Soil Hill

  August has not been the start to the autumn that I would have wanted on Soil Hill, with bad weather really hampering birding efforts, and low migrant totals making it difficult to stay motivated. Fortunately this morning there was a break in the site's fortunes, with a patch tick for me number 125; Reed Warbler! 

  It caught me completely off guard when the bird perched up in the open in a thicket for a few seconds, before dropping down and calling twice. Stunned at this, I grabbed my camera and began stalking the bird to ensure that it did not leave the bush before I had managed a record shot. It remained frustratingly elusive but did show a couple more times, but again too fast for the camera.

  It then flew out of the bush, to my horror, but fortunately it did not go far and I was able to follow it. Here I got a small bunch of blurred record shots to remember this occasion. Since I had now been following the bird for some time, I decided to leave it and get on with some other birding.

  Other migrants were again thin on the ground, with no Willow Warblers present at all today. Still there were four Tree Pipits that flew south/dropped in, showing very nicely on the machinery at the bottom of the slope. Three Snipe flew southwest and a distant Peregrine flew south. All good stuff that hopefully indicates better birding days are ahead! 

-Reed Warbler

-Tree Pipit

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Reed Warbler, Barn Swallow, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Eurasian Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 

Orgreave Lakes

With nothing major on the radar I decided to spend the morning down at Orgreave to see if the wind had brought anything in overnight. I was also keen to see if I could catch up with the Reed Warbler that I had been tipped off about yesterday, as that would be my third patch tick in 2 days. Its been fun spending more time down at the patch, but having said that I still could not get out of bed for half 5, eventually dragging myself out at 6, meaning that I got to the site at 7.00ish.

The morning started a little rainy but then cleared up afterwards until it came quite sunny. The wind had dropped but had not completely gone and on the northern side of the lake where there are fewer trees it could definitely be felt. The shrubbery had plenty of passerines around, including Blackcap and Chiffchaff, both singing. The small lake had some good stuff including a Great Crested Grebe chick being closely attended by its parents, which was fantastic to see.

There were no waders round the small lake and as I wandered over to the large lake I struggled to pick any up initially. However, on the near shore I eventually got a Ringed Plover, and a little more scanning got me a Sanderling again, which was fantastic. It was not particularly close so I moved off round the way it was going hoping it would come out of the grass closer. It did but I had been distracted by a Little Ringed Plover and had not been paying attention, so when it did run through the shorter grass I had no time to prep myself. Never mind. It was the only Sanderling here today.

-Sanderling

I continued round after the Sanderling had moved on round until it was out of sight. There were no new waders round the side, only a couple of Ringed Plover. As I reached the area where I had been tipped off about the Reed Warbler. As I approached I could hear the zesty call of the Reed Warbler though it was drowned out by a very vocal Whitethroat in the neighboring trees.

I set myself up and it did not take long before I could see the Reed Warbler flitting around. It took me surprisingly long to work out that digiscoping was simply not going to work for this and so had to retrieve my camera from my bag. Even then the bird was incredibly difficult to track. At one point, after I had lost it for a while, two birds flew across the river. I could not confirm it but it looked like two Reed Warblers, though the second bird could have been a Whitethroat. Having said that, later revelations would suggest that they were both Reed Warblers.

Whilst I was waiting for a decent chance to photograph this patch tick I spotted another patch tick fluttering around the edge of the river. Not a bird this time but a Banded Demoiselle, which is a species I have not seen on the site before and the first this year for me.

-Banded Demoiselle

The warbler started to show much better afterwards, although it soon became clear that there must be 2 individuals, one on each side of the river. I could not see the birds transfer across the river, yet within seconds of each other the birds were showing on their respective sides. Its possible that there was a third bird, as about 10 seconds after watching the bird on the far side I spotted the bird on the near side sat out in the open, though it quickly dived to be replaced by another. I cannot confirm this was not the bird from the far side of the river but the short time span in which I saw the birds would lead me to think that it is not.

-Reed Warbler

The rest of the walk was very pleasant and I picked up a number of the regular species dotted around the lakes. There were quite a few garden birds around too in the riverside trees, including Long-Tailed Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and another Blackcap. It ended up being a really nice day and a great way to spend a morning.

