Shoreham, Boulogne and Marsh Warblers (10-25 June)

Saturday 10 June. Mill Hill with Cookie: Grey Heron, Buzzard, Reed Warbler (still singing west of the wood), 6 Whitethroats, 3 Mistle Thrushes, 8 Linnets and 7 Goldfinches. Later 2 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Whitethroat at Mill Hill

Pyramidal Orchid at Mill Hill

Sunday 11 June. Two Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Cookie relaxing after a hard day at the allotment

Monday 12 June. Mill Hill with Cookie: Kestrel, 3 Skylarks, 10 Whitethroats, Greenfinch, Linnet and 4 Goldfinches. Later 3 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Goldfinch at Mill Hill, pretty stunning really

Greenfinch at Mill Hill, not bad either

                             

Tuesday 13 June. Mill Hill with Cookie: Red Kite, a Lesser and 4 Common Whitethroats, 8 Linnets and 6 Goldfinches. An evening visit to Pulborough RSPB with David Buckingham produced 6 Avocets, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, a summer-plumaged Dunlin, Barn Owl, 3 Nightingales (heard) and at dusk an unexpected Woodcock and 2 Nightjars on the heath.

Barn Owl hunting over Pulborough Brooks

                         

Nightjar just about visible on the heath

Wednesday 14 June. Three Red Kites over the M20 on our way to Dover. A combination of no delays on the motorway or at immigration and the earlier ferry running a bit late enabled us to catch it. We saw 2 Mediterranean Gulls, a Sandwich Tern and 6 Gannets from the ferry to Calais. Being a 90 minutes ahead of schedule we stopped at Cap Gris Nez on our way to Boulogne seeing another 6 Mediterranean Gulls and a Guillemot flying north. Two more Mediterranean Gulls were on the beach at Le Portel, adjacent to where we were staying in a mobile home for a week. An evening walk along the coast to Phare d'Alprech was expectedly quiet although it looked a nice area with Swallows breeding in the old fort and Kittiwakes offshore.

Megan leaving Dover

me with White Cliffs of Dover as background rather than our more usual Seven Sisters

looking north from Cap Griz-Nes

adult Mediterranean Gull at Le Portal

Thursday 15 June. We wandered around Le Portal visiting the beach (twice), Falaise Park, Intermarche and the tourist office. Later we walked south along the coast beyond Phare d'Aprech returning by Boulogne Aerodrome although if it wasn't for the windsock and a large barn we could easily have missed it's grass runway. While on the beach at Le Portel at lunchtime a flock of about 11 Scoter flew north, including at least one Velvet. Also seen were 12 Swifts, 9 Mediterranean Gulls (flying north), Reed Warbler, a Lesser and 4 Common Whitethroats and a Stonechat. 

looking north to Le Portal from Phare d'Alprech

Friday 16 June. We spent the morning in Boulogne visiting the walled town, Basilique Notre-Dame and its large crypt, and wandered around looking at some of the town's Street Art. A Peregrine flew over as we were leaving the Basilique, just like being in Chichester. In the afternoon we paddled on the beach where a Ringed Plover looked a bit out of place. Later we walked to Phare d'Alprech along the Sentier du Rieu de Cat and returned along the coast. A couple of Cetti's Warblers were vocal but remained invisible while an interesting song was emanating from some bushes half way up the path. It was loud, quite fast but and erratic and I thought Marsh Warbler most likely although my ears were beyond detecting much mimicry. It gave rather brief views which tended to support my ID without providing much critical detail.

Street Art in central Boulogne, generally very impressive although some I liked more than others 

Megan on the beach at Le Portal at low tide

Saturday 17 June. We drove to Dannes and walked through mixed woodland to Dunes de Mont-Saint-Frieux seeing 2 Crested and 2 Marsh Tits, Short-toed Treecreeper (briefly), Nuthatch and juvenile Nightingale. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard, the only woodpecker encountered all week. On our return we stopped at Foret d'Ecault but only saw 2 more Marsh Tits although I thought I heard a distant Crested Tit call from an area of pines by the car park. A Lapwing on the drive back was my second and last wader of the trip, 2 more than we saw of herons though. Offshore at Le Portal we saw 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Sandwich Tern flying north. Later at the top of the Sentier de Rieu de Cat another Marsh Warbler was singing, as was the original bird lower down. Both were seen but neither for long or well enough to photograph.

