Dad and I saw the ROSE-COLOURED STARLING at Castle Hill, Newhaven, today. It showed four times between 16:00 and 16:30, but not after that up until 17:00. It is very, very conspicuous if you see it well, impossible to mistake for a Starling! As well as the obvios colouration differences, the RSC had a more undulating, woodpecker style of flight, to my eyes at least. I had my camera, but didn't get any photographs of the bird. It was my 168th sussex tick for 2010, 181st british yeartick, and lifetick 652 or thereabouts.
Other birds seen where good numbers of Robin, Song Thrush, Dunnock and Blackbird, two Chiffchaffs, nine Swallows and a few Meadow Pipits moving east. There was no sign of the male Ring Ouzel we saw yesterday.
In Seaford today, just three each of Meadow Pipit and Swallow moving over. No Chiffies, no Goldcrests and no large numbers of thrushes or robins at all. However, dad had 2+calling Firecrest and a Redwing at Blatchington GC today, along with a few Chiffchaff and Goldcrest to boot!
Showing posts with label Dunnock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dunnock. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
No Rosy, but another Rouzel and a yeartick finch.
News broke through yesterday of a ROSE-COLOURED STARLING, in the scrub at the foot of Castle Hill, Newhaven. Dad wasn't home from work til late evening, and I couldn't face cycling through the human-infested sewage canal that is Newhaven, so I just hoped the bird would still be around today.
Thankfully it was, and, despite Dad having to drive his car through 'the town that God forgot', we arrived fairly opstimistic.
However, the bird hadn't been seen for a few hours, and, according to the whispered wisdom of the birders, it had last been seen disappearing over the clifftop. I took this as the cue to for a healthy scramble up the cliff. (for those who don't live nearby, Newhaven Cliffs are mercifully easy to climb, with a gradient barely steeper than any of the hills nearby and loads of footholds)...
This proved fruitless for the Starling, but there were plenty of Song Thrushes and a few Robins and Dunnocks in the limited scrub. Among the Song Thrushes was one all-dark thrush, giving an all-too familiar 'chack' as it flew away. I was already fairly confdent of it's identity, but it took another five minutes before I saw it again. It was a very nice male RING OUZEL, looking resplendent with his white breastband and scaly wings.
With no sign of the RCS up here, Dad and I hastily scrambled down the cliff and joined the other birders down at the bottom. We waited for another half-hour, but saw no sign of the bird, eventually giving up and heading home just before the sunset. However, the wait hadn't been totally fruitless. A BRAMBLING flew over calling (sussex yeartick 167 and brit yeartick 180), 20+ Swallows passed east along the cliffs, there were 2-3 Rock Pipits entertaining all. 45+ Curlew flew east, presumably going to roost somewhere on the undercliff between Newhaven and Brighton, and the Common Starlings were all flocking together in small groups as we left, though their rare relative was nowhere to be seen.
After a while, i got fed up looking for this non-existent bird, and went to photograph the well-posing gulls in the evening light. Cold fingers and tired eyes made using Manual Focus a bit of an arse, but I did my best. The shots are a bit out of focus, but still better than AF in my opinion.
in the end, two very good birds, even If I missed the best one. Driving back, two Cormorants roosting next to the enormous one at Newhaven (I really need a photo to describe this to non-locals!)
as a final note, very few birds in Seaford today. single figure numbers of Swallows passing over, but not a single mipit or chiffchaff.
Thankfully it was, and, despite Dad having to drive his car through 'the town that God forgot', we arrived fairly opstimistic.
However, the bird hadn't been seen for a few hours, and, according to the whispered wisdom of the birders, it had last been seen disappearing over the clifftop. I took this as the cue to for a healthy scramble up the cliff. (for those who don't live nearby, Newhaven Cliffs are mercifully easy to climb, with a gradient barely steeper than any of the hills nearby and loads of footholds)...
