Swannery Bird Sightings - September 2020...

 

Waterfowl... 

The only goose species recorded this month was Canada Goose with 450 counted during the month's Wetland Bird Survey. The same survey produced a total of six-hundred and ninety  Mute Swans, while up to two-hundred not quite fledged cygnets were also on site. The resident (and now thought to be captive bred) Whooper Swan was joined by two presumed wild birds on the 28th and they were still present on the 30th...

Whooper Swans, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Whooper Swans, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

With most of the adults still away moulting, Common Shelduck numbers were still low, with only single figures recorded all month. A Ruddy Shelduck was a surprise on the 15th (although a flock of nine had been on the Fleet at Chickerell/East Fleet on the 13th... All presumably originating from either recent captivity or, perhaps more likely, from the naturalised population in the Netherlands)...

Ruddy Shelduck, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Virtually all the regular dabbling duck were present throughout with peak counts as follows... 80 Shoveler; 250 Wigeon; 250 Pintail; 300 Mallard and 350 Teal. The only Gadwall sightings though were of two on the 18th and one on the 29th. 

Pochard and Tufted Duck steadily increased through the month, with over 50 of the former and over 80 of the latter present by the month's end.

Waders...

The only Oystercatcher of the month was present on the 1st/2nd;  one to five Lapwings were present daily; single Golden Plovers were noted on four dates; single Grey Plovers were present on four dates too but with at least two on the 28th; and Ringed Plovers were seen regularly with a peak of six on the 10th. 

Single Curlews were noted on the 2nd and 9th; between one and six Black-tailed Godwit were present daily from the 5th and the 8th; and between one and three Bar-tailed Godwit were present daily from the 2nd to the 9th...

Bar-tailed Godwits, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Turnstones were regular from the 1st to the 9th, with a peak of six on the 1st...

Turnstones, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Knots were regular from the 1st to the 15th, with a peak of at least 10 on the 12th; three Little Stints were seen briefly on the 23rd (the first since May 2017); a Curlew Sandpiper was present on the 17th...

Curlew Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Curlew Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

 ... whilst Dunlin were present almost daily, with a peak of at least 40 on the 1st...

Dunlins, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Dunlins, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Snipe were seen regularly, with a peak of four on the 29th; Common Sandpipers  were seen almost daily, with a peak of at least six on the 1st...

Common Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

One or two Green Sandpipers were present regularly (including a rather long-billed individual)... 

Green Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Green Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Redshanks were only seen on four dates, with a peak of three on the 1st; whilst single Greenshanks were noted on four dates.

Gulls & Terns...

Black-headed Gulls were present daily with 40 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey; Mediterranean Gulls were regular too but in only single figures; single Common Gulls were seen on the 14th, 23rd and 24th; Great Black-backed Gulls were present daily, with a peak of over 100 on the 23rd; whilst Herring Gulls were present daily too but with only single figure counts recorded; Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen fairly regularly, with a peak of at least 20 on the 24th: a single (first calendar year) Caspian Gull was present briefly on the 24th...

1st calendar year Caspian Gull (right, with Great Black-backed Gulls), Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Single (first calendar year) Yellow-legged Gulls were seen on five dates...

1st calendar year Yellow-legged Gull, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020                   © Steve Groves

At least seven Sandwich Terns were seen on the 1st with six still on the 2nd but with no further sightings until two on the 29th. The only other tern was a single Arctic Tern on the 30th.

Other Water-birds...

Water Rails, Moorhens and Coots were all present throughout, with 340 of the latter recorded during the Wetland Bird Survey.

Little Grebes increased to over 20; whilst Great Crested Grebes remained stable at around thirty; and a Black-necked Grebe was present on the 12th.

Cormorants were present daily, with 24 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey.

Single White Storks were seen on the 4th and 18th, the former flew-over east while the latter settled and fed for awhile in the lower Swannery meadow, before flying west. Certainly the latter and probably the former  were released reintroduction project birds...

White Stork, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

White Stork, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Three Spoonbills were present briefly on the 16th...

Spoonbills, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Spoonbills, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Cattle Egrets were seen almost daily, with a peak of ten on the 25th; there were regular single figures counts of Grey Herons; three Great Egrets were seen on the 14th, with four on the 16th; whilst at least a dozen or so Little Egrets were present daily; and Kingfishers were seen regularly, with at least three on the 11th...

