Steve's Swannery Sightings: Abbotsbury Swannery Bird Sightings

Highlights...

Potentially the rarest bird of the month was a putative 'Siberian Common Tern'. The only other rarities (at least at a county level) were two Cattle Egrets, whilst the only other bird to qualify for a mention on the bird info services was a Little Gull.

The putative 'Siberian Common Tern' Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017
© Steve Groves

The 1st calendar year Little Gull (with Common Tern & Black-headed Gull)
Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

More details on the above birds and the rest of this month's sightings follow below...

Black Swan...

Two were present throughout.

Mute Swan...
Present throughout with 460 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Canada Goose...
Present throughout with 670 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Shelduck...
Present throughout with 72 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Gadwall...

Seen regularly until the 21st, with a peak of seven on the 11th.

Teal...

Singles on the 12th and 15th.

Mallard...
Present throughout with 195 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Pintail...

The over-summering drake was present throughout.

Shoveler...
A pair were present on the 1st and 3rd.

Pochard...

Present throughout with 30 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Tufted Duck...

Present throughout with 21 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Common Scoter...

A (second calendar year?) female was present from the 11th to the 14th.

Pheasant...

Present throughout.

Cormorant...
Present throughout with at least 40 in the roost on the 29th.

Cattle Egret...
Two flew north on the 3rd.

Little Egret...
Present throughout with 20 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Grey Heron...
Seen regularly, with a peak of nine on the 3rd.

Little Grebe...
Up to two were seen regularly from the 11th.

Great Crested Grebe...
Present throughout with 27 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Red Kite...
Two flew over on the 3rd.

Marsh Harrier...
One on the 5th and from the 20th to the 23rd.

Sparrowhawk...
One on the 25th.

Buzzard...
Single figures were seen regularly.

Moorhen...
Present throughout.

Coot...
Present throughout with 116 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Oystercatcher...
The three nesting pairs and their three young were present throughout...

One of the Oystercatcher families, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017
© Charlie Wheeler

Lapwing...
Present throughout with a peak of eight on the 19th.

Curlew...
One on the 5th, two on the 9th and four on the 29th.

Black-tailed Godwit...
Seen fairly regularly, with a peak of ten on the 12th.

Turnstone...

Two on the 3rd...

Turnstones, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Turnstone, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Common Sandpiper...

One on the 28th/29th.

Green Sandpiper...

Singles on the 20th and 29th.

Green Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Charlie Wheeler

Greenshank...

One on the 12th...

Greenshank, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Redshank...

One on the 19th and five on the 20th.

Sandwich Tern...
Seen regularly, with a peak of at least eight on the 13th.

Common Tern...

Present throughout with over seventy pairs nesting. In addition to these birds of the nominate form hirundo, there was also an individual on the 13th/14th at least, which showed characters of the eastern form longipennis, often referred to as 'Siberian Common Tern'. This latter form is not even recognised by the BOURC as having occurred in Britain yet, despite some good recent claims...

The putative 'Siberian Common Tern' (with nominate Common Tern),
Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Charlie Wheeler

Common Tern (adult), Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Common Tern (1st calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Black-headed Gull...

Present throughout with 13 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 14th (although several unfledged young were also present)...

Black-headed Gull, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Charlie Wheeler

Little Gull...
A second calendar year was present on the 12th/13th...

The 1st calendar year Little Gull (with 1st cy & adult Common Terns)

Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

The 1st calendar year Little Gull (with Common Tern)

Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Mediterranean Gull...
Seen regularly with a peak of six on the 15th...

Adult Mediterranean Gull (with Black-headed Gulls & Common Tern),
Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Steve Groves

Common Gull...
Singles on the 15th and 21st.

Herring Gull...
Singles figures were seen regularly.

Great Black-backed Gull...
Present throughout with ten counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 11th.

Feral/Domestic Pigeon...

Seen regularly.

Stock Dove...

Heard on the 30th.

Wood Pigeon...

Present throughout.

Collared Dove...

Seen regularly.

Tawny Owl...
Singles were seen on the 16th and 28th.

Swift...
Ten plus were seen regularly.

Green Woodpecker...

Seen regularly.

Great Spotted Woodpecker...

Seen regularly.

Kestrel...

Singles were seen regularly.

Hobby...

One on the 16th.

Peregrine...

One on the 15th.

Magpie...

Present throughout.

Jackdaw...
Present throughout.

Rook...

Present throughout.

Carrion Crow...

Present throughout.

Raven...

Seen regularly, with at least five present on the 3rd.

Goldcrest...

Present throughout.

Blue Tit...

Present throughout.

Great Tit...
Present throughout.

Coal Tit...
Seen, or at least heard, regularly.

Skylark...

Present throughout.

Sand Martin...
Seen regularly with a peak of at least twenty on the 17th.

Swallow...

Present throughout...

Swallow, Abbotsbury Swannery, June 2017 © Charlie Wheeler

House Martin...

Seen regularly with a peak of at least thirty on the 6th.

Cetti's Warbler...

Present throughout.

Long-tailed Tit...

Present throughout.

Chiffchaff...
Present throughout.

Blackcap...

Present throughout.

Lesser Whitethroat...
One was heard on the 1st.

Whitethroat...
Present throughout...

Sedge Warbler...
Present throughout.

Reed Warbler...
Present throughout.

Wren...
Present throughout...

Starling...

At least fifty were regular from the 18th.

Blackbird...

Present throughout.

Song Thrush...

At least one was seen or at least heard, regularly from the 17th.

Mistle Thrush...

At least one was seen, or at least heard, regularly to the 13th but not subsequently.

Robin...

Present throughout.

Stonechat...

Present throughout.

Dunnock...
Present throughout.

House Sparrow...

Present throughout.

Pied Wagtail...
Present throughout.

Chaffinch...
Present throughout.

Bullfinch...
Present throughout.

Greenfinch...

Singles on the 7th and 23rd.

Linnet...

Present throughout...

Goldfinch...

Present throughout.

Reed Bunting...
Present throughout.

...And that's it for this month except to say thanks to Charlie Wheeler for the use of his images. Check out Charlie's website by clicking the following link Charlie Wheeler Photography. Also thanks to Alan Barrett, Richard Philips & Nick Urch for help with the WeBS at The Swannery and for all of the above, plus my other colleagues, for additional sightings.

I'll leave you with a few images of the many interesting insects seen at The Swannery this June...