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.

Swannery Bird Sightings - August 2020...

Waterfowl... 

The Canada Goose moult flock had largely dispersed by the end of last month meaning there was only a count of one-hundred and twenty-three during the August's WeBS count. The summering Barnacle Goose began to become more erratic in its appearances too and it was last seen on the 19th. The Mute Swan herd  numbered seven-hundred and forty-two during the WeBS, along with around two-hundred unfledged cygnets, while the resident Whooper Swan was still present throughout.

As expected Shelduck numbers dropped as adults moved off to moult elsewhere, with around twenty present early in the month but with only single figures (most, if not all first calendar year's) by the month's end.  Shoveler numbers increased from single figures in the first week to over twenty in the last; whilst Gadwall were only seen on six dates with a maxima of only three on the 2nd and 15th. The summering Wigeon was joined by at least four others on the 10th and the monthly maxima was seven on the 14th. Mallard numbers nearly doubled from last month with four-hundred and eighty counted during the WeBS. The summering Pintail was joined by an equally suspect tame individual on the 9th and both then lingered throughout, although, what was probably a different more flighty individual was present on the 31st. Teal numbers increased from single figures in the first few days to over twenty from the 4th and then at least fifty from the 14th. Pochard remained in single figures until the 23rd when sixteen were present, with around that number remaining until the month's end but in contrast Tufted Duck remained in single figures throughout.

Pochards, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Waders...

Three Oystercatchers (the last remaining family group) lingered until the 17th with none seen subsequently; two Avocets were present on the 30th;  one to five Lapwings were present daily; single Golden Plovers were noted on the 8th and 14th; single Grey Plovers were present on the 11th and 19th; Ringed Plovers were seen regularly but sixteen on the 30th was the only double figure count; and Little Ringed Plovers were seen on three dates, with one on the 3rd, two on the 5th and one on the 19th. 

Whimbrels were noted on three dates, with one on the 7th, three on the 10th and two on the 19th; single Curlews were seen on four dates; the only Bar-tailed Godwit was present on the 11th; and Black-tailed Godwits were seen on seven dates, with a peak of nine on the 15th.

Turnstones were noted on seven dates, with a peak of at least seven on the 31st; Knots were seen on five dates, with a peak of around twenty on the 29th; A Curlew Sandpiper was present on the 30th and three were seen on the 31st (all first calendar year's); two Sanderlings were present on the 18th, with one on the 19th; whilst Dunlin were regular with a peak of at least forty on the 31st.  

Knots (& Mute Swan), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Steve Groves

Dunlin, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Steve Groves

Curlew Sandpipers, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

The first Snipe since April was seen on the 4th and there were then regular sightings with a peak of nine on the 31st; Common Sandpipers  were seen daily with a peak of at least fifteen on the 19th; Green Sandpipers were regular with a peak of five on the 2nd; Redshanks were also seen regularly with a peak of at least ten on the 30th/31st; single Wood Sandpipers were noted on the 2nd (a year to the day from the last sighting) and on the 11th; and single Greenshanks were seen on the 14th and 17th.

Redshanks, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Wood Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Steve Groves

Greenshank, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Greenshank, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Gulls, Terns & Skuas...

A (first calendar year) Kittiwake was seen on the 25th; Black-headed Gulls were seen daily with one-hundred and eighty counted on the WeBS;  Mediterranean Gulls were regular with a peak of over thirty on the 7th; single Common Gulls were seen on the 7th, 9th and 17th; Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls were present daily with regular single figure counts of the former and a peak of over two-hundred of the latter on the 7th; single (first calendar year) Yellow-legged Gulls were seen on the 5th and 20th, whilst two were present on the 30th; Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen fairly regularly with a peak of at least five on the 29th. 

Yellow-legged Gull, (1st calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, August  2020 © Joe Stockwell

Sandwich Terns were seen regularly, with a peak of at least nine on the 31st; a (first calendar year) Little Tern was present on the 30th; Common Terns peaked at ten plus on the 1st/2nd but then only single figures were seen until the 20th, with none subsequently; single Arctic Terns were seen on the 13th and 27th.

Sandwich Terns, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Steve Groves

A Great Skua (the first since October 2016) was seen on the 22nd, whilst a small skua species seen distantly and briefly on the 17th was thought most likely to have been a Long-tailed Skua (the last confirmed sighting of which was in October 2008).

Other Seabirds...

Single Fulmars overflew the embayment on the 13th and 15th; whilst single Gannets did the same on the 17th and 21st; Cormorants though were present daily, with eighteen counted during the WeBS.

Fulmar, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Other Water-birds...

Water Rails, Moorhens and Coots were all present throughout, with the latter increasing to three-hundred and thirty-five by the 23rd (WeBS). Little Grebes increased to seven from the 19th; whilst Great Crested Grebes. stayed stable at around thirty. Cattle Egrets were seen regularly, with a peak of at least four on the 31st; there were regular single figures counts of Grey Herons; a Great Egret was seen on the 12th; whilst ever-present Little Egrets peaked at over fifty on the 17th. Kingfishers were seen regularly, with at least three on the 31st. 

