Steve's Swannery Sightings: Abbotsbury Swannery Bird Sightings

Highlights...

Cattle Egrets continued to be seen regularly but the only other scarcity seen this month was a 'Blue-headed Wagtail'. Also of note though, at least in a Swannery context, were a Greylag Goose, six Goosanders, a Fulmar, a Gannet, an Osprey, a Sanderling, a Wood Sandpiper, a few Yellow-legged Gulls, a Barn Owl, a Hobby or two and a few Tree Pipits.

Cattle Egret (juv.), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017
© Charlie Wheeler

Goosanders, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017

© Charlie Wheeler

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

Mute Swan...
Present throughout with 770 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Black Swan...

Two were present throughout.

Greylag Goose...

One was seen regularly.

Canada Goose...
Present throughout with 590 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Shelduck...
Seen regularly with a peak of eleven on the 2nd.

Wigeon...

One on the 21st was the first since May.

Gadwall...

Seen regularly with a peak of eight on the 15th...

Gadwall (drake), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Teal...
Present throughout with a peak of 70 on the 26th.

Mallard...
Present throughout with 437 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Pintail...

The over-summering drake was present throughout...

The over-summering drake Pintail in eclipse (with eclipse drake Mallard),

Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Shoveler...
Present throughout with a peak of eleven on the 9th.

Pochard...

Present throughout with 13 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Tufted Duck...

Present throughout with eight counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Goosander...
An unseasonal six were present on the 12th/13th and again on the 18th...

Above three images Goosanders, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017
© Steve Groves

Pheasant...

Present throughout.

Fulmar...
One on the 10th was the first since last August.

Gannet...
One on the 2nd was the first since February...

A phone-camera record shot of the exhausted Gannet
Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Cormorant...
Present throughout with 32 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th...

Cormorant (immature), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Cattle Egret...
There were regular sightings of at least one or two but a peak of three were present on the 30th...

Cattle Egret, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Cattle Egret (Juv.), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Little Egret...
Present throughout with twelve counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Grey Heron...
Seen regularly with a peak of five on the 4th.

Little Grebe...
Present throughout with twelve counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th...

Little Grebe (Juv.), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Great Crested Grebe...
Present throughout with 45 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Marsh Harrier...
Singles were seen regularly.

Sparrowhawk...
Singles were seen regularly.

Buzzard...
Single figures were seen regularly.

Osprey...
One was reported on the 27th.

Water Rail...
The first returning birds were heard regularly from the 21st.

Moorhen...
Present throughout.

Coot...
Present throughout with 350 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Oystercatcher...
Seen regularly with a peak of three on the 2nd.

Ringed Plover...
Five on the 13th and singles on the 21st and 28th.

Lapwing...
Present throughout with numbers building to nine by the 10th...

Lapwing, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Whimbrel...
Singles on the 4th, 8th and 26th.

Curlew...
Two on the 21st.

Black-tailed Godwit...
Seen regularly with a peak of at least 40 west on the 11th...

Juvenile Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit (with Mallard) Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Turnstone...

One on the 4th, two on the 5th and one on the 8th.

Sanderling...

One on the 21st.

Dunlin...

Seen regularly with a peak of at least 50 on the 21st.

Common Sandpiper...

Seen regularly with twelve counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th...

Above two images Common Sandpiper, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017

© Charlie Wheeler

Green Sandpiper...
Singles were seen regularly between the 13th and 22nd.

Greenshank...

Regular from the 13th with a peak of nine on the 23rd...

Greenshank, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Wood Sandpiper...

One on the 2nd was the first autumnal bird at The Swannery since 2014 but follows on from the first spring bird ever here in April of this year.

Redshank...

Seen regularly with a peak of at least 17 on the 10th.

Snipe...
Singles on the 2nd, 26th and 28th...

Snipe, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Sandwich Tern...
Two on the 8th, one on the 29th...

Sandwich Terns (ad. & Juv.), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Sandwich Tern, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Common Tern...

Virtually all the breeding birds and their young had departed by the end of July and the only sighting this month was of two on the 2nd.