Species List:
Orgreave Lakes: Blackcap, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Magpie, Black-Headed Gull, Chiffchaff, Skylark, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Canada Goose, Swift, House Martin, Sand Martin, Graylag Goose, Gadwall, Mallard, Carrion Crow, Kestrel, Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Lapwing, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Coot, Little Ringed Plover, Stock Dove, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler, Moorhen, Whitethroat, Great Tit, Linnet, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Dunlin, Graylag Goose, Bullfinch, Blue Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Dunnock, Swallow,

Spurn Day 45

There was a lot of anticipation about today that there may be some birds about. As a result I crawled out of bed early and headed out to the canal to see if I could be the first to see something. There were plenty of birds about but nothing that had been brought.

I started at canal hedge. The main birds here were a very vocal family party of Reed Warblers. There were quite a few parties too. They were so noisy its a wonder that they had not been eaten already by some hungry predator. They were obviously very skulky but I on one occasion I got sight of them so I took a few photos of the juveniles. 

-Reed Warbler

I continued on my walk around the triangle area but did not really pick up much else. The highlight of my walk was when a young grey Cuckoo flew across the canal path and landed on the fence near Canal Scrape. It stayed there for a few minuets while being mobbed by the local passerines. In the end it decided it had seen enough and that staying there was not worth the harassment.

-Cuckoo

I arrived back at the warren with a decent list for the NGB patch challenge. I did not know where to set up in order to maximise the number of species I could get in the afternoon but I saw that Adam was up at numpties and wherever he is you stand a good chance of getting something, As soon as I arrived he picked up a Red-Throated Diver on the sea, which is a yeartick for me more importantly. Sadly he left pretty much as soon as I arrived.

I therefore spent the afternoon around the warren hoping to pick up some commoner species on the feeders there. I got a few bits and pieces such as Great Tit, Blue Tit and a lovely Wheatear in top of the heligoland trap, which sat nicely for a photo.

-Wheatear

That was is before the evenings seawatch. Movement was slow again but I got a spurn tick in the form of a Shag that went north. In terms of other birds there were Fulmar, Arctic Skua and a Razorbill. So the variety was decent but the numbers of terns was not particularly impressive, or at least compared to what it could have been.

Species List:

Mooching About: Robin, Whitethroat, Blackbird, Shelduck, Carrion Crow, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Little Egret, Knot, Whimbrel, Feral Pigeon, Reed Warbler, Linnet, Mallard, Coot, Magpie, Whinchat, Goldfinch, Blackcap, Wren, Willow Warbler, House Martin, House Sparrow, Kestrel, Yellow Wagtail, Greenfinch, Pied Wagtail, Herring Gull, Wheatear, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Sedge Warbler, Cuckoo, Great Tit, Dunnock, Snipe, Grey Plover, Curlew,

Vis Migging: Red-Throated Diver, Swallow, Common Gull, Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, Redshank, Common Scoter,

Seawatching: Oystercatcher, Common Scoter, Gannet, Fulmar, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Common Gull, Common Tern, Razorbill, Cormorant, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Manx Shearwater

Spurn Day 37

So I headed out after another nightshift and went straight onto Canal Scrape to see what was about. Even by canal scrape standards it was dead. I made it to 15 species before I gave up, the highlight being a couple of lovely yellow Willow Warbler in the bushes at the back.

On the way out I heard a very unfamiliar call and turned round to see an Accro warbler calling from the bushes. I grabbed a quick picture before the bird dived for cover, but I was left in some doubt as to its i.d., as the call I did not recognize as reed warbler. After about an hour following the bird round I eventually gave up, but research after suggests that it was a Reed Warbler, only it was making some funny noises!

-Reed Warbler

While I was waiting for the warbler I spotted a hawker dragonfly hunting in the hedgerow in front of me. I got a decent view of it and identified it as a Southern Hawker, nice but it did not land and as such I was unable to get any decent photos.

As such when it came to the log and proof was required due to the rarer nature of this dragonfly on Spurn there was some discussion as to the proof, though the green marks behind the head are clearly visible and indicate that it is indeed a Southern Hawker, a spurn rarity.

