16th - 18th October 2024

Friday, 18th October: A calm and misty start, with just a faint Southerly breeze, eventually clearing around 09:00 to give a fine and sunny morning with just a little cloud and the wind veering to SW3.

Climping Gap: I was feeling a little slow this morning, partly due to a twisted and swollen knee, following my unscheduled dip yesterday! I decided to take it easy with just a couple of hours birding on this lovely autumn morning, staying around the Kents/old campsite area. Unfortunately there were no excitements, with just regular species recorded, though following a night with a 'Hunter's Moon' it seemed that many of the migrants may have taken their cue to move on.

Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were present in good numbers, both in the fields and flying over, with lesser numbers of Pied Wagtails. A total of 10 Chiffchaffs were eventually logged, with just two Goldcrests, whilst in the bushes were at least three Blackcaps. Four Stonechats were around the set-aside areas and at least two Reed Buntings were also present, whilst three Yellowhammers were showing well in the hedgerows and a Bullfinch was calling frequently but not showing well in the campsite hedge.

Yellowhammers at Climping

Thursday, 17th October: A dry and pleasant day, very mild for the time of year, with a good deal of sunshine throughout and lighter winds, W/SW 2-3.

Climping Gap: Another visit but there was no sign of the Pallas's Warbler after yesterday's excitement.  I spent time checking out various  areas of the site, where there was a good bit of visible migration going on, with plenty of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and finches going over, including Siskins and Goldfinch, although I didn't attempt a count this time. I also logged four Stonechats, eight Blackcaps, several Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests and then a Kingfisher unexpectedly flew across a damp field of set-aside, settling for a while near a small flood, before moving on.

A cropped image of the fairly distant Kingfisher in the set-aside field at Climping.

I casually made a slow circuit back down the fields towards the beach, but as I got nearer I suddenly remembered I'd parked my car at the bottom of Climping Street and that it was nearing high tide. My pace quickened, and very quickly I realised as I reached the beach that a very big high tide had effectively cut me off, with a river now running north along Bread Lane! A bit of a panic...I had to cross it despite some risk; needless to say I didn't make it safely, fell face down, got completely soaked and optics all submerged in sea-water...oh joy! The car was OK, but it was a bruised and very wet Elmer Birder that got into it and set off home....birding over today!

Wednesday, 16th October: A dull and grey start with some threatening cloud early on in a fresh SE breeze, but remaining dry and gradually brightening to give some warm sunshine by late morning. Clouding over again by mid-afternoon and becoming grey, with the forecast of rain by evening....

Elmer Rocks area: Mid-October, with east in the wind and heavy cloud all added up to the chance of something decent turning up, and possibly a rarity about. I started my circuit with a short sea-watch, seeing 1E, 4W Gannets, 15W Brent Geese, 6W Common Scoter, 3E Sanderling, 7E Turnstones and 25E Mediterranean Gulls. A bit of 'vis.mig' consisted of six Swallows, a few Meadow Pipits, two Skylarks, 25 Goldfinches and eight Siskins heading east.

A good look around the fields and hedgerows produced a Kestrel hunting the beach area again, a single Stonechat in the set-aside and just a few more Meadow Pipits. A total of nine Little Egrets were feeding together in the fields today, amongst various gulls, before some of the egrets decided to roost in tree-tops at Poole Place.

Time then to check the sheltered spots, woods and hedgerows, but my best efforts produced nothing more than six Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests.

At Elmer this morning: (above) Stonechat in the set-aside (with Goldfinch), (below) Kestrel watching a potential meal and (bottom) six of the nine Little Egrets in the field.

I felt that there surely had to be a Yellow-browed Warbler or at least a Ring Ouzel about, given the number being reported elsewhere - but no, not a sniff of one today. Then, just when I was feeling a bit despondent, I got a message and it was time to go.....

Climping - Atherington: Shortly after noon, local birder Bola put out the news that he'd found a Pallas's Warbler* in the small wood behind Bailiffscourt Hotel, (*for those non-birders of you reading this, it is a tiny little warbler that is rare here and comes from Siberia, usually at this time of year, has lots of wing bars and head stripes and is always highly prized by UK birders). No time to waste, so I made my way there as fast as I could.

On arrival, I met up with Bola who pointed out the area of trees where the bird was showing, but it had since moved higher into the canopy and had gone out of view. It was however calling, quite frequently, so we had some idea of its location. It was, as ever, very elusive, eventually giving a number of calls before seeming to drift higher and to the left, thereafter becoming silent. In short, it remained elusive, but then apparently joined a roving flock of Long-tailed and other tits, giving only a couple of very brief glimpses (but was later reported to be calling again). 

Other birds seen were a couple of Firecrests and Goldcrests, several Chiffchaffs and a Swallow.