A Sunny Stroll on Culver Down – 22 Species Spotted!
Twelve of us braved the maze of Island roadworks and made it to the east end of Culver Down for what turned out to be a truly beautiful morning — blue skies, sunshine, and a gentle breeze set the perfect scene. We were greeted at the car park by a wonderful chorus of Whitethroat singing from every corner of the surrounding scrub, followed by a Swallow flypast. Our circular walk took us along Culver Cliff, where we had stunning views of Fulmar gliding effortlessly in the breeze. Throughout the walk, we were in good company — Whitethroat, Skylark, Linnet and Stonechat were abundant. A highlight was a Wheatear spotted amongst the ground ivy in front of the coastguard cottages. In total, we saw 22 bird species, including Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Wren, Dunnock, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Raven, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Kestrel, and a White-tailed Eagle in the distance over Brading Marsh. A fantastic morning’s birding all round!
Teresa Tearle & Jackie Hart
