Having just submitted my assignement and having finished my lectures for the day I decided out of pure boredom that I would head out to Longham Lakes in order to take another less stressful look at the American Black Tern that has now graced the site for at least the last two weeks. Just before arriving at the site I had a large flock of Fieldfare over heading up the Stour Valley which were my first of the autumn and a welcome sight and sound. Upon arrival at the Longham Lakes I decided to take a relaxed approach to the birding and so I set about scanning the lake. The were plenty of Black-headed Gulls, Coots, and Tufted Ducks, with good amounts of Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Mallard, and Gadwall. A flock of Canada Geese was sat on the Island on South lake and in and amongst them was a pair of Greylag. To my surprise they were both bearing Colour Rings. I knew immediately that I had hit the jackpot. Back in late June I had helped Thomas (aka Garden Birder on Twitter) round up Poole Parks moulting flock of Greylags in order to find out where this flock comes from. At this time of year there are very few or even no Greylags in the park so we knew this would potentially bring up some interesting sightings. I found U006 and U039 which are the first birds to be found outside of the Poole Harbour recording area. These Greylags were the only birds on sight so there are still another 82 birds to be found, so its definitely worth keeping an eye out across the country and not just along the South Coast. Above: U006 and U039 After this I decided to head down the causeway checking the Willows as I went, but I could only find Chiffchaff mixed in and amongst the 30+ Long-tailed Tits. One thing that was bazar was the fact that the American Black Tern was infact right above my head hawking insects from the tops of the trees almost like a Nightjar this was different to how it was feeding the other week. My guess is that given the dip in the temperature there are now less insects emerging from the water so it has resulted to this tactic. It was amazing to watch and occasionally it would disappear over the other side of the line of trees and head out over the farmland before reappearing again. I then headed a little way along the track to get a good look over the South Lake and started to scan through the flocks of Tufted Ducks. I quickly picked out the female Ring-necked Duck which was asleep just off to my left handside. Eventually she woke up and started to perform well including an incredible preening display which ended with her running on water. She wasn't alone though and was joined by 2 chunky headed Greater Scaup. In fact its interesting note the arrival date of the Tern, the Ring-necked Duck and the Scaup. It suggests these Greater Scaup could infact originate from the North American population of this species. The Scaup were also a very important mile stone for my year list as it brings me up to 193 species which is one more than last year and beats my target. Incredible the species I have seen this year, infact I think I have seen more American Wildfowl, Waders, and Terns in the UK this year than I have on any of my visits to the states. Above: Chunky headed Greater Scaup with Tufties and a Mute Swan Below: American Black Tern nightjaring Above: Scaup with Tufties Below: A Scaup, a Ring-necked Duck and Tufties Above: Female Ring-necked Duck Below: Female Ring-necked Duck with a Tufted Duck Above: The Ring-necked Duck making a splash Below: The American Black Tern then moved back out over the open water and showed extremely well. Sometimes too close for my camera to focus on. Incredible thing. What an incredible bird. I had now spent more than 3 hours on site and so I decided that the best thing to do would be to head back along the Stour. With the light fading the scenery was stunning. A large flock of Corvids were feeding in a roadside field which included a few Rooks. Pied Wagtails were also present along with a few Meadow Pipits, House Sparrows and Plenty of Starlings. I then turned of the main road and headed along the Stour. I immediately picked up a pair of Kingfishers speeding through with their glorious blue stripe just catching the sun as they went. They headed downstream and luckily they gave me another fly past. All of sudden I heard a loud plop sort of sound as if something had dived into the water on the other side of the river. All I was left with was some bubbles where the creature had dived in. Unfortunately it never surfaced, but my guess is that It could have been an Otter. So my the wait for my first wild Otter continues. Further along the river a group of Willows held a massive Tit flock which also hosted a few Goldcrest and Chiffchaff, but best of all a Bullfinch was sat there preening itself before taking flight. All of a sudden everything started alarm calling and out of no where a Peregrine drifted down river, just casually cruising hardly taking any wing beats as it went. It did however lead to me noticing a Buzzard that was perched up in the trees over looking the river. And so after all that excitement I reached Parley Cross the end of the Stour Valley walk and decided to head for home in the fading light. What an incredible place Longham is and what an Incredible bird that Tern is....! Above: Rook Below: Common Buzzard
