NPBO - Migration Action-station

Things haven't quite gone mad, but I've certainly got plenty to talk about from the last week. The floodgates seemed to have opened somewhat!

 

It's difficult to keep my eye on the ground at the moment, but there are some nice flowers about now, such as this tiny Wall Speedwell.





 

 

The other non-bird distraction at the moment is the running of a moth trap.  Not all that much happening to be honest, but a Pale Pinion was nice one morning.

 



 

I finally saw my first Swallow on the 1st, during a very quick break from work, and it was nice to see the Black Guillemot in its summer plumage the next day, even though it was not really photographable!



On the afternoon on the 2nd, I thought it worth having a quick look off Chesil after work.  There was nothing offshore, but that was greatly compensated by a Little Ringed Plover coming into land at Ferrybridge as I arrived!

The morning of the 3rd was uninviting, with horizontal rain, and poor visibility.  However, I thought it worth doing a seawatch with the southerly wind.  I found a piece of sheet metal on the beach to improvise into a surprisingly effective shelter!



These sorts of conditions always create spectacular weather sights.

There was a decent number of Common Scoter passing, but little else.  Then, I happened to glance over towards the harbour to be met by a glowing beacon of white sitting on the water, close-in - a male Goosander!  My first on Portland, let alone the patch!

 

Whilst I watched it, some Turnstone came scurrying around a few metres away.  Always nice to see.

 

 

For some reason, the rain stopping coincided with the sea passage totally stopping too, so I went up onto the land to do a visible migration watch at the West Cliffs.  During a great passage of Meadow Pipit (1600 in an hour), a Golden Plover was spotted flying around.  I later found it feeding along Weston Street.

 

 

Also during the aforementioned vismig watch, my first House Martin of the year was seen, and a Firecrest in a garden was incredibly visible from my flat window (if you saw the view I had, mostly of a vegetation-less brick-floored yard, you'd realise how unlikely a sighting that was!).

 

 

I attempted a seawatch in the evening, but got little reward beyond a couple of Grey Plover.  I then got a call from Joe Stockwell about a Gadwall in the Harbour - a valuable patch bird.  No problem spotting it among the Red-breasted Merganser.

 

The 5th appeared promising for sea passage, with a very light easterly wind.  I joined John Down and Paul Harris on the beach, and soon had a single distant Great Skua past.  This set the scene for the first Arctic Skua of the year not long after, followed by a Black-throated Diver. 

 

I moved back onto the land, and was rewarded with a nice fall of migrants everywhere, the best being 2 male Ring Ouzel at Suckthumb Quarry, and my first load of Willow Warbler.

 

A fantastic moment came at Barleycrates Lane, when I almost got a Wheatear in the face, as a bird dived for the bush I was next to, to avoid a stooping Peregrine! Astonishing.

 

I feel unusual experiences, such as the above, are just as important in the general excitement and fascination of wildlife watching, as rare species. 

 

Another one of those was observing a Carrion Crow tearing into a Slow Worm at Blacknor.

 

 

 After the quality morning seawatch, I thought it worth doing an evening stint too.  I hadn't been there long when the Gulls around the Harbour started to sound a warning.  Then suddenly, the large raft of Red-breasted Merganser took off as one - something I 'd never seen before.  I just knew there was an Osprey around, and indeed there was!  It took a little while to spot it, but it was found soaring high over Wyke with a Buzzard.

 

 

The seawatch was fairly uneventful, though it's always great to see tight-knit flocks of migrating birds, such as these Manx Shearwater. 

 

 

 

 

Joe's arrival on the scene provided a further highlight of a nice early flock of 5 Whimbrel heading up over Fortuneswell. 

 

Yesterday is barely worth mentioning, apart from the fact that I narrowly missed all 3 patch ticks on offer (Red Kite, Short-eared Owl, Redstart, plus another Osprey)!  After the luck I had the day before, I really shouldn't complain though!

 

Today was another enjoyable morning, as on arrival at Chesil I found a close-in summer-plumaged Slavonian Grebe...  

