Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Whitefronts on the Meadows!

The festive season has paled into insignificance as news of my mum’s hospitalization an hour spent with her on Xmas day could be the last time we are in company as covid-19 has now reached the ward! Life at the moment is a complete blur but it is important to remain focused and motivated as life goes on even in difficult times!

Last year on Xmas day I found a White Fronted Goose on what I guess I can now call my local patch Puddletown Water Meadows. I have recorded 81 species on the meadows with 90 species along the River Piddle Valley. As soon as the gates are raised and the fields flood it is time to keep an eye on the area as wildfowl pile into the area.

This afternoon I noticed higher numbers of Canada (243) and Greylag (13) Geese on the meadows. The regular Egyptian Geese were notably absent! The rain was chucking it down but as I scanned the geese beyond a tree line I locked on to a couple of Whitefronts that were not photographable and were tricky too get good views of.

After changing position several times I moved further down the road to view the open fields from the road-side. The geese were now moving closer and I put the camera to work. I put news out and contacted Peter Coe who joined me to secure better shots of the birds.

There were three adults with heavy black barring under the belly and possibly a younger adult with less obvious barring (above left)

The above picture shows all four birds that were feeding amongst the masses of Canada Geese.

There seems to be a mini influx of this species in Dorset with birds present at Charminster Water Meadows and Hampreston Church in the fields behind Longham Lakes.

Dorset - Upton and Longham - Wandering Wildfowl!

The holiday season is upon me with my level of soccer taking a well earned break. Fingers are obviously crossed that we can return in the New Year but I guess that remains to be seen with the current levels of covid-19 infections sweeping across the country. I will continue to tick over on the training front but will have more time to zoom around the county should rarities turn up!

I keep an eye on the water meadows and the cress beds but have not had much to report in recent times. Last Xmas day I did have a White-fronted Goose on the water meadows.

Today’s excursion took me in search of winter wildfowl in the form of Tundra Bean Geese that had found their way onto a field within Upton Country Park. The three birds were quite relaxed feeding on the grass filled field.

I bumped into Peter Coe at the gates and during our ramblings (mostly mine!) the Whooper Swan at Longham Lakes was mentioned. The reserve is currently closed due to an outbreak of bird flu but geese including some Whitefronts could be viewed from a footpath near Hampreston Church.

My eyes lit up as Whooper Swan is another county tick for me and naturally Whitefronts are always a welcome sight. Pete kindly said he would show me where the birds were and off we went in convoy reaching the church mid-afternoon.

There were plenty of geese and swans in the field with the Whitefronts fairly easy to pick up during some long distance scanning. I picked up the Whooper Swan after a couple of searches through the Mute Swans. Peter jumped in with his supersonic camera and I took shots with my phone through the back screen.

A productive day with a couple of additions to the yearlist both of which were new species for my county tally! Thanks Pete! 

Dorset - Portland - Flitting Flycatcher at the Observatory!

 

I caught up with another lingering bird at Portland Bird Observatory today. The Red-breasted Flycatcher was spending its second day in the observatory garden. It had been trapped and processed earlier on in the day and was busy feeding in trees flitting about between the branches hardly pausing for breath between snacks! 

Although the bird was easy to view through binoculars getting any kind of a picture was proving very tricky so I grabbed my ground mat and sat it out missing a few opportunities before I secured a shot!

I spent the rest of the day trawling other Portland hotspots for passerines but could not jam into anything unusual. At least now I can tell Charlie that I have been trying with my yearlist! 

I am now preparing for a weekend on the turf which includes a couple of interesting Cup ties!

Dorset - Weymouth Harbour - Harbouring a Little Auk!

A Little Auk has been seen over the last few days in and around Weymouth Harbour and Nothe Forte. Brett having re-found the bird after a day absence. Thanks for the heads up!

From my viewpoint this bird has shown how a certain amount of luck is required when chasing rarities. I responded to local news shot down to Weymouth parked at Nothe Forte and walked down the stairs to the Lifeboat station and bingo! There the bird was in full view just in front of the rudder to a moored boat! If I had arrived ten minutes later I would have had a lengthy wait to nail the bird!