Cattle Egrets, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Cattle Egrets, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Kingfisher, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Hawks, Owls & Falcons... 

A Hobby was seen on the 14th; single Marsh Harriers were seen on four dates; there were regular sightings of Ospreys from the 14th, mostly singles but two were present on the 18th and 31st; single Sparrowhawks, Peregrines and Barn Owls  were seen regularly; Tawny Owls were either seen or heard on three dates (but no doubt present throughout); whilst single figures of Buzzards and Kestrels were seen daily.

Hobby, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Marsh Harrier, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Osprey, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Osprey, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Sparrowhawk, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Other Non-passerines... 

Swifts were seen regularly, with counts of up to fifty to the 11th but with then only single figures to the 19th and then none until a single on the 31st; Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker were all present throughout.                                                                                             

Passerines... 

Jay, 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 and House Martins were seen regularly with a peak of thirty of the former and a peak of fifty of the latter on the 13th; Swallows were present daily with a peak of 200 on the 6th. 

The warblers that nested, namely Cetti's Warblers,  Chiffchaffs, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Blackcaps and Whitethroats, were all still present but there numbers were boosted by many others of their kind passing through; passage Willow Warblers were numerous too; whilst two  Garden Warblers were seen on the 4th, with another on the 13th; and a Grasshopper Warbler was seen on the 17th. 

Goldcrests, Wrens, Treecreepers, Dunnocks, and Starlings were all present throughout, the latter's reed-bed roost building up to at least two-hundred and fifty in number by the month's end.  

Blackbirds and  Song Thrushes were present throughout; whilst Mistle Thrushes were seen on four dates, peaking at at least ten on the 28th. The only Spotted Flycatcher was seen on the 4th; but Pied Flycatchers were seen on the 14th (one) and 18th (two).  Robins were present throughout; whilst Redstarts were noted on the 27th (one), 30th (two) and 31st (one); single Whinchats were seen on the 13th and 27th; Stonechats were present on the 11th (one) and 13th (two); but Wheatears were regular, with ten plus on a few dates. 

There were only a couple of sightings of Skylarks and no sightings of Meadow Pipits at all but as both bred in the surrounding pasture it seems likely that both were still present throughout. Single Tree Pipits were noted on the 13th, 14th and 31st; single figure counts of Yellow Wagtails were regular in the first half of the month but from the 17th double figure counts were the norm with a peak of at least thirty on several dates; single Grey Wagtails were noted on the 11th and 17th but with at least three on the 31st; and Pied Wagtails were present throughout. 

Yellow Wagtail, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2020 © Kev Butler

House Sparrows, Chaffinches,  Linnets and Reed Buntings were all present throughout, whilst a Bullfinch was heard on the 14th and Greenfinches were noted on the 13th, 17th and 29th; 

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

September 2020 sightings to follow shortly.  
 

Steve Groves.

Swannery Bird Sightings - July 2020...

Highlights...

A Roseate Tern was present briefly on the 18th. Bearing a ring it was clearly different from last month's bird.

Roseate Tern, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

The first Cattle Egret since April arrived on the 15th, being joined by a second on the 17th and seven more on the 18th. The flock then flew west and were not seen again.

Cattle Egret, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Two Great Egrets were present briefly on the 21st, the first since February.

The first Osprey since April, flew west on the 17th.

Waterfowl... 

The Canada Goose moult flock still consisted of around eight-hundred and fifty (along with a the few home bred family parties) early in the month and the Barnacle Goose still lingered throughout. The Mute Swan moult flock numbered around seven-hundred, along with around two-hundred breeding birds and their young, while the resident Whooper Swan was still present throughout.

As usual the most numerous ducks (and the only ones breeding) were Shelduck (with around forty present); Mallard (with around two-hundred and fifty present) and Tufted Duck with around  fifty present early in the month (although unlike the former two species, only one brood was seen). The first Shovelers for several weeks were seen on the 24th and peaked at eight on the 29th.  while also the first Gadwall for several weeks were present on the 13th with a peak of five on the 20th. Over-summering single drakes of Pochard, Wigeon, Pintail and Teal were present throughout but the latter was joined by up to seven others from the 13th.

Waders...

Oystercatchers peaked at twelve on the 5th (and the pair on the Tern Island fledged a chick making a total of two from the four pairs present this year). The post-breeding Lapwing flock increased from three last month to five this month; an unseasonable Golden Plover was present from the 14th to the 17th; single Ringed Plovers were seen on three dates; and single Little Ringed Plovers were seen on four dates. 

