Swannery Bird News - December 2015

There were no rare vagrants, scarce migrants or 'Swannery first's' this month so it's straight on with the rest of the news...

Waterfowl...

The two first winter Long-tailed Ducks still lingered from November but they were very elusive, only being seen on the 5th and 13th. 

A 1st winter Long-tailed Duck from December 2013 (with Tufted Ducks & a Pochard)

Last month's five Scaup were all seen too but were equally erratic in their appearances with no more than three seen at any one time and they were often absent completely. The drake was also reported at nearby Lodmoor RSPB fairly frequently though and it or another drake was also seen, in company of two of the 'females' off Tidmoor Point on the East Fleet. So it seems likely that the Scaup, along with the two Long-tailed Ducks, when not at The Swannery, were still mostly somewhere on The Fleet. 

A drake Scaup from December 2013

Also of note was a Goosander (a 'Redhead'), still a relatively scarce sight on The Fleet, on the 1st.

Not the 'Redhead' Goosander but one from December 2013

In addition to the three species mentioned above the peak counts of the commoner wildfowl were: 

Mute Swan 640; 
Black Swan 2; 
Canada Goose   50; 
Brent Goose 20; 
Shelduck 40; 
Wigeon 700;
Gadwall 1; 
Teal 950;
Mallard  520; 
Pintail 40;
Shoveler  60;
Pochard 210; 
Tufted Duck 200;
Goldeneye 4; 
Red-breasted Merganser 4o.

Other Water Birds... 

A Great Northern Diver that flew south-east over The Swannery Embayment on the 1st was only the third seen in the recording area during my 26 year tenure. 

Two 'firsts of the year' were a Black-necked Grebe on the 13th (although technically it was just south-east of the recording area on The Fleet off Seventeen Acre Point) and a Fulmar looking somewhat out of place settled on The Fleet in The Swannery embayment on the 1st.

Peak counts of the commoner species were: 

Cormorant 8; 

Little Egret 7; 

Grey Heron 1; 
Little Grebe 30; 
Great Crested Grebe 20; 

Water Rail 1; 
Moorhen 30; 

Coot 1350.

Waders...

There were only three species seen this month and peak counts of these were: 

Lapwing 100;
Snipe 3; 
Redshank 4.

A Snipe from last winter

Gulls...

There were no gulls of any real note and peak counts of the commoner species were:

Black-headed Gull 110;
Mediterranean Gull 35;
Common Gull 830;
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1;
Herring Gull 100;
Great Black-backed Gull 50. 

Raptors...

There were no noteworthy sightings (not even any Marsh Harriers) but the five most regular species were noted in varying numbers:   

Sparrowhawk, 
Buzzard,
Tawny Owl,
Kestrel,
Peregrine.

Other Non-Passerines...

There were no noteworthy sightings but seven regular species were noted in varying numbers: 

Pheasant,
Domestic/Feral Pigeon, 
Stock Dove, 
Wood Pigeon,
Kingfisher, 
Green Woodpecker,
Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Passerines...

Highlights were a calling but unseen Siberian Chiffchaff on the 7th, along with regular single Common Chiffchaffs and a single Fieldfare (but no Redwings) on the 3rd. 

Other species noted in varying but unremarkable numbers were: 

Goldcrest,
Magpie, 
Jackdaw, 
Rook, 
Carrion Crow, 
Raven, 
Blue Tit, 
Great Tit, 
Coal Tit, 
Sky Lark, 
Cetti's Warbler...

A Cetti's Warbler from December 2011

Long-tailed Tit, 
Treecreeper, 
Wren, 
Starling, 
Blackbird, 
Song Thrush, 
Mistle Thrush, 
Robin, 
Stonechat, 
House Sparrow, 
Dunnock, 
Grey Wagtail,
Pied Wagtail,
Meadow Pipit,
Rock Pipit,
Chaffinch, 
Greenfinch, 
Goldfinch, 
Linnet,
Bullfinch, 
Reed Bunting.

