As August begins to draw to a close, the migrant season usually begins to hot up. With the multiple sightings of migrants such as Pied Flycatcher and Whinchat etc as well as scarcer migrants such as Wrynecks being reported in the past few weeks - this has certainly been the case. In fact, it was the latter species that I set my targets on when me and my Dad set off to Kent on a brisk, late August, post-birthday birding session.
Having only had a brief glimpse of a Wryneck once before in August last year at Porthgwarra, the aim was to get my first good views of the species. With this in mind, we set off towards Abbott's Cliff (where two Wrynecks had been reported for the last few days). Before venturing along the cliff, we stopped for a sandwich at a beautiful, picturesque cafe which overlooked the cliffs and the misty sea. After fuelling up with a Tuna Mayo sandwich (controversial I know) we headed out towards the location.
Having never been to the site before, I was unsure of what to expect. But once we found the path it became immediately evident that the site was a great place for attracting migrants - the mass of bushes providing great shelter. This theory was proven immediately, when one of the first birds we set eyes upon was a stunning Whinchat - providing some of the best views I've had of the species.
The Whinchat was quickly followed up by sightings of multiple Common Whitethroats as well as a Lesser Whitethroat which flicked about low down in one of the bushes. The species named were all pleasant finds, however the main target still remained at large. Eventually, we found the old rifle range where the Wryneck had been lingering for the past few days. Upon arrival, a pair of birders told us (rather excitedly) that the bird had been spotted in flight. Eventually, we managed to track the Wryneck down to the top of a tree where it sat briefly for admirers - the target bird was in the bag. However, a few seconds after getting on it, the bird flew off. This was to be the theme of the day, as we'd often catch the bird in flight before losing it in the vast shrubbery. You'll notice that the elusive nature of the bird has resulted in no photos of it on my part! With patience, some good views were had of the bird - at one point it sat on a dead branch in the clear offering great views for a matter of seconds.
After, feeling satisfied with our modest views of the Wryneck, we decided to continue walking down the path (past the rifle range). Here we found nothing of note; more Common Whitethroats and a Meadow Pipit. However, it was when we passed the old rifle range on our way back to the car that something interesting happened. Whilst walking down the path, a bird that I had flushed caught my eye - this was no Linnet, it was the Wryneck again! Annoyed at myself, I managed to catch a brief glimpse of the bird perched low in the bush before it flew off again. Certainly a frustrating moment but also a rather exciting one. After failing to find it after 20 more minutes of looking, we decided to retire to the car.
On return to the car, we got talking to two birders from Lewisham who recommended that we head to Samphire Hoe Country Park as they had just found a female Pied Flycatcher as well as Black Redstarts (the latter of which would be a long awaited lifer for me). After they kindly gave us their parking ticket, we set off to the reserve, going through a tunnel within a cliff on our way!
After following the guys' directions to the Black Redstarts, we eventually came to the set of rocks which they had described to us. A bird perched on a sign caught my eye - this was no Black Redstart though, it was the Pied Flycatcher that the guys had found earlier. However, the bird quickly flickered out of view. In search of the bird, I we turned around the corner where - to my delight - 2 Black Redstarts greeted my eyes! The charcoal coloured birds were at a close distance and were therefore showing brilliantly; with one catching a worm at one point.
I couldn't believe how easily we'd managed to tick our two target species for the reserve. For the next hour or so, we stood admiring both the Black Redstarts and the Pied Flycatcher - both of which came up towithin metres of us. At one point I had to duck to avoid the Flycatcher, which then proceeded to try and catch a Butterfly next to my head! At one point, a Peregrine Falcon even decided to get in on the action.
Finally, we managed to drag ourselves away from these great views and decided to see what the rest of the Country Park had to offer. A brief seawatch yielded a Fulmar; another bird to add to the days tally. Little else of note was added after this- with a couple more Common Whitethroats being spotted in the bushes. Eventually, our legs tired and we decided to call it a day after successfully seeing all of our target species. Migrant hunting at its best!
Hopefully this won't be the last of the migrants I see this year, as I will be attending Migfest at the birding Mecca of Spurn! Hopefully a blog of this future trip will be posted next week.
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