Dorset - Puddletown and Environs - Local Migrants!

The theme of the day was to catch up on some local birding. The day started with Swift and Swallow over the house. The next stop was Puddletown Water Meadows and time by the roadside watching the meadows.

The meadows in winter are flooded and host a mix of wildfowl and shorebirds. In spring the gates are lowered and the fields dry out. A Reed Warbler was the first new addition of the morning. Mid way through the morning surprise of the day a Turtle Dove came flying low into view from behind the hedge-line continuing west towards the church.

The cloud was once again closing in which bought the hirundines lower which contained a Swift and Swallow. I moved down to Athelhampton where cattle were grazing in the field. A few regular species were added before the rain set in and I decided to move on to Oakerswood checking the fields en-route to look for other migrants.

A couple of hours produced a Spotted Flycatcher and a flyover Crossbill. Having exhausted my search parameters (there is one public path through the woods) I moved on to Waddock Cross and The Watercress Company Cress Beds.

On arrival I spied a Yellow Wagtail feeding in the long grass by the greenhouses but the bird quickly disappeared from view to re-appear on the cress beds. The bird then flew over the Wasabi Buildings out of sight!

In between times what initially looked like an interesting raptor but turned out to be a pale phased Buzzard flew overhead.

The Yellow Wagtail was very mobile across the beds appearing briefly then disappearing for over an hour before re-appearing again! I wondered if there was more than one bird but photographs confirm a single male bird! Roly had hot wheeled it over to the site and had a view of the bird before it vanished once again.

Dorset - Lodmoor RSPB - Diversion To Bag Bonaparte's Gull!

 

Today’s mission was to sea watch from Chesil Cove as the winds were to reach gale force with showers thrown in. News of a Bonaparte’s Gull at Lodmoor RSPB had me diverting to catch up with the bird in front of the shelter!

The bird was found the previous evening by Beddington Farm new boys Sam and Arjun who submitted photos that were picked up from eBird. Dave put the news out this morning having seen the bird on the west scrape this morning.

After admiring the bird for a while I switched back to my original plan and joined Dave Bishop at Chesil Cove where the wind was gaining strength and a heavy shower was looming. A couple of Arctic Skua later and the rain set in. Roly joined us later on to bag two Arctic Skuas that passed together. Chris Courteaux joined us as Dave left and the vigil continued.

A steady trickle of Manx Shearwater continued throughout the session with two groups of Scoter and Kittiwake were added to the tally. The wind was howling by the time we all left and the winds are due to get stronger tomorrow!

Dorset - Iford Golf Centre & Durlston Country Park - A Woodchat Shrike and Orchids!

 

I was at home when news broke of a Woodchat Shrike at Iford Golf Centre. Thanks Brett! A birder had been playing a round of golf when he noticed the shrike near the twelfth tee and in his own words “I couldn’t believe it!”

The journey to Bournmouth was reasonably trouble free!  Roly being more local beat me to the bird and was giving me updates as I made my way to the golf course. Garry even managed to get across to see the bird and the three amigos were once again united on another twitch!

After leaving the golf course a plan was hatched to all go to Durlston Country Park where Garry showed me two fields that I had not covered the previous day where there were numerous orchids! Early Spider was more common here than at Dancing Ledge and the flowers were still in bloom on some plants!

A couple of Green Winged Orchids were also located. This plant lacking the spotting that Early Purple has on the base leaves.

Early Purple Orchids were bigger and more numerous than the plants I had seen the day before. I short period of sea watching before returning for refreshments at Garry’s and then out to see if we could connect with Nightjar. Sadly Roly and I were too slow off the mark to see the birds Garry had on arrival. The weather was overcast with some rain which probably did not encourage any activity from this churring night hunter!

Dorset - Dancing Ledge & Durlston Country Park - Birds Butterflies and Orchids!

My outing yesterday was not primarily a bird finding exercise but true to form it played a big part in the day’s events. The April showers have finally arrived resulting in me keeping a firm eye on the skies throughout the day!

I started at Dancing Ledge looking for orchids and then moved on to Durlston Country Park with the same objective. The day was sunny but you could see the storm clouds building up inland which made for an interesting journey back to Silverlake!

Above Dancing Ledge is a large area of gorse shrubs and trees which looks great for any migrants that find land above the ledge. I spent an hour or so here with a couple of Spotted Flycatcher and a Lesser Whitethroat were the best of the passerines.