And that's it for this month. 

You may have noticed the lack of new photographs in this post due in no small part to the exceptionally wet conditions. Hopefully normal services will be resumed next month!

Swannery Bird News - November 2015

Highlights... 

With no rare vagrants, scarce migrants or 'Swannery first's' to report this month, November's best birds were probably the first winter Long-tailed Duck that  lingered from October, plus a second individual that joined it on the 30th...   

A distant record shot of the first of this winter's Long-tailed Ducks © Charlie Wheeler

...And the slightly unseasonal first winter Garganey on meadow pool on the 17th (that was too uncooperative for even a poor record shot).

And now the rest of the news... 

Waterfowl...

The adult drake and the first winter  Scaup lingered from October and were joined by an adult duck and another first winter on the 23rd. The following day the adult drake had disappeared but another first winter arrived. The adult duck and three first winters then lingered until  the 27th and the adult drake and one of the first winters reappeared on the 29th only. So to reiterate this month, although the peak count was only four, there were at least five Scaup seen, an adult drake, an adult duck and three first winters (and the latter were probably comprised of two ducks and a drake but time and continuing moult will tell if, as hoped, they overwinter).

First for this autumn/winter was a Goldeneye on the 22nd (with a peak of four on the 3oth); whilst the first Dark-bellied Brent Geese since the 1st of October were settled birds on the 15th  and 22nd (one) and 24th (two)...

The two Dark-bellied Brent Geese that lingered briefly on the 24th © Steve Groves

The peak counts of the commoner wildfowl were: 

Mute Swan 790; 
Black Swan 2; 
Canada Goose   25; 
Shelduck 9; 
Mandarin 1 (the white escape until the 13th);
Wigeon 1200;
Gadwall 20; 
Teal 300;
Mallard  470; 
Pintail 200;
Shoveler  50;
Pochard 378; 
Tufted Duck 260;
Red-breasted Merganser 1o.

Pintail & Teal on Meadow Pool © Steve Groves

Other Water Birds... 

There were no noteworthy sightings and peak counts of the commoner species were: 

Cormorant 7; 

Little Egret 2; 

Little Grebe 25; 
Great Crested Grebe 17; 

Moorhen 40; 

Coot 1500.

Little Grebes off 'Bum Point' © Steve Groves

Waders...

Most noteworthy were sightings of Golden Plovers... with four on the 1st and one on the 3rd; Curlew... with one on the 26th and Turnstone with one on the 16th. 

Peaks counts of the commoner species were: 

Lapwing 100;
Dunlin 5; 
Snipe 2; 
Redshank 2.

Redshank © Charlie Wheeler

Gulls...

The only gulls of note were two Yellow-legged Gulls (an adult and a second winter) on the 15th. 

Peak counts of the commoner species were:

Black-headed Gull 90;
Mediterranean Gull 400!;
Common Gull 300;
Lesser Black-backed Gull 16;
Herring Gull 580;
Great Black-backed Gull 210. 

Mediterranean Gull © Steve Groves

Raptors...

Most noteworthy was a Short-eared Owl on the 20th...

The Short-eared Owl © Charlie Wheeler

...while Marsh Harriers were seen regularly with the regular adult male on the 1st and at least one immature on several dates...

Immature Marsh Harrier © Charlie Wheeler

There was at least one Peregrine sighting, while Sparrowhawks, Buzzards and Kestrels were all seen with some regularity and Tawny Owls were frequently heard, if not always seen.

Other Non-Passerines...

There wasn't the mass movement of Wood Pigeons that was noted elsewhere in Dorset but one thousand flew east on the 16th, one hundred west on the 20th and two hundred in several directions on the 23rd.  Other species noted in varying but non-noteworthy numbers were: 

Pheasant,
Domestic/Feral Pigeon, 
Stock Dove, 
Kingfisher, 
Green Woodpecker,
Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Passerines...