Black-headed Gull...

Present throughout with 155 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 13th.

Mediterranean Gull...
Seen regularly with a peak of 26 on the 12th...

Mediterranean Gull (juv.), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017

© Charlie Wheeler

Common Gull...
One on the 14th, three on the 23rd..

Juvenile Common Gull & juvenile Mediterranean Gull
(with Black-headed Gulls), Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Steve Groves

Lesser Black-backed Gull...
Single figures were seen regularly.

Herring Gull...
Seen regularly with over 100 present on the 11th.

Yellow-legged Gull...
Juveniles were seen on the 3rd (1) and the 28th (2).

Great Black-backed Gull...
Present throughout with over 100 present on the 3rd.

Feral/Domestic Pigeon...

Seen regularly.

Stock Dove...

Single figures were seen regularly.

Wood Pigeon...

Present throughout.

Collared Dove...

Seen regularly.

Barn Owl...
One was reported on the 9th.

Tawny Owl...
Heard regularly.

Swift...
Seen regularly, with a peak of over 100 on the 8th.

Kingfisher...

Seen regularly with a peak of three on the 13th.

Green Woodpecker...

Seen regularly.

Great Spotted Woodpecker...

Seen regularly.

Kestrel...

Single figures were seen regularly.

Hobby...
Singles on the 11th and 16th.

Peregrine...
Singles were seen regularly but there were two on the 6th and three on the 22nd...

Peregrine, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017

© Charlie Wheeler

Magpie...
Present throughout.

Jackdaw...
Present throughout.

Rook...

Present throughout.

Carrion Crow...

Present throughout.

Raven...

Seen regularly.

Goldcrest...

Present throughout.

Blue Tit...

Present throughout.

Great Tit...
Present throughout.

Coal Tit...
Present throughout.

Skylark...

Present throughout.

Sand Martin...
Seen regularly with a peak of over 100 on the 8th and 14th.

Swallow...

Present throughout with a peak of over 150 on the 21st...

A lateish brood of Swallows, Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017

House Martin...
Seen regularly with a peak of over 100 on the 14th.

Cetti's Warbler...

Present throughout.

Long-tailed Tit...

Present throughout.

Chiffchaff...
Present throughout.

Willow Warbler...
Seen regularly with a peak of over 50 on the 27th.

Blackcap...

Present throughout.

Whitethroat...
Present throughout.

Sedge Warbler...
Present throughout.

Reed Warbler...
Present throughout.

Wren...
Present throughout.

Starling...
Seen regularly with at least 100 in the roost nightly.

Blackbird...

Present throughout.

Song Thrush...

One was heard on the 29th.

Spotted Flycatcher...

Two on the 22nd.

Robin...

Present throughout.

Redstart...

Two on the 22nd.

Whinchat...

One on the 16th.

Stonechat...

Singles on the 16th and 28th.

Wheatear...

Single figures were seen regulary.

Dunnock...
Present throughout.

House Sparrow...

Present throughout.

Yellow Wagtail...
Seen regularly with a peak of over 400 in the roost on the 28th.

'Blue-headed Wagtail'...
One was trapped, ringed and released on the 28th...

Juvenile/1st winter Yellow Wagtail of the continental form
'Blue-headed Wagtail' Abbotsbury Swannery, August 2017 © Luke Phillips

Grey Wagtail...
Single figures were seen regularly.

Pied Wagtail...
Present throughout.

Tree Pipit...
One on the 5th, two on the 26th and two on the 28th.

Meadow Pipit...
One on the 21st.

Chaffinch...
Present throughout.

Bullfinch...
Present throughout.

Linnet...

Present throughout.

Goldfinch...

Present throughout...

Reed Bunting...
Present throughout...

... And that's it for this month except to say thanks to... Alan Barrett, Steve Hales, Richard Philips, Luke Phillips, Nick Urch, Charlie Wheeler & fellow staff members for additional sightings and where applicable the use of their images. Check out Charlie's updated website here - Charlie Wheeler Photography

I'll leave you with a few images of a couple of dragonflies photographed this August...