Portland Bill - 4th September

I have been neglecting this blog somewhat of late in favour of entering my records onto eBird, I have now got as far back as 1990 with a few years from the 1980's left to input to complete my UK birding data. Thats almost 30 years of data now on eBird and its a fantastic resource for exploring my historical records. I can now see with a few clicks how many, for example, Pomarine Skua I have recorded at St. Catherine's Point, what my peak day for the species was, my earliest and latest dates, whether I have photographed it etc. I would encourage any birder to commence using eBird and start adding their current and historical birding data. Anyway, I intend to start adding my birding days to this blog once more but perhaps in a slightly more abridged way.

Today I had a survey in Dorset and so headed to Portland Bill for a few hours first thing. I started the morning with a quick scan of Ferrybridge but it was fairly quiet with few waders, best were six Sanderling and 15 Dunlin. My eBird checklist can be seen here.

I then headed to Portland Bill and parked in the main carpark, the wind was firmly in the west with heavy cloud and a few spits of rain and I wasn't particularly optimistic for seeing many birds.  While having coffee it became evident that there was a steady westerly movement of Siskin and Swallow. I then headed up the west cliffs recording further Siskin, Grey Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail overhead but there were few migrants in the bushes. I cut east across the island and birded the Top Fields area where there were good numbers of Wheatear and three Whinchat. I then cut down through Culverwell to the observatory and back, via the Observatory Quarry, to my car. In total I recorded 79 Swallow and 18 Siskin moving west and 24 Wheatear and three Whinchat in the fields - fairly respectable totals for a couple of hours birding. My eBird checklist for the morning can be viewed here. Portland Bird Observatory's account of the day can be viewed here.

Wheatear - Top Fields, Portland Bill

Wheatear - Top Fields, Portland Bill

Whinchat - Top Fields, Portland Bill

The local Stonechat are looking decidedly scruffy - West Cliffs, Portland Bill

Remarkably I have never photographed Carrion Crow before - Top Fields, Portland Bill

Normandy Marsh, Lymington - 7th October

Having spent the weekend in Lymington I found a spare hour to have a wander around Normandy Lagoon at Lymington, part of the Keyhaven/Pennington/Lymington Marshes complex. I wandered from the Yacht Haven Marina along the seawall around Normandy Lagoon and back up to Normandy Lane. The tide was on the fall from a very high level and there were good numbers of common waders including a few Knot, 14 Greenshank, three Spotted Redshank, c.75 Dunlin, c.30 Ringed Plover, and six Bar-tailed Godwit. Wildfowl numbers are beginning to increase and I recorded 65 Teal, 45 Wigeon and 16 Brent Goose. Passerines were in short supply and I only recorded two Wheatear, two Stonechat, a single Chiffchaff and small numbers of Swallow passing over to the west. There was a distinct autumnal feel to the environment with an abundance of Hawthorn and Bramble fruit in the hedgerows and the leaves beginning to yellow, the Salicornia on the saltmarsh was flushed a rich vinous red making a lovely back drop to marshes inhabitants.

Stonechat - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Redshank - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

The Teal are in heavy moult and this individual was particularly scruffy - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Starling - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Renged Plover - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Greenshank - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Curlew - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Little Egret, this ringed bird is, I believe, from a Dutch ringing scheme- Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Little Egret - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Little Egret - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Little Egret - Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Pennington Marsh - 11th September

Sarah was in London today and so it was my duty to collect Tobias from school. Heading off from work a little early I spent a couple of hours at Pennington. I had, unintentionally, coincided my visit with the passing of the remnants of Hurricane Dorian that had passed, so devastatingly, over the Caribbean last week before tracking up the eastern coast of the USA and crossing the Atlantic passing to the north of the UK but creating windy and damp conditions further south. It was very windy and grey and difficult conditions in which to bird. Parking at the car park at the bottom of Lower Pennington Lane and walking over the Old Landfill it was evident that there was a small but steady stream of hirundines, mainly House Martin and Sand Martin but a few Swallow, moving west into the wind. A single juvenile Whinchat showed briefly on the dump but despite looking the bird had vanished. I set my scope up to the north of Butts Lagoon and scanned across the mud and water, there were small numbers of wader, mainly sheltering behind the reeds, with a single juvenile Little Stint, four Greenshank, three Spotted Redshank, 50 Black-tailed Godwit, 30 Lapwing, a single Snipe and a handful of Ringed Plover and Dunlin. I wandered onto Fishtail Lagoon but it was almost devoid of birds, a distinctive 'tip, tip' overhead and the Little Stint dropped onto the lagoon with three Dunlin and a Ringed Plover and showed fairly well, if a little distantly for such a small wader. I wandered onto Keyhaven Lagoon where a Wheatear showed well along the path but on the lagoon there was little but for 18 Teal.

I then wandered back eastwards scanning the same areas as before, small numbers of Whitethroat were in the Brambles, on the sea were 15 Eider, two Sandwich Tern, an adult and a juvenile passed by, to the west, but it was fairly quite otherwise. Heading back towards the car via Jetty Lagoon, I stopped at the jetty and scanned the mudflats and sea, there were around 25 Grey Plover, some still in almost full summer plumage, as well as around 45 Ringed Plover and a similar number of Turnstone. I headed back towards the car and then birded the Ancient Highway for a short while, there were four Common Sandpiper on Efford Lagoon along with a single Egyptian Goose. On the highway the birding was tricky due to the strong winds and I recorded singles of Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat plus a trickle of Hirundines overhead. It was time to head off to collect Tobias.

Northern Wheatear - Pennington Marsh

Northern Wheatear - Pennington Marsh

Little Stint and Dunlin - Pennington Marsh

Eider - Pennington Marsh

Sandwich Tern - Pennington Marsh

Sandwich Tern - Pennington Marsh

Common Stonechat - Pennington Marsh