Pied Flycatcher
The weather was great as May started and with the sun came the birds, I am loving living here and experiencing so much more bird movement and variety and what a start with 2 Flycatchers both together! Andrew Chamberlin met me birding along the clifftops and showed me a image of a Spotted Flycatcher he had found at the large clifftop wood, with it being quiet where I was I decided to head along that way with him to try and connect, no sooner had we gotten there and located the Spotted' we then had a Pied Flycatcher feeding along the same stretch!! awesome.
Pied Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
The Pied was a first for the patch list but Spotted I had seen the previous autumn, but these are getting a much scarcer bird so it was good to connect in the spring.
My usual morning stints looking out to see have been producing a few new birds, the Fulmars are regular and 3 was seen on one day. A nice addition was a Med Gull mixed in with some common gulls resting off shore.
Med Gull
Fulmar
Fulmar
Bar Tailed Godwit
A great spot was this Bar tailed Godwit which flew past, it was then spotted further along at Overstrand, the waders are few and far between so I was glad to of picked up on this flyby.
Bar Tailed Godwit
The Linnets have been passing in large numbers along with Goldfinches, this was a local bird though collecting nesting material.
Common Sandpipers
Waders were obviously mocking me saying "few & far between" as I also added Common Sandpiper, this group of 4 birds were stopping and feeding on the sea groynes as they headed west.
Common Sandpipers
I had seen a pair of Red Kites on a couple of occasions, one time they circled low over the garden checking out the recently cut paddock behind for food. There have been a lot of butterflies on the wing too and the bats were venturing out more earlier in the evenings, the moth light will have to be gotten out again!
Red Kite
Red Kite
Red Kite