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It was a really odd morning as I arrived at Hengistbury Head since the sky was crystal clear above me, however out to sea were some ferocious looking thunderstorms. Thankfully that's where they stayed and so I enjoyed a morning in the sunshine. Upon arrival at the headland it was clear that some birds were making the most of this clear weather with a few Swallows zipping West along the Coast, a Brent Goose flew East at a distance, while Meadow Pipits, some hefty flocks of Linnets, Goldfinches, Siskin and the odd Reed Bunting moved through overhead. There were also quite a few grounded migrants around with both Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits all over Whitepits. Plenty of Stonechats were also around and the days first Dartford Warbler showed well. Above: Male Stonechat Next I headed up onto the headland where the usual Stonechats were showing well, however I was surprised at just how many of the Dartford Warblers were showing. Along the length of the headland I saw at least 5 some of which were feeding just metres away from me. The view was stunning as per usual and the passage of migrating birds continued however a lone Brambling and a few Chaffinch added some spice to things as well as a few Skylark and Stock Dove on the move. In fact probably the biggest surprise of the morning was when a large flock of Jackdaw came high down the headland before disappearing out over the Solent heading towards the Isle of Wight. Above: Dartford Warbler Below: Male Stonechat Above: Wren Next I decided to head along the Sandspit where there were plenty of Rock Pipits and Pied Wagtails running up and down the beach. Once I had reached the end of the spit on the last groyne there was a roosting flock of 23 Ringed Plover and after a while a Sanderling joined them too. Onto the other side of the spit and I found the usual Sanderling feeding along the rocky shoreline. There were 11 in total and they looked as though the majority of them had only just arrived back from their breeding grounds. Otherwise all was quiet. Above: Pied Wagtail Below: Ringed Plover... spot the odd one out in the 3rd picture Above: Rock Pipit Below: Linnet Above: Turnstone Moving on I headed up to Holloways Dock but with only Redshank, Oystercatcher and a few Wigeon I decided to keep moving. On into the woodland where Goldcrest numbers had started to increase. A large dome of Ivy in the middle of the woodland held the vast majority of the life including the buzzing of what I presumed were Ivy Bees way up in the canopy alongside tonnes of Red Admirals and a few Chiffchaff making the most of the food source. 2 Firecrest could also be heard but that was all that was off interest. Next I headed up to Barn Bight where the normal high tide gathering of Swans had formed. However due to the reflection on the water it was impossible to read any of the colour rings which is slightly annoying. Otherwise there was very little about with a Lapwing, a Wigeon and a Little Egret tucked away in the Long vegetation at the back. Above: Mute Swan Now onto Wick which was again really quite with only a few Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests to talk about. A hovering Kestrel was however a nice addition to the day list. 6 Cetti's Warblers were singing from the various hedgerows including one that I could just about see flitting through the undergrowth. A Grey Wagtail was on the flood fields while a Kingfisher briefly perched in its usual place and 2 Common Buzzard made the most of the thermals. On the non bird front there was actually quite a bit around with a Common Darter, several Migrant Hawkers, a few Speckled Woods and plenty of Red Admirals streaming through. An interesting hairstreak esque butterfly around one of the holly bushes was interesting, but I lost it from view and couldn't refind it. And so I decided to head for home, not a bad third outing for my camera... Now to find something rare! Above: Common Darter Below: Speckled Wood Above: Kestrel hovering
