Italy 4 - England 2 - Blog 0

Monday 18th to Sunday 24th June 2012

I'm a day late with my post this week as I worked on Sunday, watched the England game in the evening and after that debacle I just didn't have the enthusiasm!

Back to the birds though... post breeding dispersal was again the order of the week, with a very unseasonal Goldeneye the biggest surprise. I presume it is the returning second calendar year male that lingered into May, while an equally unexpected adult male Pintail is also likely to be the 'dodgy' Mallard loving bird that was last seen in mid-May (and was reported from the village pond in the interim).

The sleepy first summer male (Common) Goldeneye now in partial eclipse...

And as in May still in the company of Tufted Duks.

The only reappearing local post-breedering passerine to add to last weeks tally was a Mistle Thrush but many family parties of passerines are now coming out of the woods so to speak.

A juvenile Long-tailed Tit in the Withy Bed... ain't it cute!

A few waders have began to reappear too... with single Lapwing, Curlew and Redshank going into the log, whilst on the island the Oystercatchers have hatched four chicks and the washed out pair in the Swannery grounds have relayed a clutch of two on only slightly higher ground (which almost suffered the same fate as the first with the heavy rain on Saturday night!). A Mediterranean Gull (a first summer) was the first for several weeks, whilst the nesting Common Terns are still doing well and frequently joined by passing Sandwiches (if you know what I mean) but unfortunately nothing rarer.

Common Tern from Helen Hide.

The male Marsh Harrier still lingers but the bird of the week award has to go to a very flighty Turtle Dove that gave me the run around on Tuesday.

Ok not Turtle Doves (as I couldn't pin it down) but 'white doves' ie white Feral Pigeons on the swan nesting site...
Alright they may not be truly feral but there is a blurred line in the village as so many white domestic pigeons have left their cotes and nest on buildings behaving just like feral birds!

So with the first returning waders there is hope of something a bit more unusual and with the tern island bustling may be a rare tern too... that would be a better result than the England game!

There have been very few butterflies around so far this summer so this Small Tortoiseshell
was nice to see on the meadow hide path.

Juvenile (Common) Moorhen, Swannery grounds.
Back To The Fuchsia!

'Post Nesting Depression'

Monday 11th to Sunday 17th June 2012

The Swannery from Chapel Hill.

Another rather quiet week bird wise, if not weather wise... the highlights being the lingering male Marsh Harrier and a Hobby over but there was little else of note as the near gale force winds failed to blow in to the sanctuary of the lagoon any hoped for passage seabirds.

Despite the awful weather the Common Terns are still settled on the island and in fact even more pairs have arrived and appear to be nesting, with over thirty individuals around the island at times. A few Sandwich Terns are still about and the pair of Oystercatchers are still incubating on the island too (the latter species being the only waders of the entire week!).

Although migration seems to have ground to a halt post breeding dispersal seems to already be underway as a few species not seen for a month or so are beginning to reappear, such as three Teal, Treecreepers, a Nuthatch and Bullfinches, none of which bred at The Swannery this year but, at least in the case of the last three, did so elsewhere in Abbotsbury.

Bee Orchid - one of a small colony in the car park.
There has still been no sign of any Southern Marsh Orchids in The Swannery meadows however.

The water level in the meadow is still high with all the rain, despite the sluice being out again, but hopefully it will drop soon, just in time for all those early waders returning south!

What A Wash Out!

Monday 4th to Sunday 10th June

It's been a very quiet week with very little to report. The regular pre-moult build up of feral geese has reached it's peak with the arrival of several hundred Canada Geese but apart from the usual Greylag hybrids the only other dodgy goose amongst them was a Bar-headed and for one day only. On the subject of feral wildfowl... in case you haven't checked out my blog since my last weekly roundup, check out Thursday's post on the Black Swan fiasco. The dozen Gadwall were still in the flooded meadow but the brood were not seen again and although we have over-summering Tufted Duck and Pochard no young have yet been seen. 

Sandwich Tern from Helen Hide.
Around twenty were still lingering this week but no Roseates or even a Black so far this year!

At least one of the Marsh Harrier pair is still lingering, the male, but there have been no positive sightings of the female this week and no other raptor sightings of note. It was of course the torrential rain and unseasonal high tides back in April that was responsible for, we believe, the destruction of any nest the harriers had but even more unseasonal high tides this week also put paid to one of our Oystercatchers' nests on The Swannery nest site (and five late swans nests too). The Oystercatcher pair on the tern island though were high if not quite dry so are still ok we hope. As are, for the moment at least, the Common Terns but it was in similar atrocious June weather last year that they deserted so fingers crossed. Up to twenty individuals have been seen again this week but only about five pairs seem to be nesting. Visibility though on the island is not great, despite attempts to clear the Sea-beet it has come back with a vengeance, so it is hard to make out the sitting birds. The only passage waders this week were a flock of forty Dunlins heading east.

