Radipole - Garganey

I had a talk booked to the Dorset alpine group with overnight hospitality near Poole and with a couple of hours to spare, I decided to check out the Weymouth area en-route.
With only one brief and fairly unproductive seawatch this year, there was an odds on chance of some easy seabirds for the yearlist, I headed down to Portland Bill…..

No shortage of Guillemots, either on the water or busily flying to and fro. Several small groups of Gannets, plus a few Kittiwake and a single Manx Shearwater were the obliging year birds! Fulmar, Shag flew close in and four Whimbrel were a nice surprise…..

I checked Birdguides on my phone and a drake Garganey was apparently showing well at Radipole’s North hide. I’d already seen the Otter estuary pair earlier in the year but this sounded like a good bird to see, so off I went…..

I had approx 45 mins to spare and I then discovered that the North hide was nearly a mile from the car park! Oh well, I’m here now I though so went into route march mode. I was 200m from the hide when I met a couple of birders coming my way …. A brief and rather negative conversation ensued…… “Still showing”?? “Nah, it’s just flown – we’re off to look for it”.

I hadn’t got time to chase Garganey around the reserve..... so, opted to carry on to the hide and within seconds of arrival breathed a sigh of relief - it had flown back in!!






The reason for it’s flightiness then became obvious! A rather territorial Mute Swan was in no mood to have this attractive little interloper present. Bad news for the Garganey but good news for me with camera poised as (somewhat distantly) it was harried into brief short flights…..






Even the Coots got in on the act……








It did come closer (briefly) to escape all the harrassment?










Flight shot of the day?






Oh and hows this male Marsh Harrier for a garden tick!!






Eventually, I had to call it a day and jogged my back to the car (honest). Soooooo glad I was driving out of Weymouth, smiling as I watched mile after mile of gridlocked cars trying to get in – the queue was right back to Dorchester!! MORAL – don’t ever even try to get into Weymouth on a Friday evening…..

Clayhanger Marsh - Hoopoe take 2

I’m off work this week and as it happened, so was Yvonne today. The lure of the Hoopoe (would be a lifer for her) was too much and the road to Brownhills beckoned…..

A familiar start for me as well with the bird having shown well earlier but currently ‘disappeared’. We stayed by the Marsh entrance gorse bushes but after 30 mins decided to have a search. Eventually, after a ‘tip off’ we found the Hoopoe tucked right into the far left hand corner (if walking in) on the railway line fence! Cue one very happy Yvonne, surprised it wasn’t a much bigger bird!

We watched it for a while and it flew over by the slag heap......






It didn’t take long to find it again and it was one of those – “Don’t move – there’s a Hoopoe less than ten metres away” moments. It then flew a short distance onto the heap, continuing to feed as we watched it though some bushes; worth a pic or two……












The disappearing act nearly happened but it haa a habit of flying up into a tree every now and then for a preen…..






Another tree…..






This ‘Beast of Clayhanger’ was nearly responsible for it’s demise a few days earlier until scared off by some birders!






Foxes on the loose too, this Hoopoe is leaving a charmed life......

Clayhanger Marsh - Hoopoe

Clayhanger Marsh near Brownhills is probably no further for me to drive than the deep South of Shropshire! With a Hoopoe still present for the past seven days, it seemed a sensible place to go? The mayhem and throngs of a bank holiday crowd would also be avoided and having heard the 'gen' it seems I made the right decision to choose a weekday!

What an amazing 'wild' place - especially after dark!?? Looming tower blocks in sight but a great variety of habitats and wouldn't mind betting a Shrike or two could show up here!

There's a Hoopoe in them thar Gorse bushes.....






At least it HAD been seen there until a couple of dudes decided they wanted a closer look? A very enjoyable couple of hours in the company of Dave Hutton and another Oxford birder followed, searching the entire site...... It took us the best part of an hour and on return to the Gorse, there it was in the distance!






We had circled the whole Marsh and the gorse provided cover as we returned to the starting point - the Hoopoe was busy feeding in the middle of the bushes.....








