Soil Hill; Week 16th May - 22nd May

Soil Hill

After a quiet previous week, this week there were a few more notable birds. The highlight of the week was on the 19th when a distant Shelduck flew north over Ovenden Moor and then continued over Thornton Moor Reservoir. Frustratingly I couldn't pick up the bird once I took my binoculars off it, and as such, I only managed to fluke a couple of record shots with my camera at the wrong settings. Still, this is my first patch tick for 18 months and is my 116th species for the Hill.

An evening visit on the 16th turned productive with a very mobile Cuckoo in the North Slope area, and also a pair of Grey Partridge on the Taylor Lane manure pile. Presumably, this pair was also on the summit the following day. My first Barn Owl of the year was hunting on the morning of the 19th, so its good to know they are still around. Otherwise the species remained very similar to last week, with no notable new arrivals of other migrants. Something seems to have prompted the Common Snipe population to begin breeding activities, with at least five birds displaying and many more residing in the fields below. Drumming snipe is one of my favourite sounds, so this is a very welcome development. 

-Common Shelduck

-Grey Partridge

-Common Cuckoo

Species List:

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Western Barn Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 22nd April - 29th April

Soil Hill

Its staggering just how cold it has been this week, given that it's the last week of April. At least two frosts and a constant NE wind of varying strength has meant the Hill has been a challenge at times. However, there have been a few nice birds to report. The undoubted highlight was a Jack Snipe flushed at the bottom of the North Slope during the late afternoon of the 25th. Helpfully it looped round once it flushed, allowing me to grab a few photos of what is my latest record for this species. Migrants have been thin on the ground, with one Wheatear on the 22nd and two on 29th being the only ones. A smashing but distant male Whinchat on the 29th certainly made up for this, and at least two Grasshopper Warblers have been reeling on and off since the 23rd. A few Jays have been blogging around the Hill during the week, with one dropping into the North Slope Tree-Line on the 27th. Other nice species during the week include a pair of Grey Partridge, a flyover Lesser Redpoll and a male Bullfinch.

-Eurasian Jay

-Jack Snipe

-Whinchat

Whiteholme Reservoir

It was disappointing to find Whiteholme almost void of shoreline, with just a slither in the NW corner of the reservoir. Still there were a few interesting birds that passed through on my visits during the week. The 24th was the standout day, with a passage Arctic Tern followed an hour later by a passage Bar-tailed Godwit, which was a Halifax tick for me. These birds followed a national movement of both species due to the strong NE winds. The following day on the 25th there was no movement of note, although two Shelduck dropped in, joining a smart pair of Goldeneye that were already present. Other birds of note included a pair of Goosander that flew through, a single Dunlin and a pair of Ringed Plover. 

-Shelduck

-Northern Wheatear

-Bar-tailed Godwit

-Arctic Tern

Ringstone Edge Reservoir

On the 24th, just over five minutes after the Bar-tailed Godwit flew through Whiteholme, another was reported on Ringstone. Since it was not a huge detour, and this bird seemed settled, I called in for a quick look. The extent of the white on the coverts from photos by John Marsh shows that this was a different individual from the bird at Whiteholme. 

-Bar-tailed Godwit

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Whinchat, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Whiteholme Reservoir: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Common Goldeneye, Goosander, Red Grouse, Common Pheasant, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Arctic Tern, Eurasian Jay, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting,

Ringstone Edge: Canada Goose, Common Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Wren, Pied Wagtail, Common Linnet, 

Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 17th - 23rd May

Soil Hill

Once again Soil Hill was very steady with no significant arrivals during the week. Overall numbers of Whitethroats and Willow Warblers remained fairly consistent, although a sucessful Whitethroat territorie on Taylor Lane from 2020 at last returned, bringing the total number of territories up to at least nine. The Sedge Warbler finally returned on the 17th but was elusive and difficult to get to grips with. Otherwise notable observations were limited. A single Siskin flew north on the 22nd, a pair of Mistle Thrush were present on the 23rd and a pair of Collared Doves flew over the Ned Hill Track on two dates during the week. 

