Dorset Holiday Day 3

I aimed to keep up with my early starts for the duration of the holiday, so set my alarm for 5.30 in the morning with the aim of doing the moths on the toilet block followed by a visit to nearby Winfrith Heath, which has become something of a local patch for the holiday.

I did the quick moth round, but there was nothing really any different. Most of yesterday’s moths were still in the same location as they had been, and the number of new moths was low. The only real addition to the moth fauna of the holiday was a Dark Arches that was on the toilet block where the hawkmoth had been the day before.

Next I cycled on to the heath. It was a muggy morning but as the morning drew on the sun decided to make its first appearance of the holiday, and by the time I was heading back for breakfast it was a very pleasant and warm day.

This was reflected in the fact that a number of insect species were on the wing, despite the early time of day. I finally got my Odonata list out of the hangar with a good number of Banded Demoiselles that were associating with the bracken alongside the river. I was able to add to that a nice female Keeled Skimmer and brief views of a Golden-Ringed Dragonfly. 

-Banded Demoiselle

-Keeled Skimmer

-Painted Lady

 Despite the weather picking up, there were no reptiles on any of the open areas of ground, nor were there any on the corrugated iron sheets that had been put down. Fortunately the birds more than made up for this, as I got a bumper haul of species from the morning.

I got a few Siskins in flight from the nearby pine trees, and a Tree Pipit chilling on a small conifer in the middle of the heathland. The real stars of the day were the Dartford Warblers. I am accustom to seeing these birds flit in and around the gorse, so I felt my luck was in when I encountered 2 juveniles flitting along the fence line adjacent to the railway. I was pretty thrilled about that, but it got even better when I wandered round the main hillock on the heath, as round the far side there was a superb adult which was sitting out in the open only around 6 feet away. I got a few nice photos of the exceptional view I got of it. It was calling similar to a Whitethroat when in distress, so I decided that it was probably best to leave it, just in case it was upset. And then, on the bird front, if it could not get any better, I had a flock of around 7 flyover Crossbills, which was an unexpected bonus.

-Dartford Warbler

I arrived back at the caravan site for around 8.30 ready for breakfast and a full day out in what appeared to be the first nice day of the holiday. The consensus was that my family were heading to Portland Bill for a walk, so I decided to go down with them and have a look round the site which I had not looked at before.

We arrived at the Bill for around 10.30, upon which my family decided to go for a morning drink at the café. As a committed birdwatcher I decided to do my first independent Seawatching from the Bill, in the hope of getting a Balearic Shearwater and a few other coastal species.

I probably spent an hour watching the birds off the Bill. There were not masses of birds moving but there was decent quality. I felt I was tested but managed to do it reasonably well, and it was my first outing with the new scope in Seawatching.

There were a few Guillemots moving, blogging to and fro as well as plenty of Gannets of a number of different ages. The first real nice birds for the watch were 2 Pale phase and a Dark phase Arctic Skua that flew through relatively close in, and I got really nice views through the scope. They were a yeartick and my second yeartick was Shag, with a few of them in the area flying to and fro. At 11.10 I was treated to my target bird, when a mid-distance Balearic Shearwater flew past. It was banking in and out of the waves at it moved past but I was able to pick up the key features as it whizzed on by. Unknown to me at this point but there had been one ‘lingering’ all morning before, but to see it for myself was pretty special and I was chuffed to bits with that. I also had a Mediterranean Gull and 4 Common Scoter fly past. So overall it was an exceptional session. Also of note were 3 Rock Pipits that were blogging around the shore below me, a nice holiday tick. 

-Rock Pipit

At this point my family returned, explaining that they intended to go for a walk along the cliff up to a nearby cove for lunch. Since movement was slow and I had most of what I wanted I decided to go with them. The wind was still quite strong so there were not many insects on the wing along the coast. However there were a few more birds that were not seabirds around. The highlight of these was a pair of Raven feeding in a field, but there was also a very confiding Kestrel, perched on a fencepost just over 9 feet away.

