Thursday 6 April 2017

6th April, 2017 Beachy Head Fine sunny and warm

We were sat in the waiting room at Brighton Hospital waiting to see my cancer consultant when our pager went off with a mega of a male Blue Rock Thrush at Belle Tout lighthouse, not quite the news I was expecting today.

After seeing the consultant, we then had to catch the bus home to Burgess Hill, jump in the car and hope the Blue Rock Thrush was still showing. Luckily it was and in excellent light and we spent an enjoyable 2.5 hrs watching and photographing this first for Sussex. (There had been two previous reports of a Blue Rock Thrush in Sussex.The first was seen at Rye Harbour in the 1970's, when I was County Recorder, and this was considered to be an escape, and the second more recently came in off the sea at Selsey Bill, but unfortunately it was not accepted by the BBRC).









Bee-catching like a Bee-eater and we watched it catch several
bees.

 







 Male Blue Rock Thrush feeding on a recently caught bee.

The following birds were recorded by various observers:

Lapwing 1 in ploughed field
Red-legged Partridge 1
White Wagtail 1
Swallow 5
Black Redstart singing on the cliffs
Common Redstart 1 male at Belle Tout wood
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 3