On route I stopped firstly at Arne, the RSPB reserve on the Isle of Purbeck. Although largely a heathland reserve there are views to the Poole Harbour estuary and a Stilt Sandpiper has been seen in the area for the last week. Not really knowing the best viewing points and having not checked the tides before I arrived, I decided to walk over Coombe Heath towards the lower end of the Middlebere Channel seeing Stonechat, Dartford Warbler and Chiffchaff. A viiewing screen was the first stop, overlooking part of the Middlebeare Channel. The tide looked low and the birds were at a distance towards the Estuary. I could make out flocks of Avocet, Black tailed Godwit, large numbers of Redshank a few Curlew and a single Spoonbill. I saw that the tide was rising, so moved along the ,path to a hide where the waders were flying past to roost a little further down the channel. After another 30 minutes I picked out the Stilt Sandpiper which was feeding on the mud among the roosting flock of around 150 Avocet. A large flock of Black-tailed Godwit, and Redshank were joined by smaller numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plover. Happy with good if a bit distant views of the Stilt Sandpiper, I returned to the car seeing a Peregrine on route.
I headed across Dorset to Lodmoor about 50 minutes away with the hope of seeing the Lesser Yellowlegs, another American Wader which had been there a couple of days. Amazingly my car fitted under the barrier at the car park (I normally have a problem when council car parks have a 2.0m height barrier as my car is 2.05m, this car park was 2.10m, I still duck as I drive under the barrier thinking I'm going to hear scraping on the roof). Lodmoor is a set of roadside lagoons in the centre of Weymouth on the beach road with a footpath that circumvents the reserve with a few viewing points into the pools, not all of the pools are visible as there is a fair amount of vegetation . I walked to a viewing shelter and immediately saw a Great Egret, 3 Ruff , 6 Snipe and Green Sandpiper, a Kingfisher flew up the channel the Egret was standing in. There seemed to be a group of birders on the other side so I headed there 6 Little Stint were with Dunlin and Ringed Plover, more Ruff and a Med Gull in with the Black-headed Gulls. A Sparrowhawk caused havoc as it swooped through the middle of the reserve putting up all the waders . I picked up the Lesser Yellowlegs flying around which eventually dropped down into the middle of the reserve unfortunately out of sight from where we were returning to the first shelter viewpoint the Yellowlegs was briefly there before running over a bank and out of view. I wanted to get to the Obs by around 4.30 so left Lodmoor.
Arriving and finding my bunk room for the next few nights, sorted myself out then had a look around the obs garden. A Yellow-browed Warbler was good to see and a Firecrest was picked up before the light faded when a Short-Eared Owl was picked up sitting on a fence post in the Crown Estate field..
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| Great Egret |
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| Ruff |
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| View from the observatory terrace |
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| The Obs' lighthouse from the Crown Estate field |
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| From the Obs quarry |
My one hope for this weekend was to see migrating birds. I really enjoy the spectacle of seeing birds in the process of migrating, always asking the question why and where ? Yes, being October, this can be enhanced by the occasional rare bird, but nothing is guaranteed and it is largely influenced by the strength and directions of the winds.
Today turned out to be a bit of all sorts, which I really enjoyed, with a bit of drizzle after dawn raising hopes that it may have grounded migrants, but the high hopes didn't really materialise into numbers of birds, then a brisk southwesterly wind picked up, which at least improved activity on the sea.
First thing just after dawn, a Hawfinch was seen bombing around the obs garden, and a few Pied Wagtail, Linnet and Meadow Pipit were seen moving south. A Golden Plover flew over calling. The activity on the sea picked up late morning with several Sooty Shearwaters seen in a 2 hour spell, I had views of 10 birds with a total of 20 reported. The afternoon I spent walking around the southern part of the Bill and to the Top Fields, seeing 2 Peregrines kill a Woodpigeon and a Dartford Warbler moving along one of the hedgerows being the highlight.
Another highlight for me today was bumping into Ralph and Brenda Todd. Ralph was the leader of the Bexley RSPB Group when I first started a birding interest (I must have been 10 or 11) and my Dad took me to local meetings, field trips and even weekend trips. It was how and when my lifetime interest really blossomed and Ralph was a real inspiration to this start and to get out and see more birds. I've probably bumped into him and Brenda about every 7 or 8 years.They spend some time in Dorset every year, so I was lucky to spend some time with them over the next few days.
Main birds for the day as follows ;
Pied Wagtail c 100
Meadow Pipit c75
Linnet c 1000
Hawfinch 1
Goldcrest c10
Wheatear 5
Common Scoter 28
Gannet 30+
Sooty Shearwater 10
Kittiwake 2
Razorbill 2
Guillemot c25
Skylark 18
Stonechat 6+
Dartford Warbler 1
Raven 4
Rock Pipit 2
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| Wheatear |
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| Raven |
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| Managed cereal crops to produce seed for birds |
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| Sooty Shearwater |
Saturday 14th
Another day with expectations high when the weather really didn't know what it was doing: the dreariest of starts with a noticeable breeze blowing eventually gave way to a millpond calm and positively hot late afternoon and evening before the breeze freshened again and swirling fog clamped down after dark.