-Kestrel

-Raven

As we walked along the coast we began to dip in and out of old limestone quarries where it was more sheltered. Here there were a few more butterflies on the wing, which finally meant my holiday butterfly list was getting somewhere. My dad pointed out a Marbled White, but soon these were everywhere, while there remained good numbers of Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper.

It started to get exciting when I spotted a Skipper roosting on the path. Sadly I had the wrong lens on and my attempts to get a photo were poor, but I head a sneaking suspicion that it might be a Lulworth Skipper, a Dorset specialty. Before I managed any decent record shots it took flight and I lost it, but I remained optimistic that the photos might show it was, when compared to a guide book back at the caravan.

I need not have worried, as further along the coast I found another skipper which was far more obliging, allowing me good views of all the features I needed, leaving me in little doubt that I had found a Lulworth Skipper. All doubts were finally laid to rest when I compared this individual to the book back home, showing beyond all doubt that I had my first butterfly lifer of the year. I had a strong feeling when I initially saw it that this was a Lulworth and so had taken plenty of photos for the record, but the initial shots also showed that the first skipper had been a Lulworth too. Both were females. What a super little thing.

-Lulworth Skipper

Buzzing from that I continued along my way. By now my parents had long gone due to my constantly being distracted. My brother came back though, saying he had found a lizard, so we headed up that way to see a stunning Common Lizard sunning itself under the wall alongside the road. I grabbed a few photos of this one, but it was the first of many along the coast route, though many were only fleeting glimpses. 

-Common Lizard

Butterfly numbers had picked up through the walk, and I was beginning to build up a decent species list. There were a few Lulworth Skippers around, as well as Small and Large Skippers to offer comparisons. A few blue butterflies also appeared, initially only Common but soon a few Chalk-Hill too, which are always a delight to see. The real bonus butterfly was a Grayling which I accidentally flushed, but was able to follow back to its landing point on the path to grab some photos. It’s an England tick for me, having only seen them previously in Scotland, and then a long time ago. Overall I was thrilled and it could not get much better.

-Grayling

-Chalk-hill Blue

Or that’s what I thought until after lunch when me and my brother began looking again. We had a while to wait while my dad fetched the car, so we had a look at the grassland on the Northern side of the cove in which we had eaten lunch in the hope of maybe finding an Adonis blue, the only other potential butterfly lifer. Sadly not, but I did get a superb alternative. 

I was just strolling through the grassland, my brother along the cliff-top when I spotted a large Yellow Butterfly flying over the shrubs. I had seen this only one time before but I knew immediately what it was; Clouded Yellow. I immediately began shouting and calling as I could not believe what I was seeing. We were able to follow its movement along the cliff as it rested on a number of flowers. Sadly it never rested wings open, which was disappointing, but I managed some nice shots of it perched up wings closed. If there was anything that could have been added to the day I had already had, this would have been. What a superb insect.

-Clouded Yellow

It had been thrilling to see that, and that’s an understatement. What an insect filled day. And it was not just the butterflies, as I was able to finally, finally see a live Cockchaffer beetle. My brother found it crawling on the floor, but it did not stick around long before flying off. There were not only Cockchaffer but also their green cousins in the form of Rose Chaffers, which were sitting in their usual position atop a large white flower.

-Cockchafer

-Rose Chafer

After that we had a quick look at Chesil Beach, but the weather had started to set in and there was nothing of any real note there. We ended the day back at the Caravan, where we stumbled across a Common Shrew that had come into the Awning. I managed to get it out when it ran into a food crate, but it was full of energy, as Shrews are. A final note is that out evening meal was interrupted rudely by a massive House Spider. What a superb day.

