Sub-standard Goose

I've decided to do a separate post for yesterdays seawatching, as it would have made this one far too long!

Update for 26th April to 4th May.  There was a bit of a lack of birding during what should be peak-time, mainly due to having to work in Bridport for several days. 

26th + 27th

I spent a very enjoyable weekend back at my old patch of Tice's Meadow for their 24 hour event.

Water levels were as high as they've been, but it still looks so promising!

I was eventually able to hear the sites first Nightingale singing away, though it wasn't as vocal as it had been.  We also probably heard a second calling.  A female?  Hope so.

The other main ornithological highlight was at least 2 Arctic Tern dropping in, one staying all of Sunday.  Also my first few Swift of the year.

This big Grass Snake was a great spot by Keith Kerr, right out in the open on The Meadow.

In the end, we managed 66 species, which is way down on last year, largely down to the strong wind, and lack of luck with the likes of waders.  Still a fantastic time was had!

 

29th

 

Just my usual circuit of mid-island, which just produced singles of the likes of Redstart, Tree Pipit, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat (at Suckthumb), Grasshopper Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Sedge Warbler (at Barleycrates), and at least 10 Whinchat.  It was a struggle to photograph them though!

 

 



Best though was a female Merlin, which whizzed through Suckthumb and on to Barleycrates.

 

On the way back, I bumped into this mating pair of Holly Blue.  I managed to take a snap, just as an intruder came in to investigate. 

 

I also saw my first Orange-tip on Portland, near the Windmills.  Surprised it's here at all, as I have yet to find any Cuckoo-flower, and only a tiny amount of Garlic-mustard, it's other food plant.
 

30th

 

After work in Bridport, I decided to try and twitch a Collared Pratincole in Bideford, north Devon, as I was effectively already 25 miles into the journey.

 

It had been seen in the morning, but after a few hours of trudging round the golf course at Northam Burrows, I gave up.  The bird was never seen again.

 

1st

 

The perfect tonic to a couple of rubbish work days, was a locally available lifer.  On arrival at Top Fields late afternoon, the stonking male Eastern Subalpine Warbler was showing.

 

 

It continued to show well throughout, very obligingly feeding in the tops of the Blackthorn hedges.

 

2nd

 

I put plenty of time in today, but was largely unrewarded.  Ferrybridge had a few snippets of interest first thing, including a close Whimbrel, but the awful light played havoc with my photo setup!

 

 

The lightest smattering of migrants on the land included, finally, my first Portland Swift of the year.  A visible migration session at the West Cliffs produced a few of these, as well as only a trickle of Swallow.

 

4th

 

Conditions weren't ideal, but I thought it might be worth a little seawatch from Chesil Beach.  There was a good passage of 175 Common Scoter in a couple of hours, but otherwise little else moving.  In fact, the highlight was a pair of Shoveler sneaking past with a flock of 60 Scoter!  Also a Great Skua passed over at great height, before going cross-harbour.  I wonder how many are missed like that!

 

On the mud-flats was a nice selection of waders, which included only my second Grey Plover of the year there.

The only highlight of a little round of mid-island was a very male Honey Buzzard-like pale Common Buzzard.  Not an individual I'd seen before.  A huge trap for the unwary!
 

In the afternoon, I took my first ever visit to the Abbotsbury Swannery, as I met up with my mum and step-dad down from Surrey.

 

It's amazing how rare Mute Swan is on Portland (I've never seen one, for instance), given this little lot are only 10 miles away...

 

 

It's a fabulous place, and I hadn't realised how good a birding spot it was.  As, in this short visit I saw at least one Arctic Tern, several Whimbrel, as well as a surprise female Scaup.



 

 

 

 As for the Swans, their eggs were very close to hatching.

Meanwhile, others had.

Among the non-avian highlights, was this stunning female Adela reaumurella longhorn-moth.

 



 

Also interloping with the Swans were 2 Black Swan and a single Bar-headed Goose (the Swannery does not keep any pinioned wildfowl).

 

After a nice meal in Weymouth, I was driving back along the Beach Road, when I suddenly noticed a large pale wildfowl species flying along parallel with me.  A Shelduck?  No, it was a Bar-headed Goose!  Very likely to be the bird I had seen earlier.  I think I would have been pretty stumped as to its identity had I not just seen one!  Whatever its origins, it's a true Portland rarity!

Marila Ice

Things are finally perking up, with even the suggestion of spring producing the goods!

25th

A quick look at Ferrybridge initially produced little, till the now seemingly semi-resident Great Skua came in for a quick drink, before lumbering back up over the beach.

An interesting observation was a tight flock of four Raven flying from the mainland over to the island.  Going the wrong way, but migrants?

Chesil Cove I thought might be worth a look in medium-strength south-westerly wind.  When I got there, I was immediately confronted with a sea covered in packs of cigarettes!  They had apparently been lost off a container ship off Devon the previous day.  The glint of the plastic in the sun could literally be seen to the horizon!

 

And, the beach was now covered in a never-ending white strandline (you may need to enlarge the second shot).

 

 

 



The coastguard plane made several low flypasts, presumably to assess the situation.  Various people, some of which were the authorities, soon turned up and began to pick up the booty.  It's not going to be a small job though!

The only birds of any note whilst all this was going on was one close Great Northern Diver, plus another Diver which landed further out, probably also this species.

Yesterday

A lovely day with light winds meant a walk round some of the field and bush areas of my patch first of all.

No early summer migrant sadly, but I definitely noticed a larger number of Meadow Pipit, Linnet, and Stonechat than recently.

I found these Lesser Celandine in flower near Verne Common.  I was rather delighted to find these initially, but on inspecting the photos afterwards, I notice that they have marked leaves, and so are probably a cultivated variety.

A probable Firecrest was heard on the Common, and I had an amusing encounter with one of the local Peregrine.  It stalled in the wind above my head and had a good scratch of it's head.  This distraction caused it to fail to notice the Gull that was sneaking up on it, and the poor raptor got a right wallop!

Ferrybridge was the next destination, where I wasn't expecting a great deal.  Indeed the mudflats were empty.

But, on scanning The Fleet, I suddenly came across a distant Duck with a bright white blaze on it's forehead.  I was fairly sure it was a female Scaup (Portland rarity), but I had to get better views from the pub car park, just to make sure it wasn't one of those weird female Tufted Duck (which would also be a Portland tick!).  

Sure enough, it was showing really well from here.

It was associating with some Red-breasted Merganser, and more than once, the flock was frightened by Gulls attempting to steal their catch, and the Scaup (Aythya marila if you were wondering about the blog title!) took flight.

It almost looked as if it was about to fly up The Fleet at one point (which is presumably where it had come from - there has been a Scaup reported from Abbotsbury recently) but thankfully looped round and landed even closer.

Great bird!

Today

Initial looks at Ferrybridge and Portland Harbour produced little, so I popped into Chesil Cove, as once again the wind felt promising.

As ever, passage was nil (except a Red-throated Diver, which ditched into the sea some way out).  But, watching the distant Gull flock down Chesil Beach, I suddenly got the flash of a white-winged Gull through my scope.

My immediate reaction was Glaucous, cause it just looked so large and chunky!  I had to check the bill colouration, but at that distance it was very tricky.  It didn't though appear obviously pale with a dark tip.  That's when I started to wonder.

I had to get closer, so I walked all the way along the beach, in the hope it would still be in the area beyond the diggers. 

It was, and it was now unequivocally an Iceland Gull!  Thank goodness for that!  I deserve that I think after dipping so many this year.  A Portland tick.

It went on to show brilliantly in perfect light.

Loving my birding at the moment!