Present but elusive Crossbills

Across Orlestone forest migrant Blackcaps have boldly arrived in numbers to join Chiffchaffs to build on a dawn chorus sound as yet chiefly the sound of our resident birds.

In Soapers Wood, still the most reliable wood for Crossbills, I saw very briefly 3 parties of Crossbills totaling 25-35 birds. One party left the and flew to neighbouring Faggs Wood an area I rarely get time to cover. The forest Crossbills remain mostly elusive, only portraying their presence when calling in flight and frustratingly vanishing into the canopy when they land.

Orlestone Crossbills for all to see

A beautiful sunny morning walk around Birchett Wood, with the sounds of early spring including Siskin, Bullfinch, Redpoll and Chiffchaff, was made all the more enjoyable by three differing parties of Crossbills. The Crossbills were all fly-over birds and travelling in different directions across the forest. With lingering rarer Parrot and Two-barred Crossbills still in the country, it would be nice for local birders to clinch either of these birds for the forest. Frustratingly my searches are on hold for now as I had to hobble out the forest after an hour with sciatica.

Common Crossbills in Orlestone forest

Above and below, male Common Crossbill, Birchett wood.

In the late summer of 2013, the UK had a cyclic arrival of nomadic Crossbills from Europe in search of their exclusive Pine seed food source. At last, I thought, something new to add some interest to our often birdless Pine plantations in Orlestone forest. However, despite the abundance of Pines throughout, a lot of luck was needed in the first half of winter to find any Crossbills. A 2 hour walk might just provide an occasional flyover of birds passing by - just about better than nothing! However, since the new year, I'm finding and hearing Crossbills on nearly every visit I make to Packing Wood, Soapers Wood and Birchett Wood, and importantly I've seen some evidence of nest building too.

So its reasonable to assume Crossbills are present in small numbers across the forest. The largest flock I've seen so far (on Monday) was a respectable 32 birds, and on this sighting the birds gave very good views, frequently flying down to a stream to drink and on several occasions the males sang from high in the pine canopy

All the woods continue to have little flocks of Siskins and Redpolls present, and in Birchett today there were also 6 Bullfinches present. The woods seem to have a very healthy population of Great Spotted woodpeckers and Nuthatches. The Nuthatches can be heard and seem as easily in the conifer palantations as in the Decidious woods and are noisily proclaiming from their territories at present.

Common Crossbill at Soapers wood, Orlestone forest.

Female Common Crossbill, Soapers wood, Orlestone forest.

A Dutch Cormorant

We've just had a 4-day break in Holland. Time was split between Amsterdam, Museums, Traffic jams, and a swimming pool in a wintery 'Centre-parcs` camp. Not a true bird watching hour was spent.. ..but just once, there was a bold Cormorant on one of the parc's small duck ponds just as the sun came out - and here it is. It's more than I deserved!

Dungeness winter Kitiwakes

A first-winter Kittiwake roosting on the beach at Dungeness.

Kittiwakes patrolling the Dungeness shoreline.

Walking along the beach at Dungeness I'm more often than not greeted with Kittiwakes to-ing and fro-ing along the shoreline looking for fishermen's handouts. In winter, the Dungeness Kittiwakes have learnt to survive alongside the larger gulls by feeding on fishermen's ofal and the discards of sea anglers who line the beach daily. This February, there seems to be plenty of Kittiwakes present, sometimes in their hundreds. Most Kittiwakes winter far out to sea, with new evidence that some birds failing to breed on UK coasts fly to Canadian waters before returning to British waters the following spring. It's also suggested that successful breeding birds stay closer to UK shores in the winter, like these birds at Dungeness.

At Dungeness there are Kittiwakes of all ages - from first-winter to adult birds. In size, they're similar to a Black Headed Gull, but more stout. They're much smaller than a Herring Gull and, because of this, they can hold their own when scavenging, out-manouvering Herring and Black Backed Gulls for discards. Patrolling the surfline, the Kittiwakes' agility enables them to slowly glide and watch the surf, quickly dipping into the water for a variety of prey. Kittiwakes have a large beak gape enabling them to swallow surprisingly big fish quickly, lessoning the chance of a Herring Gull steal.

