B hawk-moth

Southern Marsh-orchid

Wall Lizard (Ventnor) and Violet ground beetle

Following a couple of blank years, nice to hear Nightjar(s) this season not far from home - (plus Long-eared Owls seen and heard)

Greenish Warbler (Lundsanger) separated from other Phylloscopus warblers by traits such as the presence of a whitish-yellow supercilium, a wing bar in the greater coverts, and pointy tips on the secondaries (see second photo).#lundsanger #greenishwarbler #skagen #denmark #birds pic.twitter.com/s9aW1Fxwqk

— Skagen Bird Observatory (@skagenbirdobs) June 3, 2024

We are really pleased to be able to say now that a pair of Roseate Terns are nesting on an island in Normandy Lagoon. A team of HOS members will now be carrying out 24 hour monitoring from the seawall to prevent any disturbance @LymKeyRanger @ukrbbp https://t.co/wsh2ggWAdM

— Hampshire Ornithological Society (@HOSbirding) June 2, 2024

Red-backed Shrike on Isle of Wight today (📷 by Tracey Jolliffe).

One of the very few non east-coast birds to be reported during this year's influx.

So far this year Red-backed Shrikes have been reported at over than 215 sites! pic.twitter.com/FchKCBI2w4

— RareBirdAlertUK (@RareBirdAlertUK) June 11, 2024