Winter Sun - Blashford Lakes, Poole, Bournemouth, Totteridge Valley - 17th - 27th Feb 201928/2/2019 As I write this the weather has returned to normal, as I just got a drenching on my way back from shopping, however today is the first time it has rained in weeks I honestly can't remember the last time it rained which is unusual for the time of year and the country that I live in. Anyway the last 2 weeks has seen the UK's warmest ever winter weather and so I decided to make the most of the T-shirt weather with temperatures comfortably over 15 degrees for majority of the time frame and into the 20's for the first time ever in winter. On the 17th February a decent day saw me head out to Poole Park to enjoy what at the time was thought to be a short spell of sunny weather. In fact it was a rather foggy day but still unseasonably warm and thus to see 2 Australian Black Swan in with the Mute Swan was strange. Infact it highlighted just how large Mute Swan are. Above: Black Swan right at home with the Mute Swan's. Also Herring Gull and Canada Geese present. Below: Black Swan and Coot. You can see the white that these Swans have on the wing which can be a bit confusing if you see them flying in off the sea. Honestly these Black Swan were the highlights of the outing with only 3 Med Gull and a couple of Turnstone off Baiter Park worth mentioning. Above: Turnstone So the next few summer like days I actually spent at home in the company of my family. I didn't do an awful lot of birding however I did manage to make 3 visits up to Totteridge to get some welcome patch year ticks in order to get my patch year list up to 62 species. With some frustrating species still missing. The pair of Egyptian Geese are still frequenting the same area in which they attempted to breed last year however they don't appear to have started nesting yet. Having gone from not seeing a Red Kite this year in the valley the warm sunny weather has brought 4 into the local area and as I watch one of the pairs settle in a nearby tree I have to admit that I wasn't expecting to watch as they urm, well... mated. 3 Pairs of Buzzard seem to also be in the area however it looks as though one of the Red Kite pairs may have pushed out a pair of Buzzard from a tree that they have been using for many years. The Red Kites have also been seen drifting over the local area as well. Other wise an unusually high number of Lapwing are present in one of the stubble fields and 3 Coot are on the Ponds along with 14 Teal at Darlands otherwise everything was very average. It was however odd to note the first Brimestone, Red Admiral and Peacock Butterflies on my visits which is something I wouldn't really be expecting till mid to late March. Above: Moth sp Below: Pair of Egyptian Geese Above: Red Kite The Warm weather continued to when I returned to uni and so a visit on Sunday 24th saw me head out early in the day to Hengistbury Head. I have to admit that I had forgotten that it was the finally day of half term and so it was well and truly packed. There must have been over 10,000 people there and so I wasn't really too surprised not to see too much. It did however start with what has to be my favourite sound of spring as the Skylarks were displaying near the visitor centre. Above: Skylarks Moving on along the headland there were honestly just too many people about to properly bird watch however 8 pairs of Stonechat wasn't a bad count. On the sea a Great Crested Grebe was off shore as well as a distant Red-throated Diver. Above: Female Stonechat Below: Male Stonechat Above and Below: Female (left) Male (Right), Stonechat After walking the headland I then walked the whole of the sandspit however apart from the odd rock pipit it was largely devoid of bird life and I think it was my first visit that didn't yield at least one wader. I then moved onto the woodland where eventually I managed to find 2 Firecrest associating with a large Goldcrest Flock and a Drake Goosander was roosting in Barn Bight. Wick was next on my list and to be honest bar the odd Goldcrest Chiffchaff and Bullfinch it was quite quiet as perhaps the heat of the day was starting to get to the birds as it neared 20 degrees for the first time. It did however make it quite good for Butterflies with Red Admiral, Comma and Peacock all seen out and about sunning themselves. Above: Comma Below: Peacock I then carried on to the wetlands part of Wick where Cetti's Warblers sang and Teal and Common Snipe fed around the edges of the now shallow pools. Honestly there wasn't much else after this as it felt like everything was taking a siesta which was a shame so I headed for home. So now onto Tuesday when after an interesting lab session on crustaceans I decided to make the most of yet another glorious day and so rather than sitting on the beach I decided to walk to Poole from Bournemouth along the beach via Sandbanks. Honestly it was an amazing day for it. The first bird sighting of the day was infact one of the Peregrines sitting on the clock tower in Lansdown. Its amazing to think that many people pass by these Peregrines daily and simply don't know that they are there. In this case the bird present seemed to be ready and waiting to hunt as it clocked everything that went by including myself. Above: Peregrine The rest of my walk from an Ornithological point of view was pretty uninteresting, however the fact that I was in short sleeves and there were several Sandwich Tern fishing offshore it sure felt like your typical Summer birding season. Usually at this time of year the choppy seas attract Gannet, Divers, and Grebes, but on the calm flat ocean today it was over to the summer visitors. Above: Sandwich Tern By