As Charlie once said after I had left him too early in Chesil Bay dipping three Pomerine Skuas “Kojak if you wanted a easy life you should have taken up model airplanes!” This phrase regularly rings in my ears resulting in a quiet chuckle to myself! It was good to catch up with the regular birding suspects making the twitch a welcome social event!

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Puddletown Water Meadows where the wildfowl and gull numbers are increasing which encourages me to spend more time at the site. I am still hopeful of jamming into something good at one of the cress beds!

Dorset - Maiden Castle - Its Snow Joke!

The Snow Bunting which was found at Maiden Castle a few days ago has turned into a real saga with delayed news appearing via a third party on a whattsapp group which was set up for “local” birdwatchers to circulate bird news. The moderator stepped in to split the schoolyard up and clarify the position!

I will be adding I didn’t know I could post on this group to the regular excuses of not having a phone or one with no battery or credit for not circulating news of a rarity! I have experienced this first hand at my former patch where the system worked perfectly until a good county bird was found by a single observer on the site. The finders response was just as BS as the above (fortunately it was not a first!)! If you don’t want to share your find be honest about it and be big enough to take the flack when others find out (Because they always do!)!

I am glad to say that I caught up with this local rarity having spent the day Kojak style skulking the lanes. A shout from Ashley had me looking in the right direction. He had briefly seen the bird fly over the road that leads down to the car park. Once I had found the bird feeding by the roadside I even stopped traffic to secure photos just in case the bird decided to fly off. I’m not sure what the drivers thought as I scurried commando style through the scrub at the edge of the field!

The bird was so settled feeding just inside the gates to the un-ploughed field a tank could have driven by and it would not have flinched. Pictures secured and detailed news circulated and I watched on for nearly an hour before leaving the bird to continue its feast! Third time lucky and a new county tick! Woo Hoo!

It wouldn't surprise me if another rarity was found here with the numbers of birds utilizing the freshly ploughed sunflower fields. But there are so many sites within a few clicks of my home to cover which is why using news groups is so important!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Pinned Down!

I spent the day at Puddletown Water meadows which incidentally was not the original plan but there was plenty of movement through the flooded fields throughout the day. The morning was chilly and sunny but warmed up once the cloud moved in which kept everything low that flew through.

I also bagged another new species for my meadows tally in the shape of a Pintail. The only problem was getting some shots of it as it was right at the back of one of the pools. The heavy artillery was out (phonescope!). The bird seemed quite settled feeding in the sodden grass. Views through the telescope were much clearer confirming a female.

Fieldfare was on the move today small flocks taking advantage of the berry bushes that lined the back of the first field.

The geese had finally arrived in numbers with the majority Canada, a handful of Greylags and the regular pair of Egyptian Goose. I just hope something else will be dragged in during the daily movement around the water meadows.

I had my first view of a Kingfisher for a while as it fished from a low bush. It did not hang around for long once it had succeeded in its task.

There was a good movement of Wood Pigeon overhead with some groups stopping off en route south to rest in trees or refuel in the fields.

I listed 43 species during my vigil before a quick check at Athelhampton before dusk. The meadows here are much drier than this time last year.

Dorset - Warmwell Gravel Pits (Silverlake) - Scaup ing Up!

 

Heavy rain was forecast overnight and it chucked it down clearing up by around 9am. I got myself together and headed out to the Water Meadows.

The water levels are rising and this morning groups of Canada and Greylag Goose arrived to feed in the fields alongside the growing numbers of waterfowl!

A Little Grebe was spending its second day with a flyover Peregrine and a Mistle Thrush to add to the October species total.

Brett was spending his second day sifting through the gulls at Silverlake (Warmwell Gravel Pits) having had a couple of YLG the previous day. It was not a gull that had me trotting the couple of miles to the site but an immature female Scaup which he had located on the far side of the East Lake.

Scope views of the Scaup were better showing a lighter cheek patch and the extent of the white around the base of the bill.

I thought birds were a distance away at the water meadows but here it was something else! Several attempts failed including video footage via the heavy artillery! A few shots were obtained after a slog after burning two camera batteries having not charged them up overnight! Fortunately one battery had enough life to take some pictures before it died on me!