Golden Plover, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Golden Plover, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Little Ringed Plover, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

The first returning Whimbrel was seen on the 9th with one to three then noted on four further dates; Single Curlews were seen on three dates; one to two Bar-tailed Godwits on three dates; whilst Black-tailed Godwits were present virtually daily with a peak of ten on the 8th.

Black-tailed Godwit, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Three Turnstones were present on the 19th and there were then further singles on three dates; single Knots were seen on the 7th and 22nd; Sanderlings were present on five dates with a peak of six on the 20th; whilst Dunlin were regular with counts of between thirty and forty from the 19th to the 22nd.  

Dunlins, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

Common Sandpipers  were seen daily with peaks of nine plus in the last week; Green Sandpipers were present, pretty much daily too with a peak of at least seven on the 30th; Redshanks were also seen almost daily from the 10th with a peak of eight on the 16th; and single Greenshanks were seen on three dates but with two present on the 22nd.

Green Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Greenshank, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

Gulls & Terns...  

Following not long after the bird in May, two equally unseasonable Kittiwakes were present briefly on the 12th. 

Kittiwakes , Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

Meanwhile Black-headed Gulls fledged the last of their young from The Tern Island and with birds dispersing away numbers dropped to around seventy early in the month. There was a marked increase in Mediterranean Gulls however, with a count of over two-hundred and thirty on the 3rd. There was a fairly high percentage of juveniles too, joining the juvenile fledged from The Tern Island (the first for the Fleet).

Mediterranean Gull (first calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 
© Steve Groves

A Common Gull seen on the 19th though, was the only one of the month. Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls were present daily with regular counts of around twenty of the former and one-hundred to two-hundred of the latter;  At least two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present on the 4th with a single on the 31st; An adult Yellow-legged Gull was seen on the 4th, whilst the first juvenile was seen on the 12th. Single juveniles were then seen on seven other dates, with three on the 13th and at least two on the 27th. 

Yellow-legged Gull (first calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 
© Steve Groves

Yellow-legged Gull (first calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 
© Steve Groves

The Common Terns fledged at least eighty young from The Tern Island but with social distancing it was not possible to ring the chicks this year so an accurate count was impossible. Over one-hundred adults were still present early in the month but numbers dropped dramatically by the month's end as the breeding birds and there young dispersed elsewhere.  

Common Tern (first calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

As expected, single figures of Sandwich Terns continued to be seen throughout but totally unexpected was a flurry of Little Tern records, with birds present daily from the 12th to the 31st, including eleven together on the 22nd.  This former breeder is now barely annual, in fact there was only a single sighting last year. 

Sandwich Tern (first calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

Little Terns, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

Other Water-birds...

Water Rails, Moorhens and Coots were all still raising young, while the post breeding flock of the latter increased to around one-hundred and thirty. The post-breeding/moulting grebe flock consisted of up to three Little Grebes and at least thirty Great Crested Grebes. The first Kingfisher since March was seen on the 17th, with another present on the 31st. There were regular single figures counts of Grey Herons and mid-teen counts of Little Egrets. The nesting Cormorants fledged the last of their young and at least twenty adults and juveniles roosted nightly. In addition a flock of twenty flew west on the 30th.

Cormorant , Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Predatory Birds...

There were daily sightings of Buzzards and Kestrels, and the pair of Barn Owls and there two young were seen regularly. 

Barn Owl , Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Charlie Wheeler

Single Marsh Harriers were seen on six dates and Peregrines on four. There was however only one sighting each of Sparrowhawk and Red Kite.

Other Land-birds...

Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Green Woodpecker were all present. 

Swifts were seen regularly, mostly in single figures but with groups of ten to fifty on occasion, whilst an impressive movement on the 3rd involved at least nine-hundred. The nesting Swallows were boosted by other local breeders and most days twenty to fifty were present, whilst post breeding dispersal brought good numbers of Sand Martins too, with counts of up to two-hundred on at least two dates. House Martins were seen less frequently but over twenty were present on the 9th at least. 

Swallows, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Joe Stockwell

 

Sand Martins, Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow and Raven were all present in varying numbers and frequency.

Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits were all still present, whilst Coal Tits that arrived back last month also increased in number. 

Cetti's Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Goldcrests were all still present (with no doubt their numbers being swelled by local and not so local bred birds); whilst the first returning  Willow Warblers were seen from the 14th.  

Dunnocks,   Wrens, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Robins were all still present, though the only Stonechat was a single on the 1st. Starling numbers (mostly juveniles) increased dramatically though, with at least three-hundred roosting on several dates. 

Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails were all still present, being joined by a Grey Wagtail on the 28th and single Yellow Wagtails on five dates from the 7th but with three on the 29th and two on the 31st. 

House Sparrows, Chaffinches, Bullfinches, Greenfinches, Linnets and Reed Buntings were all still present, whilst a few Siskins were heard on the 6th. 

Linnet , Abbotsbury Swannery, July 2020 © Steve Groves

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

August 2020 sightings to follow shortly.  
 

Steve Groves.