Below: Common Buzzards and the crow Wednesday was another nice day and so another opportunity to go and test my new camera some more, so I decided to head to my second term time patch in the form of Poole and Baiter Parks. When I arrived the first few lakes were as always full of Canada Geese, Mallards, and Moorhens. A flock of finches in the Alder trees above had caught my attention as I was pretty sure there was a Siskin calling from somewhere inside the flock and sure enough after a while I found a female feeding right in the middle of the flock. Above: Female Mallard Below: Drake Mallard After this I then headed up to the main lake where 2 Little Grebe and a Tufted Duck were diving out in the centre. 6 Sandwich Tern were also feeding here along with the masses of Mute Swan, Coot, and Mallards. There was also a good mix of Gulls to be had as well as flocks of Oystercatchers floating around. A small group of Canada Geese also held the only Greylag of the day, but unfortunately it wasn't one of the ones that we had rung earlier in the year. Above: Coot Below: Greylag Above: Oystercatcher in flight Below: Black-headed Gull moulting into/ out of Breeding plumage Above: Winter plumage Black-headed Gull Below: Sometimes its nice to put a little bit of context onto where these Oystercatchers actually feed. Above: Cormorant Below: Female Sparrowhawk The above Sparrowhawk sent everything up into the air when it came bobbing over and so with that I decided to head over to Baiter Park. It was quite quiet whilst I walked through the bushy area, however a Goldcrest showed well and there were plenty of Starlings and House Sparrows about which is always good to see especially when both species face uncertain futures in the UK. When I reached the bay I decided to have a scan to see what I could find. To my surprise there wasn't a lot on offer. The best was a couple of Shags that were off towards the Brownsea Island Lagoons. There were several Cormorants perched around the place, but otherwise a Meadow Pipit and Grey Heron (Pictured Below) flying over were the best. I have to admit though that my favourite part of the afternoon session was finding a flock of 27 Turnstone feeding along the shoreline. Now this is the biggest flock I have seen here and it is also the closest I think I have ever seen them. It was awsome to watch them prodding and probing the mud as well as doing what Turnstones do best which is turning absolutely anything that they could lift to look for some grub. Infact one particular individual was extremely successful at doing this and managed to catch several Crabs whilst I was watching. (Pictured Below) The final area on my list of places to visit was the flooded football field behind me and I was surprised to see both Oystercatchers and Black-tailed Godwits feeding in and amongst the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls that had made the most of this opportunity. A few Alba Wagtails flicked about and a pair of Sandwich Tern flew past off shore before I decided to head for the bus and call it a night. Not a bad first visit of the semester. Later that evening I went to Uni to play football and it was clear that it was going to be a Redwing night with at least one call every 30 seconds while we were playing, oh and yes I am now over my goal drought... Above: Black-headed Gulls, Black-tailed Godwit, and Oystercatchers
Below: Alba Wagtail I have to admit I have been struggling recently in both finding the time to write a blog post and also being in the right mentality to write a blog post. In other words I have had the usual back to Uni blues and to be fairly honest the weather hasn't really helped. After a lifer in the form of the Grey Phalarope and a Sub-species tick in the form of the American Black Tern earlier on in the week I decided that I needed to get back to my term time patch in the form of Hengistbury Head. This was partially due to the fact that I wanted to test what my new camera could do. Yes that right I finally have a new one after the old one died a very horrible death. I arrived at Tuckton Gardens and for the first time in ages the sun was just starting to appear from behind the clouds. A Kingfisher was the first bird that I got onto as I heard it calling from up river as it flew past. I thought I saw it heading in to land but I couldn't see it sitting anywhere. A flock of around 200 Starlings flew into the bare trees behind the houses while I tested out my camera on the Black-headed Gull which was perched in front of me. Above: Black-headed Gull I moved a bit further along in order to get a better look at the flock of Mallards that was sitting in the gardens opposite and sure enough the usual drake Wigeon was sat there with them. I could still hear the Kingfisher so I knew it was still around. Eventually I found it perched on a railing on the opposite side of a hedge. Any day is a good day when I have seen a Kingfisher and its made better when they sit up