-Sedge Warbler

Whiteholme Reservoir

Passage wader numbers continued to drop and despite ideal conditions there was nothing of real note on any dates, with Dunlin numbers starting at seven on the 18th but dwindling down to just two on the 22nd. Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers remained present, with Oystercatchers also making intermittent appearances. There were a couple of notable sightings during the week. On the 17th there was a pair of Shelduck on the far shore. Although I can't be certain, I think this is a Calderdale tick for me, having failed to connect with any last year. Finally on the 22nd there was something more notable when I picked out a roosting Common Tern early morning. It remained settled for maybe 30 minutes before it was flushed by a Crow and flew strongly SW calling.

-Shelduck

-Common Tern

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit,

Orgreave Lakes

With the dissertation coming together I decided to spend my afternoon at Orgreave in the hope of patch-ticking the Greenshank that had been around for a few days. The only downside being that I was badly caught out in a wintry shower, which was extremely unpleasant. That being said though, there were good numbers of birds to enjoy, and it was a nice afternoon out of the library.

I picked up the Greenshank almost straight away but it was distant and the light appauling so it wasnt until on the way back that I got any photos, even then they were not brilliant. I also got to enjoy a pair of Shelduck, which I can't remember seeing before but I'm sure I must have.

-Greenshank

-Shelduck

There were also good numbers of migrants, which felt a little odd in the falling snow. A wheatear foraging in the snow is not something I ever really expected to see. There were also plenty of Hirundines, including a couple of House Martins. They were perching up on the wooden fences, probably to try and stay warm and dry given the conditions.

Not only Hirundines though, as there were plenty of Warbler singing in the trees alongside the river, including Chiff-chaff, Blackcap and Willow Warbler, plus my first Whitethroat of the year, which was not especially showy

-Hirundines

-Whitethroat

But the highlight of the walk was another self-found patch tick in the form of a solitary Raven that flew over going north. The bird was so tatty it took me a while to be sure I'd got it right, although its fairly clear that it is a Raven. I never expected to get one of these on my patch list here.

-Raven

In addition to these goodies there were also plenty of other birds I did not photograph, including the Yellowhammer again, a couple of flyover Yellow Wagtails and a few very nice Little Ringed Plovers. Other waders included Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and an abundance of Redshank.

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Robin, Willow Warbler, Linnet, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Kestrel, Blackbird, Reed Bunting, Pied Wagtail, Yellowhammer, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Raven, Gadwall, Moorhen, Coot, Great-crested Grebe, Mallard, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Black-headed Gull, Whitethroat, Chiff-chaff, Willow Warbler, Shelduck, Greenshank, Common Buzzard,

Spurn Day 17

Last time on the dayshift for a week now. Once more it began in fog, so I took a power nap. I was awoken to the radio, the message of which I thought said something about ‘spotted redshank’ and ‘tern hut’, so I had a look. I later discovered this was not the case, but in looking I re-found the Curlew Sandpiper that’s been around, milling about with the Dunlins.

It turned into another really warm day, which I had been dreading given that it was a weekend in the school holidays. It was a quiet day though thank goodness. Nobody really bothered the terns, and there was nothing exceptional on the bird front. The highlights were a Yellow-Legged Gull on the beach, and a Yellow Wagtail that dropped in around lunchtime, the first time I have seen one on the ponds.

In the evening I had a bit more stuff. I had to take my laundry up to Kew, so decided to go via Canalside. There was a sea fret in, but that meant any birds would not see me. The first birds I saw were a flock of Shelduck that were over the Humber. They looked really mysterious in the fog, but since I had nothing else photographed all day I decided to grab a few pics.

-Shelduck

The tide was still quite high, and as a result there were good numbers of waders along the shoreline. I got really good views of Whimbrel along the bank, as well as views of Redshank and Dunlin.

-Whimbrel

-Whimbrel, Redshank and Dunlin

And that was about it Birdwise. There was one other item of interest, and a lifer for me, in that near the top of Canalside I found a Puss Moth Caterpillar. Sadly it had been trodden on and its guts were spilled out, but it was still alive, just in a less than magnificent state. It’s the first time I have seen this species of caterpillar, and they are just as weird as they look in the books.

