Dorset Holiday Day 2

Since the weather remained a little off point, I decided to make my move for the long staying Hudsonian Whimbrel at Pagham Harbour. Granted it’s a bit of a trek, but it was not too expensive and it is only the 9^th British Record, and a fascinating bird from an ornithological point of view. I was well up for going to see it.

I woke earlier than expected, so was out of bed for 5.30. I decided to make the trip round all the toilet blocks on site looking for moths before I got my train, hoping to get my day off to a good start. I thought it had started fantastically when I found a Green Silver Lines on the first block. However, I was in for a real surprise when I got to the second. There were a couple for GSL’s but on the roof of the building, drooping down was the moth I most wanted for the holiday; Poplar Hawkmoth. I was thrilled and did not know what to do, so I grabbed a load of photos before picking it up and moving it to a number of more scenic locations, including my nose. I was thrilled. Moths were on the agenda today, as the other shower block had left the light on all night, filling the building with moths for me to look at. Below are the ones which I was able to identify, which are all of the notable ones.

-Green Silver Lines

-Poplar Hawkmoth

-Buff Ermine

-Swallowtail

-Scalloped Shell

-Beautiful Snout

-Iron Prominent

-White Plume Moth

 I then made my way to the train, after holiday ticking Siskin and getting a couple more moth species at the train station itself. It took a while travelling to get to Pagham, but I made it on site for 10. Knowing that the Whimbrel was mobile and hard to pin down I opted not to look at the spotted redshank on the near pool and just race to the estuary to try and pin it down.

As soon as I arrived at the bank I could see a few Whimbrels starting to move, as well as a few Curlews. They were flying past me for roosting at the saltmarsh. I began to check through the moving whimbrel, looking intently for the tell-tale signs. All the initial whimbrel were normal, but then, as I was filtering through them I picked it out, brown back and all.

I could not believe I had picked it up so soon, but it continued to fly and I realised that I was going to lose it pretty quickly. I threw my bag down and grabbed the camera as soon as I could. Fortunately it was still in flight and I managed to fire off a few quick record shots of the bird before it dropped down into the saltmarsh. Sadly my camera screen remains broken and I could not check them in the field. Fortunately, when I got back to base I was pleased to see they came out reasonably well, well enough for a record shot anyway.

-Hudsonian Whimbrel

 I was chuffed to bits, and raced to the spot where it had landed. Sadly it was well down in the saltmarsh and I could not see it. I waited another 2 hours at the spot where I had seen it land, but it did not reappear. Whimbrels and Curlews were roosting on the water’s edge but I could not pick it out there, and I did not see the bird fly off.

Whilst I waited I was treated to a few bits and pieces. There were good numbers of Linnet around, some of which were singing right alongside the path from the top of nearby gorse bushes. Waders were moving a little bit too, with a few Redshank and Oystercatchers blogging about. Ducks were also moving, and I picked up a mixed flock of Teal and Shoveler moving over the saltmarsh.

-Shoveler and Teal

 I decided, after the 2 hours, to move down the bank to the hide where the bird had been frequently reported from, in the hope that it had moved down there while I was distracted. It was not down there but by now the tide was out a little more and as such there were a few waders around. Turnstone, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover and Dunlin were all on the bank, and there were 3 Species of tern accompanying them; Little, Common and Sandwich. Without doubt the highlight bird was a superb looking leucistic Curlew, almost pure white. It sadly remained distant but I got a couple of record shots of it, without doubt the coolest Curlew I have ever seen!

-Leucistic Curlew

 By now doubts were plaguing my mind as to whether I had actually seen the Whimbrel, since I could not check my photos, and as such I was beginning to get frustrated that I had not got a proper view of it. Since it was not at the hide I moved back to where I had seen it previously. As soon as I arrived I thought I checked through the Whimbrel and immediately picked it up in flight in the distance but did not see where it went down.

I was here joined by another birder, who had seen it before, and this proved invaluable when, a few minutes later, I picked up a rather striking Whimbrel on its own in the bay. It was distant but there were no other birds nearby and as such I had nothing to compare it to, but the features on the face were strong and the bill seemed a little longer than normal. The other birder had a look and he confirmed that it did look right for the Hudsonian Whimbrel, but we would need it to fly before we could be 100% certain.