for long enough to get a photo. What an incredible bird. It sat preening and digesting its lunch. Above: kingfisher After this I decided to head along the Wick footpath in search of the Yellow-Browed Warbler that had been heard in recent days. Cetti's Warblers called from all around while migrating Meadow Pipit and Goldfinch called over head. There were still quite a good amount of Chiffchaff about for the time of year and so I decided to search the flocks thoroughly. Finally in the last flock of Chiffchaff I came across I managed to hear the Yellow-browed Warbler call on several occasions, however no matter how hard I tried I could not seem to find the bird itself. oh well. I did however manage to find several Migrant Hawkers, a few Red Admirals and plenty of what seemed like fresh Speckled Woods. Above: Speckled Wood Below: Lapwings in flight Next I headed up towards the Visitor Centre and then down to look over Barn Bight. Several late Swallows were hawking insects over the harbour while both Little Egrets and Grey Herons patrolled the shoreline. A flock of Redshank at the back of Barn Bight held one small wader which I was surprised to find out was a Curlew Sandpiper. Out in the main area of the harbour most thing had taken shelter on Stanpit with the exception of over 200 Mute Swans. Next up I decided to head into the Woodland. A mixed Tit flock in the middle of the wood held what is only my second ever Coal Tit for the site as well as several Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, and a rather fluffed up Firecrest. I have to admit that the Firecrest didn't look all that well and was finding it difficult to feed. I am not too sure that I have seen one in that sort of condition before. If I had to take a guess as to why it look so unwell I would suggest that the recent wet weather may not have helped. Above: Firecrest I next headed out of the Woodland and to Holloways Dock where 3 Oystercatcher a Grey Heron, and a Little Egret fed alongside plenty of Black-headed Gulls. Over head there was a notable passage of both Linnet and Goldfinch heading off the head in large groups and disappearing out to sea. This movement also included my first Brambling of the autumn caught up in the mayhem. Several Sandwich Terns also passed through, as did some Alba Wagtails and Meadow Pipits. The Rock Pipits that passed over head I am pretty sure were locals rather than migrants. Above: Grey Heron Below: Sandwich Tern Above and Below: Migrating Goldfinch It was now starting to get quite cold up on top of the head and with the sun starting to dip below the horizon I decided to put my camera to the ultimate test low light photography. I was watching a pair of Stonechat nearby when all of a sudden a Dartford Warbler popped up in the same bush. It was incredible it was almost as if the Stonechat and Dartford had no clue I was there. They fed so close I could almost reach out and touch them. Above: The Dartford Warbler and the Stonechat Below: Male Stonechat Above: Female Stonechat Below: Dartford Warbler I then continued along the headland finding another pair of Stonechat with an intruding Dartford however they were unfortunately less showy. There were however plenty of Mallards that had come into roost on the Quarry pond along with a farmyard type. Up at the Coast Guards another Male Stonechat showed incredibly well as did an awsome sunset. Above: Male Stonechat However just as I was taking the above photo I noticed something bobbing along the path in front of me. I watched as a rather late Wheatear crossed the path. Now I am not entirely sure that it was aware of my presence as it kept coming incredibly close. It was now almost pitch black so it must have been a struggle for it to see, however it was still successfully picking up insects off the ground. Above: Wheatear After this encounter I decided to head for home, however I hadn't gone very far when a fox crossed the road in front of me only to be pursed by another, and then another. All in all a total of at least 6 foxes were on the street in front of me. One decided to come close to have a look at me and then sat under a street light. With no cars or other people about the foxes were ignoring me completely. yet again I felt as though they hadn't noticed me. It was an incredible experience. I crept closer to the fox under the street lamp in order to try and get some photos. Wow, is all I can say what a beautiful creature. (Fox pictured below) What an incredible way to round off my first outing with my new camera and honestly I can't wait to use it some more. I wonder what my next outing will invole...
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AuthorI have been a birder since I was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 19. ArchivesCategories |