 

 

 

...plus the valuable patch tick of 4 Avocet bombing back and forth.

The seawatch was a very enjoyable one as there was great variety.  Now with Joe, we were treated to good numbers of Black-headed Gull and Common Scoter passing, along with a very surprise female Goosander, and a Little Ringed Plover which was spotted as it flew towards Ferrybridge.

A look round the land finally produced the 1st-summer male Redstart at Suckthumb Quarry, or be it briefly.

It's finally sunk in just what a good spot Chesil is for watching migration.  It may not be quite so lavishly furnished, but the memorial stone on the beach is now (as far as I'm concerned) the North Portland Bird Observatory! ;-)

P.S. Sorry I'm taking ages on my post about the Chesil Gull, but I'm sure you'll understand when I say birding is getting in the way!



Living in a Wader Wonderland

Only five days to update, but in truth, they have been action packed!  Things are really kicking off!

 

20th

 

I started with my usual walk round the usual mid-island sites, only to find a smattering of Wheatear and a single Redstart.  However, in the bushes by Reap Lane barns was a singing Sedge Warbler, a year tick.





 

Come the evening, I thought it might be worth a seawatch, as the middle of the day had seen a rich vein of passage past the Bill.  I managed a single Whimbrel sat on the beach, and a nice close Arcitc Skua, but virtually nothing else in an hour, so I gave up.

 

21st

 

With forecast south-easterlies, the only option for me was attempt a marathon seawatching session in Chesil Cove.  I managed only 2.45 hours, as things weren't quite as busy as hoped.  Nonetheless, there was some top sightings, including 3 Little Gull, singles of Great Skua, Red-throated Diver, Whimbrel, and Bar-tailed Godwit, as well as a Grey Seal keeping an eye on me.

 

 

Another reason I had given up, was that there appeared to be a bit of overhead passage occurring.  On arrival at the West Cliffs, I was being watched from the top of my block of flats.  Yes, it's another Kestrel photo, but I just can't get enough of these confiding birds!

 

 

I settled down for a bit of vismig, and as soon as I started, 3 Whimbrel flew over low west.  More than I'd seen in far longer at the Cove!  My first at this site.

 

Counting was extremely difficult due to the vast front the birds were taking, as well as the rate.  A good number of Wagtail were going over, some briefly landing in the ploughed field, before continuing their journey.  These included my first british Blue-headed Wagtail, which spent 5 minutes there in the company of 2 White and 2 normal Yellow Wagtail, before too heading off north.

 

After an hour, I just managed to break the 300 mark with Swallow, not the best passage I'd experienced.

 

A little stroll to Blacknor produced newly hatched St Marks Fly, which fill the air at this time of year, so named cause they fly around St. Mark's day (April 25th).  They're distinctive for leaving their legs dangling in flight.

 

 

After lunch, I thought I'd have another go at counting the hirundines.  But, after half an hour, I gave up, not because there wasn't anything happening, but quite the opposite!  The rate of passage was far too great for me to count, as they arrived from all directions.  I got to around 370 Swallow and 130 House Martin in the 30 minutes.  I hate to think how many birds were involved in total!

 

A great day, not in the least bit ruined by missing a Northern Harrier narrowly!

 

22nd

 

I didn't get any Portland birding in today at all, as I was working in Bridport.  That didn't stop me finding good birds though, as I heard my earliest ever singing Wood Warbler on the slopes of Allington Hill, as I delivered below it.  Can't be too frequent in that area.

 



23rd

 

A medium-strength south-south-easterly meant that seawatching was again on the cards. 

 

Although there was again long periods of inactivity, my persistence paid off, and a total of 6 and a half hours put in throughout the day produced a nice list of sightings.  Best of these was a fantastic Pomarine Skua, which passed at mid-distance.  Always a thrill to see.

 

Also among the Skua were 1 Arctic and 4 Great, like this one.  Typical of the sort of view you get through the scope.

 

 

The weather was doing all sorts of things as I sat there, including quite spectacular fronts...

 

 

 

...and towering cumulonimbus, largely centred on Weymouth!