the time I reached the Poole Harbour side of the Sand Banks spit the sun had started to set and honestly it was also starting to get a little chilly however the weather and the sunset took me back to a quite place, a place where I could relax and also it just felt like I was on holiday. It was a surreal feeling for February and to top things of in the final rays of light I picked up a couple of Med Gull and a Sparrowhawk as well as 2 Turnstone which dropped onto the shoreline by my feet. It was a nice peaceful way to end a busy day at uni. I have to admit that it was an amazing sunset and to watch as the sun set behind Brownsea Island was amazing and so after a 4 hour walk I decided to head for home. And so now onto yesterday. I have to admit I wasn't prepared for just how cold it was as for when I reached Blashford Lakes it was still minus 2. The sun was however shinning and just like in recent days by the time I had finished the mornings ringing session it was a balmy 16 degrees. In the 5 hour ringing session we managed to ring Blue Tits, a Goldcrest, a Dunnock, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Reed Bunting, a Goldfinch and several Great Tit. It was good to be able to handle a range of different species again and also to be able to practise learning how to take the important measurements like wing length and the weight of the bird. Above: Male Great Spotted Woodpecker Below: Goldfinch After we had finished the ringing I decided to head round on my normal circuit. My first stop was the Ivy South Hide where it was unusually quiet. A Great Crested Grebe was however the star species here as it displayed right in front of the hide. A Common Buzzard also drifted over otherwise it was just the regular Tufted Duck, Coot, Pochard and the 4 Wigeon that seem to prefer this lake rather than the more suitable ones for them. Above: Great Crested Grebe After this I decided to head to the woodland hide where again it was unusually quiet with only one Siskin present which was odd for the time of year, but actually to be expected given the conditions. There were however a large amount of Reed Bunting visiting the feeding stations as well as good numbers of the resident Tit species and also a large number of Chaffinch. Above: Ringed Male Reed Bunting After this visit to the woodland hide I decided to head to Ivy North, however I was stopped in my tracks as I spotted not one but 5 mouse like Treecreepers feeding on a nearby tree with several in full high pitched song. I watched them for a couple of minutes as they scurried up the trunks of the nearby trees taking insect after insect. Once in Ivy North it was a similar story to my most recent visits with no sign of the Bittern. I spent an hour in the hide but the most interesting thing I saw was my lunch. Well that would have been the case if not one but 2 blue bullets flew past the hide heading towards the Ivy South. They were of course Kingfishers and somehow marks an incredible run of me seeing this species in recent times. They keep cropping up everywhere and I have to admit I am enjoying it. Who doesn't love the squeaky toy that is the bright blue colourful Kingfisher. Cetti's Warblers, Reed Bunting and Chiffchaff also sang outside the hide and a Peacock Butterfly was sunning itself on a reed mace, but none of these will ever top seeing a Kingfisher. I then headed up to the Lapwing hide where in the distance Lapwing could be seen alongside several roosting Goosander. Otherwise compared to recent visits it was actually hard to see what was about. There weren't as many gulls as usual with perhaps only 100 each of Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed. 3 female Goldeneye could be seen in and amongst the Pochard and Tufted Duck, but no Drakes. The numbers of Grebes had risen with a raft of Great Crested Grebe out in the middle and quite a few Little Grebes around the outside of the lake. Otherwise it was quite bar a Wigeon and a Greylag flock. I couldn't stay in the hide any longer as the strength of the sun was making it incredibly hot and I have to admit I started to worry about getting sun burnt. So I moved on towards the Goosander Hide. Along the way I saw several small Butterflies around the tops of the trees that were mixed in with the reedbeds and although I didn't see one settled they didn't seem to remind me of any species I had seen before. The pattern that I could see was similar to that of a Small Copper, but they weren't small enough... I wonder if they were some sort of Fritillary out rather too early. However a Chiffchaff singing from the woods in the same place is a sign that spring was certainly in full blast here. Once in the hide I set about scanning the raft of Tufted Duck in front picking out a female Goldeneye, Pochard, and several Pairs of Shoveler. Coot were also present along with a few Great Crested Grebe, and Little Grebe as well. Meadow Pipit were disturbed from their feeding off to the right of the hide by two tussling Rabbits and all in general was rather tranquil and quiet. After a while I had to leave the hide again due to the strength of the sun and the fact that the hide was getting uncomfortably warm and so I headed back to Ivy North hide for another brief go at the Bittern, however unfortunately only a Med Gull, a Water Rail and possibly close to 200 Cormorant heading into roost were the best bit from the hide. So in the end I decided to head to the bus stop and headed for home to the sound of Oystercatchers flying over head.
These past few days have been a stark reminder to how our climate is changing however they have also been tranquil and peaceful and have given me a chance to relax. I now cant wait for the proper start of spring tomorrow and I wonder what lies in store for my first spring along the South Coast!?
