Walked the beach this morning from Atherington to West Beach then upto Climping, producing very little,  although good numbers of singing Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff, and plenty of Swifts moving in off the sea east.

Swifts - 67
House Martin - 3
Swallow - 17
Mediterranean Gull - 6w (5 adult 1 juv)
Common Tern - several along beach
Sandwich Tern - local birds moving east & west
Fulmar - 1w
Gannet - feeding close offshore
Lapwing - 1
Great-crested Grebe - 1w
Stonechat - 2

Common Tern feeding at Climping Beach

Sandwich Tern Climping

Yesterday a Short-eared Owl flushed from the dunes at West Beach

Another walk around  west beach and the golf course this morning, produced much the same as yesterday, although fewer numbers of Swift and House Martin.

Swift - 17
House Martin - 2
Swallow - 9
Stonechat - 5
Blackcap - 10
Chiffchaff - 6
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Whitethroat - 12
Reed Warbler - 7
Sedge Warbler - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 2
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Lapwing - 1
Stock Dove - 2
Grey Heron - 1
Little Egret - 2
Grey Partridge - 2
Whimbrel - 2
Gannet - c.30 following trawlers

Not a great deal to get excited about this morning although a good number of Swifts heading east through the golf course, and evidence of the Stonechats breeding with a juv bird seen around West Beach.

Swifts - c.60 east
Stonechat - 5
House Martin - 11  flock around camp site
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 2
Reed Warbler - 8
Sedge Warbler - 1
Whitethroat - 10
Chiffchaff - 3
Blackcap - 7
Reed Bunting - 3
Swallow - 16
Sparrowhawk - 1
Buzzard - 1
Jay - 1
Little Egret - 1
Whimbrel - 1
Sandwich Tern - small numbers offshore
Gannet - 5
Great-crested Grebe - 2 on sea

Nothing Special

Splendid morning out and around the golf course this morning although not a great deal to get excited about.

Swift - 7
Swallow - 27
House Martin - 1
Reed Warbler - 8
Sedge Warbler - 2
Cetti's Warbler - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Bullfinch - 1
Whitethroat - 22
Wheatear - 1
Chiffchaff - 8
Blackcap - 10
Meadow Pipit - 7
Kestrel - 1
Jay - 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 2
Dunlin - 3

Goldfinch

Reed Warbler

Linnet

Whitethroat

Meadow Pipit

Purple Patch

Thinking that Spring had past me by, I paid another visit to the patch this morning. With very little moving offshore I put the scope away and walked down bread Lane and up to the old camp site.  What made be turn round at the end of the track I will never no, but as I did I caught the sight of a male Golden Oriole flying into the tree tops at Kents Cottages, moving through the trees high in the canopy until lost to view. Spent the next hour looking with no joy, but made my morning.

Golden Oriole - 1 stunning male Kents Cottages
Hobby - 2 Over the Mill
Red Kite - 3
Buzzard - 3
Kestrel - 2
Cuckoo - 1  Over Ath Cottage
Yellow Wagtail - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Stonechat - 2
Spotted Flycatcher - 1 Baliffscourt
Whitethroat - 17
Blackcap - 7
Willow Warbler - 5
Chiffchaff - 6
Reed Warbler - 3
Reed Bunting - 3
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Jay - 1
Swallow - 32
Little Egret - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 9E 5W
Common Tern - 13 on beach
Great-crested Grebe - 5 on sea
Red-breasted Merganser - 2 on sea
Mediterranean Gull - 2 on sea
Whimbrel - 2W
Cormorant - 6E 1W
Oystercatcher - 6E 7W

Stonechat

Red Kite

A couple of hours spent watching the sea from the car park at 08:30 again produced very little.

Great Skua - 1 on sea
Common Scoter - 14E
Gannet - 130E 25W
Sandwich Tern 15E
Commic Tern - 5E
Grey Plover - 8E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1E
Whimbrel - 4E
Brent Goose - 1E
Oystercatcher - 4E
Great-crested Grebe - 4 on sea


Yesterday spent the day out with a few friends on his fishing boat. We travelled 3 miles out from the river mouth visiting a couple of reefs and wrecks that are meant to be good for fishing. Will have to say the fishing was far better than the birding.

Several Fulmar around the first site called Black Ledge produced several Gannet, 7 Common Scoter sitting on the sea, small flocks of Commic Tern and a few Swallow heading in.

The second site was an old wreck called Shirala that was sunk in 1913, produced more of the same with the only Great Skua, Black Tern, heading east, a few Kittiwake and 5 Guillemot on the sea.

Hit the golf course this morning, which was a big mistake considering the amount of Poms seen along the coast.

Spotted Flycatcher - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 3
Garden Warbler - 1
Whitethroat - c.30
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Sedge Warbler - 2
Reed Warbler - 3
Bullfinch - 2
Chiffchaff - 5
Willow Warbler - 7
Blackcap - 10
Swallow - 20
Swift - 2
Buzzard - 1

Tried to rectify the error but the passage seemed to have dried up on the Skua front, nevertheless a few bits and bobs still moving through.

Garganey - 1E 11:10
Great Skua - 1E 1W
Brent Geese - 12E
Gannet - 32E also about 30 following a pair of trawlers.
Sandwich Tern - 33E 7W
Commic Tern - 68E
Little Tern - 4E
Great-crested Grebe - 5 on sea 1E
Whimbrel - 10E 2W
Common Scoter - 22E
Ringed Plover - 5E
Turnstone - 25E
Oystercatcher - 17E 7W
Swallow - 15
Raven - 2E

Sandwich Tern

Oystercatcher

Did a walk around the patch from 10.30 to 3pm - golf course back, Climping gap, horse paddocks, Climping beach, long wood, west beach. Not too bad given the late time:
Tree Pipit. 1 east of horse paddocks
Yellow Wagtail. 1 same area
Wheatear. 1 wb
Stonechat. 4 wb
Rock Pipit. 1 wb
Meadow Pipit. 6 wb
Ringed Plover. 1 wb
Turnstone. 7. Wb
Oystercatcher. 12. wb
Grey Partridge. 2 field west of cafe
Common Scoter. 3 way out from Climping beach
Gannet. Numerous but all way out near trawlers
GC Grebe. 2. wb and Climping beach
Whitethroat. 20 plus everywhere
Lesser Whitethroat. 1 horse paddocks
Reed Warbler 4 plus back golf course
Sedge Warbler. 6 plus back golf course
Blackcap. 5
Willow Warbler. 4 back golf course
Chiffchaff. 7 plus. Back golf course, long wood (MD)

With very little movement offshore and apart from the good numbers of Whitethroat in the area my first visit to the patch for over a week proved disappointing. A Redstart in the horse paddock was the highlight and my first Lesser Whitethroat of the spring at the camp site.

Redstart - 1

Lersser Whitethroat - 1

Whitethroat - 18

Willow Warbler - 5

Chiffchaff - 4

Blackcap - 11

Sedge Warbler - 3

Reed Warbler - 1

Swift - 2

Swallow - 12

Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1

Gannet - 13e  2w

Sandwich Tern - 6w

Common Tern - 1w

On the morning of sat 30th a Hobby and Cuckoo in the area.