Showing Well

Yesterday afternoon I headed down to Brighton to see the Grey Phalarope that had spent the week on a children's paddling pool on Hove seafront. Some of the photos coming out were incredible so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see it for myself. As we arrived in the vicinity I was initially a bit worried that it had moved on; I mean, a sunny Saturday on the coast and the nearby promenade and green were little more than a heaving mass of children, dogs and dog walkers, all barking. Something in this distracting combination must've spooked it finally?

But no, on a small, fenced off paddling pool, sandwiched between a play area and a skate park, there it was...a tiny, pale wader, glowing in the soft light and spinning contentedly for a motley gathering of birders, photographers and curious locals. While my girlfriend didn't quite see what the fuss was about ("we came all the way here to see that?! It's tiny!"), the views were incredible:

True to form, it never stopped moving, continuously feeding in the shallow pool and around the edges. I don't know what it was finding to eat, perhaps larvae or insects washed in with the last heavy rains...I'm not sure. But nevertheless, it didn't seemed bothered by the crowds or the noise and only really alarmed momentarily when a crow landed by the pool for a drink. Still, it's clearly found a sheltered spot to its liking, with an endless passing parade of men in high performance outdoor wear currently a better alternative to the energy-sapping winds and strong seas it would encounter en route to Africa.

All in all it was a lovely few hours. After I'd got dizzy watching it for a while we walked down to the pier to watch the starlings roost. I hadn't expected much from recent reports so was pleased to see decent numbers circling high over the town, perhaps 5-10,000 birds overall. There was no murmuration as such, rather they went straight in under the rafters of the pier, but we both agreed it was still a stunning sight as the sun dropped behind. All in all, a great day and an old-school twitch as well - we took the train!

Keeping up the leisurely pace, today I headed to Ramsgate to see the presumed Hume's Leaf Warbler in the cemetery. Arriving late morning, the bird was instantly to be found darting around the bare canopy of a Horse Chestnut on the main driveway. Flitting between here and a nearby pine tree, the views were excellent and it one point it even beat the phalarope for showy-ness as it landed just above my head. Although I'm not entirely up to speed, there's been some debate about the identity of this bird, with some doubt raised over its range of vocalisations, making separation from the near identical Yellow-browed Warbler difficult. The majority now seems to favour it being a Hume's, which from what I saw and heard today, I'd be happy to go with. My overall impression in the field was of a distinctly 'washed out' phyllosc warbler with green/grey tones and a pale underside. It's legs appeared generally dark and both supercilium and wing bars were not particularly sharp. Although I have very limited experience with anything like this, it seemed to fit the description in my field guide pretty well, although it was interesting what a difference certain lighting made. As for the disputed calls that it eventually began making, well, I can't really add anything but I do think that the majority fit with these recorded before by Graham Catley of a British bird at Gibraltar Point on Xeno-Canto - very wagtail like as someone noted. But anyway, brilliant views in the sun and a great bird regardless. 

Hume's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus humei), Ramsgate Cemetery, 12/1/14

Afterwards I had a walk around the harbour and was pleased to see a fine Shag in breeding plumage swimming around, while along the cliffs some Fulmars were cackling loudly. 

Two very confiding birds and an excellent weekend out and about.