Singing male Reed Bunting on the perimeter fence. Not quite a Bee-eater but nice all the same!

Unfortunately there has been no further sign of the Spotted Flycatchers or Lesser Whitethroats that were holding terrritory last week but the Rock Pipit was still on its usual 'winter' territory on Bum Point so that speaks volumes!

Following the female Beautiful Demoiselle from a few posts ago this is a female Banded along the meadow stream.
I just can't seem to sneak up on the males!

The Black Swan At Abbotsbury.

Putting The Record Straight...

 

'Never Let The Truth Get In The Way Of A Good Story'

This post is a bit of a change from my weekly roundup of Swannery bird sightings, which will follow on Sunday as usual. I just felt I needed to comment on the ludicrous stories that have appeared in the popular daily press recently and on the internet about the arrival of a Black Swan at Abbotsbury Swannery, about which staff and birdwatchers are apparently mystified! What a complete and utter fabrication... and what's more I have been 'quoted' (misquoted more like), or at least  Deputy Swanherd Steve Graves has, whoever he is! As any local birders know (and many regular Swannery visitors), we have had Black Swans visiting the Swannery for over twenty years now, with up to ten being present one year. Even this year we have two that have been present since February, which is not surprising seeing that there is a thriving introduced population in Britain now with between fifty and one hundred individuals being at large (depending on the source) so why would we be mystified by its appearance? The first I knew about this rubbish was when a local reporter phoned me up asking about the Black Swan that had just arrived... to which I explained that we have two and that they haven't just arrived. A fact he chose to ignore. Whats more a photographer duly arrived to photo the one Black Swan and was most surprised to discover we had two. It then took him two visits to get a photo of the one Black Swan without the other getting in the way just so they could perpetuate this garbage. What's that all about? Why lie? The truth is wonderful!



The TWO Black Swans at The Swannery today (in poor light and in a gale!).

The Summer Slowdown Sets In

Monday 28th May to Sunday 3rd June

With spring migration all but over it was a rather quiet week. There was no sign of the Black-winged Stilt Monday morning so it had obviously departed overnight leaving the meadow pool empty save for up to twelve adult Gadwall including a female with a brood! This sight no longer an annual occurrence here.

Drake Gadwall... the female and brood were a bit too distant.

The Common Terns do now seem to be nesting with a least five pairs present on the island but up to twenty individuals have been seen in the Swannery embayment this week. Unusually for this time of year up to twenty Sandwich Terns have been present too but they have not shown any interest in the island.

Common Tern on the 'tern rails'

Sandwich Terns on the 'tern rails'

Adult Black-headed Gull... most seen here at this time of year are first summers.

There have been nesting attempts by over-summering adults in the past but none yet successful.

The two pairs of Oystercatcher are still nesting and three other individuals were present too. A few passage waders were noted with eight Dunlin, two Whimbrel and a Greenshank, although none lingered for long.

Dunlin at 'Bum Point'. These birds possibly being of the race arctica?
Although their small size is not apparent, they have little rufous on the upper-parts and a poorly marked belly patch.

Passerine migration was little in evidence save for the odd tardy Swallow and House Martin powering up The Fleet but a Rock Pipit at 'Bum Point' was most unseasonal and I had to grill it to make sure I'd made the right call.

The male Marsh Harrier was seen off and on and the female was seen hunting over cereals nearby so they may still be making another nesting attempt in the area if not actually with us?

My most interesting sighting though was not a bird at all but a Water Shrew. We find the odd dead one from time to time but live sightings are few and far between!

The Swannery meadows with The Fleet, Chesil Bank and Lyme Bay beyond.

Hi Man, Top Us!

Two Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus in just over a month! (See what I did there!)

 

Swannery sightings Monday 21st to Sunday 27th May 2012

The week started with the first Hobby of the year that shot north on Monday and this was followed by another on Wednesday that briefly tried its' luck with the local hirundines but to no avail. Other raptor sightings included the regular male Marsh Harrier (also on Wednesday only and no sign this week of the female) whilst workmate Charlie had a Red Kite a couple of times on my day off on Friday. The more regular species (Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Peregrine) were all much in evidence this week too.

Wader passage seemed at first to have fizzled out with only four species noted all week... the two pairs of nesting Oystercatcher and singles of Dunlin and Whimbrel flying through but amazingly on Thursday the second Black-winged Stilt of the year dropped in! I'd heard that a stilt briefly reported at nearby Radipole RSPB had relocated to Lodmoor RSPB and so had been checking the meadow pool all day just in case but was still mighty surprised when I discovered what I assumed to be that bird, when I scoped the pool from the road on my way home from work. When I got home it soon became clear that this was a different individual from the Lodmoor bird, as that was still in situ and for that matter a different bird from the April one, as that had been an adult male and this was clearly a first year bird. I don't know, I wait 23 years on my patch for a stilt then get two within a few short weeks! Whats more, like the first bird, it is finding the flooded meadow to its' liking, as it was still present this evening for its fourth day.

