In Search of Island Birds Part 1

May is usually one of the best months of the year in Dorset for rarities so why book a holiday away for one of the best months of the year, is a question I'm still trying to answer. In compensation we visited some beautiful islands with fantastic habitats and met some lovely people.  

It all started many months ago when Jackie saw that Hurtigruten were doing a UK Island Expedition cruise which included two islands we have long wanted to visit Rathlin and St Kilda and having previously been with them on a Northern Lights, Norway trip decided to give it a try as it wasn't your normal type of cruise. On board they have a ornithologist, botanist, biologist and an expert on Cetaceans from ORCA. They also had an expert on Viking mythology and history as many of the islands we were to visit had Viking history. 

Hurtigruten's MS Maud Fishguard © Jackie Hull

We were to board our ship 'MS Maud' at Dover and sailed overnight and the next day to Fishguard for our first landing where we used ribs to go ashore to the jetty.  Oddly though Jackie and I have visited Pembrokeshire a number of times we had never been to Fishguard but recently had watched a TV programme featuring the Fishguard tapestry which depicts the last invasion of Britain by the French. We thought it would be good to see it for ourselves so we headed into town and to the Library, and I have to say the tapestry was fantastic at 30m in length and a little longer than the Bayeux tapestry, the needlework was superb and well worth a visit if you're ever in the area.  

A section of the tapestry depicting the women dressed in traditional clothing marching around a local hill to make the French think there was a larger army resident in the town than they thought.

This depicts local heroine, Jemima Nicholas, who is said to have captured soldiers single-handedly and secured them in St Mary’s Church.

After, we refreshed at The Royal Oak where the surrender was signed and where the table it was signed on still resides. A very welcoming pub also worth a visit as though you require encouragement.

Jackie, Fran and David contemplating whether it was time for drinks. © Nick Hull

We sailed in the evening and as became the norm we had dinner and headed out onto deck 6 and positioned ourselves overlooking the bow and seawatched, till almost dark before turning in for the night. Our destination next morning was Rathlin Island so we had a slow cruise up the Irish Sea passing the Isle of Man on to this beautiful Island off the Northern Ireland coast.   Land of the Golden Hare which was something Jackie and I hoped to see.  

There were 15 Ribs to transport passengers to shore © Jackie Hull

We were lucky to be in the first group to get ashore and we caught the shuttle bus to the RSPB reserve to look at the seabird colony which I have to say was tremendous with high stacks and cliffs full of birds Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Shag, Fulmar, Kittiwake and the more common Herring and Great Black- backed Gulls.

Just as we approaching the centre Jackie spotted a hare from the bus, soon as we were off we were scanning for the hare and one of the RSPB wardens told us that one was usually somewhere near the rocks over there and pointed to the field opposite.  We scanned with telescope and found it crouched down sheltering from the wind in a tussock of rushy grass. It was some distance away but because of it's golden blond colour you could make it out easily.

My digi-scoped shot of the Golden Hare on Rathlin Island.

So you can see what they really look like I've shared a You Tube video taken by Rathlin Stickybeak a group which records the Islands Wildlife, which shows the hare much better than my photograph.

Whilst looking for the hare I found a Great Skua or Bonxie as they are also known which lifted off and flew off towards the seabird colony around the head.  As this required a 100 step to get down to the viewing area by the lighthouse only David and myself made the descent which allowed us to see the many thousand of Guillemots, Razorbill, Puffin, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Shag plus Great Black-backed and Herring Gull. 

A view of one of the sea cliff colonies at Rathlin RSPB © Nick Hull

We really had to short a time here but due to the popularity of the site and to allow as many  people to visit we jumped back on the bus and travelled back to the bay and headed off to a few small fields behind the houses where we were told we may hear Corncrake.

Sounds of Corncrake Rathlin Island © Nick Hull

After standing on the lane and listening to two Corncrake for ages in the hope that one of them would show which they didn't, we headed back to the beach and sat at one of the picnic benches and had some of the best chips from the mobil van that anyone could have.  It probably helped that it was sunny and warm and we were able to watch Black Guillemot and Eider with recently hatched ducklings in the small harbour.

