NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

I like November. It is an underrated month for observatory birding, what with a combination of late but noteworthy movements and the chance of screaming rarity. The tardy summer migrant is still on offer and although it can all have the feeling of clearing away the empties at closing time, there is also a hint of winter offerings. Tomorrow sees the start of that very month - if all is well then I have another fortnight here at Dungeness. My anticipation couldn't be any higher. Another arrival of crests today, with 60+ in the southern part of the recording area. The Dusky Warbler was still showing now and again, but I kept well clear.

Several months ago, whilst I was daydreaming about spending the late autumn at Dungeness, one of the subjects that I kept returning to was the weather. Would the winds be favourable for the odd good bird, conducive to arrivals and not too bad for sea watching? If I could have put in an order it would have been for light winds between E and S, a puff of warmth and largely dry weather. I must have done something right in a previous life, because so far there has been several days with such conditions and the Met Office are promising even more of the same well into next week! Thoughts are now turning to Pallid Swifts, Desert Wheatears, Bluetails and at the very least flocks of Pallas's Warblers chasing Richard's Pipits. Most of today was spent sea watching with the gang and a leisurely drive around the pits with Mark H, Chris P and Ellie the telescope (don't ask...)

Two bouts of sea watching, in the company of Martin C, Tony G and Paul T were lively affairs, dominated by Kittiwakes (over a thousand heading west), Gannets and auks, but also boasting a trickle of Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Pomarine Skuas and a Black-throated Diver. Rarest bird of the day was seen on the RSPB reserve with Mark H. A couple of weeks ago, while at Hookers, he saw a leucistic Bittern fly over the reed bed. This morning I was fortunate enough to see this milky coffee coloured apparition. The Met Office are suggesting a period of SSE to E winds well into next week. There are no complaints from me on that forecast!

The day dawned wet, so I donned waterproofs and welly boots and strode out into the very dull dawn. It was obvious that there were new birds about, with crests seemingly coming off of the beach and taking cover in the low broom and gorse. I watched a dozen move through the lighthouse garden and head inland. An area of vegetation on the beach came up trumps - the chacking call immediately alerted me to the presence of a Dusky Warbler, and unlike the bird of two days ago, this one was quite showy, particularly for the first ten minutes of observation. No identification problems here... Very soon the great and the good of Dungeness had gathered and were able to get their fill. But, like buses another warbler came along, this time a Yellow-browed that had been found by Sean O in the lighthouse garden. Typically restless, this bird played hard to get, but patience was rewarded. Both were still present at dusk. Good photos of the bird can be seen on both the Dungeness Bird Observatory we...

"When a man is tired of Black Redstarts, he is tired of birding." So said Samuel Johnson (or at least something like that...) Another day of mild south-easterlies although the birds were thinner on the ground. There were at least 20 Black Redstarts around the point and it was a joy to sit in the sun and watch them - normally in groups of 3-5 birds - as they flitted between patches of broom, garden outbuildings and fence posts. I could do this all day and not get bored. I have come to the conclusion that chats are my favourite birds. Especially if we include Wheatears in with them. What's not to like about Common and Black Redstarts, Stonechats and Whinchats? They are colourful and confiding, mostly migrants so have that extra special dollop of wonder, can turn up unexpectedly even in the most hostile of places and sometimes arrive en masse as a part of unforgettable happenings. If there is nothing else to look at tomorrow, bar one of these red-tailed flicking beauti...

A south-easterly breeze saw me at the point by dawn, looking out to sea. Passage was light, save for a drake Red-breasted Merganser and a Short-eared Owl. The walk back to the observatory was enlivened by a brief flurry of finches overhead (which included a flock of 13 Crossbills), plus the first signs of grounded migrants in the exposed broom (mainly Goldcrests but including 2 Black Redstarts). There was no sign of these birds on my earlier walk down. By 08.30 the crests started to arrive in earnest, together with more Black Redstarts. It was turning into one of those special observatory days! A 'tacking' phylloscopus warbler was finally nailed as a Dusky, this bird showing briefly on a few occasions between the power station fence and the sanctuary. Most of the crests quickly moved through and the Black Redstarts began to drift northwards. Final day totals were 100 and 50 respectively. It was a delight to watch the chats, at times 8 on a bungalow roof at once, including som...

A sunny and mild day that at times put on hold the notion of the end of summer. A brief but welcome Dartford Warbler livened up a sluggish day at DBO, this female/immature playing hide-and-seek in the large stand of gorse out in the desert. Highlight was left until the fag-end of the afternoon, when I joined Dave W, Martin and Richard on the beach to observe the regular baiting for gulls that is carried out by Mick S and Richard S. A most showy first-winter Caspian Gull was a delight (even I could manage this individual) this bird spending quite a bit of time in our company, allowing close flight views and settling on the beach well within range of our assortment of cameras. See 'Ploddingbirder' and the Dungeness Bird Observatory blog/website for the images - mine will have to wait until I return home. A single Red Admiral and Hummingbird Hawk-moth were also recorded.