Adult Kittiwake showing-off its bright red gape.

Gutsy juvenile Kittwakes rarely loose out to the fury of the Herring Gull

This Kittiwake has caught a Sea Mouse, a hairy marine worm often seen washed up on the tide line after storms.

Here, a fisherman's discarded Whiting becomes the Kittiwake's meal.

.. and here before a larger Gull gets a sniff, the Kittiwate is swallowing a bulky Ling.

Through from late summer to winter adolescent Kittiwakes have striking 'W' shaped markings across their wings and back. As the birds twist and turn in flight they look striking.

A first winter Kittiwake with 'designer' W plumage and black tail tips.

A first spring Kittiwake developing a yellow bill.

Kittiwakes don't seem particularly perturbed by people. They will sit and roost on the beach, reluctant to fly up when people walk by. A mixed flock of Kittiwakes with Black Headed Gulls will always see the Black Headed Gulls fly up first before a Kittiwake feels the need to make a move. In winter, adult Kittiwakes have a lemon/yellow bill and a designer silver collar on their necks - making them appear a pretty and attractive gull.

Adult winter Kitiwake, it will loose its grey head markings for its breeding summer plumage soon.

First winter Kittiwakes.

Kittiwake fishing in the surf at Dungeness.

Kittiwakes take four years to mature - many at the beach are this age, with the bill almost yellow.

Adult and first winter Kittiwakes just weeks away from moving north to UK and European breeding grounds.

Passing Marsh harrier and fallen trees at Packing Wood

This afternoon, we had a walk around Packing Wood to view the damage done by the recent storms where a great many conifers have fallen or simply snapped in the wind.
 In the standing Pines there were small flocks of Siskins and Redpolls and over-head a fine Marsh Harrier hurried by to avoid a local Buzzard unsettled by its presence.

There are many dozens of fallen Spruces in Packing Wood

Female Marsh Harrier flying high over Packing wood 19-2-2014

Secretive Crossbills and 'Peckers in Orlestone

With a rare morning of sunshine and calmness ahead, I decided to head to the plantations of Orlestone Forest in search of our more interesting birds. Top of my list was to check whether the winter Crossbills were still to be found. Orlestone, even at the best of times, can be a dis-spiriting birdwatching experience; patience and time are needed to find anything other than an unwelcome Squirrel. What's more, as I arrived early in the morning, I wondered if there would be anything avian left in the woods after the wind and rain endured week after week. I spent two hours looking and listening in the conifer plantation and then scanning high above and silence prevailed. Still, after an hour, plenty of common woodland birds including, Song Thrush, Bullfinch, G.S woodpeckers, Green woodpeckers, Nuthatch and Treecreeper plus a small party of Siskins - but no sign or sound of Crossbills or anything else out of the ordinary. 

Walking beyond the plantation, with views over Romney Marsh, again not a great deal to report - one pair of Buzzards took to the air. I continued to watch and and listen intently from the plantation edge. With another hour ticking by, I was resigned to a poor mornings' birdwatching but then to save the morning a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker burst into call close by. Frustratingly, I couldn't locate the bird. Keeping to the mean spirit of the forest the Woodpecker was never to call again. Still, the one call was enough and adds a new location for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker within the forest, painting a picture of a bird holding its own in numbers and distributed thinly and wildly across the forest. So at last, a good find for the morning.

As I walked back to the woodland entrance with my car in sight, two plump finches flew from the top of a large spruce in front of my feet.  They followed the path and landed high in an oak above my car, disappearing into the canopy.  As I walked towards them, I couldn't relocate them and thought they'd flown away. But as I arrived at my car I checked through the tree canopy once more, and refound them. A fine pair of Crossbills and, even better, so close that I could see the female carrying a beak-full of twigs in her bill. I think this is a 'Eureka' moment as I now have evidence that Common Crossbills are attempting to breed in the forest.

Looking down on my car, a female common Crossbill