Eider and ducklings also Black Guillemot - Rathlin Is. Harbour © Nick Hull

Unfortunately our time came to leave but Jackie and I agreed that we will come back and visit again in the future to this beautiful island. 

Our next destination was due to be Isle of Iona but unfortunately the swell was such that it was unsafe for the ribs to take us across, while "plan B" was decided and the captain sailed us around Staffa and Fingal's Cave unfortunately it was wet and misty.  Plan B turned out to be taking us into Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, a lovely colourful town but it turned very wet so was not our best day.

However the weather change for our next landing, St. Kilda an island I've always wanted to visit and was my main reason for going on this expedition cruise, though I knew that being able to land there was always risky as the landing is difficult if there is any sort of sea swell, and speaking to others some had tried several times and failed to get ashore but the forecast looked good.

View of the village on St. Kilda from our anchorage out in the bay © Nick Hull

As numbers were limited on the island each group that went ashore had approximately two hours to explore as much as you can in the allotted time.  Our first bird species that we saw was a little unexpected a Whooper Swan as we were heading into shore on one of the ribs.

Whooper Swan - St. Kilda © Nick Hull

The jetty isn't the easiest to get off of but we all managed it without incident and the first birds to be seen on the island, well you couldn't miss them as the glided effortlessly low over our head to their nest site on the harbour wall were Fulmar.

Fulmar nesting along the sea wall © Nick Hull

Then as we walked around the edge of the harbour towards the island helipad we met lots of the Soay Sheep.  These animals are treated as wild sheep and are not interfered with so if one breaks a leg it either survives or dies as if it were a wild animal, it appears with so many lambs around they survive very well as there were many around the village.  All the adults were very scruffy as they were shedding their winter fleece.

Soay Sheep - St Kilda © Nick Hull

A little further on whilst we were trying to find a Wren that had just flown into the shoreline boulders, we had another species we hadn't considered that we would see on the island, spotted by Fran moving through the shoreline rocks was a stunning male Snow Bunting.

Male Snow Bunting - St. Kilda © Nick Hull

Shortly after we managed to see our first St Kilda (Hebridean) Wren, a sub species of our Common Wren which has slightly different feather markings and is a tad bigger than the mainland race with a slightly different song but when you listen it sounds like a Wren, I just wish I had my recording equipment with me.

St. Kilda (Hebridean) Wren © Nick Hull

Other species seen around the village were a pair of Arctic Skua both dark phase birds, lots of Wheatear around all the stone walled enclosures and on a small wet bog we had several Snipe which we often heard calling with the yapping sound at various locations around the village.  We also had what we can only say sounded like a Ring Ouzel singing high up on a scree above the village but we couldn't find it for love nor money.  Though I did see a a bird at one point fly across and out of view over a ridge which looked very much like a male Ring Ouzel with silvery panels in the wing.

Northern Fulmar - St. Kilda © Nick Hull

I don't usually like getting too close to Fulmar as they can let loose and throw the contents of their stomach 

at you as a form of defence but this one came in and landed on to one of the stone turf covered houses right next to me. Though it does seem to have a smirk on it's face as it looked down it's tube nose at me, so I didn't stay in range too long.

After our village walk we caught a rib back to the ship for lunch and then in the afternoon we caught another for a rib cruise around the bay to see the nesting birds and seals.

Puffin and Razorbill taken from the rib loafing on the water St Kilda © Nick Hull

Some Bridled Guillemot with the usual plumaged Guillemot © Nick Hull

On the high-rise ledges which have well painted in guano were a number of Guillemot which had the white spectacle look which are known as Bridled Guillemot which are found much more as you move further north.

Kittiwake on their nesting ledge St Kilda © Nick Hull

As we moved around the bay there were a couple of what only can be calls shallow caves and this is where we found the Kittiwake nesting set back under the overhanging cliff above.

Great Skua (Bonxie) patrolling the sea cliff © Nick Hull

As with many of the northern seabird colonies there is always predators either Great Black-backed Gull or Bonxie and here we had two birds, one came very low and just cruised past us looking for the opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting auk or Kittiwake to get a free meal. These birds have suffered terribly on the island from avian-flu this year and around 48% of the islands breeding population have died. It's very tragic and they aren't the only species Gannets and auks are being effected as well.