Village idiot is up for grabs I might apply!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Doing the Rounds!

 

I had a delayed start to my rounds today as it was hacking it down with rain. The morning improved slightly but the heavy duty gear had to be donned as I kept watch over Puddletown Water Meadows. I then moved around my circuit Athelhampton, Throop, Bere Regis and Waddock Cross Cress beds, checking the fields through Tincleton returning to the water meadows for the evening.

The water meadows is getting busier with wildfowl, Wigeon the most numerous duck with a single juvenile type Shoveler resting up on one of the new pools. The weather was pretty grim in patches but I stuck it out using the phone scoping to bad effect. The main issue with the water meadows is that most species are two fields away and photography can be tricky at the best of times.

The first of the seasons Redwing, Meadow Pipit and Skylark were seen moving through the meadows.

A Green Sandpiper appears to have taken up residence on the meadows but can be tricky to locate at times. The cress beds also hold this species.

The cress beds had regular fair. Numbers of Meadow Pipit have dropped slightly with a Little Egret on one site. Grey and Pied are seen at all sites.

Dorset - Lychett Fields - Hoopoe finally Nailed in the County!

 

I went on one of the quickest twitches in my birding career to Lychett Fields today. My quarry was a Hoopoe which was spending its third day in the allotments. Time was not an issue but the behavior of birders was so I ticked from distance (unlike some chasing the bird down the path) and ran. No wonder birders are frowned upon and rarities are suppressed!

I zoomed back to the Water meadows to note more arrivals in Greylag and Canada Goose. The water levels are on the rise which encouraged Mediterranean, Black-headed, Common, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls to wash up before moving on.

I have corrected my raptor id from my last post. No wonder the pigeons went crazy as the juvenile Goshawk flew over the meadows pursued by a Raven! Could this be considered reverse stringing?!

I tend to throw the camera at anything different which is why this puzzle was easily resolved!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Corvids Cause Chaos!

Puddletown Water Meadows was my primary objective for the day with a cress bed round robin with a check of the fields in between each stop. I am developing a local route with opportunities to incorporate other good sites into the circuit should time allow.

The water meadows held my attention for a few hours with migratory Wood Pigeon passing high overhead. A pair of Raven caused a huge reaction from corvids and also scattered all the Wood Pigeon that were resting in the trees. I have seen Raven over the woods before but they are not regular.

A juvenile Goshawk (Thanks Brett) got caught up in the chaos being chased across over the meadows twisting and turning to avoid its attacker. A new species for me at the Water Meadows!

The Goshawk escaped using its agility to out maneuver its pursuer! I talked myself out id of this species due to the streaking on the breast but of course did not consider a juvenile bird. The picture above highlights the size of the bird and long tail ruling out sparrowhawk, with the Raven mobbing it for comparison. The wings are also broad across the shoulders and rounded through to the tips ruling out Kestrel. 

I predicted Lapwing would utilize the meadows once the water levels had risen and a couple was noted with the Wigeon and Teal on the pools behind the River Piddle. A Green Sandpiper was noted in flight. This species winters but is not always seen as several areas of the meadows are obscured from the road.

The Egyptian Goose was also present with a Little Egret that arrived yesterday. There was no sign of any other geese.

I finally secured a few pictures of the now regular Jay in the area. I am still surprised it took me so long to record this species in this area.

Having finally torn myself away from the water meadows I checked Athelhampton and made my way down the lanes to cover the cress beds. There was a significant Meadow Pipit presence on all sites but no Water Pipit.

Pied and Grey Wagtails are resident on the Cress beds but only one site holds Green Sandpiper which had not increased in number from my previous visit.

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Soaked Meadows!

I had another day out with Pete Alfrey on Portland which produced some migrant moths but not much else beyond a movement of Kittiwake through the Bill. I missed the only Skua of our watch!

A couple of prolonged downpours have seen the water levels rise on the Water meadows. It didn’t take long for the wildfowl to start returning with Teal, Wigeon and an increase in Mallard. Mute Swan has returned to Athelhampton and a Little Egret was noted this evening.

