The long, warm days of July can mean only one thing: it’s time to start looking for that keenly awaited marker of midsummer; the arrival of juvenile Yellow-legged Gull from southern Europe. My first this year came on the 13th, with a flyby watched moving west from West Hill. In marked contrast to the riches of last July, numbers of juveniles have seemed much lower – I managed just six individuals at coastal sites in the Hastings area over the month.

Further to last years speculation on dispersing Lesser Black-backed Gull, I’ve kept a keener eye out for them locally this year which has revealed more breeding birds. My first and only fledged juvenile in July was on Pelham Beach, Hastings, on the 22nd, accompanied by two adults.

I devoted quite a bit of time to looking for Honey Buzzard and with some success, ultimately locating three individuals across two undisclosed sites in East Sussex. Watching their remarkable ‘butterfly’ display for the first time will certainly be a highlight of my birding year. The only other raptor of note was a juvenile Marsh Harrier at Combe Valley CP on the 21st, presumably dispersing from elsewhere as I’ve not noted any breeding activity there.

Wader migration kicked into gear and I enjoyed amazing views of two Wood Sandpiper found by David Campbell at Pannel Valley NR on the 6th. Also a Pannel were plentiful Green Sandpiper and regular Black-tailed Godwit.

The first southbound migrant passerines began to appear at coastal watchpoints. My first juvenile Northern Wheatear and Sedge Warbler of the month were at Hastings CP on the 28th. Willow Warbler have been quite scarce for me this year, but my first lemony-fresh juvenile was at West Hill on the 29th. A mature juvenile Common Cuckoo was at Combe Valley CP on 21st, though I’m not sure if this was a migrant moving through or a result of local breeding.

The undoubted star passerine though, was an adult male Red-backed Shrike found by Tony Pierce at the Winchelsea Beach end of Rye Harbour NR on the 8th. A new species for me, it stuck around until at least the 13th, remaining loyal to a few patches of bramble near a busy intersection of paths near West Nook Meadows. Given the odd timing, I wonder if this could be a bird that lingered after the spring influx in the NE, now filtering south?

To round out the post, another insect photo dump, mostly from the West Hill area which has continued to reveal its wonderful assemblage of soft rock cliff nesting species.