Abbotsbury Swannery Bird Sightings - May 2018

Highlights...
Arguably the best bird of the month was the long overdue first European Bee-eater for The Swannery, seen and videoed by Joe Stockwell. Also in contention was a putative ‘Siberian Common Tern’, presumably the regularly returning individual and a 'Continental Coal Tit' the first confirmed sighting of this form at The Swannery. Also noteworthy were a Garganey, a lingering Greater Scaup, up to three Western Ospreys, a Little Gull, at least three Arctic Terns, a Roseate Tern and a Short-eared Owl.

The putative 'Siberian Common Tern', Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves.

The Month's Bird News In Full...

More details of the above highlights and the rest of this month's sightings...

Canada Goose... Present throughout with 69 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Barnacle Goose... The lingering bird was present until the 13^th, whilst four flew south east on the 22^nd.

Brent Goose (Brant Goose)... One of the Russian (dark-bellied) breeding form was present on the 2^nd .

Snow Goose... One on the 26^th (a presumed escape) was believed to be the same individual seen last month.

Snow Goose, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Snow Goose, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

Greylag Goose... One on the 5^th, three on the 12^th/13^th and one on the 29^th.

Black Swan… Two were present for much of the month.

Mute Swan... Present throughout with 670 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Mute Swan (2nd calendar year) & Snow Goose, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018
© Steve Groves

Common Shelduck... Present throughout with 62 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Common Shelduck (duckling), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

Northern Shoveler… Present through much of the month with a peak of seven on the 15^th.

Garganey... A drake was present on the 22^nd.

Gadwall... Present throughout with a peak of eight on the 26^th.

Eurasian Wigeon... A single drake remained throughout.

Mallard... Present throughout with 88 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Northern Pintail... A female with wing damage remained all month and a confiding (presumed escaped) drake was also seen regularly.

Northern Pintail (drake), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Eurasian Teal... 20 were still present on the 1^st but by the 3^rd only a single drake remained and it lingered for the rest of the month.

Common Pochard... Present throughout with a peak of 26 on the 26^th.

Common Pochard (drake), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 ©  Joe Stockwell

Tufted Duck... Present throughout with a peak of 30 on the 8^th.

Greater Scaup... The lingering second calendar year female was present until the 15^th.

Common Scoter... One, a female, was present from the 3^rd to the 6^th.

Red-breasted Merganser... One on the 1^st.

Common Pheasant... Present throughout.

Little Grebe... One on the 8^th.

Great Crested Grebe... Present throughout with 31 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Great Crested Grebe, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

Grey Heron... Singles were seen regularly.

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

Great Cormorant... Present throughout with around 20 roosting nightly.

Western Osprey... Singles on the 12^th, 14^th and 22^nd.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk... Singles were seen regularly.

Western Marsh Harrier... Singles were seen regularly but at least two individuals were seen on the 7^th and 23^rd.

Western Marsh Harrier, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Red Kite... An unprecedented movement took place between the 6^th and 26^th mostly involving single figures but with at least 25 west on the 14^th and a staggering 58 west on the 15^th.

Red Kite (& Rook), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Red Kites, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Common Buzzard... Present throughout.

Water Rail... A dead chick was found on the 22^nd indicating proof of breeding (a rarely proven event) but no adults were seen or heard.

Common Moorhen... Present throughout with 9 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Eurasian Coot... Present throughout with 28 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Eurasian Oystercatcher… Present throughout with a peak of 13 on the 9^th which included three nesting pairs.

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

Eurasian Oystercatchers (chick & adult), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Pied Avocet… One on the 13^th and two on the 19^th.

Above images Pied Avocets, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018

© Steve Groves. The colour marked bird was believed to be ringed in France

Northern Lapwing... Last month’s individual remained into this month and was last seen on the 14^th.

Grey Plover... Singles on the 6^th, 12^th, 17^th and 28^th.

Common Ringed Plover... Seen regularly with a peak of eight on the 23^rd.

Common Ringed Plover, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Whimbrel... Seen regularly with a peak of at least 20 on the 6^th.

Bar-tailed Godwit... Seen regularly with a peak of five on the 12^th.

Black-tailed Godwit... Seen regularly with a peak of 10 on the 28^th. All were of the Icelandic breeding form.

Above images Black-tailed Godwits, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018

© Steve Groves

Ruddy Turnstone... Seen regularly with a peak of 11 on the 22^nd.

Above images Black-tailed Ruddy Turnstones, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018

© Steve Groves

Ruddy Turnstone, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Red Knot... One was present on the 23^rd/24^th and two were seen on the 27^th.

Sanderling... Seen regularly with a peak of 19 on the 29^th.

Dunlin... Seen regularly with a peak of  at least 100 on the 9^th.

Above images Dunlins, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

Common Sandpiper… Singles on the 1^st, 6^th, 7^th and 17^th.

Above images Common Sandpipers , Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Common Redshank... Seen regularly with a peak of three on the 24^th.

Common Greenshank... Four on the 6^th.

Black-headed Gull... Present throughout with 39 counted during the Wetland Bird Survey on the 20^th.

Little Gull... One (a second calendar year) was present on the 19^th.

