Early Tuesday morning, an Eastern Subalpine Warbler was found at Beachy Head in East Sussex. Brian had tried and failed to see one in Suffolk in 2014, so he was keen to go, but family commitments kept him close to home.
The bird was still present yesterday evening, so we decided to make the trip this morning. Brian picked me up at 5am, and after a trouble-free journey, we were parked up at Cadence Clubhouse car park at 7am. The bird had been reported at Cow Gap, but we didn't know where that was. Luckily, as we scanned the area, Brian spotted a birder with a scope. The walk down to the cliff edge was eventful, but we made it down and could hear the bird singing before we climbed down the slope. Seconds later, the bird popped up onto the top of a small bush.
We spent the next two hours enjoying the bird. It would follow the same circuit each time, allowing us to predict where it would appear. It sang almost constantly and would eventually return to the area where caterpillar nests were attached to the hawthorn bushes. Also seen was a Lesser Whitethroat, several Common Whitethroats, and a family of Stonechats.
The hike back to the car was strenuous, to say the least, and required several stops before reaching the top of the hill, but we did see a Peregrine fly overhead.
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| View from the hilltop before the descent |
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| The slope to reach the Warbler |
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| Eastern Subalpine Warbler |
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| Where the warbler was seen |
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| Stonechat |
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| The climb back to the hilltop |
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