Bury n' Bonaparte's



I need to start giving more regular updates, as the onset of spring has caused an upsurge in interesting sightings in the last fortnight.

 

The patch has been much more productive, with a nice early White Wagtail at Reap Lane on the 3rd the first of the true migrants.  Lesser Black-backed Gull are a migrant too, of course (though are not usually renowned for their diagonal stance!). 

 

On the 4th, I joined the guys from the Obs in an away-day to look for Goshawk in east Dorset.  We failed on that score, but got a consolation of a surprise ringtail Hen Harrier moving through.

Plenty of plants are coming into flower now, such as this Field Penny-cress.

I've begun seawatching again for the spring, and I can't say how much I've missed it! On the 5th I'd seen very little for the duration of the watch, till a immature Velvet Scoter zoomed by just offshore! Just the sort of situation seawatching can create (ages of nothing, until a moment of magic). 

The next day, wildfowl continued to feature, with a pair of Teal offshore, plus a flock of Greylag Goose flying along The Fleet - the 1st patch bird I didn't see last year.

The weather was now rather settled. The resident Raven and Peregrine were taking advantage and starting their breeding process with display and prospecting nest-sites.

The 7th was the only morning for 8 or so in a row that I had to work.  A Bonaparte's Gull therefore chose the worst time from my point of view to arrive at Ferrybridge.  I might have found it myself!  Nonetheless, I should be grateful for seeing it at all, during a 5 min visit from work.

There was also a Scandinavian Rock Pipit to look at here. A striking bird!

I led a bird walk that afternoon at Ferrybridge too.  Nothing of great note was spotted (plus, the Bony's failed to show in that time to really add a bit of spice).  Everyone seemed to enjoy it though, which was the main thing.

The next day, I headed up to Tice's Meadow (nothing of note) and Staines Reservoirs, on route to Suffolk.  'The Res' was looking extraordinary, as the north basin had been drained.

 

 Despite this, the only quality bird I saw on the reservoir itself was a nice Water Pipit, showing well.

 

 

But, as I arrived, I was lucky to spot a Wheatear on the adjacent King George VI Res - my earliest ever, and the first to be seen in Surrey (apart from an early morning unconfirmed report from Staines Res).

Incredibly, there was also a Black Redstart in the same area - a true Staines scarcity/mega.

I went up to Suffolk to see my family who had just moved there - to Bury St Edmunds to be precise. A walk round the nearby farmland in the evening produced a stack of Yellowhammer, and a brief Barn Owl which appeared to come out of one of these extraordinary old Oaks.

The next day, we walked into town, but even this provided some wildlife interest.  A singing Blackcap was a surprise, as was a little row of aviaries containing the likes of Zebra Finch, a curious Reeve's Pheasant....

...and even a Golden Pheasant.

 

The place was full of (natural) history. Some sort of Suffolk pronunciation!?

In the afternoon, I visited the fantastic Lackford Lakes, just up the road.

All the birds showed well, such as Goldeneye...

...and a single Goosander, looking a bit odd amongst the other more regular species.

Plenty to see here.

The best encounter of the visit was with a Muntjac which was right in front of one of the hides.

The main reason for my visit was for the Gull-roost.  It turned out to be one of the best I've seen, largely because the ones I've seen in the south have been either too distant, or with poor variety. 

There had been a Caspian Gull seen recently, and I was initially interested in this bird all by itself on a different lake, till I realised it was a Great Black-backed Gull, that is (no others had been seen up to that point, so it threw me)!

 Then, I spotted this 2nd-winter bird, whose head-shape in particular made it stand out amongst the Herring.  I realise it's distant, but I'd appreciate any comments.

 

 

The next day, we explored the remarkable feature of Orford Ness.  Whilst here, I heard the 'filililip' call of a Lapland Bunting, though I failed to locate it.

Orford village itself was interesting, and we bumped into a load of other birders, who, evidently, were there to photograph Short-eared Owl.  It didn't take long to see one myself (and show it to my delighted mum! I hope that counts as a mother's day gift! :-).