0 Comments
Now if anyone had asked before I went what the most exciting bird of the day was going to be, let's just say my answer would have been different to what it ended up being. With news of a Penduline Tit at Lodmoor on Friday I booked my ticket late in the day deciding that I would give the Weymouth Wetlands a visit since I had only previously made a single visit to Radipole and not even touched Lodmoor. The train journey from Bournemouth to Weymouth was simple and after an hour I found my self in the centre of Weymouth listening to 2 Cronking Ravens perched on the towns church. I walked along the coastal road and after about 20 minutes I eventually found my self at Lodmoor Reserve. I immediately set about scanning the reserve and lets just say that I was surprised to see not just the odd Snipe, but the place was full of Common Snipe prodding and probing the mud with their beaks. A decent amount of Lapwing were also about along with a few Shelduck and Teal. Above: Teal I continued along the Western Scrape and as I arrived at the location I could see the first target bird of the day and my 2nd lifer of the year. A Lesser Yellowlegs was feeding with a moulting Ruff and several Dunlin. This bird kind of reminds me of a cross between a Marsh Sandpiper and a Greenshank but with bright yellow legs. It is a North American bird but is a regular vagrant to Western Europe and this particular bird is an example of an over wintering bird. The Lesser Yellowlegs was on show for not quite a minute while I was there until it and the Ruff were flushed and both flew off alarm calling. The Lesser Yellowlegs call was actually quite interesting and reminded me of some sort of weird cross between Redshank and Greenshank call. An Adult Spoonbill was also present on this part of the reserve. Above: Eurasian Spoonbill Below: Lesser Yellowlegs Above: Dunlin Below: Ruff Above: Lapwing Rather than waiting for the Lesser Yellowlegs to return I decided to head round the reserve in the aim of eventually joining the search for the Penduline Tit, however given the conditions and the news that it was thought to be the Radipole bird I wasn't too hopeful that it was going to be re-found. I headed along the Southern route of the reserve with a flock of Turnstone briefly dropping in for a bathe and a nap. Med Gull numbers were starting to build as well and eventually when sifting through the flocks I managed to pick out a resting Sandwich Tern which was a good early year tick. 3 More Spoonbill could be seen from where I was standing along with a tonne more Common Snipe and while looking at all of this I picked up the bullet shape of a Kingfisher as it shot across the middle of the marsh heading towards the western scrape. I have to admit after not seeing one for 4 months I have now seen 3 in the last 4 days and 4 in the last 2 weeks which is crazy to think that I have now seen 54 Kingfisher after taking me such a long time to see my first one. You have to love that flash of blue as it zips across the marsh. After all this I headed to the other side of the reserve to join the hunt for the Penduline Tit. Above: Turnstone, Lapwing, Black-headed Gulls Below: Med Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Tern, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Lapwing Above: Eurasian Spoonbill and Lapwing Upon arriving at the place where the Penduline Tit had been seen the previous day I could already tell that the bird was going to be a no show by the complete lack of people and also the fact that most of the locals had been there since first light and were now starting to leave the site look rather miserable. To be honest at this stage I didn't really mind that I wasn't going to see the Penduline Tit as I had already had a very decent day. I stayed for around 30 minutes but with increasingly smaller numbers looking for the bird and little or no movement of anything bar the local Marsh Harriers, a few Reed Bunting, and some Tufted Duck I decided to head back round to the other side of the reserve to see if I could get a better view of the Lesser Yellowlegs. Above: Female Tufted Duck Below: Male Reed Bunting Above: immature (I think male) Marsh Harrier I decided to bird on the way back but unfortunately the Spoonbill were asleep. The Sandwich Tern was also still about with an ever increasing number of Med Gulls. Infact Med Gulls now out numbered the local Black-headed Gulls which is a crazy sight to see. Not only this but the Common Snipe were becoming even more showy with at least 20 out in the open on one patch of mud which is quite un characteristic of this species. Above: Spoonies and Lapwing Below: Common Snipe Above and Below: Med Gulls with a few Black-headed Gull, a Sandwich Tern and Lapwing. I then headed down to the western scrape where I found out that the Lesser Yellowlegs hadn't been seen since it flew off alarm calling when I was there a few hours earlier so I set about scanning the marsh looking for it. In this time 3 Marsh Harriers, an adult Male, an Immature Male and a Female, had been continually flushing the 500+ Lapwing on the Marsh along with 25 Black-tailed Godwit and 20 Dunlin repeatedly. Each time the Marsh Harriers flushed everything more and more Med Gulls would turn up until there were well over 100 on the scrape in front of me calling to each other in their cat like mewing call. Also about was the Ruff at close range and the lonely Spoonbill also woke up to have a quick preen before returning back to sleep. Above: Moulting Male Ruff Below: Eurasian Spoonbill It was no nearing