-Puss Moth Caterpillar

The Daily Oystercatcher

Pretty standard day for the Oyks today, much feeding and wing stretching. By the looks of it, it won’t be long until they can fly, and then will be free from the necessary protection that they get as a side effect of the tern project. It’s the last time I will see them properly for a good while now, given that I’m back on nights. By the time I get back to days they will probably be ready to roll.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper, Knot, Common Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Sanderling, Woodpigeon, Marsh Harrier, Little Gull, Swallow, Little Egret, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Yellow-Legged Gull, Yellow Wagtail, Gannet, Kestrel, Sedge Warbler, Feral Pigeon, Blackbird, Linnet, Grey Plover,

Canalside: Whimbrel, Redshank, Dunlin, Shelduck, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Common Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Puss Moth Caterpillar

Potteric Carr YWT

After our frankly disappointing trip to Old Moor we decided to call in at Potteric Carr. Since we have only ever been to this site once before we still don't really know much about it. When we arrived the species reportings was frankly very short considering, but we set off anyway. We headed for the field center initially, the only thing we saw along the way was a pheasant which was sat by the side of the path. We decided to go round the main area of the reserve, and area that we had not really looked at before and see what was around there. We tackled it in a clockwise direction since the first hide on the left was meant to have nesting kingfishers...

We did not see a kingfisher, but there was plenty of stuff in the hides, though in smaller quantities than those at Old Moor. However, after a short while of watching I got a big surprise when a Barnacle Goose decided to swim out from behind the reeds. It was my first of the year but it does seem rather late, the reason for my surprise. Either way, it was a good surprise and a stunning bird to add to my year list. 

-Barnacle Goose

Other significant birds at this pool were a family of young Canada Geese and a singing cettis warbler, but as per we did not see it.

Following on down the path we reached the first hide that overlooks the main, central, lakes and scrapes. There was a small selection of birds, including Teal, Gadwall and Redshank. As we watched however my dad noticed 2 small waders along the near island, and called them as ringed plovers. However, when I got down to look I realised that they were Little Ringed Plover, a charming little bird that I am really starting to see a lot of I now notice.

It was during this time that we were joined by another birder. We got chatting and he mentioned that there were a pair of black necked grebe at the far hide, the last one we would reach. It was in this moment that my second year tick appeared in the form of a Common Sandpiper which flew across the pond and alighted on the bank right where we could not see it. After we left the hide we back-tracked in order to get a better view and check that it was indeed a common sand. It was indeed.

We skimmed over the remaining hides, partly due to the BNG's and partly due to the fact that we were running out of time regarding the car park closing time. We eventually arrived at Duchess hide, having only really picked up Little Egret and a booming bittern, seen but not heard, along the way.

And so I began my search for the BNG's. After an initially excitement and disappointment in the form of a female pochard I tracked them down to the reeds at the far side of the pond. They epitomize the term 'stunning bird'. They really were, with their yellow ear tufts and stunning black bodies. They were a joy to watch as they drifted in an out of the reeds and fished around the back. I only really wish that they would have come closer, as my photos were really poor. Not only are they a year-tick but they are also a Life for me, how exciting is that?

-Black Necked Grebes

We decided to finish off our walk along the top of the reserve. There was not much going on there, but a couple of shellduck did drop onto the reserve pools while we were there. They seemed to have beef with the shoveler as the male bird would not relent in his pursuit of the male shoveler. However, his efforts were in vain, as there seemed to be an increase in the numbers of shoveler for his efforts, not a decrease.

-Shellduck

I was very impressed with the reserve, more than what I had expected. 1 lifer and 2 other year-ticks is a great result for the day, bringing my total up to 137 for the year, surpassing all the other years that I have records for, and its still only April. What a year I am having.

Species List:

Potteric Carr YWT: Pochard, Gadwall, Blue Tit, Graylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot, Black-Headed Gull, Magpie, Tufted Duck, Carrion Crow, Pheasant, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Shoveler, Starling, Mute Swan, Lapwing, Woodpigeon, Long-Tailed Tit, Redshank, Teal, Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, Little Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Great-Crested Grebe, Herring Gull, Moorhen, Little Egret, Black-Necked Grebe, Blackcap, Grey Heron, Dunlin, Reed Bunting, Shellduck, Robin, Magpie,

Rother Valley CP with SUBS

So today I decided to go on the Sheffield University Birdwatching Society (SUBS) trip to Rother Valley Country Park on the far side of Sheffield. The weather was not great and it set in during the afternoon, however, it was a really good day with plenty of stuff. I am informed 34 species were recorded, the full list to follow soon. 

