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Birding spots
Birding spots
I’ve attempted to divide Ventnor and the Undercliff into a number of fairly distinct sectors, to serve as a site guide and so readers can orientate themselves as they read the blog entries.
Below, those sectors are split between the Undercliff itself and the higher downlands just inland.
I've yet to work out how to include an annotated map with my account, but will do so as soon as possible. Hopefully readers can work out where I'm talking about from the descriptions below.
The Undercliff itself
Below, those sectors are split between the Undercliff itself and the higher downlands just inland.
I've yet to work out how to include an annotated map with my account, but will do so as soon as possible. Hopefully readers can work out where I'm talking about from the descriptions below.
The Undercliff itself
Stretching a little under ten kilometers between St Catherine’s point in the west and Bonchurch in the east, the Undercliff dominates the island’s south east coastline. From the south-facing shoreline with low, chalky sea cliffs, a low-lying terrace extends by on average of 500m inland to a high inner cliff. Above this inner cliff face, outside of the Undercliff, are the Ventnor Downs.
The high inner cliff protects the Undercliff from chilling northerlies and this, combined with the whole area’s south-facing aspect, explains its warm climate. Snowfall is infrequent within the Undercliff, but regular on the Downs just inland. The sub-tropical Ventnor Botanic Gardens attest to its year-round mild climate. The warmth also explains why wall lizards thrive around Ventnor and why the area is favoured by late-to-move migrant birds later in the autumn.
The high inner cliff protects the Undercliff from chilling northerlies and this, combined with the whole area’s south-facing aspect, explains its warm climate. Snowfall is infrequent within the Undercliff, but regular on the Downs just inland. The sub-tropical Ventnor Botanic Gardens attest to its year-round mild climate. The warmth also explains why wall lizards thrive around Ventnor and why the area is favoured by late-to-move migrant birds later in the autumn.
I have identified 4 ‘sectors’ in the Undercliff as follows:
Sector 1: St Lawrence
One of my favourite birding spots! The Undercliff is about 500m wide here. Up against the inner cliff face are sycamore woods - perfect for late autumn yellow-browed and Pallas's warblers, but rarely watched. Red squirrels are common here, as elsewhere in the Undercliff. Don't be put off by the amount of cover: simply listen out for a roving tit flock, particularly later in the Autumn. An early morning visit in April/May is a must to experience the deafening dawn chorus.
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| South-facing walled gardens are typical of the undercliff terrace between the sea and inner cliff face. |
Just south of these inner cliff woods are large villas with spacious gardens. They look and feel perfect for rare birds! One can just imagine an American thrush hopping around on one of those lawns, or a wryneck on one of the numerous dry stone walls. The streams that cascade from the inner cliff face and flow towards the outer sea cliff are a haven for feeding migrants. I'd suggest you simply wander round the quiet lanes peering discretely into likely spots - migrants can literally be anywhere. But please respect householders privacy.
These gardens then make way for open cliff top pasture, with small streams, a couple of reed beds and wet willow clumps. All sorts of migrants congregate in these cliff top habitats as one might expect. Woody Head is a great vantage point from which to watch visible migration, and a wryneck spent a day feeding on the cliff top path here in Autumn 2013. Very few waders visit the rocky coves below, but the weedy cliff faces within these coves attract small parties of gold finches and linnets.
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| St Lawrence Coastguards from Woody Head - perfect spot for a Bird Observatory....... |
Sector 2: Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Steephill Cove and Pelham Woods.
Mature parkland, a wonderful cove with cafe and a sycamore dominated Local Nature Reserve at Pelham Wood. Ventnor Botanical Gardens in excellent for all the common migrants and hosted a fine 1st winter rose-breasted grosbeak for a couple of days at the end of October/early November 1995.
Pelham Wood is particular good, being a reliable spot for firecrests in autumn and winter and producing yellow-browed and Pallas's warbler in recent years. Check the path that descends from Whitwell Road, hugging the inner cliff face. This is a real sun trap and birds gravitate to the cliff face scrub and sycamores. Connect with a late autumn tit flock and you never know what you'll turn up....
Rather less tree cover than elsewhere in the Undercliff, but the gardens and sycamore clumps around Ventnor itself are extremely productive, particularly later in the Autumn when migrants seem to vacate the wind swept Downs above. I simply walk the streets of Ventnor throughout the Autumn, enjoying often spectacular visible migration above and congregations of chaffinches and goldfinches settling briefly in tree clumps before moving on.