At sea level we had several Grey Seal, some resting on the flatter areas of the rocks and a few were in the water.  Our coxswain, as were the others, very good and didn't go too close so not to disturb them allowing them to get their rest and conserve their energy.

Atlantic Grey Seal - St Kilda © Nick Hull

Most areas of the cliffs had something going on, the green areas at the top Puffin and then a little lower Razorbill and Guillemot then the Kittiwake and then Shag and seals at the base.  Though one very high promintary had a group of resting Shag which looked quite prehistoric sat so high silhouetted against the pale grey sky.

Shag resting - St Kilda © Nick Hull

After our rib cruise around the bay it was back to the ship freshen up and then have our evening meal before heading back out for a evening seawatch on deck 6.  This seawatch produced possibly the best bird of the trip as we were watching lots of Shearwaters, Guillemot, Puffin and Gannet coming and going and as the light was just starting to dim Jackie shouts "Nick over here, out there going right" Amazingly I saw it straight away and couldn't quite believe what I was looking at a Leach's Petrel skimming across the sea unfortunately too far out for my 100/400 lens but we were able to watch it for a couple of minutes before it was gone from sight.

Back on the 10km challenge

April I think is the month when you know you're going to get the migrants coming through in pretty good numbers and its a case of catching up with them, particularly those that do not breed locally.  We were also still missing a few seabird species, so on the 3rd we headed up to Durlston to see if we could put that right plus there was the added bonus of seeing a few orchids.  It was a very nice sunny day and we were accompanied by our daughter and granddaughter. Out to sea was quiet though the cliffs were busy with the odd pair of Fulmar and the auks resting on the water and crowding the nesting ledge all were new for the 10km list.

Northern Fulmar - Durlston CP © Nick Hull

Razorbill & Guillemot on the sea Durlston CP © Nick Hull

On the 5th we had a a walk with friends at Arne and added Osprey and a couple of Swallow. As we were leaving we had news that Ian Ballam had found a Green-winged Teal on the fields from the Sherford VP.  We rushed back to the patch and when we arrived the bird promptly went out of view but a little while later it reappeared a little further away, but we had good scope views and it couldn't be mistaken for anything else. We also added Wheatear and White Wagtail to the patch list both seen in the Arable Field.

Video grab of the Lytchett Fields Green-winged Teal © Nick Hull

On the 14th Jackie and I had our morning walk at Middlebere and when we got to the NT hide looking over the Middlebere channel there was very little viewable and the tide was out but with a small group of Grey Plover was a lonesome Knot a species which we had been missing since the beginning of the year.

On the 15th April Jackie and I helped out on one of the Birds of Poole Harbour bird boats which went from Poole Quay to Ridge up the Wareham Channel. It was a very nice and sunny warm morning though a little fresh at the start. It didn't take long for us to pick up our first Sandwich Terns which more or less followed the boat all the way to the mouth of the Frome.  Though the trip was a good one with lots of birds which included two Osprey. Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, it didn't add very much to our personal list.

The next day in the afternoon a few of the Poole birders had a small gathering to catch-up on lost time over the last couple of years and it was good to see everyone and find out what everyone had been seeing and finding out how the Osprey project was doing etc. It also turned out to be fairly productive as we added Sand and House Martin and Sparrowhawk to our 10km list.  We also received news that a Blue-headed Wagtail had been found at Sunnyside Farm by Jol, so after our catchup a few of us headed for Sunnyside to see if we could find the wagtail.  When Jackie and I arrived Ian and Trevor were already searching without any luck though there were a few things to see Gadwall, Mallard, Lapwing and a Wheatear, also Pied Wagtail.  We also picked up a Tree Pipit which had flown in to drink at the pools. 

We were all just thinking that the wagtail had moved on and we were thinking of going when all of us heard the high pitched 'tslee' as a Yellow Wagtail flew over us and landed in with the cattle in the next field.  We all got on to it quickly and yes it was the Blue-headed Wagtail, this is a colour form of Yellow Wagtail which is mainly found in Central Europe, and it gave stunning views.

