Dorset - Bardolf Farm and Puddletown Water Meadows - Conspiracy of Ravens!

My last visit to the Water Meadows was cut short by news of a Red-necked Phalarope spending its second day at Lodmoor RSPB. There was an accident en-route which halted traffic in the area and needless to say I dipped the bird! 

I have since had a week in town and took the opportunity to clear the smog out of my lungs by spending the day on Bardolf Farm which includes Puddletown Water Meadows.

A week away and what a difference in the water levels, I obviously missed some serious rain! The wildfowl were more spread out as there were more feeding opportunities in the expanse of flooded meadows. The main contingent of wildfowl was on the water meadows with the fields between Athelhampton and Burleston catering for the remainder of birds. The area around Waterbarn cottages is slowly flooding with the River Piddle expanding as it races through the farm.

The most interesting sighting of the day wasn’t anything rare but a likely family party of Raven who konked their way over the water meadows! The inner bird showed signs of moult in the primaries whereas the second bird was smaller and the feathering looked fresh. The pictures are three of the four birds. This species breeds in the surrounding area but I had not seen this many together here before.

I also noted a couple of Snipe that were recently new in feeding on the meadows. During my rounds I compiled a wish list of winter species that I wouldn’t mind adding to my tally. They included Water Pipit, Jack Snipe, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Yellow browed Warbler and Firecrest. All have occurred on the farm in the past and there is suitable habitat and a growing flock of Lapwing that might drag along a shorebird or two!  

Will one of the above be next on or will it be something I had not anticipated?! It’s just going to be a game of patience!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows and Bardolf Farm - Wallowing Wildfowl!

I spent the whole day covering Bardolf Farm which includes the Water Meadows. There was no rain despite the low cloud which gave me the opportunity to travel light and walk the fields on top of the ridge!

Wildfowl numbers are increasing with the Canada’s drifting onto the meadows in small groups, all 156 having arrived by 1030hrs. I noted 60 – 70 flying N over Puddletown as I was returning home therefore there are still a good number of geese that have not visited the meadows!

Bird of the day was a Pintail which looked like a 1w male. The picture was taken from the road which is a fair distance for my 300m lens! The two tone bill, greyer feathering and white neck and belly indicating a male the striking head pattern had not completely formed during the moult.

The Swan Goose re-appeared and I noted some white around the base of the bill which is common in Swan x Greylag hybrids therefore it is likely this bird is a hybrid!

Two groups of Egyptian Goose were seen flying S over Puddletown total 26 birds. This is not the first time in recent times these birds have been noted in flight. I wonder if they are commuting between Silverlake and a lake in the Milborne St Andrew area.

A Peregrine was noted at Waterbarn Cottages having ambushed and devoured a pigeon earlier in the day! 

The finch flocks are still scattered about the Farm with mixed millet seed fields holding Linnet, Yellowhammer, and Chaffinch. One feeding station is already attracting the latter two species along with Dunnock and House Sparrow.

There is a sightings blog for the above:-

Puddletown Water Meadows sightings 

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows and Bardolf Farm - The Geese are Back!

 

I was back on home soil today spending most of the day post Covid-19 jab watching the Water Meadows! The Geese were back in numbers and what a sight it was to see! There was even a Swan Goose that arrived late morning with three Canada’s. It’s in the picture somewhere! A phone call to Hugo later and we were both looking at a first for our tally’s all be it an addition to our escaped / feral total! Hugo is compiling his life list which stands at 182(+) species against my meager 104 species! A handful of Egyptian Goose completed the goose chase!

I spent the latter part of the day watching the feeding stations in preparation for Sunday’s winter finch and WeBS counts! Prospects are looking good for the second seasonal count! The Waterbarn Cottages area of Bardolf Farm is also worth checking for gulls which rest along the banks of the River Piddle. Numbers increase throughout the afternoon!

Wood Pigeon and Stock Dove flocks were moving S during the day with a few Fieldfare and Redwing moving through the Farm. Wigeon, Teal and Lapwing numbers are slowly increasing as the pools increase in size and the surrounding meadow becomes more appealing.

With the evenings closing in early I keep a watchful eye on the fields for Short Eared Owl or even a Merlin both have been seen on the farm in the past therefore there must be a sporting chance of seeing both species during the winter months!

Dorset - Portland and Weymouth - Scramble for Sabine's Gull!

The day started late with a mini scramble and a return to Portland and Chesil Cove where Charlie had found an adult Sabine’s Gull! The good news was it was still in the bay but how long would it remain for! The journey to Portland can be a tricky one particularly around rush hour but after a nano seconds thought I had loaded the car and I took a leisurely drive down to see the bird! I half expected it to have flown by the time I arrived in the cove! The bird was still there and remained for most of the day moving along the sea around a large patch of weed and debris! 

I caught up with a few of the Portland regulars and then went on a Black Redstart hunt around Portland Castle. A phone call from Pete Coe and a Whatsapp message cut the search short with news of an Arctic Tern in the Weymouth Marina Area!

I had a brief view of the Tern flying away from me as I walked down from Westham Bridge and then a long period without seeing the bird! I needn’t have worried as it later re-appeared buzzing around above my head at one point before continuing on its short circuit of the marina. It was so close the camera would not focus on the bird! The bird returned repeating its antics before eventually making its way down towards Radipole Visitor Centre.

