CROYDON RSPB MEMBERS' GROUP - TRIP REPORT

Unbroken sunshine.
Wind - light, becoming moderate, easterly.

Although the sea was bubbling furiously at the Patch, bird activity there had slackened off somewhat since our previous visit two weeks earlier. Nevertheless, at least one adult Arctic tern and an adult little gull were still present, together with adult and juvenile common terns and a range of the more usual gull species. Two cormorants were enjoying success fishing in the upswell, throats bulging as they swallowed larger prey items. A few gannets were seen in the far distance and several flocks of brent geese passed, on their way to winter quarters on the South Coast. A peregrine was spotted flying out to sea but was soon lost in the haze.

Turning our attention inland, we watched a large mixed flock of greenfinches and house sparrows feeding along the powerstation boundary and then eventually found a firecrest, together with several goldcrests, at the customary site - the gorse thicket near the lighthouse. A wheatear on a distant post near the Observatory and small flocks of swallows heading east may have been our last sightings of these species for the year.

Fair numbers of great-crested grebes, ruddy ducks, tufted ducks, pochards and shovelers, as well as lapwings and a single ruff, were in view during a brief stop at the ARC Pit.

After lunch, we made a tour of the RSPB reserve, starting at Burrowes Pit where there was a good variety of ducks to be checked through. A snipe and some meadow pipits near one hide allowed close scrutiny and we were briefly treated to the unusual species combination of ring ousel and black-necked grebe in view at once, although directions become rather confused and many of the party missed the ousel, which was fairly distant and soon flew out of range. Further on, a lucky few managed fleeting glimpses of bearded tits, but then we all waited in vain for the bittern at Hookers Pits to give its second showing of the day. However, another black-necked grebe, a whinchat and several stonechats were found, while yellowhammer, reed bunting and corn bunting appeared in turn on an overhead powerline and two green woodpeckers inspected the poles supporting it. As we returned to the cars, an unlikely bird to end the day was an Arctic skua, which had strayed inland over the New Diggings and tangled briefly with a kestrel before heading back to the coast.