Blue-headed Wagtail _ Sunnyside Farm © Nick Hull

A cracking looking bird to finish the day on.

On the 17th as it was Easter Sunday we had a family picnic and walk at Arne including our three grandchildren, it was fairly quiet but they enjoyed see the Black-tailed Godwits from the new Lookout hide, also a Red Kite circling over Coombe Heath.  On the way home we drove via Soldiers Road and stopped where we usually hear Willow Warbler on Slepe Heath.  As soon as we stopped we both could hear one singing and a little further on we had four Egyptian Geese grazing on the campsite field.

On the 19th we were back at Durlston mainly to see if the orchids were in flower as our last trip they were only leafed spikes.  After leaving the car park we soon had our first Whitethroat singing and displaying and eventually we probably had at least eleven on our walk.  When we arrived at the area for the orchids we found large number in flower all looking fresh and pristine. The Early Spider Orchid in very good numbers and the Early Purple were scattered in little groups around the down.

Common Whitethroat - Durlston © Nick Hull

Early Purple Orchid © Nick Hull

Early Spider Orchid - Durlston © Nick Hull

On our walk back to the car we went via the Cowslip field which looked wonderful.

Cowslip Field Durlston © Nick Hull

On the 24th we had a walk over to Morden Bog where we heard our first Cuckoo of the year but unfortunately unseen and displaying Tree Pipits.  A Peregrine flew over and a few Swallows passed through and we had at least four Dartford Warblers. 

At the end of the month I did my heathland bird survey at Holton Lee and added Whimbrel, Reed and a Garden Warbler and we had a quick trip to Sandbanks and saw our first Common Tern for the year passing through the harbour mouth. This brought the month's species count to 103 with 22 species being added to the 10km checklist which now stand at 141 species with many more still to get. 

Untickable Baikal Teal

On the 7th of March Jackie and I decided to take a trip down to the Somerset Levels, to Greylake RSPB, in the hope we would get lucky and see the Baikal Teal which had been present there for a few weeks. Unfortunately when we arrived we were told it had been on show but the RSPB had gone out to do a check on the Fox proof fencing and had disturbed the bird.  Though everything had returned no one was able to find the teal. It was a fine but cold breezy day and we decided to give it to lunch time and if we hadn't seen it we would go to Ham Wall for Bittern and the egrets etc.  During our time there searching for the teal on occasions Marsh Harriers also a Buzzard flushed most of the water fowl and they would lift off and fly around, eventually settling back on the marsh again.  We would scan again to see if we could find the elusive Baikal Teal.  During these mad whirling mass of duck that flew around in panic avoiding the raptors I took a number of photographs just at random of the mass of birds and scanned for the teal but we had no luck at all finding it.  So we ended the morning with a dip and headed off to Ham Wall for lunch and the afternoon.  

Now this isn't quite the end of the Baikal Teal story as several day after returning home when I had a little time to process the photographs taken on the day.  I had a quick scan through the photograph of the flushed flock of ducks. Yes, you've probably guessed now what I'm going to say, in one of them there is a Baikal Teal unseen by everyone at the time but captured by the camera, a camera tick. 

The question is would you tick it or not? We've decided not but it is a bit of a dilemma. The only year tick I had here was Cetti's Warbler which was hardly any consolation. 

                     Untickable Baikal Teal - Greylake © Nick Hull

Ham Wall as ever was great with all the usual species that one would expect good numbers of Great White Egret, Marsh Harrier and a good selection of water fowl.  We only managed to hear a Bittern 'boom' but that was enough to add it to the year list and we will return on another day and hopefully see one before the year is out.

Back home on the patch at Lytchett we added Green Sandpiper, Kestrel, and Mistle Thrush the latter of these species isn't particularly regular on the patch so was nice to get under the belt.  Our next patch tick came on the 20th when Ian Ballam called to say he had a Garganey out in the bay and it had headed towards the end of footpath 12.  We headed out but was unable to find it, it had probably headed into one of the little creeks in the reed bed out of sight.  We didn't have much time as we had arranged to meet friends at Lodmoor. This  turned out pretty well as we added Ruff, Red Kite and our first Swallow of the year and on the way home a quick stop at Maiden Castle added Corn Bunting to the year list too.   Not a bad day but it wasn't over after arriving home, Shaun called to say he had relocated the Garganey out in the bay and it was viewable from the Lytchett Bay Viewpoint.   So we quickly popped around the corner and joined Shaun who directed us onto the bird. It wasn't the best view as we were looking into the late afternoon sun but you could make out it was clearly a Garganey a nice way to end a good days birding.