midday and with no sign I have to admit people had started to get a bit restless especially with the amount of predator activity that had been occurring with the Marsh Harriers. Eventually the trio of Spoonbills awake and started to actively feed albeit distantly and during this 2 of the 3 decided to take flight and started to spiral away into the sky. As they did the Lesser Yellowlegs did the decent thing and flew directly through my bins sending me into a state of pandemonium as I tried to get everyone on it. Eventually it settled right next to the path but after some desperate moving of position we managed to see it close up, before it eventually flew out into full view at the back of the marsh where it started to actively feed. Above: Spoonbill departing Below: Lesser Yellowlegs After showing itself for almost 5 minutes it was flushed by the next wave of Marsh Harrier attacks and flew off alarm calling disappearing into the middle of the Marsh. I and many others were satisfied with the views that we had of this hyper active wader and so I decided to head to Radipole Lakes. And so I headed back along the coastal road towards the station. However on the way another birder and I were just passing the main Church in Weymouth when a massive female Peregrine flew low over our heads followed closely by either a very large Male Peregrine or another Female, there really wasn't much difference in the size of the birds. The birds then proceed to fly up and perch on the church in view for all to see. What amazing birds they are. The shear speeds that they can reach when they hunt is amazing and I have to admit that each time I see one now it takes me back to that surreal Rainham experience. Where I had not one but 3 female Peregrines tussling and turning through the air within millimeters of my head at times. Above and Below: The 2 Peregrines perched. Honestly I am struggling with this one as both birds were very similar in size however I suspect the upper bird might just be the Male and the one below the female. Eventually we arrived at RSPB Radipole Lake and I was given my directions as to where to find my next target species for the day. Yep that's right I was told that the ditch running between the main road and the reserve would be the place to find the bird. The channel was actually quite surprisingly full of bird life with Pochard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorants, Coots, Moorhens, Mallards, Teal and Mute Swans all making an appearance, but off course not the bird I was looking for. Eventually I reached the last fishing platform n.o 8 and hiding in the reeds at the back was the bird that I was looking for. The 1st winter Drake Ring-necked Duck. I have to admit I do quite like this species and this is the second one I have ever seen after the 2016 Brent Reservoir bird. Its good to get some experience of species like this. It is effectively the North American Version of the Tufted Duck except the Bill is different and the Ring-necked Duck lacks the tufted on it much bulkier and rounder head. Note in the comparison shot below the dusky sort of feel to the 'white' plumage on the side rather than the pure white of the Tufted Duck. Oh and yes this bird was my 2nd North American bird of the day. Above: Pochard Below: 1st Winter Drake Ring-necked Duck The Ring-necked Duck eventually came out of the reeds and joined up with a group of Tufted Duck allowing for a good comparison of the two species together. (Pictured Below) After this I decided to head back to the main reserve and I was surprised to find not only a massive raft of Tufted Duck from the main centre but also a flock of almost 50 Med Gulls floating on the water with a few Common Gulls mixed in. It was some sight to be seen and more Med Gulls kept arriving from the North. Infact while I was at Radipole there was a constant coming and going of Gulls which included mainly Med Gulls. (Pictured Below) I headed round the reserve seeing Reed Bunting, Gadwall, Teal, more Tufted Duck and a Black-headed Gull, but the thing that was really amazing me was that literally every time I looked up another flock of Med Gulls would fly through. At one point I had 14 circling my head. Where else in the UK can you go and have Med Gulls outnumber the other gulls probably 3:1. Just bonkers. Above: Reed Bunting Below: Obliging Black-headed Gull above: Female Tufted Duck with a diving Male Below: Med Gull you can't not love their ghostly white wings After spending about an another hour on the reserve and only adding Bearded Tit and Little Egret to the day list I decided to go and check out the Car Park Gull roost. To be honest it wasn't really surprising that most of the Gulls were Med Gulls including 2 ringed individuals. There was still a constant flow of gulls after I left however unfortunately no sign of anything of the quality this little roost can provide. Above: Med Gulls with the odd Black-headed Gull And so I decided that I could head to the station without paying the Ring-necked Duck one last visit and I watch him as he dived in and amongst his Tufted Duck friends. It is an awesome bird to some extent especially when you consider that against the odd this bird has managed to survive an Atlantic crossing and now looks happy and healthy in a completely different part of the world. And as I headed to the station a flock of at least 22 Med Gulls circled my head and really that summarised my day completely. Where else in the UK or even the world can you see such a large concentration of Med Gulls. That has completely blown my mind especially given that they are still such a scarce bird in London. And so my year list is now up to 125 species and