Well, that was a pleasant surprise, I set off to South Foreland in Kent with the boys hoping to get my 390th life tick, the target being a Sardinian Warbler. We had visited the area on Friday for a lifer in the Eleonora's Falcon and didn't think I would be back here so quickly.
So the bird has been reported and is only around 90 minutes away so a must-go. it's a clear run and we arrive in the area without any trouble but then have some difficulty finding the site.
A bit of luck when Brian pops into a cafe on Beach road and finds Jamie p having a coffee & he soon puts us in the right spot, it's only a short walk but up a bit of a hill, before we reach a kissing gate & from there we could see a small group of people & we join up with them to search for the Warbler.
Over the next couple of hours all we get are a few short notes & some movement but no real sight of the bird. The group has grown a lot by now, so a lot more eyes looking.
In all, we spend 5 hours here & eventually get a longer burst of calling & song and then a flight view to confirm it is the target bird along with a few shorter in bush flights that was it. A few Buzzards a couple of Peregrines a single Hobby and some Fulmar's keep us entertained along with a grand show from a Spitfire. A couple of Essex boys had turned up so that's always nice to see them.
I didn't know at the time this was to be my 4ooth British bird. The boys keep the lists and had been telling me I was only on 390 so I went along with that, so a big surprise when they give me high fives and own up to the fact they had held 10 birds back so as to keep me on my toes.
So I join the 4 hundred club quicker than expected 😉
So a big thank you to the boys who got me into this fantastic hobby and for most of the driving and the great times we have together.
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