Yellowhammer taking a drink St Aldhelm's Head © Nick Hull

The last couple of weeks of the month were spent trying to catch up with a few of the species that are not so easy to find the local area, well particularly in the 10km challenge area.  We made a couple of visits following up on information passed to us from friends, one to St Aldhelm's Head which proved fruitful with us seeing our first Wheatear of the year followed by Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting and both Red-legged and Grey Partridge.  

Little Ringed Plover - Lytchett Fields RSPB © Nick Hull

Then to finish up the month on the 25th we had two Little Ringed Plover at Lytchett Bay on the Sherford Pools field, which we followed on the 28th with one of the Isle of Weight introduction immature White-tailed Eagle in the Lower Frome valley.  This made a nice end to the month.

Very distant Carrion Crow (top) - fem Marsh Harrier (middle) & imm White-tailed Eagle

Norfolk plus

February allowed us to take a short holiday alway after it was cancelled by covid last year.  Though the week before we went we had time to do a little birding around the harbour to add a few species to the 10km list before we left.  On the 2nd a trip out to Middlebere was very quiet except we had a male Goshawk fly past at a fair rate of knots and headed towards Arne Moors direction. When we had arrived back to the van at the parking area a visiting birder asked if we had seen the Merlin we answered "No" and he replied well there is one in that pine tree in the bog, we thanked him and scanned the tree finding a male Merlin sat resting on a branch close to the truck making it very hard to see from some angles a great start to the month.

On the 5th we headed off to Norfolk where were staying in Wells-Next-the-Sea giving us the option to travel to Cley in one direction or Holkham in the other.  The first day was very wet weather but it improved as the week progressed other than the wind stayed pretty blowy. 

Our first target species was to try and catch up with the Red-breasted Goose which seemed to be commuting between Blakeney and Cley.  We had no joy at Blakeney so continued on to Cley where were were told it had just been found at Blakeney but had just taken flight with the Brent.  So we decided to go out to the beach to do a little sea watching but on arriving we were told the Red-breasted Goose had just flown in to the middle of the reserve.  So we decided to walk along the beach to get a view but when we were about half way to where the bird was the brent lifted off and landed in the Eye Field behind the car park so we had to retrace our steps against the cold wind but fortunately I had parked the van facing the right way as it began to rain.  We jumped into the van to warm up whilst we looked for the goose and quickly found it around 30m away along the fence line and had good views. 

Red-breasted Goose - Cley Norfolk © Nick Hull

For the late afternoon we headed for Holkham popping into Lady Ann's Drive which was almost empty of birds so on to the "triangle" to look over the marsh between the end of Holkham and Burnham Overy Staithe.  Scoping the marshes there were lots of birds present with large flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover the latter couldn't be seen until a Marsh Harrier quartered across the marsh and put them all up giving us a great display.  We also found no less than five Great White Egret out on the marsh and had a small flocks of Brent and Greylags, Curlew, Redshank and various duck species.  After some time we had a small skein of Pink-footed Geese fly in and I set up my recorder and parabolic microphone ready for the next flock to come in to roost on the marsh.  It wasn't long before Jackie said "here they come" and I switched on the recorder and waited for them to pass over. It was a real spectacle as it must have been all the Pink-feet that was wintering in Norfolk that was flying over filling the whole sky above us. I checked the recorder and found the sound of all these geese was bouncing the recording level into the red but I hoped it wasn't distorting the recording to much. 

Two Owls · Pink - footed Geese

The forecast for the 7th looked good so we decided to take a chance and go somewhere new so we headed of to Deeping St. James in Lincolnshire a LWT reserve.  As we approached the reserve we had a quick stop to photograph a family party of Whooper Swan on the roadside dyke.