my life list ticks on to 225. I wonder what lies ahead... and when will it be? Below: Ring-necked Duck with Tufted Duck Spring? - Blashford Lakes, Poole and Baiter Park, Hengistbury Head - 13th - 15th February 201915/2/2019 There seems to be some sort of pattern to my birding week at the moment and Wednesday saw me head to Blashford Lakes under the lure of some more ringing. This time we managed to ring serval different species to last time including a Wren, a Goldcrest, a Reed Bunting, and also a Male Siskin as well as a Dunnock, lots of Blue and Great Tits, a Coal Tit, a Long-tailed Tit and also a Nuthatch. At the moment I am learning the basics and I am just beginning to get used to the ringers grip as well as being guided through attaching the rings to the birds as well as being allowed to do some of the measurements myself as well. This week I was given both a Great Tit and a Blue Tit to ring and I was able to hold most of the species caught in order to practices ageing birds and looking at the plumages of others. It has been a great learning experience so far. One of the more interesting things was the difference in weight between the Goldcrest and the Wren which we caught. When holding the Goldcrest you could hardly feel it as it weighs just 3 grams whereas the Wren is actually quite bulky for its size weighing in at around 6 grams. It makes you appreciate just how small these birds are and just how tough they have it in winter. Above: Long-tailed Tit Below: Reed Bunting After we had finished our ringing session I decided to head out birding again. I headed out to Ivy South hide passing Redwings, Finches, Treecreeper, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Once in the hide I could see several Common Buzzard displaying over the large Pine trees in the distance. On Ivy Lake itself there was a good mix of Ducks with Pochard and Tufted Ducks being the most numerous as well as a few Gadwall and Wigeon. A Pair of Great Crested Grebe were also about as well as a Little Grebe and a few Coot and Cormorant. After half an hour of being in the hide I saw the Kingfisher again and as with last time it flew from right to left but perching just out of sight. It then did the correct thing and flew like a bullet back across the hide perching very briefly in front of the hide on a small stick which was just jutting out, however no sooner had it stopped it was off again and with a flash of blue it was out of sight. Above: Coot Below: Female Tufted Duck Above: Drake Tufted Duck After the Kingfisher Episode I decided to have a wonder and so I headed for the Woodland hide to see what was on the feeders. I was not to be disappointed with Greenfinches, Chaffinches, and Siskin literally everywhere and a wall of sound coming from the canopy above. It was a sight to behold. Above: Male Siskin Below: Ringed female Siskin (presumably a returning bird) Above: Male (Lower Bird) and female (Upper Bird) Greenfinch After this I decided to head over to Ivy North hide in the hunt for the Bittern however like last time after over an hour in the hide I was unable to connect with the bird. Whilst I was in the hide I did however see 2 Cetti's Warblers, a Chiffchaff, and a good mix of duck species including several well hidden Teal in the trees on the left hand side of the hide. The highlights for me where however watching a cormorant battling to swallow what looked like a massive Tench. Also while in the hide I was scanning the distant pines again and I picked up a circling Red Kite which was great to see and we all watched it as it flew directly towards the hide and eventually giving us some great views. However after the Bittern showed no signs of showing up I decided to give it a miss and head to the Lapwing Hide. Along the way whilst walking through the woodland I came across the usual Tit flocks with Coal, Long-tailed, Great, and Blue Tits and also a few Goldcrest and Nuthatch were about as well. I eventually got to a slightly more open part of the wood where I was sure that I could hear Bullfinch and sure enough out of the bush on my right hand side a stunning Male flew up into one of the trees next to me and started munching away on the seeds. (Pictured Below) Finally I made it up to the Lapwing hide and just in time as well as the Gulls had just started to gather for their roost with possibly as many as 1000 Black-headed Gulls and probably over 500 Lesser Black-backeds turning up in the hour that followed. I had the task of sifting through the flock trying to pick out the odd ones out and eventually we managed to pick out several Herring Gulls, Common Gulls and eventually a nice almost summer plumaged Med Gull. Also seen from the hide were 20 Goosander, and 10 Goldeneye as well as large amounts of Wigeon, Pochard, Shoveler, Tufted Ducks and Pintail. A Grey Wagtail was the final bird of the day before I realised that I needed to make a move and sprint to the bus stop to head back to Bournemouth. It was another great day and I look forward to my next ringing session with Kevin et al. That evening I went to the monthly CHOG meeting and listened to an inspiring talk done by Shaun on Bottle Neck Birding and honestly it has made me want to visit this places just to experience these migrant spectacles for myself. Above and Below: Just so that you can get a sense with what we were looking at (BHG, LBBG, HG, and CG) So on Thursday with the stunning weather continuing I decided to head to Poole Park to have a look at what was about. The thing I find odd about birding in Poole Park is that it is right in the middle of the bustling conurbation and yet everywhere you look there is wildlife. It is basically the Poole equivalent