A day full of Birding

I had managed to wangle a day off on Friday 8th May and so decided to start early with another seawatch down at Stokes Bay. It was an overcast morning, and was fairly calm, with a southerly wind gradually veering round to south-east. It was difficult to tell if there was an air of anticipation about the conditions because most of the talk was about the previous days General Election, and the disbelief that the Conservatives had once again got into government, and with a majority. There has to be a genuine fear for Britain's wildlife with them back in.

Sea watching soon took centre stage and a steady trickle of Common, Sandwich and Little Terns drifted by. A winter plumage Red-throated Diver was the first species on note, followed by a couple of Whimbrel. It was pretty slow going with good numbers of Barn Swallows and the occasional Swift coming in, and then Mark Rolfe, who was one of the assembled crowd, picked out a Roseate Tern amongst and small flock of Commons. It took me a while to get on to the bird, but eventually I was on it. I was following the bird east and it had just gone out of sight when Mark called out Hoopoe!!! Amazingly, a Hoopoe was flying along the beach towards us, flew over our shelter heading inland, and then veered west and continued to fly inland. That made up for the bird I missed a few weeks ago in Crawley, when I was in Cornwall. The sea watch continued as it had before the Roseate and the Hoopoe, with a steady trickle of terns and swallows and by 10am, when we finished, the only other species of note were two Mediterranean Gulls, and a Wheatear that landed on the beach in front of us.

I left Stokes Bay and headed to the Haven to pick up some bird food, to keep the parakeet fed. I had a quick scan from the sea front before heading home; there were three Dunlin and a Bar-tailed Godwit feeding on the Meon, several Swifts, House Martins and Swallows feeding over the reserve, but that was all of note.

Bar-tailed Godwit - Titchfield Haven

My next stop was Bunny Meadows. Bunny Meadows is known for it's wading birds and so at this time of year, there isn't likely to be much around, unless some migrants drop in. The tide was pushing up towards high and so there was very little mud left exposed, but five Whimbrel were making the most of what was there.

One of five Whimbrel at Bunny Meadows.

The reed bed was showing little evidence of spring, but there were still plenty of Reed Warblers singing, as was a male Reed Bunting. A couple of House Sparrows were tucked into a dense bit of bramble mid-way along the causeway, which seemed to be an odd location for them, and a Wheatear was feeding on the causeway.

Wheatear - Bunny Meadows

Oystercatchers were the most common wader species, seven in all and two Ringed Plovers and a single Dunlin were flushed off a roost next to the causeway by an off-the-lead dog. Three of the Oystercatchers were colour-ringed, I suspect they will be birds that I have seen before, but noted the combinations anyway. The rings on one bird were very discoloured but hopefully it will be possible to figure it out.

Colour-ringed Oystercatcher - Bunny Meadows

I was just about to head home when news came through that the 2nd CY Bonaparte's Gull was once again back at Riverside Park on the River Itchen at Bitterne. Although I had seen this bird on Monday at Weston Shore, my views were quite distant so I was keen to see it again, and also get some pictures. It has been frequenting the area between Cobden Bridge and a small reed bed to the north, opposite a sewage works, occasionally going into the sewage works and being lost from view. When I arrived it was showing very well but was regularly flying up and down the river, and only occasionally settling down to bathe.

The views were so much better, with the bird on occasion down to 10 metres. There were also around 30 Black-headed Gulls present so it was really nice to compare the two species. The Bonaparte's was so much smaller, and had a more dainty flight than the black-heads, as such it was very easy to pick out as it flew around. Being so close it was easy to pick out the key features, such as the small, all black bill, the grey nape, 'bubble-gum' pink legs and the neat trailing edge to the primaries and secondaries and all white underwing.

Bonaparte's Gull - Riverside Park

Bonaparte's Gull - Riverside Park

Bonaparte's Gull - Riverside Park

Bonaparte's Gull - Riverside Park

Bonaparte's Gull, with Black-headed Gull behind - Riverside Park

Whilst at the Bonaparte's I bumped into a couple of birding mates, and after a quick beer to celebrate with a work colleague, I headed home. What a cracking day it turned out be, starting with Roseate Tern and Hoopoe and ending with a Bonaparte's Gull.

