Saturday 27 March 2010

Dull day on the Downs

With strong NW winds for most of the day, it was never likely to be a fantastic day's birdwatching, and so it has turned out today.
On Bishopstone Golf Course, four singing Chiffchaffs, (presumably breeding birds), and a fly-over Bullfinch the best birds seen. In Greenway Bottom, there were two more Chiffchaffs, a Grey Partridge and a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker. Around Rachfinny Farm House, a flock of birds on the fields was made up of 50+ Linnets and 20+ Skylarks (the linnets being a year tick), while there was also a singing Corn Bunting (also a year tick). A few Red-legged Partridge also present in these areas, and a pair of Stonechats posed well in the scattered bushes at the foot of Camp Hill, where there were two more singing Chiffchaffs. On Cradle Hill, a roughly acre-sized patch of Wasteland held another pair of Corn Buntings,and there were three Red-legged Partrisdges.

The days total was
Chiffchaff-eight singing males
Grey partridge-one in Greenway  Bottom
Great Spotted Woodpecker-one drumming in Greenway Bottom (in wood opposite Blatchington Reservoir)
Linnet-50+ around Rachfinny Farm House
Skylark-20+ around Rachfinny Farm House
Corn Bunting-singing male at Rachfinny Farm House, pair in Cradle Valley
Red-legged Partridge-3 on Cradle Hill, 4 around Rachfinny Farm and Camp Hill
Stonechat-pair at foot of Camp Hill

I seemed to spend the whole time with my head stuck perpetually skywards, in the hope of finding an Alpine Swift, but alas I had no luck whatsoever.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Liam , good number of chiffchaffs seen / heard
    today , plus Grey partridge and corn bunting are always good to see these days .
    atb Rob

    ReplyDelete
  2. Doesn't sound too dull to me - but I'm yet to see a Grey Partridge on our block of downland, so that would have been a local tick for me.

    For the first spring since living in Firle, we have a Corn Bunting or two singing on this side of the escarpment, right down towards the road. So good to hear.

    ReplyDelete
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