Species List:

Winfrith Heath: Linnet, Blackbird, Robin, Rook, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Tree Pipit, Chaffinch, Stonechat, Magpie, Cormorant, Siskin, Swift, Dartford Warbler, Great Tit, Willow Warbler, Crossbill, Skylark, Keeled Skimmer, Golden-Ringed Dragonfly, Banded Demoiselle, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Painted Lady, Large Skipper,

Portland Bill: Guillemot, Gannet, Arctic Skua, Shag, Herring Gull, Rock Pipit, Balearic Shearwater, Great Black-Backed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Cormorant, Common Scoter, Linnet, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Starling, Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Woodpigeon, Black-Headed Gull, Skylark, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Raven, Swallow, Common Buzzard, Common Lizard, Common Blue, Chalk-Hill Blue, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Grayling, Large White, Clouded Yellow, 

Spurn Day 14

I arrived at the hut for 5.00 in the morning as per, ahead of another long but enjoyable shift. As soon as Keiron had left I evaluated the situation. It was foggy, so I could hardly see the far side of the pond, there was a North wind blowing, so it was freezing cold, and I was absolutely knackered. The solution, I decided, was to sleep off this grim morning in order to better appreciate the rest of the day.

I awoke from slumber at around 8.00 to see, much to my delight, that the day had cleared, though the wind had not dropped. The reduced fog meant that it felt much warmer so I set up for a morning check. First I headed over the Long Bank to do a morning Little Tern juv count, and registered a very poor 8, though the tide was out and there were possibly some on the beach.

Both Oystercatcher families were still out, as were 3 Little Egrets and 3 Little Gulls, 2 adults and a Juv. The decline in weather conditions meant that the Seawatching had improved and there was a steady stream of gannets moving to sea.

The first of the morning’s events occurred at 9.30. Still feeling groggy from my kip I was sat in the hut with the front open sorting out some notes when I heard some frantic squawking from outside the hide. I looked up to see a Sandwich Tern being mobbed by an Arctic Skua. I had never expected a Skua to actually enter the colony, only ever pass it by near the sea. Here was one actively hunting in my colony, meaning I would have to deal with it. But at the same time it’s an Arctic Skua right in front of me, and I hardly ever see this species. So I decided to spook the bird, with my camera. As soon as I saw it I jumped up and grabbed the camera. But the bird must have seen me as it immediately gave up its pursuit and headed seawards, where I managed to get a couple of record shots. Consider my duty done.

-Arctic Skua

That left me very satisfied with my mornings work, but also very surprised that such a sea-going bird had come into the colony to hunt my terns, very concerning. But I considered it a one off, a chance to get great views of the species. Wrong! At 10.00 the terns all went mad, flying all over the place, and who should fly straight through them but the same Arctic Skua. It must have gone back south out to sea and then come back up through the colony. Here though I failed to see it actively bother anything.

It just glided through the colony with a handful of angry Sandwich Terns on its tail. It followed the line of the pond straight up towards the hut, and after flying around the northern end of the pond decided to fly right over the hut, and over me. I could not believe it, how close it came, gliding some gracefully over me. It is possibly the best view of the species I will ever get. I was fortunate enough to grab a few shots of it as it drifted over, before heading out to sea. An experience I will never forget. I saw it a little later heading back south out to sea, and wondered if it was going to try a third time, but it never did.

-Arctic Skua

The birds were left in peace following the skua’s departure. But not for long though. At 10.20 all the birds went up again, and I mean all the birds. Even the Egrets went up, everything was up. I already had a worrying suspicion as to the cause of this disturbance but could not see it. I did see it though, in its usual spot, sat on the beach. The female Sparrowhawk had returned again, and was once more causing havoc among my terns. I scared her off, but I do not think she caught anything. Hopefully they will begin to get the message.

It was really not the terns’ day. We then had more bother from Kestrels, but fortunately only by their presence and not their hunting. And then the juv Marsh Harrier made an appearance. Last time the only thing this bird had upset were the Crows, but this time all the terns went up. Fortunately it did not come close and all quickly settled down, while the harrier dealt with its old adversaries up a the north end of the pool.

-Marsh Harrier being mobbed by Carrion Crow

The next hour was spent watching irresponsible birders, making sure that they did not disturb my terns. Once they had cleared off I headed back to the Warren to pick up some lunch. When I was almost back I spotted a large flock of Common Scoter flying northwards near the Seawatching hide. They were quite close to shore too, allowing me to grab some shots that were a slight improvement on what I had in the past. 