The first of the geese made an appearance tonight a pair of Egyptian Geese flew in before dusk. It can only be a matter of time before the Canada and Greylag and perhaps a bonus goose arrive.

The hedgerows lining the road have been left to grow which restricts viewing in places but there are a healthy number of passerines in the area including Yellowhammer who survey the area from the wires.

The water meadows are filling up after torrential rain.

The cress beds have been quiet with Meadow Pit and four Green Sandpipers at one site. I have also stumbled across a site I was not aware of and will add that to my circuit.

Dorset - Portland - Buzzing with Birds!

 

I was up and out at stupid o clock this morning driving down to Portland to meet Pete Alfrey who was camping at the Pulpit Inn. I arrived before dawn and the silence was broken by the Little Owl which was singing in the Observatory Quarry. I think the bird had the right idea as it was sleeping when we caught up with it later on in the day!

Once dawn had arrived we set off to the Ope quarry to process the contents of Pete’s moth trap. There were around 60 moths inside which was considered a reasonable haul! We visit the Observatory and spoke with Martin who kindly set aside his haul (500+/- moths) from the garden for Pete to look through! See Pete's blog for more details!

The skies were busier than the land today with obvious Viz-Mig of hirundines, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Chaffinch and a Siskin.

Visits to The Hump, Barleycrates Lane, and Reap Lane where Chiffchaff was numerous across all areas. A field at Reap Lane held a good number of Wheatear! A walk down the West Coast gave good views of low flying Swallow and House Martin. Stonechat were scattered along the scrubby areas.

The addition of Brett to the rarity hunters after lunch did not result in any additions on the migrant front but we had a pleasant walk around Culverwell and the top fields.

The day finished off with Pete and I popping down to Ferrybridge to watch the incoming tide. Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern and stacks of Med Gulls were seen on both sides of the Harbour. Fish and chips and a drink in The Pulpit saw the pals reflect of the days efforts!

Dorset - Puddletown and Environs - Cruising the Cress Beds!

A Green Sandpiper at Puddletown Water Meadows prompted another round of the cress beds this evening. The water levels are still low along this stretch of the River Piddle but wishing for rain is a bit of a double edged sword for me as too much rain will certainly put the football at risk.

The cress beds held a couple of new additions across the sites. A Common Sandpiper was spied with the regular Green Sandpiper. A singing Cettis Warbler was heard just before dusk.

Tomorrow I plan on linking up with pal and naturalist Pete Alfrey who has pitched up in the county for a couple of days. I wonder if his moth trap will bring down any planes?!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Border Dash!

I took an extended walk around my local area this afternoon before moving onto the Cress Beds before dusk. It proved to be a fruitful excursion with two new species added to my Puddletown Water Meadows tally. Neither species was anything rare but gave me some satisfaction as I explored the paths and lanes that traverse the Water Meadows.

A Jay in flight was the first addition. I have spoken about my surprise that this species has not made it onto the total despite numerous hours last winter on the meadows.

I was walking up the lane towards the bridge over the A35 (The border to the recording area!) and a Red Legged Partridge scuttled out of the field near the last house and legged it “raider” style up the lane that crossed the bridge. The birds actions as this species never runs in a straight line reminded me of a scene from the great escape where the partridge knew if it crossed the bridge it would be safe or un-recordable! 

The only shots that were fired were from the camera and the bird made it over the border and disappeared into a field! There were a couple more Partridge in this field so perhaps this one was on a reconnaissance mission searching for better feeding!

The visit to the cress beds was littered with Pied Wagtail. Numbers definitely increase after the workers finish for the day! 

Dorset - Chesil Cove - Grey Phalarope Riding the Ocean Waves!

When I moved to Dorset just under a year ago I noticed a wave of Grey Phalarope hitting the shores and lakes around the county. I made a mental note to catch up with this species should numbers arrive this year.

It is fair to say that this year’s batch has arrived earlier than my move date but I pounced on the chance to link up with this dainty but very hardy species. A traffic free journey down to Chesil Cove had me scanning the sea in front of Quiddies. It initially proved to be a tricky task with four wave influenced brief views before the bird was swept closer to the white wash.