A search in the fields for orchids had a few Early Spider Orchids the majority of which had already passed. But a note to self was made to re-visit a week earlier next year.

Butterflies were very thin on the ground with a Common Blue and a few Wall Browns at the base of the wall separating the scrub from the field.

Mid afternoon I moved on to Durlston Country Park and had a walk around the Wildlife trail looking for Early Purple Orchid. I had been told that the Early Spider Orchids had passed but they tend to be later than the Dancing ledge plants.

The fields were loaded with an array of colours, Cowslip being common in some areas.

Another flower that caught my eye in the mass of yellows and white was I believe to be Sainfoin. Most of these fields have Skylark therefore it is important not to venture off the designated paths.

The sun was still shining but the cloud was definitely building up in the area. News of a Barnacle Goose at Silverlake (Thanks Roly!) had me head in the direction of home through monsoon like rain and thunder storms! The Barnie was still there with the heavy rain showers! 

Dorset - Portland - A Day of Two Choughing Halves!

This was definitely a day of mixed fortunes which started out at stupid o clock at Chesil Cove with Charlie and an Arctic Skua. Then news broke from Portland Observatory about a Chough which was heard and then seen on the roof. Roly pitched up just in time for the three amigos to head off for Portland.

The Chough was very obliging feeding in a field close to the road opposite Culverwell which was the day at its best from my perspective. The Chough moved around the bill area throughout the morning. Roly bagged a Serin whilst Charlie and I were sea watching.

A wander up the island produced a couple of  California Quail, Wheatear and a Spotted Flycatcher at The Hump. Then news broke of a Roseate Tern at Lodmoor RSPB and a subsequent downward turn in the day which resulted in some shadow chasing for a while.

The sea looked fairly calm in Weymouth therefore I headed for home without realizing the wind had whipped up along The Fleet.  I got a call from Charlie about Pomerine Skuas on the sea at Chesil Cove! Crickey about turn and off I went on one of the slowest journeys in time! Needless to say the Poms had gone and Manx Shearwater were the only reward for the return trip.

A day that started well and ended up in a tangle! Charlie had me in fits of laughter as he suggested birding was not for the feint hearted and I should take up model aircraft if I wanted an easy ride!

Dorset - Chesil Cove - A Few Skuas!

The Monday after a weekend on the turf is always a tricky one for an early start but the weather did look promising for a sea watch. I was getting myself together when a tweet of Poms through West Bexington came through. I was likely to miss them due to the travelling time to Portland but at least signs were promising.

I made my way down to Weymouth reaching the area of Lodmoor when another message appeared stating a Pomerine Skua had landed on the sea at Chesil Cove. Being only a couple of miles away I headed for the spot. That’s when the trouble started a delivery van at Wyke Regis had blocked one of the carriageways and traffic was stacked up back to the harbour. I took another route but it still took forty minutes to travel the couple of miles. Needless to say the Pom had gone by the time I had joined Charlie and Andy!

I stuck around with a few Arctic Skua passing through the cove. Roly joined us before Andy picked up a Bonxie (Great Skua) passing the yellow buoy. A bit of a panic set in as I couldn’t initially locate it in the scope so switched to the bins where the bird was watched wending its way! Whew!

A visit to Lodmoor RSPB later in the day had me catch up with the long staying and now moulting Iceland gull. Pictures were tricky in the light, therefore the plumage details are not that clear!

Dorset - Portland - Not Even Half-Time and 200 Up!

The day was spent on Portland with a sea-watch which did not produce any Skuas for me anyway. Roly had an Arctic Skua before I arrived. A couple of Great Northern Diver and 55 Common Scoter were the only other additions during the morning.

A couple of Purple Sandpiper entertained on the rocks below as they dodged the incoming waves! There were several Wheatear and a Black Redstart around the bill.

A visit to The Hump on the way home produced a couple of Spotted Flycatcher who were feasting on the ample numbers of bugs in the area.

I finally caught up with Garden Warbler which had been reported several times in the area but despite several visits could not connect with this species. Incidentally this was my 200^th species for the year in Dorset. The eBird tally does include White Tailed Eagle (release programme) and Ruddy Shelduck (status being reviewed). But for me it is still a substantial total considering the year is not at half-time yet! 

Dorset - Cogden Beach - Runaway Pipit!

