9th October 2021

 A very calm day with little overhead movement apart from 124 Starlings, 14 alba and three Grey Wagtails, 60 Skylarks, six Siskins, nine Reed Buntings and a Ring-necked Parakeet.

Thrushes have built up and have become more noticeable with 16 Blackbirds, 15 Song Thrushes, five Mistle Thrushes and three Redwings. There has also been an increase of 22 Jays, 28 Magpies, 21 Robins and nine Dunnocks.

Other grounded migrants included one Whinchat, four Stonechats, one Wheatear,  24 Blackcaps, 59 Chiffchaffs, eight Firecrests and two Brambling.

Brendan, Nigel, Richard, Jack.

8th October 2021

Highlights today included a Yellow-browed Warbler at the Gun Emplacement,  a significant movements of  65 Jays and an influx of at least 140 Skylarks. There was a small arrival of thrushes at dawn including five Redwings and four Song Thrushes. 

Also seen today one Wheatear, six Stonechats, two Firecrests. There was a steady overhead passage throughout the morning including 200 Meadow Pipits, 4 Rock Pipits 18 alba Wagtails, 120 Starlings, 40 Swallows, 10 House Martins and a late Sand Martin. 

A confiding Wheatear at the Gun Emplacement (BR)

7th October 2021

 Light SW increasing slightly during the morning. Overcast with heavy drizzle around midday.

The 7th Oct is the best day at Bockhill for Yellow-browed Warblers, so inevitably two were found in the Paddock shortly after dawn. One was seen around mid-morning at McSwiggan and is presumed to have been one of the same.  Other than that there were few grounded migrants although Chiffchaffs reached 57 and Blackcaps 13. 

There was a reasonable overhead movement with the first Bramblings of the autumn (4),  two Siskins five Mistle Thrushes, 160 Swallows and 35 House Martins.  Meadow Pipits were moving throughout the day with 260 recorded but this is likely to be a gross under-estimate as small groups were still heading south late afternoon. 

Other birds of note included two stonechats, two Golden Plovers, a Hobby, four Brent Geese and one Bonxie. 

Brendan and Barry Wright

https://ebird.org/checklist/S95710824 

Yellow-browed Warbler- Paddock (BR)

Yellow-browed and Pallas's Warblers in October

 Based on records since we first watched the site in 1994, the table below shows new arrivals of Yellow-browed and Pallas's Warblers at Bockhill during October. The 7th & 8th clearly are the dates to find a Yellow-browed while the 23rd is the best bet for Pallas's. However 2021 is looking like an exceptionally poor year for Yellow-browed Warblers in southern Britain. As ever at Bockhill we remain unrealistically optimistic. 

4th October 2021

A walk around the Paddock and Farm in a strong S wind before getting soaked and giving up, produced 18 Chiffchaffs and a flock of 75 Goldfinches being chased by two young Kestrels.

Jack 

3rd October 2021

 In contrast to yesterday, today dawned with no wind and heavy overcast skies. So a bit of bush bashing and field walking was the order of the day. 

Chiffchaffs (42) and Blackcaps (28) were the only warblers seen but a Firecrest at the Monument was new in as was probably a Song Thrush in the Paddock.  The best area was the big field which hosted eight Wheatears and good numbers of Skylarks, alba Wagtails and Meadow Pipits. Also along the Clifftop there were six Stonechats. There seemed to be a small arrival of Dunnocks with over 20 being recorded. 

At least 18 Jays were seen including an group of 15 at Hope Point. A small group of 20 Swallows and a similar number of House Martins seemed to be feeding over the area most of the morning. There was no overhead movement until the wind picked up mid morning and a few Meadow Pipits started to move south along with a single Yellow Wagtail and Reed Bunting. 

An enjoyable mornings birding but we would hope for more in early October. 

Nigel, Brendan & John Cantelo

One of eight Wheatears in the Big field (BR)

Kestrel Droveway (BR)

2nd October 2021

 Strong SSW winds, Overcast occasional rain.

Three strategies played out today. Nigel and Brendan opted for a morning sea watching in the Bay, while Richard persevered "up top" walking from Kingsdown to the Monument. The third strategy was to stay home, an option that some regulars wisely took.  

