Beddington Farm - The Beast takes hold!

As the “Beast from the East” takes a firm grip on the UK the survival of birds in particular passerines hangs in the balance. The search for food literally becomes a matter of life and death. I have ensured my garden restaurant is fully stocked with seed, fatballs and fruit (oranges and apples).

This morning at the Farm I missed the two female Goosander found by Frank, but arrived in time to relocate the Iceland Gull that had joined the masses of gulls resting on the layer of snow on the frozen lake. The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful, Frank went about his business as I took a walk over the mound to see if anything had been forced down by the snow.

The valley turned out to be the most productive area with Fieldfare, Meadow Pipits and Song Thrush taking advantage of the almost clear North slope. A couple of Jack Snipe and numerous Snipe were seen along the frozen water at the valley bottom. Lapwing was following a bulldozer with a view to stealing a disturbed morsel on the most southerly mound.

I returned to the North lake to eyed up as lunch by a resident Kestrel. News broke from Pete Alfrey at the observatory window that there was a record movement Golden Plover and Lapwing over Canons Farm, see Steve Gales blog North Downs and Beyond for more details.

As the snow filled clouds moved in from the East the movement of Lapwing increased some flocks seemed to be flying for their lives. Pete picked up a high flying flock of fifteen Golden Plover but I could not see them. The next Golden Plover took a look at the North Lake circling before departing NW. The wind was by now picking up and the blizzard began. The movement of birds stopped for a while and I took advantage of a break in the weather to make my way home. More Golden Plover and Lapwing were recorded from the observatory window along with the pale phase Glaucous Gull.

Totals: Golden Plover 25, Lapwing 121, Fieldfare 188, Jack Snipe 3, Snipe 30, Meadow Pipit 16.

The snow has been falling this evening cancelling local football. With more snow forecast I wonder what tomorrow will bring!

Dorset - Gull and Shorebird Double!

I am not a great gull fan which is probably surprising as Beddington Farm is littered with them! But Ross’s Gull would be an immediate entry on my bird bucket list if I was at the stage of life to have one.

When news broke of a 1^st winter bird in the Netherlands I raised an eyebrow and briefly pondered over a trip to see it. When I heard there was an adult frequenting the Weymouth area a plan was hatched at the first opportunity!

This small gull breeds on the Arctic Tundra and is described by Olsen and Larsson as a yearly straggler to temperate waters. I certainly did not expect an adult to take up temporary residence within driving distance from home.

The morning started at crazeee o clock allowing plenty of time to arrive at my first port of call Ferrybridge at dawn. The wind was bitterly cold and a scan of the area with the small group of birders seeking protection from the visitor centre produced a blank. I spoke to a guy who headed off to Lodmoor RSPB as I headed off to cover Radipole RSPB. The former was the better choice as I had a futile dash to Lodmoor missing the bird by five minutes.

I returned to Radipole to be flagged down in the carpark by the same guy who stated the gull was now at Ferrybridge. The horses were not spared and I was soon snapping away at the adult as it rested behind a scattering of sea weed. The bird remained for approximately five minutes before it flew off over the ridge and out to sea.

This was the last time I saw the bird but it was reported at Radipole later in the morning. In the meantime I had decided to catch up with a Stilt Sandpiper which was currently at Stanpit Marsh from Fishermans Bank. The BH23 3NG was a close on the opposite side to the opening to the marsh. The bird was feeding on the mudflats with Dunlin. This provided the perfect species comparison with the longer legs and overall larger size apparent.

The drive home was a very chirpy one with a lifer and a second addition to my UK tally to celebrate. I kept then windows up but got a couple of odd looks whilst stationary at traffic lights. I thought everyone knew Southern Freeze by Freeez! Woo Hoo!

Surrey Vice County - Bramblehall Wood - Hundreds of Hawfinch!

Today Pete Alfrey and I teamed up with birding and botanical guru Steve Gale. Our quarry was the large numbers of Hawfinch that are frequenting the Juniper Top area of the Surrey Downs. Steve has been walking this area for a while reporting large numbers of birds in the area. It took around an hour to find the main flock of birds but there was plenty of overhead activity during our walk.

Access to the area the birds were in today was via Whitecliffe Carpark and a steep climb up the hill through the gate continuing up the hill taking the first path on the left along a muddy track. From there you walk along the track until a small post with a yellow marker. Take the upper path until the path runs parallel to an area of grassland running between the hills. When you reach the two horse jumps descend to the field edge, listen and scan the trees for the flocks of Hawfinch.

Counts were taken as flocks of Hawfinch flew into congregating in the trees on the opposite side of the “valley”. A count of 260 birds was truly an amazing site one of which I have not experienced on this scale in my home county before. The birds poured into this area before wheeling above our heads in a loose ball.

If you have not seen Hawfinch in these numbers before it is well worth the visit. But be aware that the flocks are very mobile and with so much suitable habitat in the area it could take a while before you locate a significant flock. It also begs the question as to the true number of birds that are present in the area? 

Other species noted along the way were Marsh Tit, Bullfinch and several mixed tit flocks with the odd pheasant at ground level. We headed back to the mobile observatory (Pete’s campervan) just in time to avoid the rain.

Thanks Steve for guiding us into the area which could easily be missed if unfamiliar with the terrain. Check out his blog http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/ and Pete’s blog http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.co.uk/ for more insight into this amazing spectacle!

Beddington Farm - No Fudging this Duck!

Recently I have been mixing up the times of my Farm visits. There seems to be more gull activity on the lakes early afternoon and as I had not seen the pale phase Glaucous Gull another late visit was to be my chosen tactic. Pete and Devilbirder (DB) were also in attendance which would provide extra sets of eyes and an added expertise particularly in identifying Caspian Gulls. I struggle to pick the less obvious candidates out despite burying my head in books Gulls of Europe Asia and North America by Olsen and Larsson.

True to form both Pete and DB were off and running in the Caspian Gull department with three birds identified two 2^nd winter and one 1^st winter and photographed but still no sign of the Glaucous Gull. DB then drew our attention to a duck that was clearly showing some signs of Ferruginous Duck but ducks are a tricky subject with so many possibilities of hybridization not to mention escapes from collections!

The trio shuffled closer to Elands Island to capture all the evidence required to confirm the identity of this interesting bird. The bird was regularly preening therefore it was only a matter of time before a wing flap took place.

The duck was smaller than the Pochard and showed the head shape, bill and reddish-brown colouration of a female type Fudge duck. The first indicator of a Pochard hybrid was the slight tinge of grey running through the mantle. There was also a distinct difference in colour in the breast to the flanks again showing signs of hybridisation.

The bird took a couple of wing flaps before settling down with the mix of Pochard and Tufted. The edge to the wings showed characteristics of Pochard confirming our cautious approach to the initial appearance of the bird.

The internet is a great tool in these situations as comparable photographs are at hand. I carry a kindle which is loaded with bird books including Helm guide to Wildfowl by Madge and Burn. If all the former fails then a study of photos on the laptop at home will provide the answers!

Incidently the Glaucous Gull paid a brief visit to the lake before disappearing over the wires. My pictures of this moment were rated as awful by the small band of birders!

For a complete breakdown of the hybrid duck, Caspian and Glaucous Gull pics see Pete Alfreys blog. http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.co.uk/