Trevose Head, Cornwall - 27th April

For the final day of our long weekend I started with another pre-breakfast walk around Trevose Head in search of migrants. I started again by the golf course and on the road down to Boobies Bay there were a couple of Sedge Warblers, three Whitethroats and a Blackcap. There were good numbers of hirundines feeding over the fields but they were all Barn Swallows and Sand Martins. As I got to the beach 11 Whimbrel took off from one side of the golf course, flew over the road and landed the other side, they were the only Whimbrel I saw.

Whimbrel - Trevose Head

I worked my way around the fields towards the headland, there was a distinct lack of migrants, although two Wheatears put in a brief appearance. With very little evidence of migrating birds I spent my time looking at the residents. The Skylarks were being quite lazy birds and rather than flying up high to sing, they were just sitting on fence posts singing. They were evidently very used to people and allowed me to walk right up to them for a few pics.

Skylark - Trevose Head

It was a gloriously still and sunny morning and the light was fantastic.I was able to get some great shots, albeit of birds on posts.

Skylark - Trevose Head

A Meadow Pipit was also being quite lazy and sitting on a rock and singing, again it was very approachable, and allowed me to get a few images before it flew off.

Meadow Pipit - Trevose Head

Other than a constant stream of hirundines there was nothing to report of note, until that is I heard a singing Corn Bunting. There is a project on Trevose Head aimed at maintaining the dwindling population, but as with many schemes it seems to be failing in its aims. It seems that the conflicts with modern farming practices and farmland birds are not being resolved, and as is happening on my patch in Hampshire, species like Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer are disappearing.

Singing Corn Bunting 

In the end it was a very quiet morning with very few migrants to report, but overall I had had a fab weekend back in Cornwall.

Marazion Marsh, Cornwall - 26th April

My birding today was limited to about an hour at Marazion Marsh this afternoon. We arrived just after lunch, which was slightly fortuitous as the Great White Egret was feeding in a distant ditch, and just about in view. I must admit that I was not really bothered about seeing it, as I regularly see the individual at Blashford Lakes, but stopped for a quick look anyway. A quick look was about all I got, as the bird was deep in a ditch and obscured by reeds, but it was possible to make out that it was a Great White Egret….honest.

Great White Egret deep in the reedbed.....honest

I decided not to wait for a better view and headed along the road scanning over the reserve. There were several Reed Warblers singing, along with the occasional Cetti’s, a single Wheatear was feeding amongst the rabbit burrows and about 50 Sand Martins fed over the reedbed.  

Northern Wheatear

A small willow in the middle of the marsh seemed to be supporting a Grey Heron nest, a single nestling was present in the nest; what I assumed to be the parents were busy feeding on the water’s edge, occasionally taking flight to see off intruders.

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

There was very little going happening on the marsh so I crossed the road and began looking out to sea. Thirty Whimbrel were roosting on the beach, but they were soon flushed by dog walkers and headed off north. I started to scan out to sea and picked up a flock of another flock of around 50 waders that included 48 whimbrel and a single Bar-tailed Godwit. This flock was quickly joined by another 30 Whimbrel, all of them settling on the beach to rest.

Whimbrel and a single Bar-tailed Godwit

Whimbrel and single Bar-tailed Godwit

Resting Whimbrel, except for the one fighting with an Oystercatcher

There was a degree of bickering between individual Whimbrel and some of the Oystercatchers, and the Herring Gulls seemed intent on giving the Barwit a hard time. After about 30 minutes resting the whole flock took flight and headed off north, this seemed an appropriate time for me to head back to St Merryn.

Trevose Head and Valency Valley, Cornwall - 25th April

I arrived at Trevose Head just after 7am this morning and started birding along the road that leads to the beach and bisects part of the golf course. The scrub near where I parked had a singing Common Whitethroat, a Blackbird, a Blackcap and several Dunnocks. There were a few Swallows passing through and Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were displaying overhead. Evidence of migration was again thin on the ground, with a single Wheatear on the golf course and a couple of Sedge Warblers singing from the scrub.