-Common Scoter

That was a very busy few minutes for me, as no sooner had the scoters gone than did another, or possibly the same, Arctic Skua come flying along the shore. It then took a turn inland and started flying over Clubleys towards the Humber. Half way across it found a Sandwich Tern with a full beak which it decided to mob. So far as I could tell the Tern got away. The Skua continued towards the Humber where I saw it turn south and then disappear below the tree line. It’s been quite a day for Skuas.

-Arctic Skua mobbing Sandwich Tern

I did not stay long for lunch, it being a busy predator day I wanted to get back to my terns as soon as possible. I made it back for 1.30 having not seen much on my walk back, only a Painted Lady in the same place as yesterday, so presumable the same one. It was still sunbathing despite the lack of sun, obviously still suffering from whatever it was that made it shiver when I saw it yesterday.

-Painted Lady

The ponds were very quiet when I got back, not a lot happening. I went round to Long Bank again to do another count. I swear I got corn bunting while I was over there, but I cannot be sure, as is usually the case when small brown birds whizz past you. I also counted a record 5 Kittywake on the bank with a few Little Gull. I’m getting good at this Kittywake spotting business.

On the way back I spotted a Knot among the small group of Dunlin feeding at north end of the pond. Since all my photos of summer Knot so far have been relatively poor I decided to take a few here, to boost my Knot gallery. They are not (!) bad. 

-Knot

With the tides changing the times that the waders arrive every day is getting later, and today it was around 4.00 that the first waders arrived. Until then I had not much to do at all, as a sea fret had come in and was making things difficult. Seawatching was out of the question and tern counting would be biased since I could hardly see half of them.

I did get some drama though when a familiar foe made another appearance. The female Sparrowhawk is really beginning to get on my nerves now. Again it left empty handed but once more made all my terns very on edge, making my job very difficult.

I was on Long Bank when the waders arrived, a very poor showing indeed, only a couple of hundred dunlin showing. There were 3 Grey Plovers among their ranks and the Summer Turnstone from yesterday. There was also the Curlew Sandpiper from yesterday, which was still looking lovely. Once more it came fairly close, and so I grabbed some more shots, though they would do well to add to yesterday’s photos. 

-Curlew Sandpiper

The final count of Little Tern juvs got a very respectable 30, not bad at all. There was too much movement though, as the terns were frequently being flushed, so much so that most of the Dunlin actually left, taking the Curlew Sand with them.

I decided to call it a night after the tern count at 4.30. The fret had made things very difficult, half the pool obscured. There had not anyone to send away during the entire afternoon shift and as a result there was little I could do besides watch the fog. As a result I drew the line and headed home. On the way back I spotted one of the Grey Seals near to shore, and since I have not taken any photos of them yet I decided to grab a few, since they are a regular feature of any day at Spurn.

-Grey Seal

And that was that. The fret came and went through the evening, but I remained exhausted so I did not go out again. Another birder was in the warren and he said that he had got nothing, so once more it seems I had the best of it up at the pools. Man, I love my job.

The Daily Oystercatcher

As mentioned both families were seen today. My family spent most of their time in their chick adult pairs, occasionally coming together to do some feeding. I managed to upset them multiple times while checking the fence and moving between Long Bank.

I was interested to note that when the above marsh harrier made an appearance, instead of the parents going off to mob them, they immediately ran to their chicks, as if to protect them. I don’t really see what an adult oystercatcher would have been able to do against a marsh harrier, but this was a different response to that seen to the Sparrowhawk over the last few days, a bird which was violently mobbed by the oystercatchers.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Little Egret, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Dunlin, Gannet, Kestrel, Little Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Skua, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Herring Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Sanderling, Swallow, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Marsh Harrier, Common Scoter, Kittywake, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Knot, Starling, Sand Martin, Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Turnstone, Wren, Grey Seal, Brown Hare, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Painted Lady, Wall Brown, 

Spurn Day 13

Day 11, a day that finally begins at some kind of reasonable hour, as in not 00.00. But 4.00 is not much better. I crawled still half asleep to the hut, relieved Keiron of duty, then sat in the chair and went to sleep for 2 hours on and off. If anything were to happen I am reliably informed the birds would wake me, and they did. I kept checking during my waking breaks and nothing was happening. There were not even that many Juv Little Terns about. There was my Oystercatcher family though, and they always provide fun. There were 3 Little Egrets in too at 5.20, as well as a juvenile Little Gull preening itself on the shoreline.