Standing on the Obs terrace just as the sun was rising , hopes were high, but the first hour of daylight, which can often been the most promising, was a little disappointing. Then things started to move and the numbers of Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Goldfinches moving South were a significant increase on the day before and it was clear a few more migrants had been grounded. At least 1 Hawfinch was seen with more Goldcrest , Firecrest and a Blackcap in the bushes, then a very welcome surprise when a 1st year Rustic Bunting was caught in the nets. I was lucky enough when later on I walked into the Crown Estate Field and a Bunting flew up from cover and back over the road, with a call that was not a typical Reed Bunting call, landing in a tree in the Obs garden. I picked it up in the tree and could clearly see it was the Rustic Bunting. It flew again before I could get a better view did a lap of the lighthouse and headed on towards the top fields where I lost it, Martin, the obs warden, had been in the field with others and had seen me watching the bird and also saw it fly but out of view, we could only conclude it went to the Top fields into cover there.
Again I spent the afternoon walking the fields and the coastal path, the Little Owl was in the quarry several Swallows were moving and a Merlin was seen, a Whinchat was in the Crown Estate Field with a flock of c1000 Linnet with another c1000 having flown out to sea. An exceptional day with great birds
Pied Wagtail 250 +
Meadow Pipit 100+
Linnet 2000 +
Goldfinch 300+
Hawfinch 3
Firecrest 3
Rusting Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 2
Swallow 13
Skylark 25+
Merlin 1
Peregrine 1
Kestrel 2
Sparrowhawk 1
Whinchat 1
Wheatear 2
Stonechat
Sand Martin 1
Little Owl 1
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| Odd Sunrise , looks like the top is missing. |
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| Rustic Bunting |
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| Firecrest |
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| Another |
The day started in a similar fashion to yesterday, although migrant bird activity was soon picking up with the number and variety even more prominent than the excellent day on Saturday with the incredible sight being that of Firecrests - everywhere. Firstly in the Obs garden where the bushes seem to be full of Firecrest I then walked down to the Bill tip and up the coastal path and over the top fields and Culverwell Woods, I wouldn't be surprised if there were well over 100 birds , they ended up ringing 68 in the nets, which was a record day (more than they had ringed all year so far). A huge number of Linnets were moving with an estimated 2000+ in the Fields with well over 1000 flying out to sea.
Other migrants seen were more Hawfinch, Golden Plover, Snipe, Black Redstart Grey Wagtail, Mistle Thrush and a Merlin. Later in the morning another highlight when a Radde's Warbler was trapped in the nets. It was released in the quarry. I had views with others as it did a lap of the quarry field in and out of brambles, then back into cover near the Obs.
The afternoon was again spent walking the coastal path and quatering the fields, several Wheatears and Swallows were seen along with the Whinchat and a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins was seen offshore. Even though activity quietened down a the day went on, Firecrests were still everywhere.
Another fantastic day.
Pied Wagtail 150+
Meadow Pipit 100+
Linnet 2500+
Siskin 2
Goldfinch 300+
Golden Plover 4
Snipe 1
Grey Wagtail 1
Skylark 30+
Mistle Thrush 1
Blackbird 20+
Black Redstart 1
Hawfinch 2+
Firecrest c100
Goldcrest 3
Swallow 27
Radde's Warbler 1
Merlin 1
Sparrowhawk 3
Wheatear 12
Whinchat 12
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| Another Firecrest |
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| Radde's Warbler |
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| Radde's Warbler |
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| Hawfinch |
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| Linnet Flock |
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| More Linets |
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| Bottlenose Dolphins |
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| Bottlenose Dolphins |
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| 2 Sparrowhawk |
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| Peregrine |
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| Another Firecrest |
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| 1st year male Sparrowhawk |
A day of predicted high winds with the remains of Hurricane Ophelia signaled a day of bizarre weather and confusing light conditions. It started windy with a couple of predawn squalls which obviously had desert origins with the car covered in sandy splodges. The wind was strong at dawn and got stronger in the afternoon, but mid-morning the sky turned dark with a strange orange hue to the atmosphere (it certainly confused the camera).
The weather was potentially interesting for birds but ultimately slightly disappointing as visible migration was obviously hampered by the strong winds and grounded migrants were few and the sea didn't really produce anything. I did venture out of the Bill area with Ralph to see the Red-breasted Flycatcher which was on the edge of the Broadcroft quarry on the north of the island, and again spent the afternoon walking the paths in the hope of maybe bumping into something interesting, but 12 Wheatear, a Merlin and a Sparrowhawk were the best of the haul, the Linnet flock of c1000 was still present but it was good to be out in the breeze !
Pied Wagtail 30+
Meadow Pipit 30+
Linnet 1,000+
Goldfinch 20+
Great Skua 2
Arctic Skua 1
Red-breasted Flycatcher 1
Wheatear 12
Stonechat 4
Merlin 1
Sparoowhawk 1
Peregrine 1
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| at dawn |
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| Red-breasted Flycatcher |
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| Deaths-head Hawkmoth |
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| Red-breasted Flycatcher, the strange Orange hue in the picture was real. |
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| Windy coastline |
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| Merlin |
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| Merlin |
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| Stonechat |
I only had a couple of hours first thing in the morning before I needed to head home. The wind had abated slightly since yesterday, but not a huge number of birds visible first thing but a few Song Thrush had dropped in . The highlight of the morning was 2 Short-Eared Owls seemingly trying to fly South and another Hawfinch which dropped into the garden.
A great few days and I will go back to the obs again.
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| Early Hawfinch |
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| Short-Eared Owl |
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| A final Firerest |
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| The Firecrest was ever present and in numbers never seen before. |
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