A Putative Pallid Swift...
Shortly after 2.30 pm on Wednesday I was helping to reconstruct the frame of the 'House' Decoy Pipe (teetering on the top of a pair of step-ladders which were resting on a duck-board which in turn was resting on the bottom of the decoy pond), when a swift flew over! Needless to say (with what would be a very late date for a 'Common' but a spot on date for a vagrant 'Pallid') pandemonium set in! I'd left my 'bin's' hanging nearby so after the appropriate expletives I shouted for one of my colleagues to pass them to me but the light was atrocious and the swift flew off toward the swannery lower entrance. I managed to extricate myself from my precarious position and as colleague Charlie set off for his camera I watched the silhouetted swift making passes over the swannery buildings as I put the news out. The bird then spent twenty minutes or so flying over the stand of poplars west of the willow maze, often dipping out of site below the trees or disappearing into the fast thickening fog. Before the bird vanished for the last time Charlie somehow managed to get some shots, remarkable considering the distance and the very poor light but (with the fast shutter speed required not helping) they all proved to be inconclusive regarding a firm id...
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| Above four images the Abbotsbury 'swift species' © Charlie Wheeler wheeler-photography |
My gut feeling is that the bird was a Pallid, it just didn't 'feel' like a Common and indeed the only time I saw it not as a silhouette (when it dropped below the near side of the poplar clump) it looked spot on for Pallid. The majority of those that have seen the images (and got back to me) also conclude that it was probably a Pallid. With only one brief 'goodish' view and inconclusive pictures however I guess we shall never know for sure.
Scarce Migrants...
Last week's Yellow-browed Warbler was heard again in Grove Lane on Monday morning but it was not seen or heard again.
Wildfowl...
The two Long-tailed Ducks and four Scaup were present all week, although all but the long-staying adult female of the latter species could be elusive at times. All the regular wintering species were present in varying numbers including last week's newly returned Shelducks and a few brief Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Once again though, there were no Gadwall, Goldeneye or Red-breasted Merganser.
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| Above two images the two juv/1st winter Long-tailed Ducks |
Waders...
The twenty odd Lapwing remained but otherwise there were just three Redshanks, one or two Common Sandpipers and singles of Snipe and Dunlin.
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| One of up to two Common Sandpipers present this week |
Gulls etc...
All the regular expected species were well represented including now more frequent 'Commons', fairly good numbers of 'Mediterraneans' and a single 'Yellow-legged'... |
| This week's 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull |
Raptors...
There were no noteworthy sightings this week (not even the regular male Marsh Harrier), just the usual Buzzards, Sparrowhawks, Kestrels and the occasional Peregrine.Near Passerines...
In addition to the aforementioned 'swift'... Woodpigeon passage peaked at again a rather conservative five-hundred flying west on Tuesday, while one-hundred Stock Doves also flew west on Friday. In addition at least one Kingfisher is still around.
Passerines...
Although the Yellow-browed Warbler departed early on, new in migrants included a Firecrest on Tuesday and a Brambling on Thursday. After dropping off last week there were several Chiffchaffs again and despite a smattering of newly arrived Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and even a Mistle Thrush there have still been no Redwings or Fieldfares. Overhead passage was almost non-existent but a Rock Pipit (not so abundant so far this year) was among the few Meadow Pipits and Skylarks that flew over, while there was a pre-roost gathering of at least fifty Pied Wagtails and at least three Grey Wagtails visited the mill stream. The reeds were pretty quite save for the ever-present Cetti's Warblers but a few Reedlings were heard from time to time.
And Last But Least...
Thanks to Brett Spencer, Ken Tucker and Tim Farr for their comments on the 'swift' and to Charlie Wheeler for the use of his images.
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