There was constant action at sea throughout the morning, mostly Gannets (960) and Mediterranean Gulls (84) but it meant that there was an incentive to hang on in there and as a result produced eight Balearic Shearwaters, six Arctic Skuas, five Bonxies, 28 Sandwich Terns, single Arctic and Common Terns, four Red-throated Divers, and seven Common Scoters. 

In the meantime Richard get very wet and managed three Wheatears, two Yellow and one Grey wagtails, 450 Meadow Pipits and 40 Chiffchaffs

Brendan, Nigel and Richard 

30th September 2021

 Light SW overcast with rain shower mid morning. Wind strengthening by late morning.

Meadow Pipit was the species of the day with a steady southerly passage for most on the morning with around 1,420 being recorded. However not much else was moving overhead apart from nine alba Wagtails, one Grey Wagtail,  one Reed Bunting, 170 Swallows and 40 House Martins. 

47 Chiffchaffs were noted including around 20 at Hope Point. Other warblers included five Blackcaps and a single Lesser Whitethroat. A Grey Plover was probably the most unusual sighting in Bockhill  terms.

A short hour long sea-watch from the bay between 12 and 1.00 produced 2 Sooty Shearwaters, seven Sandwich Terns, 35 Brent Geese, three red-throated Divers single Arctic Skua, razorbill and Guillemot and 33 Med gulls.

Brendan

Record shots of Arctic Skua going down channel (BR)

28th September 2021

 Another blustery day with strong southerly winds and the occasional shower.

Again coverage of the area was limited, (Paddock, Freedown and Farm Wood) producing 26 Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps and not a lot else. Overhead meadow Pipits were again on the move with at least 140 and there was a steady trickle of Swallows along with a couple of House Martins and a single Sand Martin. 

An hours sea watching late morning produced six Balearic Shearwaters, one Sooty Shearwater, a Bonxie, 34 Med Gulls, two Red-throated Divers, two Shags, two Common Scoter  and 40 Gannets

Brendan

Chiffchaff numbers have declined over the last couple of days (BR)

27th September 2021

 Heavy rain and strong Southerly winds limited birding in the morning. Clearing in the afternoon

With only limited coverage of the area it was difficult to drawn any conclusions about warbler numbers although there seemed to be a general decline.

The sea which has been very quiet all autumn had plenty of birds, mainly Gannets and Kittiwakes. A short sea watch late afternoon produced a single Balearic Shearwater, 220 Kittiwakes, a Shag, 55 Med Gulls, four Common Terns and eight Sanderlings.

Brendan & Nigel 

26th September 2021

Sunny with strong SSW breeze becoming overcast by 09:30.

As usual migrants were mainly in the Paddock and around the Oldstairs to Hope Point area where warblers again predominated, We had seven Blackcaps, three Lesser Whitethroats, three Whitethroats and 103 Chiffchaffs.  Other grounded birds included a Spotted Flycatcher, a Wheatear, and to proove that autmn birding had really arrived, 12 Stonechats and two Reed Buntings. 

Overhead moving SW were 11 Alba, one Grey and one yellow Wagtail, 57 Meadow Pipits, six Skylarks and a steady movement of hirundines that included four Sand Martins, 65 Swallows and 358 House Martins.

Brendan, Nigel, Richard, Jack

(NJ)

25th September

 Light SSW strengthening during the morning. Fog first thing.

Not too much change to report with lots of Chiffchaffs (130), one Willow Warbler, three Whitethroats, three Lesser Whitethroats, 18 Blackcaps, five Stonechats and one Spotted Flycatcher.

Overhead there was a steady trickle of Meadow Pipits throughout the morning (140) plus 73 Swallows, six House Martins and a Sand Martin.

Undeterred we will no doubt try again tomorrow.

Jack, Nigel and Brendan

Spotted Flycatcher - Paddock (BR)

24th September 2021

 SW brisk breeze.

As usual most grounded birds were warblers and found in the Paddock although a small number are now being seen in and around the Farm. The totals were 11 Blackcaps, one Whitethroat and 71 Chiffchaffs. Other notable species included two Spotted Flycatchers, two Stonechats and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers/

Feeding overhead were probably  c.1000 hirundines of which 700 were Swallows and the rest House Martins. 

Jack