Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Rest In Peace!

A new bird was found on Puddletown Water Meadows this morning! Message received!

My blogs biggest fan moved on to a better place today! This blog was started so she could see the world through my eyes and will continue in her Memory!

R. I. P. Mum! 

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Pit Stop Plus Glossy Ibis!

 

I got home from the game late last night and had no plans to do much today but the sun had its hat on all day so I decided to venture out to the Water Meadows. As it turns out it was a good thing I did as a Glossy Ibis honed into view within five minutes of taking up my regular spot on the roadside.

The flock of Lapwing had taken to the skies which had me scanning the flock for a raptor or even a shorebird that might have joined the flock! The last thing I was expecting was an Ibis. I had not kept up with the day’s events on Twitter and was oblivious to any ibis moving around the county.

I secured some scope views and then in a minor panic threw the camera at the bird that was some distance away. My 300mm lens is quite limited at this distance but you can identify the bird with a bit of blurring thrown in.

I am certain had there not been a reaction to its arrival the Ibis would have landed on the flooded meadows and stayed a while! This could possibly be the first record of this species on the water meadows?? I will ask Hugo when I see him next!

The pair of Raven was far more obliging later on in the afternoon but they are reasonably regular here.

The find my own bird year has had a good start. Long may it continue!

Dorset - Charminster Water Meadows - More on the White Fronts!

 

I completed a slightly different round today. The Barnacle Goose was still on the Water Meadows. I then passed through Charminster Water Meadows en route to my Hawfinch hunt. The White Fronted Geese were all present feeding along the various ditches on the flooded field. They were still present until mid-day.

The half dozen Black Tailed Godwit’s was still present along with a handful of Mediterranean Gulls. There were also good numbers of Common Gull but gull numbers were lacking but I guess they build up throughout the day. I had a dozen Snipe but nothing else of note.

Rain stopped play at my final destination and I cut my losses and headed for home.

On the home front a female Blackcap is a regular visitor to my garden feeders. The bird looks very fresh in its outer feathering and could be part of last year’s brood. The bird is quite content sitting at the feeders munching away at the husk free sunflower hearts.

A return to the turf tomorrow and the games are coming in thick and fast. Will the rain keep the pitches playable!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Wild Goose Chase ends at Silverlake!

 

The Barnacle Goose that was likely in residence at Charminster Water Meadow spent its third day at Puddletown today. It was fairly mobile on its feet and tricky too see for periods of the day. I was hoping the Charminster White Fronted Geese would also drop in and pay the water meadows a visit.

Having spent most of the day in one place I decided to head off for a Hawfinch hunt. I stopped off at Charminster where the whitefronts had been reported around mid-day and to no surprise they were not there. I spoke to Simon and decided to divert to Warmwell Gravel Pits (Silverlake) to see if the birds had returned there as the previous day!

I noted half a dozen Black Tailed Godwit’s on Charminster water meadows before departing for Silverlake!

I arrived at Silverlake at 1530 and took up position locking onto the Whitefronts who were resting on the eastern end of the island on the east lake! The scope was maxed out as I attempted to collate a breakdown of adult to juvenile birds. I also took some dot shots and as I was looking through the pictures the group flew off leaving the Greylag’s marooned on the island!

Will they visit Puddletown tomorrow!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Kite Flying!

 

I took up a familiar post at Puddletown Water Meadows this morning and noticed the Barnacle Goose was grazing in an area much closer than the previous day. A Mediterranean Gull passed through with Black-headed washing up on the flooded fields.

I was joined by Hugo late morning which triggered a moment of bird chaos on the meadows. A Red Kite had entered stage right whizzing reasonably low over the fields before moving on WNW and out of the picture almost as quickly as it arrived. That was an unexpected bonus and Hugo’s first January Kite over his land. 

The weather turned sour with a brief spell of sleet which had me move on to the other sites on my circuit. The Cress beds held Green Sandpiper which was again closer enabling the camera to capture the moment.

Little Egret are also regular at the sites that I cover. This bird re-positioning itself on the field as the staff mowed some of the cress from the beds. I completed my check of the fields down to Moreton and moved on to conduct a Hawfinch hunt which was un-successful on this occasion.

I notice the White-fronted Goose (11) have moved from Charminster Water Meadows to Silverlake (Warmwell Gravel Pits) I wonder if they will stop on the water meadows during their travels!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Patch Brace!

My local patch Puddletown Water Meadows was the venue for my first outing of the year. The meadows are within walking distance of the village and are well worth keeping an eye on at this time of year.

Geese feature in varying numbers from day to day which always adds to anticipation levels as something rarer could get pulled in to graze on the meadows. A handful of White-fronted Geese were present for a day at the end of the year. These birds have now moved on to Charminster Water Meadows. A Barnacle Goose has also been present at Charmouth leaving me pondering the possibility of that bird arriving on the meadows.

During my counts this morning a Barnacle Goose was noted feeding with the Canada’s a few Greylag’s were also resting on the fields. This bird although likely to be of feral origins was a new patch tick for me (unlike the Whitefronts!) therefore in relative terms had some woo hoo factor attached to it!

I continued my vigil moving up the lane which dissects the fields. I checked the feeders in a garden that backs onto the meadows and boom another patch tick in the form of a March Tit! Just like London busses none for ages and then two at once!

I recorded forty species during my time with some regular species missing from the tally. I then moved on to check the fields down to Moreton. On the way back I popped into Waddock Farm Cress Beds noting a couple of Green Sandpiper on The Watercress Company Site.

Last year was spent compiling a yearlist which involved a lot of “twitching” the upside of this was improved my knowledge of potential migrant traps. The result was a vast improvement in my Dorset list. I find there is no substitute for finding your own rarities so this will be my focus for the year as well as covering the River Piddle Valley!

I am still completing a 2021 review but not surprisingly having seen over 220+ species, this is taking a bit longer than expected!