31st August 2018

Some improvement in the number of migrants around this morning although overhead passage remains non existent.

Nine species of warbler were recorded this morning including single Grasshopper and Sedge, two Garden, six Willow and eight Reed Warblers, 33 Whitethroats, 22 Lessers and five Blackcaps. Only one Chiffchaff was seen.

On the chat front there were six Wheatears and single Redstart, Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher. A Greenshank flew down channel and there was a Yellow Wagtail on the Golf Course.  Brendan

One of eight Reed Warblers this morning

30th August 2018

Highlights of a brief visit early morning included five Whinchats and two Redstarts. Warblers remain thin on the ground with seven Blackcaps, six Lesser Whitethroats, three Common Whitethroats, two Chiffchaffs and a single Willow Warbler. The only other birds of note were a group of six Grey Partridge. Brendan

Common Redstart- Freedown

Whinchat - Bluebird Cafe

Whinchat - Freedown 

29th August 2018

After an aborted visit this morning due to heavy rain, I returned mid afternoon and walked a short circuit taking in the Paddock, the Leas, Clifftop, Farm Wood and Gun Emplacement. It was fairly birdless until I reached the Freedown, where there were two Redstarts and two Spotted Flycatchers. Warbler numbers seemed low but I managed two Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers, five Whitethroats, six Lesser Whitethroats, five Blackcaps and a single Reed Warbler. Brendan

28th August 2018

Grasshopper Warbler, 10 Lesser Whitethroats, one Willow Warbler & six Blackcaps as per Julian Russell via Twitter.

17th August 2018

A quiet day today with very few grounded migrants, we only found three Wheatears, a Whinchat, four Lesser Whitethroats, seven Whitethroats, two Willow Warblers and a Nightingale.
Moving through overhead were five Swifts and a Yellow Wagtail. Phil and Jack

14th August 2018

Highlights today included a Spotted Flycatcher (in the Paddock), a Garden Warbler (Gun Emplacement), 4 Reed Warblers, 2 Whinchats (Clifftop & Gun Emplacement), a Black Redstart (Leas), Hobby, 22 Willow Warblers, 17 Whitethroats, 17 Lesser Whitethroats, & 2 Blackcaps.

There was a small trickle of Swallows moving south  29,  and a couple of Sand Martins with them.  11 species of butterfly were recorded including eight Walls and many Chalkhill Blues at Hope Point.

Spotted Flycatcher -Paddock

Whinchat- Gun Emplacement

Garden Warbler- Gun Emplacement

Wall

13th August 2018

Phil and I walked the area today and had a reasonable count of migrants with seven Reed Warblers, two Blackcaps, 21 Whitethroats, eight Lesser Whitethroats, nine Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff and a Whinchat. Overhead, moving W, were 186 Swifts, 40 Swallows and a Sand Martin. Other notable birds were singles of Green  and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Ravens, eight Bullfinches and 10 Yellowhammers.

10th August 2018

A Wheatear was around the monument when we arrived today raising hopes of an arrival. However it was all downhill from there with a selection of birds similar to yesterday including 26 Whitethroats, five Lesser Whitethroats, four Willow Warblers and single Reed Warbler and Whinchat. 13 Swifts past south and a flock of around 40 House Sparrows in Amy's Field was the largest gathering that any of us could recall for a number of years. Jack, John Cantelo and Brendan.

9th August 2018

My first visit of the autumn to Bockhill produced 34 Whitethroats, 18 Lesser Whitethroats, three Blackcaps, eight Willow Warblers and single Reed Warbler and Whinchat.

8th August 2018

Around the area Richard and I had quite a good number of warblers today. We recorded 45 Common Whitethroats, 23 Lesser Whitethroats, a Reed Warbler and eight Willow Warblers. In addition to these we had six Grey Partridges, a Turtle Dove, three Whinchats and three Wheatears.

Seawatching, however, was pitiful with only two Little Egrets, a Whimbrel, 11 Mediterranean Gulls (all of them juveniles) and a Kittiwake moving down channel.

4th August 2018

It was a beautiful sunrise this morning looking out over The Channel towards France. Unfortunately I didn’t manage very much at all, just the usual breeding families of Sylvia Warblers in Kingsdown. Jack, however, had a Spotted Flycatcher, five Willow Warblers, 13 Whitethroats, three Blackcaps and at least 15 Long-tailed Tits at The Gun Emplacement.

3rd August 2018

Jack covered Bockhill this morning and had three Pied Flycatchers, eight Whitethroats, three Willow Warblers and a Blackcap. He also counted 84 Herring Gulls on the ground in The Paddock. This is almost certainly the highest count of Herring Gulls on the ground in The Paddock on 3rd August 2018!

In Kingsdown there was a Reed Warbler feeding in my garden first thing this morning. Later in the day two Pied Flycatchers were in and around the garden, with a Willow Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat and 200 Swifts over late afternoon. Three Humming-bird Hawk-Moths were feeding on Buddleia this evening.

Yesterday 200+ Mediterranean Gulls flew S over Telegraph Hill in Deal.