This proved fruitless for the Starling, but there were plenty of Song Thrushes and a few Robins and Dunnocks in the limited scrub. Among the Song Thrushes was one all-dark thrush, giving an all-too familiar 'chack' as it flew away. I was already fairly confdent of it's identity, but it took another five minutes before I saw it again. It was a very nice male RING OUZEL, looking resplendent with his white breastband and scaly wings.
With no sign of the RCS up here, Dad and I hastily scrambled down the cliff and joined the other birders down at the bottom. We waited for another half-hour, but saw no sign of the bird, eventually giving up and heading home just before the sunset. However, the wait hadn't been totally fruitless. A BRAMBLING flew over calling (sussex yeartick 167 and brit yeartick 180), 20+ Swallows passed east along the cliffs, there were 2-3 Rock Pipits entertaining all. 45+ Curlew flew east, presumably going to roost somewhere on the undercliff between Newhaven and Brighton, and the Common Starlings were all flocking together in small groups as we left, though their rare relative was nowhere to be seen.
After a while, i got fed up looking for this non-existent bird, and went to photograph the well-posing gulls in the evening light. Cold fingers and tired eyes made using Manual Focus a bit of an arse, but I did my best. The shots are a bit out of focus, but still better than AF in my opinion.
in the end, two very good birds, even If I missed the best one. Driving back, two Cormorants roosting next to the enormous one at Newhaven (I really need a photo to describe this to non-locals!)
as a final note, very few birds in Seaford today. single figure numbers of Swallows passing over, but not a single mipit or chiffchaff.
Monday, 4 October 2010
my school crest
follwing my first of the autumn, at Preston Park yesterday, there was another Firecrest calling from conifers around school today. Other birds in seaford were 3-4 Goldcrests, 3 Chiffchaffs, and 10+ Meadow Pipits moving overhead. On the singing front, small numbers of Robin, Great Tit and Dunnock continue to pipe out their tunes again.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
spring coming round again?
It seems rather bizarre, I know, but I think the breeding season must be upon us again! The last few days have seen regular singing bouts from Robin, Dunnock and Great Tit! The most likely explanation, to my mind, is that I have a few local migrants. Robin and Dunnock could well have hopped over the channel (last autumn there were a few days I counted 70+ of each at Hope Gap, around this time of year), but I'm not entirely sure where Great Tits would arrive from. Local dispersal or from further afield? Or just a resident bird getting his territory staked out early? I'd be interested to hear any thoughts...
and another thing
I can't remember seeing a Blackbird in seaford since early July! I've seen Ring Ouzel more recently!
taken from this post, on 30 Sep. However, on Friday 01 October, within a day of that, I had broken my duct! It was a brief view in seaford, but I was just relieved to have finally seen one again. I only realized this when a friend came over from New Zealand, and commented on the notable lack of Blackbirds! It just goes to show, how easy it is to underlook common birds...
Oh, and just cos I'm in a random mood right now, here are some more facts on Buff-breasted Sandpiper;
and another thing
I can't remember seeing a Blackbird in seaford since early July! I've seen Ring Ouzel more recently!
taken from this post, on 30 Sep. However, on Friday 01 October, within a day of that, I had broken my duct! It was a brief view in seaford, but I was just relieved to have finally seen one again. I only realized this when a friend came over from New Zealand, and commented on the notable lack of Blackbirds! It just goes to show, how easy it is to underlook common birds...
Oh, and just cos I'm in a random mood right now, here are some more facts on Buff-breasted Sandpiper;
- there have been four in Sussex this year, the best year on record for them in the county.
- they are, I believe only the 11-14th seen in Sussex. We get very few due to our south-easterly location
Monday, 8 February 2010
Grey Wagtail (8th Feb)
once again the not-grey but actually rather colurful Wagtail was at my School today. Elsewhere in seaford 2 goldcrests seen briefly flying from shrub to shrub in St. Albans Road. The birds appear to still be rather shy, I still hardly hear any singing apart from the ever joyful Robins, Great Tits and Dunnocks, one of whom can reliably be seen from the same bush on the corner of my street every morning, singing his heart out. Snowdrops are now coming out, coinciding with rather different drops of snow!
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