The morning was spent on Portland firstly at the bill for a very quiet seawatch which saw singles of Arctic Skua and Manx Shearwater. I missed a Great Northern Diver but had 13 Common Scoter amongst the regular fair.

A walk around the island with Roly did not produce much more than the regular Merlin, Wheatear and a close up view of a Whinchat in the hand at the observatory.

Roly and I moved on to Lodmoor but the stay there was cut short by news from Brett that a Tawny Pipit had been found by Nick Senior on Cogden Beach. Without wasting any time we by returned to our cars and went in convoy to the beach. After a mile training session on the shingle which is becoming a habit this week the flighty bird was located by Pete Coe, Joe Stockwell and co.

The bird was busy scurrying between patches of kale happily feeding en route spending some time on the open shingle before moving out of view sometimes for several minutes. The bird was flushed by three helicopters that simultaneously flew low over the beach.

It took a while to re locate the pipit but it eventually re-appeared further down the beach. As the sun lowered as the evening progressed the bird ventured within a short distance of the remaining few.

Dorset - Lodmoor RSPB - Winter Weather!

I spent the day at Lodmoor RSPB I began by exploring the scrub and trees bordering the reserve. The NW wind was particularly cold giving the feel of a winter rather than a spring day.

Regular passerines were numerous including Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat. The reed beds and adjoining bushes held Reed and Sedge Warbler.

The weather turned stormy so I sought refuge in the shelter where a Sanderling and Ringed Plover were spotted hunkering down behind a raised piece of turf. A Common Sandpiper was frequenting the post-box pool early morning. Black tailed Godwit and Dunlin were also present on the reserve.

The tern islands were loaded with Black headed Gull who are the guardians of the increasing Common Tern population on the reserve.

Sandwich tern took advantage of the shoreline until the worst of the weather had passed. No Arctic terns were found today despite rigorous checks of the terns. There was an influx of this species from the Midlands and North today.

Dorset - Abbotsbury Swannery - In a Whisker it Had Re Tern ed!

 A sea watch was on my radar for today’s escapade. The SW wind was going to reach 40mph with rain coming in late afternoon. There was a slight spanner in the works with a Whiskered Tern found at Abbotsbury Swannery the previous day.

I stuck to the plan despite news of the Tern still being present. I had a Manx Shearwater and an Arctic Tern through the bill and was then joined by Roly and Garry. A few Common Scoter, Manx Shearwater, Sandwich Tern and a Shelduck was added to the tally before we all made our way to the observatory garden to see if a Serin was still hanging around. The bird was not seen but news of the tern returning to Abbotsbury had filtered through.

Abbotsbury Swannery can be viewed by taking the Abbotsbury path from the beach car park and the trudge in the shingle was worth it as the Whiskered Tern delighted all by sitting on the water’s edge.

Regular fishing trips were taken giving great views of the bird in flight. The weather was due to take another turn for the worst therefore this tern had no intentions of going anywhere. I return to the bill was discussed but by the time we had returned the heavens would have opened!

Dorset - Portland - The Turtle Dove From Above!

I spent another day on Portland and it turned out to be a fairly productive day with a variety of migrants seen across the island. I linked up with Garry and Roly for parts of the day.

The bird of the day was a Turtle Dove which I heard calling in a clump of trees near the large barn. Hearing the bird was the easy part as locating it proved to be tricky in the dense branches. Once I had located the dove I took some pictures and put the tweet and call out to Peter Coe who notified local birders.

After around forty five minutes the bird left the cover of the trees and began feeding at the back of the field adjacent to the barn. This presented the group with better photo opportunities until the bird flew out of view.

A Male Black Red start had been in the same area just prior to the find. This proved additional interest factor to the visitors to the area.

Earlier on in the day the early shift of Garry and I had covered the same area with good numbers of Whinchat and Wheatear. We were both exploring Barleycrates in different areas Garry shouted to avert my gaze to the sky where a Short Eared Owl was being harassed by a gull. The bird was too far away to get shots at the time but it transpired several watchers had seen the owl including Debbie and Pete Saunders. Little did I know at the time I would see the bird again whilst talking with Erin near Coastguard Cottages.

Prior to my return to Portland I called in at Radipole RSPB as the Ruddy Shelduck had been present for the last couple of days. The visit was a brief one as the bird was viewable from the Visitor Centre car park.