to Hyde Park. As soon as I got off the bus I could see several Oystercatcher alongside a group of Canada Geese on the Cricket Pitch. I headed over to the smaller ponds near the Playground and here a pair of Mute Swan seemed to have settled and I have no doubt that they will be nest building in the near future. The Mandarin Duck and his friends were however nowhere to be seen. Above: Oystercatcher and the rear end of a Canada Goose Below: Mute Swan Moving on I headed to the middle size lake surrounded by the model railway. Here the Mandarin Duck gave himself up along with his Mallard friends and also several Canada Geese and Greylag. I have to admit the Mandarin may have showed off just a bit... (Pictured Below) I have to admit the rest of Poole Park was unusually pretty dull, however there were still decent numbers of Black-headed Gulls, and Oystercatcher with a few Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit. This was partially due to these massive trucks moving about the lake moving tonnes of rather smelly black sludge from one end to the other. So to avoid the smell I quickly moved on to Baiter Park. From here out in the bay there were precisely 100 Brent Geese, along with 4 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Goldeneye, and 7 Red-breasted Merganser. Eventually I managed to pick out 7 Turnstone in and amongst the sea weed and trust me I wouldn't have seen them if it weren't for the occasional piece of seaweed flying in the air as they hunted for food. Below: Turnstone And so onto today and my trip to Hengistbury Head which was greeted by yet another truly stunning day and an awesome sunrise. I have to admit at times I just stopped and starred and took in the peaceful surrounding as it glistened in the bright warm sunshine. The sea was my first point of call and I was surprised to see a decent amount but in waves. 19 Brent Geese Moved East along with 5 Red-throated Divers while another 6 Brent Geese Moved West as did a Common Gull. While all this was taking place 2 Great Crested Grebe were sat on the sea taking in the peaceful surrounding. It was just simply stunning and the birds mostly played ball as we moved up to the headland. Passing many Greenfinch and a few Stonechat. Above: Female Stonechat Below: Male Stonechat I have to admit once I got to the view point at the top of the headland I may have taken a few too many photo's of the stunning scenery. I have to admit I was taken back to a place where all my stress could just disappear. Once I had got moving again the birds suddenly started to appear as I picked up the fluty call of a migrant Woodlark and eventually picked it up as it slowly bounced East. Moving further along the headland eventually gave us the opportunity to see not 1 but 3 Dartford Warblers in the heather flycatching before they eventually disappeared into the gorse. (Pictured Below) We then headed along the sandspit to even more stunning scenery finding 11 Turnstone and a few Oystercatcher along the way, however still not finding the rather secretive Purple Sandpipers which is, I have to admit, starting to get a little bit frustrating. Above: Oystercatcher Above: Turnstone I have to admit the Turnstone encounter was truly amazing as I decided to sit down close to them and after about 5 minutes they had puked up the courage to forage literally within millimeters of my feet it was amazing to have 11 of them running about so close. Moving on towards the Mudeford Marsh and a flock of 5 Rock Pipit erupted from the long grass along with a few meadow Pipit a Snipe and a Little Egret. Redshank and Wigeon were also numerous here. Moving onto the woodland where with some carefully listening the crests could be found in full song with point blank views eventually had of both Firecrest and Goldcrest. A Chiffchaff could also be heard calling from the canopy but wasn't located. The final part of the day to visit was Wick and it was I have to admit a little dull until the Western end where it meets Tuckton Gardens. Here in the marsh we had great views of Teal and also a Kingfisher. The Kingfisher was awesome as it continued to feed despite our presence hovering just meters away from us before plunging in to catch several small fish. Each time perching briefly before heading back out in search of food. It was truly magical and honestly a great experience to see the tiny blue gem hunting within meters of us standing and watch. We then headed up into Tuckton Gardens where the usual Oystercatchers were still feeding in the back gardens as well as the pair of Mute Swan which are both ringed still being in the area. Their history is unfortunately not the most interesting however F9B has had 2 other partners before E5S and has nested in the same place for at least 10 years in a row and to make things even better F9B is also older than I am. yep that's right the Swan is just about to enjoy its 19th Birthday in April. And so ill leave you with the remainder of my pictures from another peaceful day with some amazing experiences mixed in. My year list now sits at 122 species after todays Woodlark, however with a possible trip to Weymouth tomorrow I wonder whether I will be able to see my 225th British bird? Wish me luck.... Above: Male Greenfinch Above: Kingfisher