When I finally awoke and decided to stay awake it was already 7.30. Completely wrecked I set about counting the days birds. I managed 218 Sandwich Terns at 9.30, 11 Arctic Terns and 2 Common Terns at the same time. Not bad really. The first birds that I crossed paths with that were not pool regulars was a large flock of Common Scoter out to sea, that went north at 9.50. I decided to take some photos of these, as it was looking like a quiet day and something photographed may be needed for said blog I decided.

-Common Scoter

To be honest that was about it until lunchtime. It was a very quiet morning and I get the impression that I did not miss much by having a power nap.

On the way back from lunch things really started to pick up right from the off. Despite the fact that the sky was overcast it was incredibly humid and warm so there were plenty of insects around on Beacon Lane. Today had 2 Wall Browns and the regulars, plus a Small Copper. Having seen spurns first of this species this year last Thursday I decided to grab some pictures to commemorate this find. I had the wrong lens on, so it’s not great, but it’s a site record shot.

-Small Copper

There was still and Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing on the small pond, but that was about it. There were a couple of darters in the pathside vegetation, which I assume are Ruddy. I inspected one female and that was the case.

On the beach there were more Sanderlings in summer plumage. There had been one on the way to lunch, but it had seen me first and taken off with a Ringed Plover, before I knew what was happening. This was a larger group, around 10 birds, but they were difficult to approach. Waders on the beach have been fairly approachable, with the exception of Sanderling. Since I have to get past them it’s not usually an issue in that they will be approached regardless, so may as well try and get some snaps while I am at it.

-Sanderling

Over lunch I had seen yesterday’s sightings log. Adam had been up to the ponds, while I was there, and managed to count 38 juvenile little terns. Yesterday I managed to count 13. I asked where he got the numbers from and said that the best spot is on the long bank behind the pond. I have previously tried to do this but failed to find a real path, so did not make it. But since finding a way looks like it would make the difference between me doing my job properly and not meant that I had to find a way. I did find a way, an overgrown path so covered in vegetation it looks little more than a natural sea-break, but it was a way onto the far bank.

It was well worth it, as I counted 24 juvenile Little Terns. The number is unsurprisingly lower than Adams, because at 1.55 before I set off the male Sparrowhawk made another appearance at the lagoon, sending everything crazy and many terns took off out to sea. The Sparrowhawk had the nerve to land on the beach again before I saw it off. I don’t think it got anything but the fact that it came back suggests that it is using the pools as one of its regular haunts. Well, it will have to get through me if he wants any dinner from here!

But it was not the Little Terns that stole the show from up on long bank. It was nearing high tide and the days Dunlin were all it. I set the scope up for a gander through and immediately, immediately I tell you, landed on a SUMMER PLUMAGED Curlew Sandpiper. It was feeding among the sleeping Dunlin, moving around near the back. Since yesterday’s bird had been a proper pain to photograph, constantly moving and hiding, I rattled off about a hundred record shots of this bird out in the open, where it was little more than a small blob with legs and a curved beak.

But I need not have bothered. The bird kept coming closer, but still far away, when it upset a Ringed Plover, poor choice to upset of birds on this pond. The Plover gave the sandpiper a good chase, but the sandpiper came round and landed on the near bank, as close as I could possibly hope to get from Long-Bank and as close as I could realistically hope. I got some good record shots of the bird as it fed among a small company of Dunlin. And as if any more proof was needed, when it flew I got some shots of that white rump.