Mediterranean Gull... Seen regularly with a peak of seven on the 29^th.

Common Gull (Mew Gull)... At least two were still present on the 1^st but the only other sightings were of singles on the 7^th and 30^th.

Common Gull (2nd calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Great Black-backed Gull... Present throughout with a peak of at least 50 on the 1^st.

European Herring Gull... Present throughout with a peak of at least 250 on the 12^th.

Sandwich Tern... Seen regularly with a peak of at least 10 on the 7^th.

Roseate Tern... One on the 31^st.

Common Tern... Present throughout with a peak of at least 100 on the 14^th. The regularly returning individual showing characters of the Siberian breeding form was seen on the 24^th.

The putative 'Siberian Common Tern', Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves.
Here the redness of the tongue shows that the bill really is black and not just a light affect. There were other dark-billed Common Terns present but none had quite such black bare parts as this bird or had the distinctive 'feel' of this individual.

Common Terns (Adult & 2nd calendar year), Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018
© Joe Stockwell

Common Terns, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Arctic Tern... One on the 1^st and at least two on the 16^th.

Arctic Tern, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Rock Dove... Feral/Domestic birds were seen regularly.

Stock Dove... Seen regularly.

Common Wood Pigeon... Present throughout.

Eurasian Collared Dove... Present throughout.

Western Barn Owl... Singles on the 29^th and 31^st.

Short-eared Owl... One flew north on the 27^th, the first since November 2016 and the first in spring since April 2010.

Common Swift... Seen regularly with a peak of 50 on the 16^th.

European Bee-eater... What was perhaps surprisingly the first for The Swannery flew north on the 26^th.

Great Spotted Woodpecker... Seen regularly.

European Green Woodpecker... Seen regularly.

Common Kestrel... One or two were seen regularly.

Hobby... Singles on the 7^th and 25^th were the first since August 2017.

Peregrine Falcon... Singles on the 2^nd, 5^th, 11^th and 29^th.

Eurasian Magpie... Present throughout.

Western Jackdaw... Present throughout.

Rook... Present throughout.

Carrion Crow... Present throughout.

Northern Raven... Seen regularly.

Coal Tit... The only sighting was of one present on the 5^th and it was the first confirmed record of an individual of the Continental form for The Swannery!

Eurasian Blue Tit... Present throughout.

Great Tit... Present throughout.

Eurasian Skylark... Present throughout.

Sand Martin... Seen regularly until the 17^th, with a peak of 100 on the 16^th.

Barn Swallow... Present throughout, with a peak of 100 on the 16^th.

Common House Martin... Seen regularly until the 17^th, with a peak of 50 on the 16^th.

Cetti's Warbler... Present throughout.

Long-tailed Tit... Present throughout.

Willow Warbler... Seen regularly until the 7^th, with a peak of over 10 on the 4^th.

Common Chiffchaff... Present throughout.

Sedge Warbler... Present throughout.

Eurasian Reed Warbler... Present throughout.

Eurasian Blackcap... Present throughout.

Garden Warbler... One on the 22^nd.

Lesser Whitethroat... At least three singing males were present throughout.

Common Whitethroat... Present throughout with at least five seen/heard on the 7^th.

Goldcrest... Present throughout.

Eurasian Wren... Present throughout.

Eurasian Nuthatch... One on the 1^st.

Eurasian Treecreeper... Seen regularly.

Common Starling... Singles on the 7^th, 19^th and 27^th.

Common Blackbird... Present throughout.

Song Thrush... Present throughout.

Mistle Thrush... A pair were present to the 5^th only.

Spotted Flycatcher... One on the 12^th, three on the 14^th and one on the 29^th.

European Robin... Present throughout.

Northern Wheatear... Three on the 4^th, two on the 5^th, one on the 7^th and one on the 27^th. At least three of these, if not all, were of the Greenland breeding form.

Northern Wheatear, Linton Hill above Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

House Sparrow... Present throughout.

Dunnock... Present throughout.

Western Yellow Wagtail... Two on the 2^nd and singles on the 11^th and 16^th.

Western Yellow Wagtail, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

Pied Wagtail (White Wagtail) ... Present throughout.

Above images Pied Wagtails, Abbotsbury Swannery, May 2018 © Steve Groves

Meadow Pipit... One on the 2^nd only. Sadly none held territory this year.

Common Chaffinch... Present throughout.

Eurasian Bullfinch... Seen or at least heard regularly.

European Greenfinch... After being extremely scarce so far this year it was good to see a return to form from the 11^th on, with at least one pair holding territory.

Common Linnet... Present throughout.

European Goldfinch... Present throughout.

Common Reed Bunting... Present throughout.

... And that's it for this month except to say thanks to my work colleagues for additional sightings and additional images, particularly Joe Stockwell and Charlie Wheeler but also Kev Butler, Phil Jenks and Jonny White. Also thanks to the WeBS counters ... Alan Barrett and Nick Urch.

I'll leave you with a couple of Joe Stockwell's dragonfly images from this month...

Above images male & Female Broad-bodied Chasers, Abbotsbury Swannery,
May 2018 © Joe Stockwell

June's sightings to follow shortly.