Shingle Street was the well-named last location, but there was little here except stunning views.

 

 

Back at Portland, a few more patch-ticks have been achieved in recent days, including Sanderling at Ferrybridge ...

 

...and a load of quality at Barleycrates Lane, including early Sand Martin, Fieldfare, and a fantastic Woodcock which struggled to circumnavigate a fence, meaning I could enjoy great views!

With 8 patch ticks in 4 days, what more could occur? I'm looking forward to the next mild spell!

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.

Hump Start

First of all, I need to start with the sad news that 'my' Gannet died yesterday afternoon.  It was feeding well, though it got weaker and weaker.  We assume it had a disease of some sort, but I do wonder if the swarms of Lice on the bird had something to do with it.  Anyway, it's comforting to me that I believe that even if the world authority on Gannets had found the bird, there's nothing that could have been done for it.

On to happier news, and today dawned beautiful and clear with barely any wind.  These weren't at first glance good conditions for any sort of birding, whether it be seawatching or looking for grounded migrants.  I guess however, that the full moon and clear skies meant that plenty was moving, as a good number of birds, particularly day-flying migrants, were seen.

I did my usual walk to the Obs via Barleycrates, Reap, Admiralty Hedge, Top Fields, and Culverwell.  Walking along Barleycrates, I heard at least 2 Tree Pipit flying over calling, though I couldn't locate them in the blue sky.  Onto Reap, and on the field at the end were 4 Wheatear.  I've seen a small party of Wheatear here for a couple of weeks now.  The same birds or are they moving through?

Just past the Southwell Business Park, I heard a Yellow Wagtail overhead, and then another, but I still couldn't find them in the sky.  A few Whitethroats were about, and at least another 2 Tree Pipit over.  About the time I was watching the bushes by Admiralty Hedge, evidently a Marsh Harrier passed over, quite possibly right over my head!

In Top Fields, I came across 3 more Wheatear, and a scattering of Willow Warbler.  I also found my own Jersey Tiger, which I mistook in flight for a Painted Lady.  Sounds like a silly mistake, but I did exactly the same thing later on at the Hump!  They're clearly flying in numbers at the moment.

 

A flock of 8 Yellow Wagtail flew over, and I went on to find a couple settled in a horse field on the Bill Road with Pied Wagtails.

 



I took a look in the Obs moth traps, but there was nothing new (it's the Shuttle-shaped Dart phase!).  I wasn't there for long, but I still managed to see a passing Arctic Skua on the sea.  A short vigil overlooking the Crown Estate Field, revealed just how many birds were about.  Huge flocks of Goldfinch, Linnet, Starling, and House Sparrow disturbed from the fields, several Kestrel and two Buzzard hunting, plus a large gathering of hirundines and a few Swifts over Top Fields.  It's that time of year!  However, there's no doubt in my mind that the management of this newly-acquired land is working wonders for the amount of seeds and insects available.

I took my route back via Sweethill, Avalanche Road Hump, and Suckthumb Quarry.  The Hump itself seemed pretty quiet, though a few 'peeps' coming from within could have been a Spotted Flycatcher.  But, in the bushes at the back of the Hump I found the stars of the day, a male and female Redstart.  They seemed to be feeding well in a small clump of Buddleiha and Sycamore.

 

This was the only shot I managed of the male!

Come the afternoon, news came through that a Roseate Tern, first seen a couple of evenings ago, was back at Ferrybridge.

I rushed down there, but despite the thankful lack of human disturbance, there was no sign of the bird.  There were a good number of Terns about, including about 24 Common Tern and 15 Little Tern.  There were less waders than there had been in previous days, but there was a few Sanderling, Turnstone, and a single Bar-tailed Godwit.  These were alongside the usual Dunlin and Ringed Plover of course, one of the latter being particularly confiding.

 

 

And, eventually it came so close, I couldn't get it all in the shot!

But, the Sanderling weren't quite so helpful.

There's a little more cloud in the forecast for the next few days, so I'm hoping that in the full moon, grounded night-migrant numbers will increase.