Whooper Swan family near Deeping St James © Nick Hull

We arrived at the reserve and parked up with more Whoopers viewable on the nearby lake and headed off towards the first hide.  As we arrived at the hide to birders were exiting and we asked if they had seen our quarry they answered no not a sign.  We checked our instructions and found our target bird wasn't seen      from the hide but an opening in the hedge line before the hide.  We backtracked and found the opening and started scanning the trees and bushes across the water about 40m away.  It took me a few minutes to picked up a pale streaked breast in a tree covered in ivy opposite and directed the others onto it, whilst I set up the scope.  Once the scope was set up you could get a pretty good view of a single Long-eared Owl my favourite bird.

Long-eared Owl - Deeping St James © Nick Hull

After a good look around we headed off looking for Bewick's Swan and Crane.  We were told to explore Thorney Dyke area for both species though we only found one which was a tad interesting. We found three Bewick's Swan on one of the fields one of which had a neck collar, so we took time to get the code and moved on. (Hopefully I will be able to update you later on the swans history)

Bewick's Swan (with gps collar) Thorney Dyke © Nick Hull

We worked our way around the fen area to the Nene Washes RSPB reserve unfortunately there wasn't any access for Jackie's mobility scooter the gates were too small so we looked over the reserve from the parking area.  I have to say it was waisted and we had more Whooper and a handful of Bewick's, Red Kite and a scattering of waders and then Jackie spotted two Cranes which passed over the reserve and disappeared behind a wood never to be seen again.

On the 8th we headed off to Sculthorpe Moor I have to say this is one of the best reserves when it comes to scooter access there was nowhere that Jackie couldn't get to even the raised hides.  We had a great visit though we didn't add much to our year list but added several to the trip list with Brambling, Siskin, Egyptian Geese and lots of Bullfinch were all very nice to see. In the afternoon we went back to the Holkham triangle for the geese to fly in which strangely they didn't at least if they did it was dark when they did.

Male Brambling & Bullfinch - Sculthorpe Moor © Nick Hull

Well you can't come to Norfolk without at least trying for Shorelark so we woke early and got to Holkham before too many visitors had arrived and we met Tony and Jo from the Flamborough Obs who we had run into a few time over the week and they said the larks were out on the beach from the halfway path behind the Washington Hide so off we went. When we arrived we were told they had been flushed and were in the dunes a couple of hundred metres or so further up the beach.  So on we went but after a short while Jackie was finding it hard so I said to her to stop where she was whilst Tony Jo and I searched for them. Well we were searching around when Jackie called me "I've got them" I whistled to Tony and Jo and we made our way back to Jackie who had four Shorelark a few metres in front of her giving great views.

Two of four Shorelark - Holkham © Nick Hull

On the 11th we headed out after a Short-toed Lark but unfortunately it was too far away for Jackie to walk and not suitable for her scooter and no parking close by so we had a look around Kelling Heath, which didn't provide much but it refreshed our memory of the reserve as we hadn't visited there for some years.  

We had lunch at the Kelling Tearoom (reconmended) sitting outside on a bench in the warm sun which made a nice change.  For the afternoon we went back to Cley to see if we could get the Iceland Gull on our trip list and parked up at the beach car park.  It was fairly calm though there was a bit of a cool breeze, anyway we walked up the beach and did a little sea watch which produced little other than a couple of Red-throated Diver, a handful of Common Scoter, a Great Crested Grebe and the usual common species of gulls.  A birder told us that the Iceland Gull was off the east bank which was some way off too far for Jackie to walk.  I decided that I might be able to see it scoping the gull flock from where we were to, so scanned away.  Jackie started feel the cold and went back and sat in the van as I continued looking after about 15 minutes I picked up a creamy looking gull flying towards me along the beach edge I quickly realise it was the Iceland Gull and called Jackie and pointed and it flew almost to me then turned around between me and the van and headed back to the east bank, perfect you couldn't have arranged it better.

We ended the day back at Holkham triangle where the geese didn't arrive again but we had good views of to Chinese Water Deer feeding and running around in one of the fields which I managed to get a dew digi-scoped shots of.