Kingfisher, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Hawks, Owls & Falcons... 

Ospreys were present virtually daily until the last of the month on the 15th, mostly singles but two were present on a few dates...

Osprey, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Osprey, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

There were regular sightings of  Sparrowhawks, mostly singles but with two on two dates; single Marsh Harriers were seen on four dates; and a small 'ringtail' harrier either Montagu's or Pallid was seen briefly on the 8th...

Small 'ringtail' Harrier species, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Only two Red Kites were seen, both on the 20th; whilst single figures of Buzzards were seen daily.

Two Barn Owls  were seen on the 5th and Tawny Owls were either seen or heard on three dates (but both were no doubt present throughout). 

Kestrels were seen daily; single Merlins were seen on the 5th and 29th; single Hobbies were seen on the 1st and 2nd, with two on the 19th; and single Peregrines were seen regularly.

Other Non-passerines... 

A Red-legged Partridge was seen on the 16th, whilst Pheasants were numerous throughout, as were Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, and Collared Dove. Great Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker were also present throughout.

                                                                     

Passerines... 

Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow and Raven were all present in varying numbers and frequency; as were Coal Tit,  Blue Tit, Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit. 

Sand Martins only reached double figures on the 16th and 17th when over fifty were present but House Martins reached numbers of over a thousand on the 10th, 15th and 27th; and Swallows were present regularly in their hundreds but with over a thousand on the 15th and 16th. 

Cetti's Warblers,  Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were present throughout, whilst Sedge Warblers,  Reed Warblers and  Whitethroats were seen regularly to the 22nd but not subsequently. Willow Warblers though were surprisingly not seen after the 2nd, whilst only the second Grasshopper Warbler of the year was seen on the 6th and the only Lesser Whitethroat of the year was seen on the 8th. 

Two Firecrests were seen on the 10th, with at least one then regularly seen or heard to the end of the month, while Goldcrests were present throughout. Wrens were also present throughout but Treecreepers were only noted until the 15th and not subsequently. At least 100 Starlings roosted nightly, with smaller numbers regularly encountered through the day.  

Blackbirds were present throughout, as presumably were Song Thrushes but the latter were only actually noted on three dates; whilst the only Mistle Thrush was a 'heard only' on the 6th. Single Spotted Flycatchers were seen on three dates but with two on the 20th; Robins were present throughout; whilst single Redstarts were noted on the 11th and 20th; single Whinchats were seen on the 8th and 21st, but with at least four on the 6th; Stonechats were seen regularly, with a peak of 6 on the 23rd...

Stonechat, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Wheatears were only noted on six dates, with a peak of seven on the 10th. 

Skylarks were noted on six dates, with a peak of at least 20 over on the 28th;  in contrast to last month Meadow Pipits were virtually noted daily, with a peak of at least 500 over on the 21st; Single Tree Pipits were noted on  four dates but with five on the 1st; and the first Rock Pipit of the season was seen on the 13th, with another on the 29th...

Rock Pipit, Abbotsbury Swannery, September 2020 © Steve Groves

Yellow Wagtails were present virtually daily with a peak of over 100 on the 15th; Grey Wagtails were regular with over 16 noted on the 6th; and  Pied Wagtails were present throughout with at least 20 roosting nightly. 

Dunnocks and House Sparrows were present throughout, as were Chaffinches, Linnets and Goldfinches. The only Bullfinch though was heard on the 22nd and only three Greenfinches were noted, all on the 10th. The first Lesser Redpoll of the season was noted on the 11th, with a further single on the 17th, eleven on the 21st and three on the 29th; whilst the first Siskins since July were noted on the 1st, with then near daily sightings throughout, including many conservative three figure counts concerning flocks flying predominately northwest.

Reed Buntings were present throughout, whilst a Yellowhammer north on the 13th was the first of the year...

... And that's it for this post except to thank Alan Barrett, Kev Butler, Joe Stockwell and Charlie Wheeler for their sightings and where applicable for the use of their photos. 

October sightings to follow shortly.

Steve Groves.