Abbotsbury Swannery Bird Sightings - August 2018

Highlights...

This month’s best sightings were of up to five Garganey, a Great Egret, an Osprey, up to three Wood Sandpipers, at least two Pied Flycatchers and an Ortolan Bunting.

Wood Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

The Month's Bird News In Full...

More details of the above highlights and the rest of this month's sightings...

Canada Goose... Present throughout with 20 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

Barnacle Goose... Two were present for much of the month.

Greylag Goose... One was present all month.

Black Swan… Four were present for much of the month.

Mute Swan... Present throughout with 715 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

Whooper Swan... The released rehabilitated second calendar year was present all month.

(Common) Shelduck... Present throughout with 22 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th. In addition two Shelduck x Eider hybrids arrived on the 21st and lingered for the rest of the month. There was initially much speculation regarding their parentage but their ancestry was confirmed after their source was traced to a nearby private waterfowl collection.

Juvenile (Common) Shelduck x (Common) Eider hybrids., Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler.

Garganey... One on the 1st, at least three on the 3rd (although there was a report of five) and at least one on the 4th.

Garganey, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

Northern Shoveler… Present throughout with a peak of 30 on the 30th.

Shoveler, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

Gadwall... Seen regularly with a peak of four on the 23rd.

(Eurasian) Wigeon... The first two returned on the 30th and there were 15 present on the 31st.

Mallard... Present throughout with 500 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

(Northern) Pintail... The first two returned on the 22nd and there were then regular sightings with a peak of five on the 30th.

Pintail, Mallard & Wigeon,  Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

(Eurasian) Teal... Present throughout with a peak of 150 on the 26th.

(Common) Pochard... Present throughout with a peak of 10 on the 10th.

Tufted Duck... Present throughout with a peak of 30 on the 31st.

(Common) Pheasant... Present throughout.

(Northern) Fulmar... Singles briefly on the 2nd and 17th.

Little Grebe... Present throughout with a peak of 15 on the 31st.

Great Crested Grebe... Present throughout with 23 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

Grey Heron... Seen regularly with a peak of seven on the 3rd.

Great Egret... One was present briefly on the 9th.

Great & Little Egrets (with Black-headed Gulls), Abbotsbury Swannery,
August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

Little Egret... Present throughout with a peak of 38 on the 21st.

(Northern) Gannet... One briefly on the 26th.

(Great) Cormorant... Present throughout with around 30 roosting nightly.

                                                           
(Western) Osprey... One on the 31st.

(Eurasian) Sparrowhawk... Singles were seen regularly.

(Western) Marsh Harrier... Singles were seen on the 6th and 13th, whilst two were present on the 30th.

Red Kite... Two were seen on the 3rd.

(Common) Buzzard... Present throughout.

Water Rail... Seen or at least heard regularly.

(Common) Moorhen... Present throughout. 

(Eurasian) Coot... Present throughout with 365 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

(Eurasian) Oystercatcher… The breeding birds dispersed early in the month leaving only one present during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

(Northern) Lapwing... Present throughout with the highest count of settled birds being 16 on the 16th but there was an unseasonable report of 60 flying south on the 6th.

Grey Plover... One on the 5th.

(Common) Ringed Plover... Seen regularly with a peak of at least ten on the 26th.

Whimbrel... Singles were seen regularly but there were five present on the 25th.

(Eurasian) Curlew... One on the 29th, three on the 30th and five on the 31st.

Bar-tailed Godwit... One on the 7th.

(Icelandic) Black-tailed Godwit... Seen regularly with a peak of 11 on the 2nd.

Black-tailed Godwits (adults), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 
© Charlie Wheeler

Black-tailed Godwit (juvenile), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

(Ruddy) Turnstone... Seen regularly with a peak of 10 on the 8th.

Turnstone, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

(Red) Knot... Four on the 20th, three on the 25th and three on the 30th.

Sanderling...Two on the 5th and one on the 26th.

Dunlin... Seen regularly with a peak of over 20 on the 26th and 31st.

Dunlins, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

Dunlin (juvenile),  Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

(Common) Snipe... Single figures were seen regularly.

Common Sandpiper… Seen virtually daily with a peak of 23 on the 4th.

Common Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

Green Sandpiper… Singles were present on the 3rd and 6th while two were seen on the 17th.

(Common) Redshank... Seen regularly with a peak of three on the 6th.

Wood Sandpiper... Singles on the 3rd, 6th and 13th.

Wood Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

(Common) Greenshank… Singles were seen regularly.

Black-headed Gull... Present throughout with 110 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 12th.

Mediterranean Gull... Seen regularly with a peak of 117 on the 27th.

Common Gull... Singles were seen fairly regularly.

Great Black-backed Gull... Present throughout with a peak of at least 80 present on the 26th.

(European) Herring Gull... Present throughout, with at least 150 present on the 3rd.

Yellow-legged Gull... Single juveniles were seen regularly.

Lesser Black-backed Gull... Single figures were seen regularly with a peak of at least five on the 3rd.