The highlights were without doubt Redshank, Buzzard and numerous wigeon which were grazing the side of the lake. There were also great views of great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck and Lesser Black Backed gull, which were perched on a drum in the lake.

-Lesser Black Backed Gull

We had lunch at the Wake-boarding center, which was quiet bird-wise but there was a Lapwing on one of the Jetties and a pied wagtail flitting around for a little while.

-Pied Wagtail

I even managed a year tick today, and not a species I had considered as a possibility. At the feeding station there were multiple Mute Swans, Graylag Geese, Canada Geese and Mallards when while we were having a group photo I spotted a Shelduck feeding among the mallards. It was incredibly bold, not seeming to care how close we were, which was very close, but it allowed us great views and was possibly the most unusual bird that we recorded today. It was also my 81st year tick, hence my little cheer of celebration when I spotted it. The fact that it was in full plumage only added to it.

-Shelduck 

So that was that, a really nice day spent out and about with plenty of great birds to show for it.

Dorset Holiday-Day 4: RSPB Arne

Today was another bright and sunny, and hot, day so I decided to make my way to RSPB Arne as it had high recommendation, and my parents were passing nearby and so could drop me off, since it was far from easy to get to by public transport. It was another heathland reserve, but had some woodland and meadows, though the latter were out of bounds, as well as some estuary and salt marsh. 

When I arrived it was already well over 25 degrees. First I made my way through the woods but there was not much going on there. The path then went by a section of estuary called Shipstal Beach. Here I left the woods and wandered round the saltmarsh for a bit. Around some of the small stagnant pools there were Keeled and Black Tailed Skimmers, both species I was beginning to get familiar with on this holiday 

-Black Tailed Skimmer

From the beach I was able to look over the bay towards Brownsea Island. There were more birds here than there had been on any other site I had so far visited. From the beach I could see a few curlews and a shelduck flew over.

-Shelduck

I made my way towards the hide, via the ponds and heathland. The heathland was not very exciting, but the ponds had some nice dragon and damselflies. There were Emperor Dragonflies and Four Spot Chasers, while on the damselfly front there were Small Red Damselflies and Common Emerald Damselflies. Small red damselflies were so abundant that I had started to take them for granted. It seems odd that less than 5 days ago I had only ever seen one, in a misty lake in wales 

-Small Red Damselflies

At the hide I got good views out over the saltmarsh. I can imagine in winter that there would be ample birds but on this hot summers day there did seem to be a lack. There was a large flock of curlews, as well as a group of Little Egrets probably the largest flock of them I have ever seen. There was also a few Black Headed Gulls around, as well as a handful of Woodpigeons. In front of the hide directly there was a large sand bank and on it were some roosting Cormorants. Close examination revealed Greater Black Backed Gulls and Oystercatchers there too, so on the whole, an improvement on the bird front.

-Cormorants, Oystercatchers and Greater Black Backed Gulls

-Little Egrets

I made my way round the top heathland and found plenty of shallow pools not shown on the map. I scrambled down the bank to get a closer look at them. There were plenty of keeled skimmers and four spot chasers and also a couple of butterflies, like Common Blue

-Common Blue

The pools still had some of the damselflies described from earlier, such as small red damselfly, which was becoming something of a formality

-Small Red Damselfly

After I had explored the top loop of the heathland, I made my way down past Arne Farm back to the visitor center where I could wander off to the proper heathland section of the reserve. The meadow did not have many insects as the reserve leaflet suggested, but there were quite a few Meadow Brown butterflies

The heathland had one pond on it, so here is where I went first, as it being lunchtime I had intended to sit and see if I could spot a raft spider, which was one of Arnes specialties. The first thing I saw when I got to the pond was a Green Woodpecker, which had flown over from the adjacent woodland. Its odd to see a green woodpecker in a tree, but it really highlighted the outline of the bird

-Green Woodpecker

At the pond the main species were the four spotted chasers which were the most obliging I had ever come across. There was a stick placed near to the bench I was sat on, which they regularly came to, so I was able to take my best photos yet of this fairly abundant dragonfly species.