Sedge Warbler - Trevose Head

Sedge Warbler - Trevose Head

There were already several dog walkers on the beach when I reached it, so any migrants present were likely to have been flushed. I had a quick scan out to sea and picked up a few Fulmars, two  Manx Shearwaters and a Gannet and then three Whimbrel took off from the beach and headed north calling. I continued to scan the sea, there was very little moving but whilst there another 12 Whimbrel dropped in and landed on the beach. Some birds immediately tried to sleep whilst others began feeding; they started on the beach but were being continuously flushed by dog walkers, eventually heading out over the golf course. Another flock of three dropped in about 20 minutes later but they didn’t stay around for long.

Whimbrel - Trevose Head

Whimbrel - Trevose Head

Migrating Whimbrel - Trevose Head

After breakfast we planned to go to visit relatives in Boscastle, which would give me the chance to pop down for a spot of birding in Valency Valley. Valency Valley has been a regular haunt of mine for many years and no trip to Boscastle is complete without a visit there. I started from the car park end and worked my way up the valley; Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were the most obvious of the migrant species but they were not my intended quarry. 

Valency Valley is a guaranteed spot for Dipper and that was what I was really searching for. I worked my way slowly up the river scouring the rocks for birds; there was plenty of evidence, bird droppings on rocks in the river, but initially no sign of one. After about 30 minutes I reached an area where I had previously found a nest and heard a bird calling immediately. The first bird I saw flew strongly past me, but soon returned and began bobbing on a nearby rock. 

Adult Dipper Cinclus cinclus gularis

Adult Dipper Cinclus cninclus gularis

When Dippers are this tame, it usually means that they have young nearby, and sure enough, a quick scan downstream produced a recently fledged juvenile. The bird was very approachable and allowed me to get get close enough for some half decent photos. From what I could make out there were two fledgling birds and two adults, I would have expected more fledglings, and there may well have been others tucked away somewhere but I couldn’t find them. I don’t think the fledglings have been out of the nest more than a week and their primaries appeared not to be fully grown and downy feathers were still present. The adults were frantically searching for food to feed their chicks, but they would not come near if I was too close, so I sat back and just watched them from a distance

Fledgling Dipper

Fledgling Dipper - note downy feathers still present

Fledgling Dipper

Fledgling Dipper

I spend a good hour watching the pair feeding their offspring, but decided to head back to the car when the expected heavy rain set in.

Bunny Meadows and Curbridge - August 2014

The autumn migration is in full swing now and as I had a day off I decided to spend at least parts of the day birding a few local sites in the hope of finding some migrants. I started at Bunny Meadows around mid morning to coincide with the high tide, as this is usually a good site for waders. As I arrived it was just off high tide and a few waders and gulls were taking advantage of the last remaining areas of intertidal, whereas others were already roosting on the vegetated Islands.

Black-headed Gull - Bunny Meadows

Black-headed Gulls were the most numerous gull species with 104 present, Great Black-backed (3) and Herring (7) were also present but only in small numbers. At this time of year the islands are well vegetated and some waders were making the most of this cover, whilst others roosted on patches of bare mud. Black-tailed Godwits were the most numerous wader species present with at least 148 birds present.

Black-tailed Godwits - Bunny Meadows

Most of the godwits present were adults and moulting into their winter plumage but there were also a few juveniles present too. 

Black-tailed Godwits - Juvenile in middle and adults

As well as the godwits there was also a good selection of other waders present. Curlew (2), Redshank (5), Dunlin (1), Turnstone (1), Ringed Plover (24) and a Whimbrel were the species that I found, but some were difficult to identify in the tall vegetation.

Two Ringed Plover and Dunlin - Bunny Meadows 

Whimbrel - Bunny Meadows

I continued past the islands to the remains of the old causeway, another good bird roosting location. There were good numbers of waders here too, with Redshank (60), Black-tailed Godwit (2), Greenshank (2), Oystercatcher (5), Lapwing (5) and Grey Plover (5) present. Two of the Grey Plovers were adults and three were juveniles, one of the adults had colour rings on its legs, and eventually it put both legs down so I could get the combination. The bird was ringed at Hamble Point by Farlington Ringing Group in January 2009, the subsequent sightings are provided below the image.