The Sabine’s gull was still in the cove but I decided to head for home and beat the traffic rather than fight my way through it to get back to Portland. A few Leach’s Petrel were also in the harbor today! Three Sabine's also at West Bay Bridport!  

The storm has really stirred things up at sea adding a couple of more species to my VC9 list!

Dorset - Portland - Braving the Elements!

I was back on the road today with a plan to call in on the Waxwing at Littlemoor and then take on the elements with a sea watch at Chesil Cove via the harbor and Ferrybridge!

I spent far too much time looking for the Waxwing which was no-where to be seen. I think I kicked every Rowan on that estate before moving on to Ferrybridge to see if the rough weather had blown anything interesting into the harbor!

One species that was in abundance throughout the day were Kittiwake with juvenile/1^st winter birds heavily outnumbering the adults. A Great Northern Diver was present at Ferrybridge along with the regular fair of shorebirds which included a Curlew!

Brent Geese numbers are on the increase with a scattering of birds along the receding tide-line. There were candidates for all three sub species in the area!

The sky was getting darker and looking extremely menacing so I returned to the car and took up position at Billy Winters and scanned the harbor. This was a good move as the heavens opened up all around me! A Gannet sought sanctuary away from the gale force winds!

There were no flying people on the harbor today which meant the birds were reasonably close in! A Great Northern Diver, Mergansers, Gannet, Shag and Kittiwake were all present. I was to find out at Chesil Cove how rough the sea was therefore it was no surprise to see such a mix of species!

Mid-afternoon I joined Charlie and Dave Bishop in Chesil Cove and wow it was blowing a gale! The walk up to them was quite a task but it was worth the trek! A two hour sea watch produced a few Leach’s Storm Petrel, a couple of Arctic Skua, a Grey Phalarope, Little Gull and waves of Kittiwake!

Somehow I had avoided getting soaked and had a good day at sea. A pit stop for top quality fish and chips at Daniels in Wyke was just reward before heading home!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows Bardolf Farm - Viz Mig over the Farm!

Today offered a window of opportunity between storms to catch up on winter migration. The pools and River Piddle are looking much healthier and with that the wildfowl and geese were more inclined to take a look at the water meadows. The main period of migration was from 0730 to 0850hrs.

There was a good movement of Redwing 313 and Fieldfare 119 was all moving generally W to SW. The majority of flocks were single species with a couple of Mistle Thrush that stopped on wires before heading off. A mixed flock of Redwing 4 and Fieldfare 28 were observed whilst at Waterbarn Cottages.

I saw the largest movement of Wood Pigeon 354 were noted all flying S in flocks of up to one hundred birds.

Wildfowl numbers were up with Wigeon 52, Teal 5, Mallard 18, and Lapwing 5 visiting the edges of the pools. The latter moved up onto the Waterbarn cottage area early afternoon.

Canada’s were the most numerous geese with 274 flying N then NW of which 78 stopped on the meadows. These birds are feeding on fields not too far from the A354 and are all making their way back over my house this afternoon.  A small flock of Egyptian Geese 7 were noted flying S at 0906hrs.

Greylag Geese numbered 8 all stopping off on the meadows before a few moved on.

The Stonechat at Athelhampton were still able to feed from the fence wires but it was a tricky process!

The afternoon is good for gulls near Waterbarn cottages but Herring and Lesser-black Backed were the only visitors. I kept a sharp eye out for Black Redstart around the farm buildings. There have been several reports of this species around Portland and one report on a farm N of Dorchester. Still no YBW but this was not ideal conditions to find one with some trees bending over in the strong winds.

The wind is currently howling thank goodness my home is in a sheltered spot! I'm just waiting for the rain!

Dorset - Puddletown and Bardolf Farm - Not So Wild Geese!

The day had a very grim outlook high SW winds with heavy showers with brief sunny spells thrown into the mix. On the plus side it is still mild for the time of year. I spent the morning doing chores with one eye fixed on the skies around the house.

Geese have been regular commuters over the garden and today was not to disappoint with the sound of honking geese filling the storm filled skies. I made a note to check the key spots on the Water Meadows and then spend the last hour before dusk watching from my garden.

A flock of eleven Greylag Geese passed over the garden mid-morning. I did the rounds on the Water Meadows noting six Egyptian Geese on the pools which are growing with each downpour! The Green Sandpipers were in their usual spot on the sludge tank. Apart from a congregation of gulls there was not much else to report.

I returned home and began my garden vigil. I didn’t have to wait long before an untidy flock of geese headed my way. It was odd that none were calling so I put the camera into action before counting the birds as they passed by. Nineteen Egyptian Geese a new species for the garden!

Not bad but I am close to the water meadows therefore this garden list would be a bit different to the list from my old home! These birds were not on course for the meadows which had me wondering where they were heading. Time ticked on with several groups of Canada Geese total seventy five heading in the same direction as the Egyptian’s.

As I am writing this in the dark (so I can see out of the glass roof to the conservatory!) a total of one hundred and ninety one Canada Geese have headed back S. Both species are introduced to Britain but you can’t beat the sound of geese as they honk their way on their journey. I can only surmise that they roost at Silverlake (Warmwell Gravel Pits) which is roughly S of here! There were no returning Egyptian Geese. I wonder where they could be!

The geese have managed to avoid the Water Meadows but it can’t be long before there is a Goose convention on the now soggy meadows!