'Too Late To Rise?'

Swannery birding highlights of the week...

5th to 11th November 2012

It would appear that the best of the visible migration this week was to be seen in the first couple of hours after dawn and being a lazy git and not arriving on the patch until just before work I missed most of it. Not long after first light ringers Steve and Luke had good numbers of Bramblings, Lesser Redpolls, Redwings and Fieldfares go over (amongst hundreds of the commoner stuff) but later all I could manage was a couple of each of the first three and I have yet to see any of the latter this season. On Wednesday at nearby Cloudshill, Luke even had a Lapland Bunting but it flew off east rather than west toward The Swannery, so some compensation there. He also had a Long-tailed Duck however, that did initially fly west and probably did briefly reach my patch but it was later seen to fly out to sea. That didn't stop me looking of course but all I could find among the commoner ducks was the usual... the Common Scoter, the two Goldeneye and a peak of seven Scaup. Earlier in the week though I did a double take when I found this...

 

A presumed male Red-crested Pochard x Tufted Duck, although the pic does not show the true vividness of it's deep-pinky crest. The pic below however is a little better but still does not show how really stunning this bird's Woody Woodpecker crest was in real life. Despite initially looking like a Tufted Duck with a pink crest there are further clues to it's Red-crested Pochard parentage in the rest of it's plummage too...

 

 

To raptors now and at last I have something to report other than the regular male Marsh Harrier...as on Monday it was briefly joined by an adult female, whilst a 'Ringtail' Hen Harrier and a Red Kite also flew over. This raptor activity flushed a dozen or so Common Snipe out of the reedbeds...

Common Snipe at 'Bum Point' this week.

Also jittery was the Lapwing flock that reached 120 and briefly also held a couple of Golden Plover, whilst the only other waders seen were three Dunlin and a Curlew.

Goldfinch by The Decoy Pond. Just one of eight finch species seen this week but my main target...

The Hawfinch... still eludes me.

 

Back to passerines a Bullfinch was new in, as was a Mistle Thrush, whereas earlier autumn arrivals... two or three Nuthatches and a few Jays linger as did three late Swallows which were seen on a number of occasions (but I'm not sure if they were the same three each time) and Bearded Tits were heard but not seen.

 

'Half a tick'...

On Thursday while out checking the beach for Snow Buntings (to no avail) I noticed an odd crow. It looked just like a Hooded Crow except that the grey in it's plumage was very dark. Before I had time to see it well however it flew over on to the seaward side and I lost it to view. I made my way over but it was really wary and would not allow a close approach. Also I didn't have my scope but I did have my camera and the shot below is the best I could do...

A presumed Hooded Crow x Carrion Crow or at least a 'Carrion Crow' with some Hoodie genes...

You can just make out some grey on it's back, lower neck and upper flank. It was more obvious on my initial view before I could get the camera out but having pursued it to what felt like halfway to Portland on the shingle to try and get closer I got to the point where I just had to give up and slog all the way back. I saw what was almost certainly it again briefly on Friday on top of the beach opposite The Swannery but once again it dropped down the on the seaward side and out of view. Hopefully it will remain with the small regular wintering beach combing crow flock and I'll get a chance to study it closer...may be one day I'll even get a pure Hoodie!

My favourite view at The Swannery... From Reeds End looking straight down The Fleet.