Below: Mute Swan F9B Well to say that birding in this period has been easy would be a lie. What it has been though is interesting with all types of winter weather being seen down on the South Coast. On Friday the 1st February I decided to make my way down to Hengistbury Head for my 1st visit of the year. This was the day after a mass snowfall event not just in Dorset but also other parts of Southern, South Eastern and Central England and in some places it was still snowing. I headed out at a respectable time and reached Hengistbury head at around 9am. I set about scanning the sea which was predominantly murky and quite hard to see however after a quick scan I picked up what looked at first like a flock of waders making a bee line for the shore. To my surprise this was the first of several flocks of birds trying to escape the cold weather as around 30 Skylark shot in off the sea followed by a flock of 12 Meadow Pipit close behind. Above: Skylarks coming in off the sea This is something that I haven't seen since I was at Spurn and it showed that these species were desperately in need of food and soon they dropped into the marsh land behind me to start feeding. Next I noticed that the weather had downed a flock of Lapwing in Barn Field and they were unusually tame running around not just peoples feet but also the feet of the cattle in the field. It was an odd sight. Back to the sea and 5 Red-throated Divers passed the headland heading West towards Bournemouth and I also picked up the female Eider sitting on the sea which was a much needed year tick. A flock of Brent Geese passed heading East into the solent and Common Gulls also passed in good numbers. My attentions were then turned towards the sky above as a flock of 82 Lapwing headed high and South over the channel and over the next hours hundreds of Golden Plover would follow them south. The hive of action wasn't going to stop there as Redwings started to pour in off the sea and so too did more Skylark. Above: Lapwing The conditions started to deteriorate and a steady persistent spell of Freezing Rain started and it wasn't pleasant, however I pressed on and head down towards the Sandspit. Unsurprisingly it was devoid of people and there was a complete lack of birds, however what it lacked in quantity it made up for in quality with 2 Grey Plover, 3 Brent Geese, a Rock Pipit, a Ringed Plover, and several Turnstone. Above: Grey Plover Below: Turnstone I then headed towards the woodland where I bumped into several other local birders and together we had around 10 Goldcrest and a Firecrest. I also managed to find a Treecreeper which are scare birds in the area and a Chiffchaff also called from cover, but didn't emerge. Eventually I ended up having to wave the white flag as I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and so I headed to the bus and just in time as the snow started to fall again. On Saturday I decided to give Hengistbury Head another go. This time bathed in a glorious sunshine and bitterly cold. I decided to head down to Wick as I didn't have time to go there the other day. It was odd to see that parts of the harbour were frozen and thus a Grey Wagtail made the most of this by walking on the ice in search of food in Tuckton Gardens and the local Oystercatchers had been pushed off the snowy marshes into someone's back garden along with a few grazing Wigeon as well. Otherwise there wasn't really anything to report. Wick itself was decent though with Curlews feeding at quite a close range before being flushed by a dive bombing female Sparrowhawk. Heading further into Wick a Little Egret sat preening and a Stonechat fed happily until out of nowhere a Male Peregrine came tumbling out of the sky and just missed a Feral Pigeon before sending birds flying in all directions. The Peregrine unhappy with its performance then flew over to Christchurch where it sat for the next few hours pondering its situation and being enjoyed by some of the local birders from their windows. Moving further along Wick a flock of Redwings flew over head and a Goldcrest was in the bushes with a Tit flock, however the best would have to be the flock of Bullfinches feeding on the buds of the bushes. What amazing birds they are. Above: Bullfinch I then decided to head for the coast. where the fog had finally lifted and in its place sat a massive oil rig (more on that another time). I have to admit that it was odd seeing both the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Purbeck being snow capped. Unfortunately though despite the improved visibility there wasn't anything to be seen on the sea bar the odd cormorant or Large Gull sp. I then headed along the beach to the point however I didn't see a single bird which was a shame. I then proceeded to head along the Sandspit however there wasn't as much to see with the Ringed Plover and a few Wigeon the only birds of note. I then decided to call it a day as I felt the feeling in my fingers starting to go and headed to the bus. Above: Ringed Plover Yesterday afternoon I decided to head to Poole Park to see what was about. I have to admit that I knew it was going to rain however I didn't know that it was going to be quite as bad as it was and therefor it made conditions ridiculously difficult to see. The first bird of the day was easy to spot as the long staying Mandarin Duck was still with his Mallard friends by the playground. Above: Drake Mandarin Duck I then headed round the back of the miniature Railway to find 4 Tufted Duck out on the small lake. I could also hear a few Siskin and when I finally found the flock I realised just how many there were. There must have been at least 20 birds packed into the small Alder tree next to the main road which is something I haven't really witnessed before. Above: Robin I then headed out to look at the main lake and with the water level even lower there were yet more waders to be seen. Its just amazing to see this many waders on an urban lake with; 92 Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Redshank, 7 Dunlin, 67 Oystercatcher and 2 Avocet all packed into one small end. It