Chinese Water Deer - Holkham © Nick Hull

It was time to leave Norfolk and on our way home we called into Welney WWT where we saw the usual species and managed to add Tree Sparrow to the year and trip list and as we left for home a mile or two down the road we saw a Cattle Egret which finished our trip very nicely.

We ended the month with adding Redwing, Stonechart to the 10km and Yellowhammer to the year list. 117 species seen for the month roll on March when Sand Martin and Wheatear and possible an Osprey.

New Year Birding

Sorry this blog is a little late this is mainly due to Jackie and I going off birding in Norfolk and we are only just catching up with all those jobs that we didn't complete before we left, but more about Norfolk in the February blog which will be coming soon.

Though a little belated Jackie and I would like to wish you all a Wildlife filled 2022 with lots of good birds.

Hopefully like us you have already seen a good few birds to start your year list off.  We are doing a 10km challenge for the year so we've been trying to see as many as we can of the wintering species now rather than risk not seeing them at the end of the year when they return from their breeding grounds. 

As usual Jackie and I joined Liz Woodford on January 1st to bird locally around Upton Country Park and Lytchett Bay.  As the Tundra Bean Geese were still around we decided they would be our first target species and we met Liz in the car park at Upton CP and went straight to the farm field and luckily for us they were still there.  Not for long and the park run started and a very loud motivator voice boomed out to encourage the runners and it unsettled the geese which lifted off and flew toward Creekmoor where they landed in the field by the round-a-bout. Anyway we had seen them so we carried on around the park checking off all the common woodland species and a walk  along the edge of the bay produced a good number of wildfowl. 

Tundra Bean Geese Upton CP © Nick Hull

After Upton we went back towards home to cast an eye over Lytchett Bay which added a few extra to our list and we finished at home for lunch with 56 species.

We couldn't get out again until the 3rd when we started at Hampreston Water Meadows for the lone Whooper Swan and had a successful start and also added a Great White Egret fly over. So no time lost we then moved on to Dorchester and looked for the Little Gulls at Maiden Castle which didn't seem to be present so moved to Charminster Water Meadows where we had more success which finding the 5 White-fronted Geese though distant gave good views.

From Charminster we headed for Chesil Cove our target Black Redstart.  We parked up and had a quick look around but couldn't see any sign so we had our lunch whilst keeping an eye open at the roofs and gardens.  I finished my luch before Jackie and said I'd look up along the sea wall and around the edge of the cove and beach.  I was looking out to sea and had an Iceland Gull amongst the feeding gulls out in the cove and turned back to the van to get Jackie as I approached the van I spotted something under the rear and quickly realised it was a female type Black Redstart.  As I got to the van it moved to Jackie's side of the van and up onto the cobble embankment giving us close views.  We then tried to find the Iceland Gull again out in the bay but couldn't find it.  So we headed to Lodmoor and hoped it would come in to bathe before going to roost.  we had been watching over Lodmoor for a while when all the gulls suddenly lifted off and started to circle up and drifting towards Weymouth Bay and I managed to pick up the Iceland Gull and get Jackie onto it before it flew off out over the bay and we headed for home.

Next day we popped down to Studland and had a look around South Haven we managed to add Sanderling to our 10km and harbour and year list along with the usual suspects that are usually around. Next day the 5th we met friends at Blashford Lakes and we added a Red Kite which soared over the car park to our year list.

Red Kite Blashford Lakes © Nick Hull

We popped to our daughter's at Wareham on the 12th and went home via Trigon stopping at Stroud Bridge in the hope we might pickup a Crossbill but found a Peregrine on a pylon instead. In the afternoon we popped to Arne for bird seed and had a quick walk around Shipstal adding Spoonbill on the point then went home via Hartland Moor and got lucky finding a Hen Harrier a nice bird to get at any time.

Towards the end of the mouth we visited Durlston CP to add Black Redstart to our 10km list plus Guillemot, Rock Pipit and Firecrest.