-Southern Hawker

The seawatch was just as quiet as the day, with very few terns moving and hardly anything besides them. A few Common Scoter and Fulmar was the only addition to the poor tern passage. It has been a quiet day thats for sure, but only by Spurn standards!

Species List:

Canal Scrape: Woodpigeon, Swallow, Mallard, Black-Headed Gull, Herring Gull, House Martin, Linnet, Willow Warbler, Knot, Magpie, Sand Martin, Coot, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Little Egret, Whitethroat, Greenfinch, Reed Warbler,

Seawatch: Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Fulmar, Common Scoter, Gannet, Arctic Skua

Spurn Day 22

Another quiet night on the ponds came and went, though we did have an improvement today as I did actually hear the fox barking over on the far side of Long Bank. Again though, it gave me no bother on the ponds. We had a new bird for the raft this morning though, just as Keiron arrived a Grey Heron dropped in on the ponds, attempted to land. So close, I remarked, to a new bird on the raft. No sooner had the words left my mouth than did the Heron attempt to land again and this time succeed. Yes, the funding for the bird raft is paying off.

There was also a Ponds tick for me in the form of a Migrant Hawker that was hunting around the hut. I did not have my main camera on me, but I managed a few shots with my compact, but it required the flash due to unfortunately low light, such as is regularly the case at 4.30 in the morning.

-Migrant Hawker

On the way back I thought I had round myself something a little special when I flushed a very pale lark from the path in front of me. It kept very low down and I failed to find it settled. I only saw the bird 3 times, each time it flying but it was pretty featureless with the exception of it being so pale. The limited views I was getting were frustrating to say the least, and not just because it was half 5 in the morning and I wanted to go to bed. I would have given up when it failed to show again, but instead I went back to grab some more kit and to sit it out, so I could find it and have peace of mind. Upon my return to the birds location I took some time but did re-find it. It was, as I had always though, just a very pale Skylark. But in my stakeout of this bird I had got to see a couple of Yellow Wagtails and a good build-up of Hirundines (Swallow and Sand Martin)on the fences in prep for the days passage. So it was not a total loss.

I woke up at 2.30 in the afternoon, feeling much recovered from the virus, though it was still giving me bother, and actually feeling ready to roll. I decided to do a little Seawatching, but that never got off the ground as it was completely dead due to a lack of wind. I then decided to go for a walk up Canalside to see if there were any birds in the bushes.

This paid great dividends, as I managed a decent haul of species and a few Spurn patch ticks. There are a number of bushes at the bottom of the Canalside and here is a good place for small birds. You can also see the waders on the Humber, so I set up here. There was decent stuff, with Yellow Wagtail and a few Swifts going over. The first patch tick came when I heard a sharp call overhead and looked up to see 3 Snipe going over. I lost them but they came back round not long after, and though they kept well down, prior to their landing I got some decent views and record shots.

-Snipe

The tide was well out so that was the sum total for the birds actually on the estuary. As for in the bushes it was a different story. There were very good numbers of Whitethroat all around, including birds of all ages. There was also a Accro warbler keeping low down, certainly a Reed, but at Spurn you can’t be sure. Fortunately it called and I was able to properly pin it down to Reed. I also got fleeting views of Sedge Warbler, a young Robin, patch tick, and Willow Warbler, which is also a patch tick. So that was time well spent I would have said.

-Reed Warbler

-Whitethroat

After dinner I opted to just chill and prepare for the shift. It was quite dark when I arrived, too dark to really make anything out from the mass of waders on the poolside, with the exception of the Oystercatchers. On the walk up the beach though there were good numbers of Dunlin again and tonight there were even a few Grey Plover, which are a novelty for the beach. The fox, once again failed to make an appearance.

The Daily Oystercatcher

My time with the Oyks was very low again. I noticed this morning that both chicks stood alone, independent of each other and of their parents, which is a good sign given that they are now quite old. However in the evening both chicks with one parent were all sleeping together on the crab pot island just off the coast.

Species List:

Beacon Ponds: Grey Heron, Cormorant, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Little Tern, Black-Headed Gull, Grey Seal, Migrant Hawker,

Seawatching: Sandwich Tern, Gannet, Oystercatcher,

Canalside: Whitethroat, Swift, Swallow, Robin, Redshank, Linnet, Snipe, Sandwich Tern, Reed Warbler, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Yellow Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull,

Swillington Ings

Finally the time had come to do some serious post-exam birding. With goodbyes, get togethers and the world cup I had not really been out since my exams finished but today I decided to finally resume my birding adventures for the year.

