April

27th April

A good movement of birds first thing with 8 Swifts, a Hobby, 80 Swallows, 15 Sand Martins, 10 Yellow Wagtails, a Turtle Dove and many Lesser Whitethroats. Bird of the day however was a superb Red-rumped Swallow that flew along the cliff-top from the Monument to Oldstairs Bay and back to Hope Point, before drifting off inland with other hirundines.

 

17th

Much the same birds arriving as the past couple of days but for the Alpine Swift  that put on a fantastic performance hawking for insects over the Leas and over the Bay this morning. We also had another Serin flying upchannel at about ten o'clock.

16th

A better day with no mist and a light north-westerly produced quite a good vis. mig. upchannel with 42 Swallow, 16 Sand Martin, 4 House Martin, 49 Carrion Crow, 26 Coal Tit, 1 Tree Pipit, 2 Ring-necked Parakeet, 7 Yellow Wagtail, 264 Chaffinch, 165 Linnet and 68 Siskin. A male Marsh Harrier came in at Hope Point and moved off north as did 4 Sparrowhawks.

15th

Birding was somewhat curtailed today by a thick sea mist which did not clear until lunchtime. However some migrants had arrived overnight and we heard our first Whitethroat and Ring Ouzel of the year.

14th

A few hours in the warm sunny, but breezy conditions produced 3030 Woodpigeons moving SW, 78 Carrion Crows, 40 Magpies and 4 Rooks all coming in off the sea, together with 15 Swallows, one House Martin, 10 Coal Tits and a male Marsh Harrier. There was also a small movement of finches downchannel.

This was the very sad sight of a young Humpback Whale washed up on Kingsdown Beach yesterday.

13th

A quick walk around the area in a cold westerly wind produced very few summer migrants apart from 4 Blackcaps, 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Black Redstarts (one a splendid male).

Overhead a few Siskin and Woodpigeons moved west.

9th

The wind, that had moved to a north westerly direction, good for Bockhill, produced a movement from across the Channel of 2170 Woodpigeons, 117 Coal Tits, 52 Carrion Crows, 34 Swallows, 31 Sand Martins, 1 House Martin, 35 Starlings and 15 Meadow Pipits

8th

Better movement south west today with 1857 Woodpigeons, 11 Swallows and 142 Siskins.Around the Farm were 5 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcaps and 3 Firecrests. On the sea, moving upchannel, there were 142 Gannets, 11 Sandwich Terns, 7 Red- throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver and 1 Arctic Skua.

7th

Still north easterley wind with few migrants apart from 1 Yellow Wagtail and 3 Chiffchaffs.

6th

A Serin flew south west along the clifftop.

5th

In a bitter north easterly 51 Coal Tits moved along the cliff, as did 72 Siskins.

2nd

Good movement today of 6040 Woodpigeons, 60 Magpies, 80 Carrion Crows, 44 Great Tits, 59 Coal Tits, 240 Chaffinches, a Little Ringed Plover, a Marsh Harrier, an early Whimbrel and a smattering of Swallows and Martins.

1stst11st

A good start to the month with a movement south west of 2393 Woodpigeons, 120 Starlings, 60 Coal Tits, 3 Brambling, 162 Linnets, 36 Siskins, 44 Greenfinches. There was also a trickle of summer migrants with 3 Swallows, 5 Sand Martins, 1 Black Redstart and 1 Firecrest.