The Coastal Centre in Ventnor proved to be an excellent vantage point from which to count visible migrants during September and October 2013. On one day, the heavy passage of swallows continued from just after dawn to about 3pm. Pied wagtails, meadow pipits, goldfinches, chaffinches, siskins, redpolls etc move in good numbers. The lawns and scrubby patches around the Coastal Centre are attractive to grounded migrants.
Bath Road, above the Spyglass Inn in Ventnor Bay, has a small sycamore clump that concentrates falls of migrants. During October 2012 this area proved popular with a mobile long-tailed tit flock, with c.10 chiffchaffs, 20 odd goldcrests and up to two firecrests during most visits.
To the west of Ventnor Bay is Ventnor Park. It consists of a east-west running ridge, with tree- and scrub-covered slopes south down to the beach, and parkland with sycamores on the north slope, down to a small stream. The southern, sea-facing slopes proved hugely productive during August - November 2013. Large parties of chiffchaffs gathered in the sunny, scrubby sycamores; spotted flycatchers favoured the sun trap along the ridge top. The ridge top is also an excellent vantage point for visible migration watches.
Higher up, at the top edge of Ventnor town, sits Old Station Road. An old quarry at the base of Coombe Bottom, forming a valley facing south, this area is favoured by Phyloscs and crests, often in with the local long tailed tit flock later in the autumn. A yellow-browed warbler was found here in late October 2013, and was still present on at least the 2nd November. Quarry sycamores are split from a second small copse on the seaward side of ocean view road, and birds frequently cross between the two areas. A narrow bank of chalk scrub follows Ocean View Road west to the Old Shute where there's a further sycamore clump again dissected by Ocean View Road, and tit flocks frequently commute between the Old Shute clump and the quarry.
The above areas are connected by a further narrow corridor of trees and shrubs south to The Grove, an area of sycamores around a pay and display car park next to St Catherine's churchyard.
During late October 2012 this little area proved a real migration trap, with good concentrations of chiffchaffs and goldcrests, and blackbirds and song thrushes in the cemetery. This area is close to the sea so is bound to pick up good birds (and has at least one yellow-browed record).
Other recent visitors include hoopoes, wrynecks, serins and plenty of migrant and wintering firecrests. Check rocks in the bay for purple sandpipers. Ventnor Haven is a good spot for a seawatch, as is the car park above the Spyglass Inn (where you'll also find wall lizards on a warm day, basking on dry stone walls).
The Coastal Centre in Ventnor proved to be an excellent vantage point from which to count visible migrants during September and October 2013. On one day, the heavy passage of swallows continued from just after dawn to about 3pm. Pied wagtails, meadow pipits, goldfinches, chaffinches, siskins, redpolls etc move in good numbers. The lawns and scrubby patches around the Coastal Centre are attractive to grounded migrants.
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| Gardens above Ventnor Bay proved to be a hotspot for migrants during Autumn 2012 |
Bath Road, above the Spyglass Inn in Ventnor Bay, has a small sycamore clump that concentrates falls of migrants. During October 2012 this area proved popular with a mobile long-tailed tit flock, with c.10 chiffchaffs, 20 odd goldcrests and up to two firecrests during most visits.
To the west of Ventnor Bay is Ventnor Park. It consists of a east-west running ridge, with tree- and scrub-covered slopes south down to the beach, and parkland with sycamores on the north slope, down to a small stream. The southern, sea-facing slopes proved hugely productive during August - November 2013. Large parties of chiffchaffs gathered in the sunny, scrubby sycamores; spotted flycatchers favoured the sun trap along the ridge top. The ridge top is also an excellent vantage point for visible migration watches.
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| Sycamores at Old Station Road, Ventnor, attracted at least one yellow-browed and a probable Hume's warbler during October 2012 |
Higher up, at the top edge of Ventnor town, sits Old Station Road. An old quarry at the base of Coombe Bottom, forming a valley facing south, this area is favoured by Phyloscs and crests, often in with the local long tailed tit flock later in the autumn. A yellow-browed warbler was found here in late October 2013, and was still present on at least the 2nd November. Quarry sycamores are split from a second small copse on the seaward side of ocean view road, and birds frequently cross between the two areas. A narrow bank of chalk scrub follows Ocean View Road west to the Old Shute where there's a further sycamore clump again dissected by Ocean View Road, and tit flocks frequently commute between the Old Shute clump and the quarry.