All through exams I had decided my first call would be Swillington to try and get grasshopper warbler, as that would have been a lifer for me, so that was today's plan of action: Swillington and gropper. However, in the build up to my trip there had been reports of a summer Slavonian Grebe on the lake but then moving off, and just yesterday there was reports of a Pectoral Sandpiper. Possibly as a result of the spot sand experience I did not get overly excited about this, assuming that I would not see it.

As a result I did not even really consider the pectoral during my trip to the site. This time I made no mistake and walked along the canal to the site. Good thing too, as I picked up a fleeting Kingfisher along the canal. It landed somewhere but I'm not sure where, I could not pick it up. 

Once on the site I started to pick things up. I got great views of Common Tern and Cormorant, as well as fleeting views of a flushed Little-Ringed Plover. There was an abundance on Tufted Duck and especially Black-Headed Gull.

The first thing I saw that I thought was worthy of a stop and photograph was a lovely family of Pochards in one of the channels. Its the first time I can recall seeing pochard chicks, another tart tick got for this year. They were quite cute, that's coming from a guy who does not think much is cute, but the mother was obviously agitated by the fact I had stopped, so I made sure my watch was short before moving on.

-Pochard with chicks

I could see in the distance two small clusters of birders, so wondered if they were watching the sand, or the slav. Initially I had wondered if they had found something new, and began hoping for a black tern. The smaller group were where the black-necked grebes were, so I wondered if they had found the Slav with them.

I reached the group, and when I asked 'anything about' they replied that it was the Pectoral Sandpiper, but that it was hiding currently. I suddenly realised that the Pec Sand had always been a real possibility, but somehow I had never considered it. As of 5 mins into my joining the watch a pair of birders said they were heading off to see if they could find it round the far side. They headed off down the causeway, but did not get far before they began to herald those of us who had stayed behind.

We caught up with them swiftly, they really had not gone far, and said they had it before trying to describe where it was. It was apparently on the causeway in front of us on a rock, but it was only when he said 'you don't need bins' that I spotted it, all of 6ft. in front of me.

To say I was over the moon would be an understatement, as this is a species I have always wanted to see, so to be within 6ft. on my first attempt was a pretty exciting feeling. After a few moments one of the birders said he was going to wander closer to try and flush it towards us. I could not believe what he was suggesting; it sounded like birding suicide. But as ridiculous as it sounded, it worked. The bird flew off and then landed closer to us, giving us great views. Sadly though our views were cut short by the arrival of a cyclist coming down the Causeway. The birder the bird could handle, but the cyclist it could not, and it departed far far away on the main lake. We managed to get 10 mins of great watching before the bird left, but I would have taken 10 mins of views like this over a few hours of a distant view.

The views we got meant I got some really good photos, and of a lifer that is not always possible. I got to watch it feed and wade, as well as bob and be alert. Overall it could not get much better, only if it had stayed a little longer.

-Pectoral Sandpiper

So having picked that up it was already a great day, one lifer, a stunning adult Pec sand and so close. No matter what happened it could not take anything away from this.

I decided to head on down the causeway and over the 'gropper corner' to find myself a gropper. On the way down I hoped to pick up some insects, specifically purple hairstreak. I failed to find any hairstreaks, but did manage a juvenile male Black-Tailed Skimmer, which was perched in an awkward position for photos, so I only got record shots.

Also on the way round the back I found good numbers of Southern Spotted Marsh Orchid, including one which was possibly the biggest orchid of any species I have ever seen. It looked very impressive but due to the height of the grass I could not get a photo of the whole plant, only of the flower. 

-Juvenile Black-Tailed Skimmer

-Southern Marsh Orchid

Sadly when I made it to gropper corner there was no sight or sound of any groppers. So that one remained amiss. Other birds I picked up on that bit of the walk included Curlew flying over, Wigeon which was something of a surprise at this time of the year, and a Common Teal on the main lake.

