Herculean Effort

Quite a bit to catch up on, as autumn has well and truly made its presence felt.  I'm putting in plenty of time...

A fairly uneventful trip to Ferrybridge on the 26th August was enlivened only by a single Knot...

 

...as well as the constant presence of a Hercules over West Bay.

 

 



On the 27th, I got the shock of opening my curtains in the morning, only to have the Marsh Harrier that had just been reported over Ferrybridge fly right towards me and over the roof!

Later, I was lucky to witness an Osprey hunting on the Fleet right by Ferrybridge.  It didn't catch anything sadly (apart from some seaweed!).

 

On the same day, a pair of Teal flew around on the Fleet, unusual at this site.  I also came across this Bright-line Brown-eye caterpillar on one of my many mid-island rambles.

 



The next day saw more action at Ferrybridge, as I twitched a Little Stint, only to have a Purple Sandpiper show up instead!  Very strange to see one feeding with Dunlin on mud.  I was able to see the Stint too in the end.

On the 29th, I got the opportunity to nip the 2 and a bit hours north to Frampton-on-severn, Gloucestershire.  I was working later that day, so couldn't give the fantastic Marsh Sandpiper the attention it deserved.  In the end I had to a bit of a tick-and-run, and I was still late for work!  The bird was at fair distance, but it was great comparing it directly with Greenshank and Ruff.

In the evening of the 1st September I was in Weymouth anyway, so thought I'd pop into the roost event at Radipole.  This was fantastic with huge numbers of Yellow Wagtail and hirundines coming to roost in the reedbeds.

The 2nd had already been decent when I had a flyover Snipe at Suckthumb Quarry.  A nice patch tick.  But, whilst I was attempting another vismig session up at The Verne, I heard some more news from Ferrybridge.  From The Verne, which thanks to the wonders of Google Earth I have found out is 1.8 miles from the Ferrybridge mud, I was able to scope the flock of 5 Avocet!  Aren't scopes wonderful things? 

I did of course decide to go and see them properly, eventually!

The 3rd day of September, and the third wader patch tick, as a Green Sandpiper calls as it flies over Suckthumb Quarry.  Lots of Wheatear around on this morning, but one ended up as lunch, probably at the hands of a Sparrowhawk.

But, was that milky-tea-coloured small warbler I glimpsed a Booted? One that got away.

Yesterday, the only highlight from a lot of walking was a distant large raptor soaring on flat wings.  It drifted off into the murk, and with it went yet another opportunity of a good find.  Will my rarity/scarcity-finding luck ever change?

In the evening I was fortunate enough to be invited to a private ringing session, targeting reedbed-roosting species.  It was a fabulous evening in calm conditions.  Yellow Wagtail and White Wagtail in the hand were real stunners.  I hope I'll be able to learn this tricky skill.

Today was equally calm, and although there were no particularly stunning sightings, all the migrants which were around the island were showing extremely well, even to my delicate photographic set-up (phone and scope - no adapter!).

Spotted Flycatcher:

Whinchat:

Tree Pipit:

My final migrant totals for mid-island were 700 Swallow, 300 House Martin, 40 Willow Warbler, 20 Blackcap, 10 Whitethroat, 10 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Sand Martin, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 4 Redstart, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 3 Whinchat, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Tree Pipit, 1 Pied Flycatcher, 1 Swift, 1(!) Wheatear, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Curlew, and 1 Green Sandpiper.

Back to Surrey tomorrow, and hopefully to get a bit of the Tice's Meadow wader-fest for myself!

Great Spot, Shanks for the Memories

I'm currently 'in transit' in Surrey.  It felt great getting back out onto my old patch at Tice's Meadow, Badshot Lea, near Farnborough this morning for one day only, as there was a Surrey Bird Club walk there.  Not only was the weather kind, but quality birds showed up and in great company as always there.

For those who don't know the site, it's an old gravel quarry that's in the process of being converted to a nature reserve.  I had some wonderful times here in the spring, when the highest water levels ever recorded produced previously only dreamt of species.

Even in the 3 months since I last visited, it's changed massively, with the water level now much lower, revealing the gravel islands.  In addition, the clearly productive growing season for the plants has turned the bushes area almost into a wood!

The workings.

The wintering ducks were already starting to appear with 23 Teal, 7 Gadwall, 2 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler, 20 Tufted Duck, and 3 Pochard.  I have volunteered myself to write the Tice's first ever annual bird report come the end of the year, and I am very aware that a bird report must have photos in it!  So, I did my best today to at least get record shots of stuff (the waterbirds at Tice's are usually pretty distant!).  The best I could achieve of a Teal.

And an eclipse male Shoveler.

 

When we arrived, there were a couple of Canada Goose present (along with a pair of escaped Chinese Goose!).  I went on a wander down the end of the site, only to have a seemingly never-ending procession of skeins of Canadas coming in from the east.  My total got up to 375, but the latest news is that there are currently 842 present - a site record!  Surprisingly accompanying the Geese was a single Pintail which is a good record for the date, and less surprisingly a single Barnacle Goose.

 

A Kingfisher put on a bit of a show, as it sat on the fences round the Bike Pool, and one point getting very close to a Grey Heron.  Nice to see together the 'little and large' of the fishermen!  A bit disappointing though that the Heron wasn't looking this way, as I could have got a shot that made it look like the little guy was sitting on the Heron's bill!

 

Also in and over the workings were 4 Snipe, a Hobby, 100 House Martin, 30 Sand Martin, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, and 3 Sparrowhawk.  In terms of breeding evidence, there was two juvenile Common Tern present, plus a pair of Egyptian Goose with two well-grown young, which is a first breeding record for the site, as well as these late-breeding Little Grebe.

 

While we were standing on the mound, we heard some Tree Pipit overhead.  I thought there were two birds, but we only saw one drop down behind the reedbed out of sight.  Only the third site record (and second on-the-deck)!  Later, they're thin calls were heard again, and two birds appeared together overhead, before dropping down onto the fence in front!

 

After hopping down onto the path for a short while, they were flushed by a dog-walker, and all three birds flew off together to the far side of the meadow, where a Whinchat was present also.

A short while later, Kev Duncan, the Tice's recorder and SBC field meetings organiser, alerted us to a pair of wader that had just dropped in.  The light was disadvantageous, but they appeared to have the leggy and slim jizz of Spotted Redshank.  A stroll to the far end of the path with the light more behind us, confirmed our suspicions.  The second site record!  They were a winter-plumaged adult and a juvenile, but this was the best shot I managed as they were at the far side of the workings.

 

 

While we were watching these, a Yellow Wagtail flew over and perched in a tree, and a Clouded Yellow showed.  You genuinely didn't know which way to look!  Patch watching at it's best!

 

Tice's is always worth a visit if you're in the area.

 

Sorry to go on about it, but Spurn tomorrow!!