was a sight to see and the Godwits were also performing their terrifying calls which was eerie in the mist and murk. I then continued round the lake finding 4 Shoveler along with many Coots, Cormorants and Mute Swan. The highlight of this wander was seeing a Cormorant struggling to swallow what looked like some sort of Eel. Eventually after several minutes of trying it managed to swallow it all in one go, although you could still see it wriggling in the throat of the Cormorant. Above: Cormorant wishing he had picked something smaller to eat. Next I headed up to Baiter Park however at this stage it was more what can I see without my Binoculars since they had steamed up. Luckily for me most of the birds were close in with almost 200 Brent Geese, 4 Goldeneye, a Red breasted Merganser and 2 Great Crested Grebes. A large flock of Oystercatchers had also gathered along with a few Black-tailed Godwit and also 10 Turnstone. Then all of a sudden not 1 but 4 Med Gulls flew past with their pure white wings, black heads, and red bills. Finally after trying to see one for weeks I had managed to get them onto the year list on the worst day possible. They all then proceeded to land on shore just as the weather closed in and I felt that I needed to head to the bus since yet again I couldn't feel my hands. oh and before anyone asks, yes I was wearing gloves.... Ski Gloves and that still didn't help me. Above: Med Gulls And finally today I headed up to Blashford Lakes for my first official ringing session as a trainee ringer. It was great to be able to hold and see a wide variety of birds up close and it is an experience that I wont forget for a long time. Who knew Blue Tits were such Feisty little Birds. The aim of this session was in order to get data for the Juvenile moult study in Blue Tits so this was our target bird. In the end we rang a Robin, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Nuthatch, a few Great Tit, a Coal Tit, a few Chaffinch and a tonne of Blue Tit. Who knew that a Male Chaffinch had so much Green on its rump and that Nuthatches had bright red underneath it. Above: My first successfully ringed bird... a Blue Tit Below: Nuthatch in the hand Once we had finished ringing at around midday I decided that I wasn't going to come all this way without going birding so I headed out to Ivy South Hide. Once in the hide I spotted the Great (White) Egret perched at the top of a large tree in the distance before it was flushed by a Cormorant. Tufted Duck, Pochard and Coot were numerous and a pair of both Mute Swan and Wigeon were also about. A Great Crested Grebe appeared off to the right handside of the hide and lead me to find a Drake Goosander preening himself. The all of a sudden a little blue bullet flew past the hide in the shape of my first Kingfisher of the year and it perched just out of view. Over the next half and hour the Kingfisher kept flying back and forth in front of the hide before finally sitting in view albeit right at the other side of the lake. Above: Great (White) Egret Below: Drake Tufted Duck Above: Cormorants Below: Pochard I then decided to move on. Now your going to have to believe me. On my walk from Ivy South Hide to Ivy North almost every tree held at least half a dozen Siskin, I mean they were almost too literally everywhere. There must have easily been close to 100 birds if not even more on site at Blashford Lakes today it was just crazy. Once in Ivy North it was more of the same with the Great (White) Egret having relocated to in front of this hide sitting alongside a Grey Heron allowing for a good opportunity to compare the two species. In fact I hadn't noticed it before, but the Grey Herons really do blend in quite well in the reeds unlike the Great (White) Egret which sticks out like a sore thumb. A Water Rail swam right in front of the hide while Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs called from the reeds, but unfortunately this time no Bittern was seen. Above: Water Rail Below: Great (White) Egret and Grey Heron I then decided to head to Lapwing hide which is a hide I have never been to before and lets just say this one is going to be at the top of my wish list from now on. The minute I stepped into the hide a female Marsh Harrier flew over low flushing a Snipe out of cover. Out on the main lake a raft of 30 Goosander sat with a good mix of males and females. Goldeneye were also around along with tonnes of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Greylags, Coot, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Shoveler, Wigeon, and Black-headed Gulls. It was truly amazing to see. Literally everywhere you looked there were birds. A female Sparrowhawk also cruzed through as did Jackdaws, Crows, and Rooks over head and the odd Little Grebe could be found diving in and out of the other mass of Wildfowl. Above: Female Marsh Harrier Below: Goosanders Galore After spending almost an hour in the hide I decided to pay a quick visit to the Goosander hide before heading to the bus stop. It was more of the same from this hide with Little Grebe and Pochard fishing exceptionally close in. A herd of Fallow Deer were feeding next to the hide and a Chiffchaff called from the bushes. After this I quickly dashed to the bus stop and headed for home. Above: female Pochard Below: Well hidden Fallow Deer So after what has been an interesting few days my year list now stands at a rather healthy 121 species with 11 additions in the last 2 weeks and with a thoroughly exciting first ringing session done I wonder what else lie around the corner....? We shall have to wait and see...
|
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 18. ArchivesCategories |