Dorset - Radipole RSPB - Gull Billed Tern!

 

I was still snoozing this morning when my phone went off! Brett had struck again with a Gull Billed Tern at the visitor centre at Radipole RSPB! It was time for my first twitch of the year! Twenty or so minutes later ther I was watching the tern happily resting in the shallow water! Thanks Brett!

This is my second UK bird and naturally a new species for my Dorset list. The first was many moons ago at Dungeness on 14^th May 2005. I was glad I shot out to see it but left too early as a couple of Glossy Ibis turned up! Fortunately I had one at the Water Meadows but my pictures were poor!

Having departed the group of folk that were happy to see this bird I returned to home soil to take on dog watch. Now Dogzilla (Badger) is pretty good around birds so this was a good opportunity to cover some of the habitat around Tolpuddle!

We were out for a couple of hours the highlight was a flock of around 35 Mediterranean Gulls that were loafing in a field in the Burleston area!

A male Bullfinch was also very showy in Southover! I also recorded a couple of Reed Warbler that was singing their hearts out!

I photographed what I initially thought in profile could be a Willow Warbler but reverted to Chiffchaff after looking again at the photos. 

I have banded many a bird from both species and sometimes it is not obvious with the bird in the hand, particularly with juveniles. The wing formula soon sorts matters out! 

Caption: Hurry Up I’ve already seen that one!

Not a bad outing with Badger improving his fieldcraft along the way! 

Dorset - Maiden Castle - A Wander for a Wheatear!

I took a quick jaunt to Maiden Castle this morning in search of Wheatear and I also noted a couple of Red Kite was seen there yesterday! This is the site of an Iron age hill fort therefore there are no ruins just a stepped hill where the settlement used to stand. Views are spectacular once you reach the plateau and doubles as a good raptor watchpoint!

The field next to the main car park had been cultivated leaving a rough area on the edge of the base of the hill to the fort. The Wheatear was in this area and I initially had scope views of at least 4 birds! I have been wondering why I had not had this species at the Water Meadows but looking at the terrain there is nothing that matches the ruggedness of this field!

I could see a few dog walkers and stewards for a local fun run arriving. It was time to scuttle up the hill and sit and wait for the birds to move within camera range! There were several Corn Bunting that gave me a fanfare as I negotiated the path. It was just a matter of time before a Wheatear (which was more difficult to locate from this side!) honed into view.

I remained on the hill for a couple of hours locating a Red Kite which was high taking advantage of the early thermals! The resulting shots were terrible but it is likely that this was the same bird I saw twice yesterday! Who was following who around!

Yesterdays bird at close range!

This has at least added weight to one of my theories as to the increase in Kites over the Water Meadows that there are local birds! This bird is easy to identify due to the moult in its primaries. Feathers p8 and p9 are currently missing on both wings giving the bird a slender outer winged appearance at range.

A Great Black Backed Gull completed the mornings tally. I have not seen one inland for a while!

The afternoon will be spent glued to the final day of the Premier league! I enjoy the break from football but it does not take long before I’m chomping at the bit to get out there again! 

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Ticking Along Nicely!

The day started on the right note with a Mute Swan flying over the garden (Tick) as I was setting out to the Water Meadows. I have some different species on this country garden list (Rook, Siskin, Pheasant) but I guess it’s because the Water Meadows aren’t a million miles away!

My rounds have been pretty slow going of late. I have regularly recorded between 40-49 species (The magic 50 still eludes me!) but there has not been much in the way of variety of late. I returned to the car as the heat of the day was taking effect. The Buzzards were gliding high on the thermals and then a Red Kite joined them on the edge of the village!

(Cress Beds pic)

The bird was in moult with a symmetrical primaries missing on each wing. Kerching my sixteenth sighting this year. The bird remained high and wheeled heading west over the village and out of sight. 

(Water Meadows pic)

Little did I know that I would catch up with this bird at Waddock Farm Cress Beds some three hours later! (Tick) This time the bird was much lower and did not seem in any particular hurry to get anywhere!

After the Water Meadows I stopped off at Athelhampton where Siskin is regular. I spent a while sifting through the birds that were gorging themselves on insects and the odd damselfly!

This area looked good for a Spotted Flycatcher but not today although one was seen in the next village down (Tolpuddle) a couple of days back!

I moved on to my final location where I heard a Cuckoo but not much else during a stake out which had a bigger prize in mind! I am slightly earlier this year but with keep an eye on the area for the next few weeks!

I logged 54 species today which I was fairly content with. The Water Meadows reaching 46 species!  

Dorset - Morden Bog NNR - Night Shift!