We just sat there and waited, eventually he worked his way back into view and ever closer, an amazing few minutes of 'now you see me'.....








And then, it was 'now you dont' time, as he flew up briefly into one of the nearby trees! He dropped over the other side of the copse and I decided to return to Shropshire to see if the Dotterel were still about? (They weren't but something almost as exciting was about to turn up for me at Wood Lane later....)

Longmynd - Wheatear

This would have been the third day for the Dotterel pair to have been by the glider station entrance. It was one day too many though and despite a walk around the area and a check of the sheep fields there was no sign!

I had a few Wheatears for company still and this male bird was engaging enough for a few close up shots....










There has to be a favourite!

Wood Lane - Barwit surprise!!

Two visits to the Ellesmere area in two weeks and two important birds! This second visit was to yield a pretty rare Shropshire wader, the first at Wood Lane since 2003 and probably, only the third County record (I'm sure Geoff will confirm or advise) since that 2003 bird!

I was there on the strength of a talk to Ellesmere garden club but called into Wood Lane on my way there. There was nothing much of note about - a Black-tailed Godwit had been noted (ref the hide book) earlier in the day. I caught sight of a bird flying in to the scrape - it landed briefly - wait a minute that's not a Blackwit, crikey (or words to that effect) it was a Bar-tailed Godwit!!

It had only been there a matter of seconds before a couple of Lapwings 'went for it'....






And off it flew to the neighbouring scrape - out of view!






I got the information out and was contemplating a walk up to the far hide when...... it flew back in and was left in peace this time! Still working through loads of images and I will confine things to some representative shots....








I even got a chance to capture some 'droplet shots'!








What a cracking bird! Good light too for a change (it was 7.15 by now)






I'd better get off to my talk then (sooooooooo glad they invited me!).......

Longmynd - Dotterel at last!!

What a morning! I'd sensed with Andy their imminent arrival (as we do every year!) and for once their timing was spot on! Despite having a lie in, I was at VP for 7.00 and shortly after (wondering where Andy was), got the news I was hoping for..... "better get over to the Glider station Jim"....

Now Dotterel are a bit of a bogey bird for me, I dipped the 2007 Shropshire birds over three days, I've climbed Ben Macdui in (vain) search of them and now finally there they were - a perfect pair feeding in the short grass 100 metres in front of me! Bit of a celebratory bird too - Shropshire tick, UK lifer and UK bird no 300 (OK, I know, I know, just another 100 to go....)

Setting the scene (after nearly flattening a Red Grouse near Pole Cott)....








At this early hour, the glider station isn't active and the temporary use of a 'car hide' meant there was no chance of disturbance!

Males are usually the 'good looking' ones in the bird world leaving the children to the female. Dotterel turn that upside down with the male undertaking the nest duties, chores, hanging out the washing etc








Never mind the open field poses which, after I'd got over the initial excitement, are about as demanding as a 'raptor on a post' shot, this is probably my favourite image from the session.....






Here's the lovely lady.....












There were a few of the residents on view, the early Meadow Pipit catching the creepy crawly thing.....






Plus one of several Northern Wheatear fresh in?






What a start to the day, the road from Asterton yielded not just one but two Red Kites another two more County year ticks were to follow......

Black Hill - Tree Pipit display

Tree Pipits always show well on Black Hill and the individual seen here was certainly in posing mode in between moments of aerial display!








A similar pose but just look at how the background can influence how the eye/digital camera perceives plumage colour - same bird in the same light (I just moved to get the conifer plantation as a backdrop)!








My favourites from this brief encounter, looking dapper amongst the conifer foliage - a very refreshing change from white sky!








Wood Warbler were not quite so showy at Clunton Coppice (constantly in the canopy!) but there were at least three singing males quite close to the car park - shame about the white sky record shots.... Pied Flycatcher plus Blackcap also seen.








The day ended with a pretty good tally of County year ticks (SIX)! The Dotterel pair the highlight by a Country mile.....