-Four Spotted Chaser

While having my lunch though, a party of elderly people came and the peace was shattered. They were nice enough, some even joking, saying 'And you thought you were going to have a peaceful lunch' and the like, but the secretive spider did not come out while they were there. Once they had left and my lunch had finished I had a wander around the pool to see what was about, and if any spiders were lurking around the back. 

I did not find any spiders, but when I mounted the bank I flushed 2 Sika Deer from the shrubbery. They probably gave me as much of a fright as I gave them. It is the first time I have seen this kind of deer, but I have now completed my list of "British" deer (though I don't count reindeer as some people do) so this was a 'finishing off the category' kind of tick, but even so. I was surprised at how big these deer were, almost red deer size, when I was expecting a much more slender deer, like a fallow.

-Sika Deer

After I had been round the pond and found no spiders I headed up on to the heathland to the hide there and to see if I could find any dartford warblers. I diddnt, but I did find a Meadow Pipit which was taking food into the heather, where I can assume that there would be a nest

-Meadow Pipit

The hide was disappointing and that's an understatement. The only birds there were Black Headed Gulls, and the walk down to it involved being savaged by Cleg Flies, which seem to love me since our trip to Angelsey 

On the top of the moors I spotted more deer in the distance, but they dissapeared into a thicket. I also watched a male Stonechat calling, and caught up with some lovely Silver Studded Blue butterflies. I found myself not really appreciating these really rather rare butterflies since I had seen them before and they seemed to be everywhere. Therefore I made an effort to find one landed so I could once again record it. It took some time though, even though I was surrounded by them, as few of them seemed keen to land. When I did find one though...

-Silver Studded Blue

On my way back into the wooded bit of the reserve I decided to have another look at the pond, see if any spiders had turned up. I had a quick look and was about to go when there it was. It was huge at the top of the reeds. I could hardly believe it, there was a Raft Spider, Britain's second largest spider. I took a few photos before I stealthily ambled closer. When I was closer I noticed that there was an egg sack at the top of the grass stems which the spider must have been guarding. It was a big spider, but seemed bigger because it had sturdy legs and not weeny legs like some other large spiders. It would have been about 7 cm long

-Raft Spider

I then tried to move some obstructing reeds but the spider bolted, rather it vanished, straight down the stem and into the water. I decided to move on and come back in a bit to see if it would come back out. Since there was a nest there I assumed that it would at some point so I set off round the top part of the reserve to kill some time for it to come back out.

In the woods I actually saw a bird this time. In the gorse on the woodland edge I could hear an constant chirping and when I started to look I found the cause the be a fledgling chaffinch which was rather bold, as it did not fly away when I found it, as I was quite close to it. 

-Chaffinch Fledgling 

I made my way back to the ponds, but since it was getting quite late in the afternoon most of the dragonflies had roosted up for the evening. At the second pond though I found not a dragonfly but a lizard, which was my first reptile on a holiday where every site claimed that there all 6 British Reptiles. This was a Common Lizard which looked lovely, though as you would expect I could not really get a good photo because of the amount of vegetation debris.

-Common Lizard

On my way round the top loop I flushed some more sika deer, this time even closer than they had been the first time. But aside from them I did not see anything, and most of the reserves life had gone to bed it would seem, and even though it was only around four o'clock you could be excused for thinking it as late as 7, it was really becoming rather like twilight.

After I had been round the loop I made my way back to the pond before I set off walking back to Wareham. I could not see the spider where it had been, and had a quick look elsewhere, only for it to be on the other side of where it had been and that I had completely missed it, hard to do you would think for such a large spider.

-Raft Spider

This time I made a point of not moving anything to avoid disturbing the spider and left it where it was. On my way back to the road, a sika deer wandered right across the path in front of me. I was impressed since the others I had seen had all taken flight at the first sight of me. This one did not seem bothered in the slightest as it sauntered across the path. 

-Sika Deer

I made my way to the road and began to walk back feeling very satisfied. With the exception of dartford warbler I had seen all of Arnes specialties. On the walk back I saw more deer, but also stonechat, Common Buzzard and Treecreeper, which was a holiday first.