Splash Point-the one that got away

With the wind coming from the SE, I thought I might try a scouting trip down to Splash Point this afternoon to see what was about. in 50 minutes between 13.30 and 14.20, 51 Brent Geese moved East, in groups of 6, 41 and 4. 13 Gannets went the same way in twos and threes, and six Red-breasted Merganser going east pretty close in (they were 2 males and 4 females) was a nice surprise that made for a pretty worthwhile excursion. In the opposite direction, a Great Crested Grebe passed fairly distantly, I was secretly hoping for a Red-necked but it was too long-necked and slender looking. Residents included 3 Cormorants, 10+ Fulmar and 300+ Kittiwake offshore, a flyby Peregrine and a singing Rock Pipit, with two others nearby. However, the would-be highlight was a probable Skua species. A dark bird, chasing a Kittiwake, with long wings, a slender body and a very agile flight. It looked pretty good for an Arctic Skua, but I don't see skua's all that often, and this bird was only on view for a few seconds before it disappeared behind a wave. Slightly hypocratically, I'd probably count it in April, but they're far more unusual (though not unheard of) at this time of year, so that brief glimpse wasn't quite enough to nail it.

very bad photo of Splash Point's kittiwakes, taken today

marginally better photo of Splash Point's Kittiwakes,
taken in July

edit: I have also updated the Gazeteer now to include Hope Gap/Seaford Head

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.

6 August-Hope Gap undercliff

walking along the undercliff from Hope Gap 1/2 a mile west and back, a pair of Fulmars were feeding a chick on the cliff, six Rock Pipits, some recently fledged juveniles, were along the undercliff. three Little Egrets and a Grey Heron were on the rockpools, along with 8 Oystercatchers, a Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper. a few Cormorants flew past offshore, and about 100 yards out a stream of Kittiwakes, mostly adults, were moving west. Also seen 2 Ravens 6 Whitethroats, 5 Willow Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff, all of this mid-afternoon. 3 Jays and 20+ Magpies were on Seaford Head Golf Course, including one gang of 10 maggies. a few Swifts and House Martins were overhead.

In Seaford, a Goldcrest in the garden, while a few days ago were 15 Long-tailed Tits, mostly juveniles, and the same number of Swifts still screaming overhead. A Whimbrel flew over two nights ago.

photographing 28/7/10

a Rock Pipit at Splash Point, Seaford, 28/7/2010

p.s thankyou everyone who has visited and got me back in the top 600 on FatBirder!! :) :) alright, no.599 and I won't stay there for long but it's nice to be back there still  :o

Bits and Bobs

alas, no real birding was achieved today, but a few migrants still seen nontheless.

• A Willow Warbler heard calling late morning, and probably the same mid-afternoon, (and I have justherd it as I write too!) from somewhere behind the garden
• Walking along the lower reaches of Seaford Head Golf Course early afternoon a Lesser Whitethroat was tacking away unseen.
• at the Ouse Estuary this evenin dad and I accomplished the notable achievement of seeing jock-s**t. a few herring gulls and singing skylarks being the highlight of a fantastic walk. 
• At Splash Point mid-afternoon Kittiwakes out in force, including many young birds wheeling about the cliffs. Also a Rock Pipit 
• finally, on the night of the 25th a Dunlin was heard flying over the house at about 23:00.

there are about as many birds in these two photos as there were in half an hour at the Ouse 'Estuary' (a.k.a big dry reedbed) Project tonight.

Deja Vu

A visit to Splash Point today, ignoring the ominous signs of the West wind, proved worthless. A few Kittikwake were offshore and the Rock Pipits performed well as always, with one heard singing and seen displaying, but in half an hour I did not see a single seabird pass through! However, It was Deja Vu again, as another Blackcap saved some grace, tacking away around Blatchington Pond. (where the arrow is though you can't see it on the map). A few Crocuses are also now appearing around Seaford, the second flowers to appear as usual after the snowdrops.

24th Jan 2010-Splash Point

got down to Splash for an hour and a halfs seawatching. Throughout there was a constant stream of gulls hading West close inshore, mainly Herring, Black-headed and Common but including a Mediterranean, my 90th species of 2010. 91 and 92 were provided by Fulmar(10 or so cruising the cliffs) and Kittiwake(a raft of 200+ offshore presumably returning from their winter in the oceans early). Also seen moving offshore during the time were Gannet(8 fishing offshore and 3 West), Red-throated Diver (1E), unidentified diver species (15W and 4E), Unidentified Auk species(6W), a Little Gull(1E) and a Brent Goose(1W). Also present were several Rock Pipits on the boulders and beach. Also of interest was a Fulmar inland over Seaford, flying over the houses on Southdown Road. I have seen then over the town annually or the past few years, though usually they turn up in Spring and Summer(seen in Aug 07, Jun 08 and May 09).

7 Jan 2010-Seaford& Splash Point

Nothing of interest from last few days, but today with all the snow a Pied Wagtail in the garden was my first garden record for this species, and a Skylark and a Lapwing flew overhead. At Splash Point a Shag was fishing offshore, several Rock Pipits were on the boulders and Oystercatcher was on the rockpools. moving offshore were eight gannets and 27 Lapwing West, while overhead where 165 Redwing, 24 Fieldfare, 104 Skylark and 78 Meadow Pipit. Back in Seaford exceptional copunts of 340 Redwing and 270 Fieldfare