14 Apr 18

Higher Lighthouse and Sweethill

A tweet early this morning was of a Hoopoe seen on the slopes up to the Higher Lighthouse. I decided to park in Sweethill, as the obs car park was probably going to be packed and I walked along the footpath adjacent to the old Admiralty building. I'm glad I did as there was a Firecrest in the hedgerow along here.

Having managed to keep on my feet along the mud-bath of a path I eventually I arrived on the west cliff and met up with other birders looking for the Hoopoe. It hadn't been seen for a good 20 minutes or so, but after another 10 minutes it suddenly appeared from the direction of the Crown Estate fields and landed on the slopes above the Higher Lighthouse.

Yet again it disappeared and then popped up further north along the coast path where it headed off towards the direction of the Crown Estate Fields again. I decided that having seen it I would head of towards the barns at Sweethill. As I did so the Hoopoe popped up in front of me at this spot here.

Pete Coe joined me with another birder and we managed brief views of it before it flew over a wall into Helen's Field, but despite our attempts to locate it, it had disappeared again. While we searched for it a male Kestrel landed 5 metres away from us on a post and then started watching the grass below. Eventually it dropped down and caught a vole before flying off.

Another tweet came through that there were possibly 2 Hoopoe's about, with another in Southwell. I was heading back that way to car so I kept an eye out in case this other Hoopoe appeared. As I did so a Yellow Wagtail flew overhead, heading north over the barns at Sweethill. Another good year tick.

Here are few images and videos from a very grey and misty morning:

A Hoopoe above the Higher Lighthouse this morning..........

.........and the same bird above Culverwell on the track to Sweethill.

Lovely views of a Hoopoe along the track close to Helen's Field.

A male Blackcap on the coast path.

This male Kestrel flew down onto the post just 5 metres from Pete Coe and myself.

As Pete Coe and myself stood on the track, a male Kestrel flew down onto the post and after a few seconds dropped onto an unsuspecting vole. Sometimes you can be in the right place at the right time.

Birds Recorded: Kestrel, Pheasant, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, 1 Hoopoe, Skylark, 5 Swallow, Meadow Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 2 Stonechat, Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Firecrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, 50+ Linnet and Goldfinch.