Right on cue, as we were discussing the bird, it took off, catching us both by surprise. In flight it clearly was the Hud Whimbrel as indicated by the brown back. However, the euphoria did not last long, as it circled once before dropping into the saltmarsh where we lost it again. Despite another hours wait it did not come out and I eventually decided to give it up. I had seen it clearly on the deck (though distant) and had reasonable flight views, so I was pretty pleased.

After that I headed back to the caravan, considering my days work done. However, in the evening we went for a walk in Weymouth. I sifted through the gulls present during our stroll and was rewarded with superb views of an Adult Mediterranean Gull, plus another 2 adults on the beach and a second winter bird… So not bad going at all.

-Mediterranean Gull

Species List:
Crossways Caravan Site: Magpie, Woodpigeon, Siskin, Robin, Blackbird,
Pagham Harbour: Avocet, Chaffinch, Black-Tailed Godwit, Teal, Green Woodpecker, Dunlin, Skylark, Rook, Long-Tailed Tit, Linnet, Mallard, Moorhen, Coot, Shelduck, Black-Headed Gull, Great-Crested Grebe, Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler, Redshank, Blue Tit, Little Egret, Starling, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Curlew, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher, Stock Dove, Cormorant, Whitethroat, Common Tern, Herring Gull, Lapwing, Sandwich Tern, Ringed Plover, Dunnock, Greenfinch, Turnstone, Mute Swan, Grey Plover, Great Black-Backed Gull, Little Tern, Swift, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Greenshank, Meadow Pipit, House Sparrow, Little Grebe, Common Sandpiper, Kestrel, Shoveler,

Orgreave Lakes

With nothing outstanding anywhere that required any major attention, my focus remained firmly on the patch. I made my way over for 9.00 for another lovely morning in the sun, the only difference from yesterday being that there was a chilly breeze putting an edge on the temperature.

We starting by making up where we had left of yesterday. As soon as I reached the river I heard a Blackcap from the far side of the river, which soon became 2. This time though I managed to get glimpse of them as they moved along the bank. Sadly it was not much and the record shot of this year-tick reflects that. A massive bonus was a Kingfisher that I must have flushed as I descended the bank to get closer to the Blackcaps.

-Blackcap

The small lake was quite quiet and I was unable to see any of yesterdays plastic. The usual suspects were all present though but nothing much had changed. Further round it was much the same story. The Little Ringed Plovers had been put up and were not really settling anywhere to get a proper view of them. There were 3 Redshanks moving between the 2 lakes depending on where the dog walkers pushed them.

Over by the rocks the male Wheatear was still present and looking absolutely fantastic in all his glory. This time I set up the scope to try and get some digiscoped shots of him to see how they came out. I think they came out very well, and it certainly allowed me to get probably my best shots ever of the species (Which is my fave!!). What a fantastic bird.

-Wheatear

While I was watching the Wheatear I heard a Curlew calling and looked to see it flying overhead, before looping back round and doing the same again. Its the first time I have seen one on the patch this year, and is not a common species here. Its probably the only major difference between today's and yesterdays species count.

-Curlew

I had caught a brief glimpse of at least 2 gyppo geese still from the far bank but they had drifted out of sight. With that in mind it came as a shock when I rounded the point to where I should have been able to see them... and they were not there.

As I continued round though I realised I could not see them as they had taken up on the bank and were merrily feeding on the plains. I approached steadily over around a 15 min period until they were between 10-15 meters away. All the while I was taking snaps of them through the scope. And then horror! A dog walker was coming from behind, and this would undoubtedly push them back into the water. In one sense the dog walker stopped to ask what I had, and had an interest in the birds, but still carried on his way and the birds flew off. Never mind, it was great to still see the plastic around!

-Egyptian Geese

All the digiscoping had given me a thought of trying to upgrade my record shots for a number of common species that I always struggled to get close to, namely Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. I had some fantastic chances with Skylarks but it always flew off at the last second, and the pipits were generally too skulky. I did manage one effort of Meadow Pipit which worked quite well. I reckon I'm getting the hang of this digiscoping lark.