 

 

Also among the top records were 33 Bar-tailed Godwit, and 65 Whimbrel, 40 of which came in-off the sea together, before disappearing into the murk.

 

The most thrilling moments though came later. 

 

After an almost complete absence, a flock of some 170 'Commic' Tern suddenly appeared from the west, many of which then came inshore to feed.  Seeing a flock that size was awesome enough, but to then have them all react to a (unseen) passing Skua by towering up into the sky was quite spectacular!

 

There are always Peregrine around Chesil Cove, so I almost didn't bother to watch a bird as it whizzed through my view, but I'm glad I did, as it was actually chasing a Kestrel, which was then seen to drop something to the beach below.  A Vole!  The Falcon then descended to pick up the morsel, before finding a safe place up the beach to tuck in.  I've never seen or heard of a Peregrine robbing another bird like that.  It was at this point I noticed it was not a normal Peregrine, but a small bird with quite a dark chest, and pale-brown back.  I've scoured the books, but I still have no idea what it is!  Some sort of escaped falconers hybrid possibly.  It had no jesses (the 'dangly bits' in the shot are all from the branch it's sitting on).

 

 

Whilst creeping along the beach to get this shot, I came across my first Jurassic coast fossil!  Some sort of spiral shell.

 

 

In between my seawatching stints, I took a short walk round the island, finding only a Redstart, and a nice Whinchat.  This shot is typical of Portland.  Migrants in odd places!

 

 

Yesterday

 

Mist is always something which raises my hopes of migrant falls, and this morning was full of it.

 

 



Sadly though, it was not full of birds!  My first circuit of the usual places produced very little.  That was until I returned to Barleycrates Lane, only to find a Short-eared Owl perched on the hedge!  Sadly, as is often the case here, it was quickly flushed by a dog walker, and flew off north, disappearing majestically into the mist.

 

The only other notable event of the day was witnessing this from my flat window.

 

 

 

Someone had collapsed on the coast path.  Not sure of the outcome, but I suspect it wasn't good, sadly.

 

Today

 

My first look at the mid-island triangle this morning was extremely disappointing, with almost nothing of note. 

 

Luckily, I then made the decision to look at Ferrybridge and the sea from Chesil Beach, despite a northerly wind.

 

Not much on arrival at the mudflats but my first Sanderling of the year.  But then, I suddenly noticed a quite leggy small wader, which appeared quite pale.  It took me a while before I twigged it was a Curlew Sandpiper, almost in full winter-plumage.  I was expected one of these to be gloriously orange!  Not complaining though, a great bird.

 

I was also surprised to see the Little Ringed Plover from the day before still about, and showing remarkably well.

 

 

I decided then to take a look at the sea.  It was immediately clear, that there was quite a large movement of Gannet occurring, with a total of 134 past in 45 minutes.

 

 

Also seen was a nice loose group of 7 Manx Shearwater, as well as two Arctic Skua south.  It is a bit strange seeing these birds flying over a completely calm sea! 

 



 

The best was yet to come, as a very alarmed sounding Whimbrel alerted me to these two incoming Arcitc Skua, which decided on the short-cut route!

 

 





Back at the mudflats, and it was all happening.  A few small flocks of Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel going over culminated in a nice record.  I heard the calls of Whimbrel, Curlew, and Greenshank, only to find a group of c16 medium-sized waders, with two larger ones, and a single long-slim one with dark wings heading off high over Portland Harbour!  If they hadn't been calling, I wouldn't have had much clue!

The morning was complete with better views of a nice mix of small waders (though not the Curlew Sand sadly!).

That's 10 species of a wader in a day.  Brilliant going for a place with no freshwater and only a tiny bit of saltmarsh/mudflats!

Later, a quick break from work had me taking a quick peak at Reap Lane, only to find the hoped for Lesser Whitethroat. 

Surely Swift will be the next to fall!

It's hotting up, but I will have to take a break from Portland birding for the next four days, as I'm back at my beloved Tice's Meadow for the weekend, then working in dreaded Bridport again Monday and Tuesday! Sigh.