Two shots of the immature Black-winged Stilt on The Meadow Pool.
Much browner on the mantle and wings than the earlier adult, with vestigal tail marking too.

Incubating Oystercatcher... two pairs are nesting this year
but no Ringed Plovers unfortunately.

There is not much to report on the wildfowl front with little change from last week and as last week there were still a few Sandwich and Common Terns around with now around five pairs of the latter beginning to settle on the island. Not exactly the fifty-plus pairs that were present in the mid-nineties but its better than nothing!

A trip out to the extreme west of my patch to look for orchids proved fruitless in that sense but I did discover that a singing Cetti's Warbler was still present and mate Alan found a second singing individual nearby a few days later too, so although we've lost them from the actual swannery grounds they are still present on the patch after all. Other less common passerines confirmed as holding territories this week have been Spotted Flycatcher and Lesser Whitethroat. The scarcest passerine in Abbotsbury this week though was again not at the Swannery but at the adjacent Sub-Tropical Gardens where Curator Steve Griffith had a singing male Golden Oriole on Wednesday... typically though, although following the 'wierd sound' all through the gardens he didn't manage to glimpse this accomplished foliage blender.

Slow Worm... my first reptile of the year but I have now seen several of these legless lizards this week. unfortunately though despite there still being one or two seen I haven't yet seen an Adder this year (or a Grass Snake for that matter).

Beautiful Demoiselle... my first damselfly of the year.

A New Bird For Abbotsbury (But A Little Hard To Swallow)!

Monday 14th to Sunday 20th May 2012

Wader passage was the main feature at The Swannery again this week...a Ringed Plover was on 'The Bund' on Monday, two flew north on Thursday and two east on Friday; a Sanderling flew through on Monday, two were on 'Shipmoor Point' Tuesday and two were on 'The Beach' opposite today, with another five flying through; double figures of Dunlin were seen most days, with a peak of forty-five today; there were still 4 Whimbrels in the meadow on Monday, one at 'The Fleet Pipe' Tuesday, one over Wednesday and twelve over Thursday; whilst the first Redshank for a few weeks was present today and two pairs of Oystercatchers still linger.

Above three photo's Dunlins on the Fleet shoreline by 'The Bund'.
Top two courtesy of Charlie Wheeler.
Although the meadow is still mudless there was a little mud exposed along the shore this week.

As for wildfowl the first year male Scaup finally left, being last seen on Tuesday; a late male Pintail arrived on Thursday but as it was keeping close company with a female Mallard and was very approachable, it's presumably an escape. Tufted Duck, Pochard and Gadwall were all still present but there were no Teal or Shoveler this week.

The pair of Marsh Harriers are still around and indeed were seen displaying again today so fingers crossed still.

Sandwich and Common Terns have been seen in single figures off and on all week with the latter showing interest in the island one day then they've gone the next so fingers crossed there too!

Passerine passage was less evident but highlights were a couple more Spotted Flycatchers in the 'Chapel Withybed' and a Stonechat at 'Bum Point', although a less expected migrant, was new in too.

As happened a couple of weeks ago though, the best Abbotsbury birds of the week were not at The Swannery at all but about a mile to the east and just to the west of Rodden Hive point. At least I found them this time though (while carrying out the WeBS count) and the first was the bird I have been predicting at The Swannery for the last couple of posts! When I arrived at the locality a hundred or so hirundines were feeding over the scrub along the Fleet shoreline but then alighted along a fence line. I checked through them all left to right...Swallows, Sand Martins, House Martins then the last one...a Red-rumped Swallow! Before I could get my camera out though it flew and my flight shots were unfortunately abysmal! No longer an official rarity it was still a great bird to find of course but frustratingly it now joins my small list of birds seen on The Fleet at Abbotsbury but not at The Swannery (Grey Partridge and Long-billed Dowitcher being the only others). I still have high hopes though, if not this year maybe the next? And the other bird... a Corn Bunting holding territory! The first I have seen along this stretch of The Fleet (a former stronghold) for years (although I saw one at nearby Rodden last year). Lets hope they are making a bit of a comeback!

Today's Abbotsbury WeBS count (Reeds End to Rodden Hive Point)

Mute Swan - 516

Black Swan - 2
Canada Goose - 33
Shelduck - 23
Gadwall - 10
Mallard - 108
Mallard (domestic) - 2
Pintail - 1
Pochard - 14
Tufted Duck - 30
Great Crested Grebe - 28
Cormorant - 2
Little Egret - 17
Moorhen - 4
Coot - 23
Oystercatcher - 4
Sanderling - 7
Dunlin - 45
Redshank - 1
Black-headed Gull - 6
Herring Gull - 271
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Sandwich Tern - 9