Grey Plovers - Both adults, with one bird colour-ringed (see inset) - Bunny Meadows

First Ringed        02-Jan-09 Hamble Point, Southampton Water, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           26-Dec-11 Bunny Meadows, Warsash, River Hamble, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           27-Dec-11 Bunny Meadows, Warsash, River Hamble, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           18-Nov-12 Bunny Meadows, Warsash, River Hamble, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           18-Nov-12 River Hamble, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           16-Sep-13 Hook Links scrape, Hook-with-Warsash, Southampton Water, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           04-Feb-14 Bunny Meadows, Warsash, River Hamble, Hampshire, S England
Resighted           22-Aug-14 Bunny Meadows, Warsash, River Hamble, Hampshire, S England

With the tide now dropping fast my next stop was Curbridge, further up the Hamble Estuary. Curbridge has been good to me in recent weeks and today was no exception. I started at the Horse and Jockey pub entrance and immediately picked up three Common Sandpipers and a couple of Kingfishers. There were small numbers of Curlew (2) and Whimbrel (2) and a handful of Little Egrets (5). There were at least 600 gulls present on the intertidal, which is not unusual, but the fact that at least 287 of them were Mediterranean Gulls was astonishing. Flocks of several hundred post breeding Mediterranean Gulls often form on the arable fields around Titchfield Haven, but I have never seen this many at Curbridge before. One of the adult birds had a green colour ring on its left tarsus, but unfortunately it was too far away to see if any letters were on it.

Mediterranean Gulls, Adults and Juveniles and Black-headed Gulls - Curbridge

Bunny Meadows, Warsash - In Search of Wading Birds

After the heavy midday rain had passed, the clouds cleared and the mid-afternoon sun warmed the air, I grabbed my scope and camera and headed down to Bunny Meadows in search of waders. The tide was rising and I was hoping to find some colour-ringed birds as they were pushed up onto the islands to roost. Black-headed gulls were already settling down to roost on the highest points of the salt marsh, all of them wearing their winter plumage.

Adult Winter Black-headed Gull

Northern Lapwings and Redshank were also settled amongst the tussocky vegetation, with a handful of Oystercatchers. Suddenly a flock of around twenty Dunlin appeared and flew directly towards me, and landed on the shingle shore only five meters away. Scanning through the flock my attention was immediately drawn to six slightly larger birds, with slightly down curved bills - Curlew Sandpipers.

Mixed Flock of Dunlins and Curlew Sandpipers

Despite the large number of people walking along the track, the flock settled on the beach, some roosting whilst others fed.

Dunlins and Curlew Sandpipers

The Curlew Sands provided some excellent views, with the occasional individual flapping its wings to show off an obvious white rump.

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpipers are slightly larger than Dunlin, and have a longer down curved bill, which is finely tipped. Juvenile birds have uniform scaly patterned feathers on the back, and have white under-parts, with a peach wash on the breast.

Juvenile Curlew Sandpipers

A bold white supercilium is present, and the bill and legs are black. Unfortunately, it was not long before an over eager dog ran along the foreshore and flushed the flock, and the Curlew Sands headed south whilst the Dunlin flew north.

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper

Large numbers of waders were present further along the track including 5 Greenshank, 9 Grey Plover, 16 Redshank and 6 Black-tailed Godwit. The Godwits were all adult birds in winter plumage, with their plain brown-grey breast and upper-parts.

Black-tailed Godwits and Black-headed Gulls

Single Eurasian Curlew and Whimbrel were soon added to the species tally, and another lone Curlw Sand was located feeding with a flock of 15 Dunlin before disappearing into the vegetation......

Roosting Black-headed Gulls and Solitary Whimbrel (centre)

          

 .......and as the tide continued to rise 14 Little Egrets dropped onto the salt marsh to roost.

Little Egrets and Grey Herons

All in all it was a great couple of hours birding, which ended with 11 species of wader and two species of heron, unfortunately none of them were wearing colour-rings.