-Meadow Pipit

I finished my walk round and came back to the small lake for a scan before I headed off. I was pretty pleased when I saw the Maned Duck was indeed still present. It had come down to the eastern side of the island and was drinking from the lake. I took a few more shots of it, for even though its totally plastic its still a rather smart looking bird.

-Maned Duck

So it was another lovely morning on the patch with some great species, including yearticking Blackcap. Now why can't soil hill be as productive as this?

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Kingfisher, Reed Bunting, Blackcap, Long-Tailed Tit, Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Egyptian Goose, Common Buzzard, Goosander, Herring Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Robin, Dunnock, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Black-Headed Gull, Wheatear, Coot, Moorhen, Great Crested Grebe, Curlew, Magpie, Cormorant, Linnet, Carrion Crow, 

Bolton Abbey

So today my family decided to have their family day out at Bolton Abbey. I was not optimistic for finding anything for my yearlist, but I knew it would be a nice walk, and that I would see some lovely stuff. We wandered up the river and at the first loop I spotted a drake Mandarin, my first proper view of the year, though I have seen them before. 

-Mandarin

It was in this area that I began to notice the number of buzzards overhead. I got to watch many of them drifting over, though I only got silhouettes. I kept my eyes open for rarer raptors on passage but I could find none.

-Common Buzzard

But as I watched, I spotted another bird that was deffo not a buzzard due to the wing and tail shape being wrong. However, Having looked at the possibilities I thought it was an Osprey only the tailed looked too long. However, a quick plea on the Calderdale blog and reliable sources have agreed with this bird being an Osprey, so I will happily go along with that. So there we go then, another smashing bird seen today, and today's year-tick. It is also the first time I have ever seen Ospreys on passage. It is just unfortunate that I could get no better shots of what would have been a stunning bird.

--I re-analysed the photo and I am not happy with the Osprey school of thought and now think that it is a Marsh Harrier. The photo when tortured to bring out a wing features lacks the patterning of an Osprey but the dark patches match better to Marsh Harrier--

-Marsh Harrier

I spent quite a while watching the raptors, but then my attention was drawn back to the river, where an unusual plumaged form of a reed bunting. I think it was a young male coming back to summer male, so its possibly the first time I have seen one like this.

-Reed Bunting

At the same point there were a few waders going overhead, a trio of Oystercatchers and a Curlew, making for a nice addition to the day list. The Curlew flew right overhead, which gave me a great view, though I tried to take photos rather than watch it, which I would probably do If I had the time again.

-Curlew

A little further up again between watching the raptors there was a patch of scum in the water, where there was a pair of mandarin feeding. They looked really nice, and I managed to get pretty close to them, allowing me to get some decent shots for the year photo album.

-Mandarin Pair

The walk through the wood provided nothing much, but there was a Dipper and a Goosander on the river, as well as a buzzard on the hill behind. On the small birds in the wood there was very little, just a Long-Tailed Tit on one of the trees. There was also a Wren near the visitor center, as well as a Grey Wagtail.

-Wren

The way back passed without incident until the same area where it all happened on the way up. There I spotted the Mandarin pair on the grass grazing. I was not able to get very close but I was able to get some good views, and of such lovely birds.

-Mandarin Pair

So overall it was a really nice walk and saw some great stuff, the highlight being the mandarins which seemed to have increased so much since the last time I was there. The only thing left to do is to give a full run down of all the species seen today

Species List: Dunnock, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Blue Tit, Magpie, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Great Tit, Robin, Pheasant, Black-Headed Gull, Wren, Mallard, Common Buzzard, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw, Rook, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Goosander, Long-Tailed Tit, Song Thrush, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Reed Bunting, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Dipper, Willow Warbler, Swallow, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier,

Fly Flatts

Since I have so much time now my exams are over I decided to go to Warley Moor/ Fly Flatts to see if I could see any green hairstreaks. The wind was so bad when I woke up I nearly diddnt go, but luckily I decided I would, though I did not think I would see any butterflies. 

However, crossing the fields behind my house I encountered a small heath, so obviously I have some chance, and further up there was another. That though was it until I made my way via Ogden back lane onto the moors. 