Megan at Chateau de Dannes

site of the original Marsh Warbler along the Sentier du Rieu de Cat, the high one was in bushes similar to these too.

wartime bunkers by the Sentier du Rieu de Cat

Sunday 18 June. We went to Foret Domaniale de Boulogne not realising how popular it would be with cyclists, a few joggers and organised groups of walkers. The areas we visited were wide tracks through either cleared or fairly thick forest which was not easy to see anything in. The best we managed were Willow and Garden Warblers making this our most disappointing day. Heavy rain in the afternoon and early evening limited further activities.

Monday 19 June. We returned to Boulogne to see much of the more northern Street Art and visit Nausicaa. The large aquarium at the latter was amazing, especially the Giant Manta Ray when it repeatedly 'looped the loop'. Back at Le Portal 3 Mediterranean Gulls offshore. Later we walked what had become our usual Rieu de Cat/Phare d'Alprech route. Two Marsh Warblers were seen at the lower site where Megan left me photographing one. As I was catching up with her I saw another, more briefly, at the upper site. 

more Boulogne Street Art

this was one of my favourites

Boulogne skyline

Megan back on the Street Art trail

Long-horned Cowfish at Nausicaa

Giant Manta Ray at Nausicaa

looking north from Sentier du Rieu de Cat

Marsh Warbler from Sentier du Rieu de Cat

sunset from Le Portal

Tuesday 20 June. Early morning activity with a police/military helicopter going up and down the coast soon after first light. A couple of naval vessels offshore later looked as if they might be involved with preventing migrant crossings. After breakfast we returned to Foret d'Ecault and walked the Grand Pine and Communal Trails. No sight or sound of any Crested Tits despite attempting playback in most areas of suitable habitat. Best for us were 2 Jays, 3 Marsh and 10 Long-tailed Tits and a Nuthatch. Later we walked what had become our usual Rieu de Cat/Phare d'Alprech route. Definitely two and most probably three Marsh Warblers (one appeared to be chasing off an interloper) were seen at the lower site but a brief playback at the upper one produced no response.

a large dingy or two off the coast at Alprech

French Navy hydrographic survey ship Laplace off Alprech

right hand dingy heading for the Laplace

French Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel Pluvier heading towards Alprech

mussel harvesing at Fort de l'Heurt, accessible from le Portal at low tide

Marsh Warbler from Sentier du Rieu de Cat

a typically pale bird with bright bill, legs and feet

Wednesday 21 June. Our last day and with an early afternoon we didn't have a lot of time. I went out early and spent half an hour with the nearest Rieu de Cat Marsh Warblers, taking several hundred images of it in dull light and often rather obscured. The best follow. It had a very tatty tail, some missing tertials and damaged primaries and certainly not as pristine as the one (above) singing in the same area the previous day. A single Mediterranean Gull flew south offshore at Le Portal. We didn't think we had time to revisit Cap Gris Nez on our way back to Calais so walked along the beach at Wimereux instead. As it turned out we were back at Calais early and were put straight onto a waiting ferry, although the crossing was deadly quiet with single Kittiwake and Gannet seen.

Marsh Warbler habitat

Marsh Warbler from Sentier du Rieu de Cat

beach hut at Wimereux

Thursday 22 June. A morning spent at the Allotment from where a Great Black-backed Gull with 2 mid-sized juveniles were visible on the nearby Pyrobeam roof. At dusk 2 Swifts were seen over the garden.

Friday 23 June. Mill Hill with Cookie: Hobby, Peregrine, 3 Skylarks, Jay, Blackcap, 5 Whitethroats and 4 Linnets. Later 3 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

one of over 50 Marbled Whites seen on Mill Hill

Peregrine with prey heading north over Mill Hill

Saturday 24 June. Highlights of a Downland survey near the Burgh were 4 Grey Partridges, 5 Red Kites and a Barn Owl (flushed from the back of a hedge by an estate worker on a quad-bike). Plenty of Skylarks but no buntings at all.

Sunday 25 June. Lancing Ring with Megan and Cookie produced 2 Great Spotted and a Green Woodpecker, 5 Skylarks and a Corn Bunting.

Comma at Lancing Ring

Corn Bunting at Lancing Ring