Last Knockings Pallas's

Spent the day in North Kent looking for an eastern vagrant. I spent most of the day at Grain , Ebird list HERE but it was pretty disappointing. I was expecting the bushes to be dripping with Thrushes and Goldcrests (considering the large movements recently on the east coast and today's north easterly wind) but I only had 3 Redwings, 1 Fieldfare and a handful of Goldcrests. There was a Ring Ouzel about but I couldn't even find that. The sea and estuary was a bit more interesting with Kittiwake, Arctic Tern, Arctic Skuas, Gannets, Guillemot, Pintails, Wigeons, Brents and good numbers of Shelduck. 

I decided to throw the towel in at about 3pm and head to my overnight on Sheppey. When I got to the campsite it was shut so I'm wild camper-vanning tonight. The day was not turning out as hoped. I decided to have a look around Leysdown Coastal Park. It was more like it with good numbers of Redwings, Blackbirds and Goldcrests. Not sure why Grain was so poor when just a few miles away there was clearly a lot more migrants. Presumably Shellness/Leysdown is more North Sea facing. Ebird list HERE.

Anyway it was getting dark so I was heading back to the van when in the last minutes of light a small warbler hopped up onto some old Hemlock a few feet away. At last a Yellow-browed I thought so I took a couple of photos and then noticed a central crown stripe and as it flew a beautiful lemon rump- very nice indeed, my first self-found Pallas's. Saved the day at the very last minute.

 

This grainy shot would have been more apt if I was still on the Isle of Grain. There was this Barn Owl (below) flying around behind me at the same time, so I actually did quite well to get this record shot - the sun had already set. 

Not quite the thrush spectacle photos I've been seeing on the internet over the last few days but it was encouraging to see good numbers of thrushes at Leysdown.

Pintails and Wigeon (above ) and Brents (below) at Grain 

I was here last week and only saw one or two Shelducks- over 200 today. Presumably moving back in from their moulting grounds.

Adult Kittiwake (above) and first-winter Arctic Tern (below)- a couple of distant birds in the Thames

I missed a couple of days blog posts as its been hectic with me having to go back to catch up with work while trying to get it on the big thrush and vis mig movements in the last couple of days. Redwings were streaming over everywhere on Monday, thousands over South London (and across the whole country), and the gardens I was quoting in. I managed a couple of hours at Beddington before work yesterday morning- more vis mig going on, notably Chaffinches. Ebird list HERE. I was supposed to join Jaffa (Chris Townend) on Scilly for this week but work got in the way. We were supposed to be staying on St. Martins so Jaffa went alone this morning and within minutes of arriving on the island found a Radde's Warbler. Last week he found a REV and last year he found Grosbeak and a Buff-bellied Pipit there. I'm not sure how our Kent versus Scilly week is going to go but so far: Radde's versus Pallas's on day one. Game on. 

Juvenile Shelduck and Pintails at Beddington Farmlands