I started my rounds early today and was met with a wall of mist/fog which made the Water Meadows difficult to view. I went on a passerine patrol and crossed over the A35 to have a wander about the farm. The Farm and the Water Meadows are owned by Hugo and Howard and I am still debating whether to include the Farm on the Water Meadows blog.

I am in the process of being repaired following a full season officiating in the Dorset Leagues. I decided to drop in at Morden Bog on the way home to catch up on some heath-land birds. Late evening was calm and clear which definitely encouraged the spectacle I was to witness.

I heard a Nightjar start to churr quite early on so questioned if I was hearing things!! The Cuckoos on the heath were in good song along with Woodlark and Yellowhammer. As the light faded the churring became more frequent with bouts of wing clapping and calling birds.

Last year I struggled to see Nightjar having a few blanks before I saw birds on Sleppe Heath. Tonight was different I wasn’t particularly looking out for Nightjars but the opportunity was too good to miss once birds were churring. I would estimate 5 birds were heard and seen in total.

This is the first time I have photographed this species therefore this was a bonus! I’m glad I stopped! The conditions were perfect which was a key ingredient for success!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - A Swift Start to the Day!

I had a stupid o clock start this morning and with cloud cover there was a good movement of hirundines. The first Swift of the year passed through just after 6am and continued at a trickle with most birds heading west until mid morning.

Gulls have been on the increase with good numbers of Mediterranean Gull passing through amongst the Black-headed Gulls. Most wash up or rest by the pools before moving on to their next stop. I remember good numbers last year in the area of Silverlake five miles south of Puddletown. These birds could be moving between fields that are being prepared for crops rather than migrating.

The whitethroat continues to sing its heart out taking advantage of the wires that cross the field behind the viewpoint. I have noticed several singing birds in the lanes to Tincleton and beyond the A35 in the Waterbarn Cottages area. 

I spoke to Howard the landowner the other day and was invited to walk around the land around Waterbarn Cottages. There is a stream that runs through this area which joins the River Piddle at Athelhampton. A couple of species I did not record on the Water Meadows today were there (Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, and Linnet). I recorded 49 species today on the Water Meadows which is my highest tally to date. I did extend my stay with a view to reach the 50 milestone but it was not to be!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - A Late Turn Out!

 

The rain looked set for most of the day but I noticed the evening was going to be bright and sunny! I set out to do my rounds at around 1700hrs. It was still quite windy but was generally pleasant. The passerines were in good form many out in the open singing their hearts out having had to hunker down for most of the day.

This presented a good opportunity to get some pictures of the more common species that frequent the water meadows. I ran into the pair of Red-legged Partridge as the crossed over one of the small bridges that cross the many small tributaries that feed the River Piddle. I later photographed a single bird in a garden at the top of the late which was likely to be a third bird of the day. But the other two do get about!

There were a couple of fields that were holding 150+ gulls. The tractors must have been out rotivating or maybe planting seed for crops. At Athelhampton I spied three adult Mediterranean Gulls one of which had a white ring with black lettering. Unfortunately even with the scope maxed out I could not read the ring.

Overall there was nothing special but it was good to shake my feathers for a couple of hours after a gloomy morning!

Dorset - Puddletown Water Meadows - Natures Peace!

 

A fresh but warm start to the day produced a trickle of hirundines across the Water Meadows. A Peregrine Falcon was the next visitor gliding as it scanned the meadows for its breakfast.

Another migrant in the form of a Whitethroat began singing from the top of the poles in the field behind me and then worked its way along the hedgerow on either side of the road as it attempted to attract a mate. Incidentally I did not hear a peep from the Lesser Whitethroat today and was left wondering if it had been successful in finding a mate or had moved on to pastures new! Time will tell!

At just before 1030 another Red Kite appeared from the NE circled the Water Meadows before departing SW. The bird appeared to be in moult which would indicate this is yet another individual to grace the meadows with its presence. This is the fifteenth bird I have recorded this year in the area.

A walk up the lane did not produce much more that the now regular Blackcap and Chiffchaff that seem to line the route. I had views of a Cetti’s Warbler today but this skulking bird did not hang around long enough to even raise the camera let alone take a picture.

White Butterflies were numerous in the fields today many I believe to be Green-veined White with only the opportunity to id a couple that took a break from their flittering display! A Speckled Wood was far more obliging on the edge of a clump of trees. Orange Tip and a Little Blue completed the list of butterflies.

I have been taking more notice of wild plants that are flowering along the lane. I am using PlantNet to identify or at least put me in the right direction of identifying each plant. You take a picture of the plant feed it through the app and then choose the element to id the plant eg: flower. A percentage is then displayed as to the validity of the match. The end game is to be familiar and be able to id the regular plants without the use of the app.

Along the path today were the following:-

Herb-Robert

Red Campion

Wood Speedwell