Chiffchaff fall

I'm spending a few days down in Charmouth, on the Dorset coast. It's a small, but busy town, the beach not ideal for birding, although local eyes have pulled the odd goody out of the ornithological hat in recent months (Glossy Ibis, Yellow-browed Warbler). The coastal path running east of here runs above an enormous cliff slump, then tops out on Stonebarrow Hill, a mosaic of meadows, scrub and hedgerows. It looks stunning and I can well imagine that frequent observation would be re-payed. In a few weeks time the lower slopes will be full of orchids. I went up there this morning, after overnight rain, and it was leaping - 60+ Chiffchaff, 12 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler and a Tree Pipit, most of the warblers in song that made for a wonderful aural treat. If I lived in Charmouth, this would be my patch. You cannot get any more tucked-up in Lyme Bay, and Portland Bill shows-off nearby sticking way out to sea, but this unspoilt bit of coast, all the way to West Bay, has bags of birding potential.

Comments

Simon Douglas Thompson said…
The chiff chaffs in the local little wood have been deafeningly loud the last couple of days
4 April 2017 at 14:11
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