October 2nd 2011

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The day starts with the ferry crossing just after first light and soon kicks into gear with an ad w little gull and a great northern diver from the boat…there were a couple of things I didn’t see though. For the first time on one of these crossings, I saw no Balearic (or any other, for that matter) shearwaters, and I also saw no birders on the boat. In fact, I birded all afternoon on the island and only bumped into a bin toting birder (in fact, the guy who I enjoyed the grey-cheeked thrush with all those years ago) in the evening as we went for dinner. Insane. It’s the first week of October, the birds must be on their way judging by the amount of stuff that’s turned up in Britain over the weekend, and there is only a skeleton crew working one of Europe’s premiere rarity spots….

After getting to the house, and having the obligatory few cidres avec mon lunch, I set off to bird a few of the better spots in the west of the island. It soon became apparent that there were migrants everywhere. The bushes were rammed with chiffchaffs and the open areas had plenty of wheatears. Around the few spots I checked I had 4+ redstart and pied flycatcher, at least 3 whinchat, 2 reed warblers and a willow warbler, and of course this was all set to a background of choughs and constantly passing mepits.

Remembering that I had to be sociable I returned to the house to do some sunbathing (viz-migging). By the late afternoon not much was moving but twenty odd med gulls were putting on a decent display hawking for insects around the house. While watching these I picked up a small passing flock of starlings…..and bingo, a juv Rosy starling! What a fitting end to a very enjoyable day, I thought. Until on setting off for dinner when a ringtail harrier drifted past in the dusk….I got nothing on it but it did look quite small….

 

October 3rd 2011

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The day starts in frustrating fashion with some high level dithering and really, really thick fog. Birding in the cover was out, it was just too dark, but there was still plenty about, with good numbers of pied fly and redstart, along with singles of spotted flycatcher and reed warbler on my morning walk around the house. After breakfast we drank cidre and did some food shopping for what seemed like an eternity, and just when I was beginning to get a wee bitty miffed, a Richards pipit schreeeped overhead. Well that cheered me up no end!

After lunch I headed out west. Things were a little more active in the warmth of the afternoon, with whinchats and pied flys especially apparent. I got the fright of my life as I almost cycled over a wryneck at Cost ar Ruen, and spent a good 15 minutes waiting for this Ouessant tick to emerge from the cover. I needn’t have bothered as just round the corner there were 3 more, rather shamelessly sunning themselves in the open. It’s an affy long time since I saw 3 wrynecks together…what brilliant birds.

Well, I was quite happy with things as they were, but early in the evening I received a text from the friendly Belgian regarding a little bunting he had found, rather kindly, just 5 minutes from the house by bike. I turned up to find 13 birders wading through a field, and a small bunting flying around…eventually I got better views of it perched briefly in the crop…. two little buntings in two weeks. Not bad considering it took me 34 years to see my first!

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October 4th 2011

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Up with the lark this morning and round to my old stomping ground in the far south west of the island. Here, there is a little bay with pile upon pile of stinky seaweed, which attracts loads of feeding passerines. There was nothing out of the ordinary today but at least three yellow wagtails provided some entertainment among the wheatears, white wags and pipits. In the fields and gardens there were good numbers of common migs and I also got prolonged close up views of a couple of Dartford warblers.

Back home through the drizzle, and over our usual very late breakfast, a wryneck feeding at point blank range through the kitchen window warms things up a little.

At this point I start to feel a little unwell…I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say I couldn’t venture too far from the house! I managed a wee wander round mid afternoon and notched up a nice selection of common migrants, including a few more yellow wagtails passing over. Thing are obviously still on the move, which is encouraging for the rest of the week…

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October 5th 2011

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I set off on foot this morning, which was a relief as far as the old ballbag was concerned. I was headed toward a small bay that I’d been told was good for waders and had hosted an American golden plover for a few days before I arrived. I took the long way round, enjoying a couple of reed warblers in the cover and two very flighty Lapland buntings on my way.

It didn’t take me long to get to the spot, and there no more than twenty yards away from me stood a corking American golden plover, almost oblivious to my presence, feeding away surrounded by meadow pipits and white wagtails. I sat down to have a good long look at it in what was pretty extreme close up….I probably wont get many opportunities to see one of these as well as this again! While enjoying the plover it suddenly dawned on me that there was something other than the aforementioned passerines feeding alongside it. Out from behind a lump of seaweed hopped an Ortolan bunting…which I think is pretty regular but also reasonably uncommon here. Its certainly the first I’ve had here in 5 years. All in all a very enjoyable morning

Apres midi was spent doing family type things, including snoozing, and having a few short walks looking for birds. There was nothing of any consequence to report other than twice, a ringtail harrier gave me very bad views. It was probably just a hen harrier but I’d like to have a proper look….

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October 6th 2011

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A much quieter day for migrants, probably because of the 50km winds keeping everything down. There do seem to be a few noticeable differences from the beginning of the week though…chaffinch, yellow wagtail, song thrush and woodpigeon are all more numerous now, and chiffchaff numbers seem to have halved at least. I also haven’t seen a single common redstart for a few days now, having seen 4 or 5 each of the first few days.

The strong winds have brought some seabirds inshore. This morning I tried some bins only seawatching (while lying down on a rock…not my best idea). There were literally thousands of gannets passing close in, and among them I managed to pick out a few bonxies and sooty shears. The French chaps managed a great shear today as well, so there is obviously stuff out there worth looking for. If these winds keep up till Saturday it might make for an interesting crossing. In more ways than one.

Despite things being difficult to see in the conditions I did notch up a few more interesting migs…a snow bunting at Arlann and a black redstart in Lampaul.

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October 7th 2011

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Another very quiet day with things again difficult due to the high winds. A total clearout of migrants might also have been making things feel slow…even the chiffchaffs seem to have buggered off now. The American golden plover remained at plage de yusin, but in the midst of an apparently migrant free day, a calling yellow browed warbler at Poul Feaz was a very pleasant surprise…apparently there have only been 3 or 4 on the island this year so far.

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October 8th 2011

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The only morning I didn’t head out birding and I really wish I had! For two reasons…firstly, I wouldn’t have had to endure the rugby in a room full of French fans, and secondly, and much more importantly, because cold weather on the continent had caused an arrival of birds. When I eventually got out after the inevitable 3 course lunch there were birds everywhere. All of a sudden there were goldcrests everywhere, with increased numbers of firecrests, and chaffinches in the gardens. If I’d had a little longer I reckon I might have done even better than the juv common rosefinch I had feeding in the garden next door….not that I’m complaining about that at all!

So, all that remained of the holiday come 5 pm was the crossing back to Brest. I finally got a Balearic shearwater, along with 5 sooties, but best of all was a flurry of activity around Ile de Molene that included great, arctic and pom skua.

For the fifth time, it was difficult to leave Ouessant, but perhaps this time more than ever…which is why we’re planning to do two weeks next year. I’m looking forward to it already.