Highlights were single  Bramblings on the 1st and 17th, a Firecrest on the 19th and two late Swallows on the 23rd. Also of note were around half-a-dozen Chiffchaffs early in the month (with just the occasional single by the month's end); up to twenty Redwings throughout and a peak of twelve Lesser Redpolls on the 26th.

Other species noted in varying but unremarkable numbers were: 

Goldcrest,
Magpie, 
Jackdaw, 
Rook, 
Carrion Crow, 
Raven, 
Blue Tit, 
Great Tit, 
Coal Tit, 
Sky Lark, 
Cetti's Warbler, 
Long-tailed Tit, 
Treecreeper, 
Wren, 
Starling, 
Blackbird, 
Song Thrush, 
Mistle Thrush, 
Robin, 
Stonechat, 
House Sparrow, 
Dunnock, 
Grey Wagtail,
Pied Wagtail,
Meadow Pipit,
Rock Pipit,
Chaffinch, 
Greenfinch, 
Goldfinch, 
Siskin,
Linnet,
Bullfinch, 
Reed Bunting.

And that's it for this month except to thank  Charlie Wheeler for the use of his photograph of his photos. 

Swannery Bird News - October 2015

Highlights... 

Two Glossy Ibises flew in over Chesil Bank  at around 11 am on the 10th. They headed straight for a pool on the west side but just as they began to drop down they suddenly veered off west and just kept going. Previously that morning, at around 10.30, they were seen at nearby Lodmoor RSPB and then shortly after they were reported over Radipole RSPB. At the time of my sighting however I was unaware they were headed west and it was by pure chance that I was in the right place at the right time to finally add this species to The Swannery List!  Later in the day they were seen on the Axe Estuary (where they lingered into early November) and local birder Phil Abbott has kindly allowed me to use his photo of them at Colyford Common (as I failed to get a pic of them at The Swannery)...   

The Glossy Ibises at Colyford Common © Phil Abbott

Following on from last month's Cattle Egret sightings there were further sightings of a single on the 1st and 6th...

The Cattle Egret on Meadow Pool on the 1st

In what proved to be a very good autumn for Yellow-browed Warblers nationally... up to four individuals were seen or at least heard at The Swannery with singles on the 1st, 15th, 22nd and 31st. Unfortunately none gave themselves up to the camera so below is a pic of one that was trapped, ringed and released at The Swannery back in October 2012...

Yellow-browed Warbler October 2012

And now the rest of the news... 

Waterfowl...

A first winter Long-tailed Duck arrived on the 30th and the adult drake Scaup was at last joined by another on the 27th when a first winter bird arrived. All three were still present on the 31st.

Two firsts for this autumn were a Dark-bellied Brent Goose on the 1st and a Red-breasted Merganser on the 18th but both were the only ones of the month.

The peak counts of the commoner wildfowl were: 

Mute Swan 720; 
Black Swan 2; 
Canada Goose   240; 
Shelduck 1; 
Mandarin 1 (the white escape still);
Wigeon 460;
Gadwall 6; 
Teal 800;
Mallard  635; 
Pintail 250;
Shoveler  50;
Pochard 220; 
Tufted Duck 260.

Moulting drake Pintail

Other Water Birds... 

Apart from the aforementioned Glossy Ibises and the Cattle Egret there were no noteworthy sightings and peak counts of the commoner species were: 

Cormorant 20; 

Little Egret 3; 

Grey Heron 1;
Great Crested Grebe 30; 

Little Grebe 24;
Moorhen 20; 

Coot 1100.

Waders...

Most noteworthy was a Jack Snipe on the 11th but also of note were sightings of Golden Plovers... with one on the 23rd and thirty on the 27th; Grey Plover... with one on the 6th; Knots... with singles on the 10th, 28th and 29th; Black-tailed Godwits with three on the 2nd and singles on the 4th and 21st; Common Sandpipers with one on the 6th and two on the 11th and Turnstones with six on the 2nd. 