Male Black Redstart - Tilly Whim Durlston CP © Nick Hull

Then on the 16th we had a first for the garden which visited the feeding station for a few days a super little Lesser Redpoll. Then on the 18th we went out to the bay and waited for an hour or so for the Glossy Ibis which had been visiting the bay in the late afternoon before going off to roost somewhere in the harbour area. Shaun called us to say it had flown in and landed on the mud just off the old fisherman's bench, but unfortunately from our vantage point we couldn't see it as it was too close to the bank.  Eventually it wondered further out into the bay and moved into sight and we had distant scope views but good enough to add it to out patch, harbour and 10km lists.  In fact a few days later Paul Morton found it feeding in a field at Post Green Farm where I managed a poor distant memory photograph.

Glossy Ibis - Post Green Farm © Nick Hull

A morning visit to Blashford Lake to meet friends added a Brambling for the year on the 18th and on the 20th we added Purple Sandpiper in with the Sanderling roosting on the one of the groyne's at Sandbanks and  ended the mouth with another Lytchett Bay scarcity a single Golden Plover out in the bay.

Push to the end of the Year.

Jackie and I would like to wish you all a healthy and bird filled 2022.

To be honest it wasn't too much of a push as with probably everyone we were getting ready for Christmas, those last minute presents and seeing family and friends. So we didn't get much birding done but we did make the effort to see the Upton Tundra Bean Geese on the 21st December .

Two adults and one juvenile Tundra Bean Goose Upton CP. © Nick Hull

Then on the 22nd, whilst having a walk with the grand children around Poole Park, we had a flight of White-fronted Geese fly over towards the north-east which was a bit of a surprise.  On the 28th we had a trip out to Portland and Weymouth in an attempt to see the Iceland Gull and catchup on Black Redstart which was missing from our year list.  Unfortunately they were still missing from our year list at the end of the day.  Though we did drop by Charminster and see the 5 White-fronted Geese in the water meadows though they were very distant as you can see from the photograph.

4 of 5 (Russian) White-fronted Goose Charminster Water Meadows © Nick Hull

We ended our year on 219 species plus 3 subspecies which gives us a total of 222 species in 2021 which isn't our best year but that's not surprising as we were locked down for a good part of the start of the year.

It also reminded me that back in September 2020 I wrote here that we were going to set ourselves a challenge of trying to see at least a 100 species a month throughout the year.  I just realised that we have gone 15 months since I wrote this. Looking back over those 15 months we didn't manage the hundred for 6 of them, but when I calculated the average for the period it came out at 101.44 species per month. Interestingly the months we didn't quite make the hundred were all in 2021 February, May, July, August, September and December.

Looking back over the year from a birding perspective, once you have seen over 400 species in the UK it becomes harder to add new species to your British list. Saying this Jackie and I have had one of our best years for seeing scarce and rare species for a very long time. Not being big twitchers who stick mainly to Dorset and Hampshire though we choose carefully where we take our holidays to give us our best chances to add species we cannot see locally.  

Our personal highlights in 2021 have been:-

Tundra Bean Geese - Upton CP

White-fronted Geese - Poole Park

Garganey - Poole Park

White-tailed Plover - British tick - Blacktoft Sands RSPB

Long-toed Stint - Life & British tick - St Aidens RSPB

Pectoral Sandpiper - Lytchett Fields RSPB

Jack Snipe - Spurn Obs

Whiskered Tern - Longham Lakes

Little Auk - Weymouth Hbr.

Night Heron - Poole Harbour

Hoopoe - Upton Allotments

Red-footed Falcon - Langford Lakes

Chough - Great Orme Llandudno

Willow Tit - St Aidan's RSPB

Western Bonelli's Warbler - British tick - Flamborough Head South Landing

Yellow-browed Warbler - Bempton RSPB & Flamborough Obs

Aquatic Warbler - Lytchett Bay

Melodious Warbler - Middlebere

River Warbler - British tick - Ham Wall

Rose-coloured/Rosy Starling - Martin Down

Red-breasted Flycatcher - Flamborough Obs

Taiga Flycatcher - British tick - Flamborough Head Fog Station

Desert Wheatear - Dorset tick - Lodmoor RSPB

Common Rosefinch - Portland Bird Obs

Snow Bunting - Bempton and Jerry's Point Poole Hbr.

Photo highlights of 2021 © Nick Hull