Even there there was not much, plenty of Meadow Pipits, but that was about all, which was disappointing. The only other wildlife on Ogden moor was a red legged partridge which I flushed accidentally before I had seen it.

I then headed over the moors towards Fly Flatts to see what I might get. The add to meadow pipits I had skylarks, of which a few were still singing. The real highlights of this section of the walk were the low flying swifts and the moors covered white by the cotton grass

-Cotton Grass

It wasn't until I reached the bridleway near the old Withens pub that there started to be quite a few birds. No sooner had I reached the bridleway then did I see this lovely male reed bunting, which was very flighty and dropped as soon as I came anywhere near.

-Reed Bunting

Across the Bridleway from where I had come there were a good number of meadow pipits and skylarks so I headed over to have a look. As with the trip to Burnsall, There was a constant cheeping in the foreground which took me while to notice and even longer to find its source. Then I got a real surprise as I spotted a lovely young snipe, i'm not sure which. It made me rather worried because of its constant racket when I was stood right next to it. Something nasty and it would have been a goner. It was lovely to see, and quite cute, but I did not hear it on the way back.

-Baby Snipe

I left the baby and headed to the road. As I walked up the road I looked in the neighboring fields to see what was about. In the first field there was a Lapwing which was just standing there. It was some way off at the far side of the field.  

-Lapwing 

Further up the road I was less than welcomed by a curlew which was obviously distressed about my being there. I tried to move on as quick as I could, so that it did not feel as threatened. I did however come very close in its display so in my retreat I got some pretty good views of the bird. 

-Curlew

I made my way to the entrance to the bridleway down to the reser, but the stile had been remove. That made my entry slightly more tricky, but after I had hopped the gate I was able to get some shelter from the wind behind the bank on the right hand side. In the field beside that bank there were a good number of Lapwings, seemingly surfing the wind. There was one bird among them which was not a lapwing, and when it flew overhead I immediately thought that it was a snipe, but the closer it got I realised that it was a golden plover, which made a lovely addition to the list of birds I was making for myself on this walk.

-Golden Plover

When I reached the waterside near the boathouse I was able to watch swifts hunting insects over the water. They were incredible to watch, so I perched myself down at the waterside to try and get some photos. Sadly they came too close for me to manage with my camera, but so close I could touch them if I tried. It was without doubt the best view I have ever had of swifts, even better than at school. 

-Swifts

As I perched myself down on the beach I flushed a common sandpiper, which flew off over to the small stream on the other side of the path. After the swifts I followed to get a good view and was able to track the bird on its return to the waterside. So here begins the account of my tracking the common sandpipers around the edge of the reser. They were very bold, so I was able to get some great views. 

-Common Sandpiper

At the bridge next to the overflow, the bird perched on one of the fence posts allowing me to get some great shots. I was able to get some smashing views of the bird, even better than at Burnsall. At the same time there were others around the waters edge feeding, so there is clearly a good population of these birds on this reservoir.

-Common Sandpiper 

As I made my way over the dam wall there continued to be plenty of swifts and they continued to be very close. I was also able to see on the water flocks of Canada and graylag geese

-Swifts

I made my way over to the marsh on the far side of the reser but there was not much there, only one common sandpiper on the waters edge, so I headed back over the dam wall. There I continued to get common sands, either on the path or the reservoir beach. As I made my way off the dam wall the birds became bolder so I was able to get some great views and photos of the birds.

-Common Sandpiper 

The lapwings were still there on the walk back up the bank, and the curlew became distressed again as I passed that spot. I had re-entered the bridleway back down to Ogden. looking for the baby snipe/ woodcock when I flushed an adult snipe. I think that this was a common snipe as it was not really big enough to be a woodcock, but it gave a start as it rocketed out of the reeds. That did mean though that I had no decent photos for a proper I.d. I would also say that this bird was probably the parent of the baby that I had seen 

-Common Snipe

The rest of the walk was a little barren on the bird front. There were plenty if Meadow pipits and skylarks and there was a curlew on the golf course, but there was nothing on Ogden as I walked over the promenade.