I moved further on round until I was up on the grass on the side, on the reserve where I had not made it before. Again there was not much going on round, up that way, but there was a kestrel on one of the old mining vehicles which looked really nice and showed well perched. But that aside there was not a great deal going up on the far side.

I headed back down onto the main path next to marsh to head back to the actual marsh. Along there way there was a pair of birders ahead of me who had stopped to look at something. I made it up to them and they said that there was a gropper singing in the shrubs. It did not sing while the 3 of us waited, but after they left I distinctly heard the reeling of a grasshopper warbler, for the first time ever. Sadly the bird itself  did not reveal itself and as a result I can't tick it off. But its a start having finally heard such a distinct call.

During our wait for the gropper there were numerous birds singing behind, namely Sedge Warbler, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Reed Warbler. I managed to find the Reed Warbler so I was able to grab an annual record shot, despite an abundance of reeds in the photo.

-Reed Warbler

I continued on round, heading to where the black-necked grebes are. They have been more secretive recently due to their chicks but apparently they were out a bit while I was watching the sandpiper. There were none around when I turned up there now, but I did not stay long.

There were a few birders looking for the pec sand, so I asked about the slav. They informed me that the Slav was still on Skelton lake, but that it was a trek to get there. I decided to just go for it. The pec sand was not around for the moment, apparently on the far side of  main lake, and there was not much else about so I saw no reason why not.

On the way out of the reserve I had Common Buzzard, but the best raptor I had was a Red Kite that was soaring over the canal on the way out. I spotted it initially but the view was short and I wondered if it was just a buzzard, but I spotted it again afterwards over the trees, so I could get some year record shots and add to what had been a exceptional day.

-Red Kite

So began the trek to Skelton Pond. It was a long way, and the sun decided to come out during that period, making the walk very painful and exhausting. On the way there I managed to pick up no additional species, but there were some low flying cormorants overhead.

I eventually made it to the lake. Apparently someone on site was giving the birders jip, and that apparently you should not go by yourself, but I figured I should just go for it, and fortunately I did not find this guy. Apparently the Slav was with four GC Grebes, but when I arrived to swiftly found that the GC Grebes had split up and were at various points that I decided to set up.

I set up at about 5 different points across the but had no joy with the Slav, so resigned myself to the fact that I probably would not find it. I had picked up some other stuff, for the day such as Shelduck.

But finally, at the 5th set up I got lucky. I first checked out a tufted duck thinking I had found it, but when I spotted the bird next to it I knew that I had actually got it. The only issue was that it was too far away and I was unable to get any decent photos of the bird. I got a few decent views of the bird, before moving off to try and get closer.

The path led away from the waterside, so I decided after a walk that it would be an idea to cut through the wood to the edge of the lake to try and get closer to the bird to track its movement. I knew it was a risk and I got scratched and bitten for it, but once I made it to the edge of the lake I refound the bird and was able to get some better photos. However, after 5 mins of watching the bird I glanced at my watch and realised that I would probably have to call it quits if I was going to make it for the train. As a result I could not wait for the bird to come closer, and so my photos and view would both be of the distant bird.

But, to have found a Summer Plumaged Slavonian Grebe was quite something, another excellent lifer for the day and now only one grebe away from a full house of the British Grebes. It was a stunning bird, showing off its horns, but sadly too distant to fully appreciate it like I could the Black-Necked I had seen earlier in the year. It was a little disappointing I was unable to really get good views, but I was happy to have found it.

-Mute Swan and Summer Plumaged Slavonian Grebe

-Summer Plumaged Slavonian Grebe

When I say I saw the time I realised I would have to walk at some pace to make it, and I was already very tired. It was at this precise moment that my shorts buckle decided to rip and my shorts promptly fell down. I had to swiftly improvise before making a march for the station. 

I made it in the end, by about 5 mins, but I made it, and that is the important thing. On the way back I picked up a female Goosander and also a Little Egret flying down the river. This left me with an incredbile day list, with 2 smashing lifers. Well worth the trip up, despite not getting my target bird, but I got two that given the option I would rather have had.

So, the days species list...