A few birders including Roly had arrived and I moved onto the beach in an attempt to get some dot shots of the bird. After extended views and a few surprise shots Roly and I made our way to Lodmoor RSPB to spend the afternoon.

We were unable to find the Garganey but there was plenty of regular fair to entertain us including the regular “White” Ruff.

A couple of Great White Egret, Common and Green Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and a good mix of wildfowl completed the afternoon’s haul.

I popped into the cress beds at Waddock Cross on the way home with record numbers of Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail and a busy flock of House Martin hawking insects as the rain clouds moved in!

Dorset - Cress Beds - Given the Green Light!

 

I have been keeping a casual eye on the local cress beds and have been welcomed by the staff as a regular face at these locations. I have a particular quarry in the back of my mind but it may still be a bit early for this species to spend the winter.

Green Sandpipers are considered regular fair on cress beds despite the apparent unsuitability of the habitat. I had close views today of three birds that were feeding in the channels. The birds were busy feeding in the shallow running water.

Grey and Pied Wagtails are resident with Meadow Pipit and Linnet regular visitors to the beds. Yellow Wagtail can be found on passage during the migratory period.

I am looking forward to the Water meadows flooding again which will add to my local birding circuit!

Dorset - The Fleet Bridging Camp - A Wry Smile!

My latest skirmish with a species of bird that is relatively high on my Dorset wish-list has lasted a bit longer than expected. In fact there have been several visits including a visit to the wrong site. This resulted in being stopped by a land-rover and being asked what I was doing. Oops!

Today was a training day which ended back at home with the dilemma of do I look at my phone before or after I have showered and eaten! The temptation was too much which as usual causes some mental turmoil as I am in no order to leg it out the front door and jump into the Kojemobile!

Another Wryneck had turned up in the observatory quarry on Portland. This species was turning into a bug bird with a couple of blanks at Bridging Camp! I decided to feed and water myself which proved to be a star move as this species was reported on the Camp for its fifth day saving the extra journey to Portland!

I had two good views of the bird on the fence bordering the West path. The best view was with Brett who I had met roadside and returned with him to the area. The bird obligingly popped up onto the fence roughly five fence posts down from where we were both stood (top pic)! The bird remained for a good ten minutes before dropping down into the longer grass inside the compound.

Fantastic I had finally connected with this species having missed several birds including the Spring bird in the Portland Observatory Quarry!

Dorset - Here There and Everywhere!

 

As a new season begins in the Dorset Premier League and with the Dorset Leagues starting at the beginning of September ornithology is pushed onto the subs bench just as the autumn migration begins to gain momentum. The reduced time available between training and football fixtures means there is some time juggling resulting in short forays into the field sometimes on news or tip offs from my birding pals.

The most interesting being the visit of Little Stint to the Meadow Pool at Abbotsbury Swannery. The pool also featured Dunlin giving an ideal size comparison between both species.

I have also chased the White Winged Black Tern around Weymouth and The Fleet without success I might add! I did catch up with the white headed Ruff at Lodmoor which is my first Dorset VC9 bird having seen this species earlier in the year at Stanpit Marsh. I failed to connect with the Spotted Crake after some tactical visits to the post-box pool.

I have done some migrant hunting of my own the best was a Yellow Wagtail at Waddock Cross Cress beds. I hope to cover several cress farms in search of a VC9 Water Pipit as the winter closes in.

I have been inspired by Pete Alfrey’s knowledge and the haul of moths he had in my garden. He also named all the plants on the Garden wall and offered advice on how to get the best from my garden. This could even result in the purchase of a moth trap! I think the above is a Drone-fly?!

I even spied a Jersey Tiger flying onto the wall one lunch-time!

A Brimstone was observed feeding near the garden wall.

The Buddlea bushes have attracted up to forty Small Tortoiseshell on the white flowered plant.

A couple of Red Admiral a Peacock, what I thought was a tatty Comma (No pic) also visited the bush during a tidy up in the garden.

A Small White was also photographed on the same bush. 

I am paying more attention to the insects that visit the garden and will post more pictures. I’m sure there will be id errors along the way but that’s all part of the process!