Sandwich Tern... One on the 2nd and two on the 3rd.

Sandwich Tern, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

Common Tern... Present throughout with a peak of at least 100 on the 2nd.

Common Tern (juvenile), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

‘Feral Pigeon’... Present throughout.

Stock Dove... Single figures were seen regularly.

(Common) Wood Pigeon... Present throughout.

(Eurasian) Collared Dove... Present throughout.

(Western) Barn Owl... One on the 28th.

Tawny Owl... Seen or at least heard regularly.

(Common) Swift... Single figures were seen regularly with a peak of eight on the 18th.

(Common) Kingfisher... Singles were seen fairly regularly.

Great Spotted Woodpecker... Seen regularly.

(European) Green Woodpecker... Seen regularly.

(Common) Kestrel... Single figures were seen regularly.

Kestrel, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves.

Merlin... One was present on the 30th/31st.

(Eurasian) Hobby... One flew over on the 15th.

Peregrine Falcon... Singles were seen regularly.

(Eurasian) Magpie... Present throughout.

(Western) Jackdaw... Present throughout.

Rook... Present throughout.

Carrion Crow... Present throughout.

(Northern) Raven... At least two were seen regularly.

Coal Tit... Present throughout.

(Eurasian) Blue Tit... Present throughout.

Great Tit... Present throughout.

(Eurasian) Skylark... Present throughout.

Sand Martin... Seen regularly with a peak of at least 50 on the 29th.

(Barn) Swallow... Present throughout, with peaks of over 100 on several dates.

Swallow, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Steve Groves

(Common) House Martin... Seen regularly, with a peak of over 200 on several dates.

House Martins, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

Cetti's Warbler... Present throughout.

Cetti's Warbler, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Long-tailed Tit... Present throughout.

Willow Warbler... Seen regularly with a peak of over 20 on the 30th.

(Common) Chiffchaff... Present throughout.

Sedge Warbler... Present throughout, with an estimated 500 present on the 31st.

(Eurasian) Reed Warbler... Present throughout.

(Common) Grasshopper Warbler... Singles were seen on the 4th and 31st.

(Eurasian) Blackcap... Present throughout.

Garden Warbler... Two were seen on the 11th and 14th.

(Common) Whitethroat... Present throughout with at least 10 seen on the 30th.

Goldcrest... Present throughout.

(Eurasian) Wren... Present throughout.

(Eurasian) Nuthatch... At least one was present throughout.

(Eurasian) Treecreeper... Present throughout.

(Common) Starling... Surprisingly scarce with three seen on the 20th and one on the 21st.

(Common) Blackbird... Present throughout.

Song Thrush... Present throughout.

Spotted Flycatcher... One on the 21st was surprisingly the only record.

(European) Robin... Present throughout.

(European) Pied Flycatcher... At least two were present on the 4th, with singles seen on the 5th and 8th.

Pied Flycatcher (1st calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, 
August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

(Common) Redstart... Two were present on the 22nd, while singles were seen on the 28th and 31st.

Whinchat... Eleven were present on the 30th but only one remained on the 31st.

Whinchat, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

(European) Stonechat... One on the 6th was the first since April.

(Northern) Wheatear... Seen regularly from the 8th with at least 35 present on the 30th.

Wheatear, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Joe Stockwell

House Sparrow... Present throughout.

Dunnock... Present throughout.

(Western) Yellow Wagtail... ‘British Yellow Wagtail’... Seen regularly with a peak count of over 500 in the roost on the 2nd. ‘Blue-headed Wagtail’... One was caught, ringed and released on the 28th. The first here since the same date last year.

Yellow Wagtail & Common Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 
© Charlie Wheeler

Grey Wagtail... The first returning bird was seen on the 28th.

Pied Wagtail... Present throughout.

Meadow Pipit... The first returning bird was seen on the 5th but there were no more until a single on the 30th and three on the 31st.

Tree Pipit... The first of the year was seen on the 18th and there were further singles on the 22nd and 30th with two on the 31st.

(Common) Chaffinch... Present throughout.

(Eurasian) Bullfinch... One was heard on the 3rd.

(European) Greenfinch... One or two were seen regularly.

(Common) Linnet... Present throughout with a count of over 100 on the 15th.

(European) Goldfinch... Present throughout.

Ortolan Bunting... One seen briefly on the 23rd was only the second for the recording area. The previous record was in September 2002.

(Common) Reed Bunting... Present throughout.

... And that's it for this month except to say thanks to my work colleagues and volunteers for additional sightings and additional images, particularly Joe Stockwell and Charlie Wheeler but also Alan Barrett, Kev Butler, Phil Jenks, Richard Philips, Nick Urch and Jonny White. Below are some of Charlie's images of some of the insects seen at The Swannery during August 2018...

Jersey Tiger Moths, Abbotsbury Swannery, 

August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

Garden Tiger Moth, Abbotsbury Swannery, 
August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

Beautiful Demoiselle, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2018 © Charlie Wheeler

September’s sightings to follow shortly.