It stayed close for around 15 mins before it upset another Ringed Plover and flew back to the main bunch of Dunlin, probably around 700 in today. I took a few more shots later, when it was feeding alongside a Knot and a single Dunlin, to serve as a comparison shot between the species. Having said that, if I see a summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper there will be little doubt as to its identity, it being a stunning bird to say the least. 

-Curlew Sandpiper

-Curlew Sandpiper mobbed by Ringed Plover

-Knot, Dunlin and Curlew Sandpiper

Also among the ranks of Dunlin were a few Knot, a single Turnstone, but a lovely adult in summer plumage and around 6 adult Little Gull on the small island. But the highlight was a Kittywake that had taken up among the Sandwich Terns. Finding it once again proved to myself that I would be able to identify species outside of their expected environment. 

-Kittywake (Center)

I headed back to the hut. I would have to stay on the bank to watch the birds as the views were so much better, but I needed to be on duty in case any photographers, irresponsible birds, irresponsible dog owners or tourists decided to ignore the signs on the beach. The clouds were beginning to clear, though the wind did not drop, but it was peasant enough to set up outside atop my dune and watch, there was not long of my shift left.

Late on in my shift I got the horror I did not need, almost confirming my worst fears. The Terns had been on edge all afternoon, very flighty, due to the Sparrowhawks appearance. So late in the shift when the terns went mad I assumed they were overreacting. You can tell how serious their panic is whether or not the Dunlin go up too, this time they did. I spotted a female Sparrowhawk flying through the colony. It seems then that a pair is using the site for hunting. Fortunately this time the bird just passed through as it was mobbed violently, unlike the male bird which was left largely in peace. I will have to be extra on my guard from now on.

I spent the last half an hour of my shift looking out to sea hoping for a Skua to appear. I did find 2 families of Guillemots on the sea, 2 adults with young chicks bobbing on the waves. I decided then that I rather a Skua not turn up, as these looked primed for Skua snacking. In that sense, fortunately one did not turn up. I also wondered if the Grey Seals might try to snack on them, but so far as I can see they did not.

And that was the sum total of my Seawatching that afternoon, very little movement. On the way back though I picked up another nice species when I flushed a Painted Lady from the path at the bottom of Beacon Lane. It moved into the bushes, where I photographed it. I noticed that the butterfly was shivering quite rapidly, which is the first time I have seen this outside the early morning. It had obviously been sunbathing when I inadvertently flushed it. 

-Painted Lady

And with that I made it back to the Warren. I did not go out again as the tiredness was beginning was to catch up again and I had 2 days blog posts to do. It’s been another great afternoon, even if the morning was not up to much, more Curlew Sands, more Oystercatchers, More chasing off hungry Sparrowhawks, I love my Job!

The Daily Oystercatcher

When I arrived both chicks were feeding behind the hide, each with an adult. But once again it was clear to see that one chick was becoming more independent, as it wandered along from the other 3. It re-joined later and I frequently saw each chick with one parent throughout the day. I also saw both chicks feeding together without the adult. So it had to be when the female Sparrowhawk flew through, as the adults went mad, the first time I have seen them leave the chicks in the event of a predator, with the exception being when I have to check the electric fence and they are nearby. I got a nice photo of one of the chicks being demanding/fed for today's slot. Shows just how well they are doing.

-Oystercatcher

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Egret, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Little Gull, Dunlin, Mute Swan, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Cormorant, Avocet, Common Gull, Common Tern, Gannet, Woodpigeon, Redshank, Meadow Pipit, Common Scoter, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Sanderling, Sparrowhawk, Curlew Sandpiper, Knot, Swallow, Linnet, Reed Bunting, House Martin, Starling, Blackbird, Whitethroat, Turnstone, Mallard, Guillemot, Sedge Warbler, Herring Gull, Grey Seal, Common Lizard, Emperor Dragonfly, Ruddy Darter, Southern Hawker, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Common Blue, Small Copper, Peacock, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Large White, Small White, Green-Veined White, Meadow Brown, Wall Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Small Heath