Species List:

Swillington Ings: Kingfisher, Common Tern, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Swift, Carrion Crow, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Coot, Pochard, Great-Crested Grebe, Oystercatcher, Reed Bunting, Sand Martin, Swallow, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Mute Swan, Blackbird, Little-Ringed Plover, Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Gadwall, House Martin, Magpie, Starling, Pectoral Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Wigeon, Kestrel, Lapwing, Woodpigeon, Graylag Goose, Mallard, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Shoveler, Curlew, Teal, Common Redshank, Pheasant, Meadow Pipit, Reed Warbler, Common Buzzard, Red Kite, Pied Wagtail, Long-Tailed Tit, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Large Skipper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Large White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Cinnabar Moth, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, 

Skelton Lake: Shellduck, Little Egret, Slavonian Grebe, Goosander, Common Tern, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Swift, Carrion Crow, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Coot, Pochard, Great-Crested Grebe, Reed Bunting, Sand Martin, Swallow, Whitethroat, Mute Swan, Gadwall, House Martin, Magpie, Starling, Grey Heron, Woodpigeon, Graylag Goose, Mallard, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Shoveler, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Large Skipper, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue Damselfly, 

Dorset Holiday-Day 3: Ringstead Beach

As has been the case since we got here, the weather has been extraordinary, so once more my family headed out onto the beach. Today I went with them, to a beach name Ringstead. At first when we had come down my family just sat on the shingled beach near to the car park. I had a bit of a wander around the scrub near the beach and heard a Reed Warbler in the bushes. After a while I managed to spot the bird hidden among the reeds, but it took a bit of maneuvering before I was able to take a record shot.

-Reed Warbler

While my family went out on our canoes I headed up onto the cliff tops to have a look at what was going on up there. I have to say it was not mind blowing but there was some nice stuff, like this Common Buzzard

-Common Buzzard

Moving through the fields I also flushed a Yellowhammer and a Linnet, both nice birds, and then I found the path again and was able to actually work out where I was. There were plenty of hedgerow butterflies; Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Large White and also Large Skipper

-Large Skipper

Up on the cliff top the habitat became more open and the types of butterflies changed. I should say at this point that I was looking for a Lulworth Skipper to add to my new species list, but did not really know what one looked like, except that it was not just one shade of orange as in Small and Essex Skippers. 

The types of butterflies on the top included Common Blue, Large Skipper, Marbled White and also Six Spot Burnet Moth 

Marbled white was a nice treat, the first I have seen since the trip to the Isle of Wight. Having said that, the real show stealer here was the view, because of the clear weather you could see right out to Portland Bill and beyond. 

-View over Ringstead Beach

The next picture is of a Large Skipper, but for the whole holiday I have believed it to be a Lulworth. Its not a Lulworth, as Lulworths have orange antenna tips and limited patterning on the underside. Its a bitter blow to Google something for it to show that its not what you thought it was. 

-Large Skipper

I then decided to forsake the cliff top path and descend the cliff where there was not a sheer drop, to explore the shrubbery below. Needless to say, I will not give a full account of my descent as it turned out to be quite pointless and very painful, with the limited "path" I had chosen to follow leading me into various spikey plants on steep cliff sides. I did however, see more Large Skippers, which I photographed in case they were Lulworths

-Large Skipper

Once I made it to the bottom, scratched, annoyed, I discovered to my dismay that I would have to go through more spikey plants to reach the beach, where I decided I would walk back on. Through the various spikey plants I continued to find only things which I had seen up on the top, including this Ringlet

-Ringlet

On the bird front I spotted a lovely singing male Stonechat perched atop one of the spikey plants. I was not really able to get close, even if I had wanted to, as it would meant leaving the "path", and that would probably end up in me being impaled upon something nasty.

-Stonechat

Once I finally made it back to the beach I met up with my Family and we spent the rest of the day on the beach. We then headed into Weymouth for fish and chips, where upon I absolutely owned at I-Spy, (as usual) and we saw Carrion Crow, Common Tern and Herring Gull

It was twilight when we got back, but there was a hawker dragonfly hunting on the caravan site road. I got out to try and take some photos for identification purposes. I managed to get a few, but it required flash due to the low light. From my photos though I was able to note that it was a Southern Hawker, which is a new dragonfly for the holiday.

-Southern Hawker

So that was that, and so finished our third day down in Dorset. If we keep up like this I should well reach my holiday targets.