The above areas are connected by a further narrow corridor of trees and shrubs south to The Grove, an area of sycamores around a pay and display car park next to St Catherine's churchyard.
During late October 2012 this little area proved a real migration trap, with good concentrations of chiffchaffs and goldcrests, and blackbirds and song thrushes in the cemetery. This area is close to the sea so is bound to pick up good birds (and has at least one yellow-browed record).
Other recent visitors include hoopoes, wrynecks, serins and plenty of migrant and wintering firecrests. Check rocks in the bay for purple sandpipers. Ventnor Haven is a good spot for a seawatch, as is the car park above the Spyglass Inn (where you'll also find wall lizards on a warm day, basking on dry stone walls).
Sector 4: Bonchurch
Wonderful gardens with stacks of potential - just walk around the lanes and hidden paths. Good for serins. Good seawatching from East Dene. Lots of red squirrels. The shrubby and sunny tree edges to Bonchurch pond always look good for a melodious warbler, and check the elders for barred.
Wonderful gardens with stacks of potential - just walk around the lanes and hidden paths. Good for serins. Good seawatching from East Dene. Lots of red squirrels. The shrubby and sunny tree edges to Bonchurch pond always look good for a melodious warbler, and check the elders for barred.
Inland of and above the Undercliff
Sector 5: Ventnor Downs
Rising high above Ventnor, these chalk downs, topped off with chalk heath where Dartford warblers breed, provide the best visible migration vantage point in the area! It can be truly superb, particularly in September.
Check the scattered gorse clumps in the bracken- and heath-filled 'bowl' of Luccumb Down for redstarts and flycatchers. The base of gorse bushes appear to be favoured by wrynecks.
The scrubby edge directly east of the dew pond can be fantastic for concentrations of warblers, chats and flycatchers. Further east, Nansen Hill is a real sun-trap and, again, much loved by redstarts and flycatchers.
The close-cropped grassland around the radar station is great for wheatears whilst the fence posts and buildings are favoured by whinchats.
Stand just about anywhere to witness pipits, larks, swallows and martins passing through, and look up for migrating honey buzzards - a regular September feature, whilst black kites have been recorded here more than anywhere else on the island.
Coombe Bottom is the place to go in summer to enjoy some of the best chalk grassland in Europe, full of pyramidal and burnt-tip orchids.
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| Coombe Bottom |
Sector 6: Steephill Down
This small area of fine quality, south facing chalk downland proved to be one of the best spots for grounded migrants and visible migration during autumn 2013.
Walk west along Steephill Down Road. The line of scrub and sycamores to your right, as you walk along the first section of road, is a real sun trap and, during September and October, is often alive with Phyloscs, and smaller numbers of blackcaps, whitethroats and spotted flycatchers.
Continue along Steephill Down Lane. Up off to your right, there's a public footpath heading up between the cemetery edge and an abandoned, scrubby quarry. This small area is a magnet for whinchats, Phyloscs, Sylvia warblers, redstarts and flycatchers. During Autumn 2013, this area held migrants throughout the day - indeed, it often appeared to fill up with birds as the day progressed and the sun warmed the south-facing scrub.
and, as it enters the Local Nature Reserve, check the fence line down to the south - this is a great spot for flycatchers and chats. The open chalk grassland and gold course on the summit of the downs is good for wheatears. Look for Dartford warblers in the gorse and bramble. This downland never seems quite as good for visible migration as the adjacent Ventnor downs to the east, but better coverage could prove otherwise.
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| Steephill Down |
Sector 7: St Lawrence Shute and Dean Farm
On the east side of St Lawrence Shute, just as it dips down through the inner cliff face into the 'lowlands' of St Lawrence itself, is a small, triangular arable field recently acquired by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. It is managed as a traditional cereal field for its arable flora, and has proven itself to be truly fantastic for buntings and finches. Rarely watched, surely some real jems must find this field but remain undetected - rare buntings, pipits and larks?
Over St Lawrence Shute, walk west along the inner cliff top to view arable and grassy fields inland, and the Undercliff below. The cliff top scrub is great for ring ouzels and redstarts; check the arable for wheatears and who knows what else! A good vantage point from which to sort through the hirundines and swifts as they gather over the lowlands of the undercliff during migration.