Peaks counts of the commoner species were: 

Lapwing 60;
Dunlin 4; 
Snipe 3. 

Unusually not a single Redshank was seen.

The three Black-tailed Godwits on the 2nd

Gulls...

The only gulls of note were single first winter Yellow-legged Gulls on the 5th and the 12th. 

Peak counts of the commoner species were:

Black-headed Gull 30;
Mediterranean Gull 80;
Common Gull 20;
Lesser Black-backed Gull 5;
Herring Gull 20;
Great Black-backed Gull 200. 

Adult winter Mediterranean Gull

There were no terns.

Raptors...

Noteworthy sightings were of a Red Kite on the 15th; a Hobby on the 6th and a Merlin on the 31st. An adult male and at least two juvenile Marsh Harriers were seen regularly and there were at least two sightings of Peregrines including two together on one date. Sparrowhawks, Buzzards and Kestrels were also seen with some regularity of course. A Short-eared Owl was seen on the 15th and Barn Owl on the 21st, while several Tawny Owls were heard regularly.

Other Non-Passerines...

At least two Kingfishers were seen regularly but the only other species noted in varying non-noteworthy numbers were: 

Feral Pigeon, 
Stock Dove, 
Wood Pigeon, 
Collared Dove, 
Green Woodpecker and 
Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Passerines...

Lingering summer migrants included at least ten Yellow Wagtails until the 6th; three Wheatears with the last on the 16th; at least one Sand Martin still on the 2nd; House Martins that peaked at one-hundred on the 1st and were last seen on the 16th and Swallows that peaked at two-hundred and fifty on the 15th and were last seen on the 26th. Chiffchaff and Blackcap numbers were relatively poor with no more than ten of each estimated in the grounds at any one time and apart from the aforementioned Yellow-browed Warblers and the ever present Cetti's Warblers, the only other warbler of the month was a latish Reed Warbler on the 15th. 

Incoming winter visitors included the first one of this season's Redwings on the 15th, with others heard regularly later in the month and a flock of over one-hundred Fieldfares that flew north on the 16th. At least one Brambling was present on the 31st and several Lesser Redpolls were seen, or at least heard, with six on the 8th being the largest flock. Siskins however were relatively scarce with flocks of around ten early in the month but then only sporadic singles noted thereafter. 

Goldcrest numbers continued to be very impressive though with estimates in the region of at least fifty in the lower grounds alone in the middle of the month...

One of this month's Goldcrests

It was perhaps not surprising with so many Goldcrests around that a few Firecrests were also seen with singles on six dates from the 15th...

One of the Firecrests...much less cooperative than the Goldcrest!

There was a small but obvious influx of Coal Tits with at least five on some dates but all seen well were of the British race, despite several records of Continental birds elsewhere in the county. Singles of Grey Wagtails and up to three Rock Pipits were regular, while seven  Stonechats on the 12th were the most so far this autumn. 

Male Stonechat

With movements noted elsewhere in the area it seemed only a matter of time before the first Bearded Tits dropped out of the sky, which they duly did on the 15th, with at least five then present to the end of the month.  

Overhead passage of commoner species was fairly unremarkable  with peak counts being eighty Skylarks on the 8th; one-thousand Starlings on the 31st;  fifty plus Linnets on several dates and small numbers of  Meadow Pipits and   Pied Wagtails although there were around thirty of the latter coming in to roost each evening. 

Other species noted in varying but unremarkable numbers were: 

Magpie, 
Jackdaw, 
Rook, 
Carrion Crow, 
Raven, 
Blue Tit, 
Great Tit, 
Long-tailed Tit, 
Treecreeper, 
Wren, 
Blackbird, 
Song Thrush, 
Mistle Thrush, 
Robin, 
Dunnock, 
House Sparrow, 
Chaffinch, 
Greenfinch, 
Goldfinch, 
Bullfinch and 
Reed Bunting.

Female Chaffinch

And that's it for this month except to thank Phill Abbott for the use of his photograph of the Glossy Ibises.