Sutton Bingham - Fri 29 Apr

After a day at work whilst everyone else enjoyed a Bank Holiday, I felt like a bit of fresh air after dinner so Ellie and I popped up to the reservoir and took a walk along the water's edge from the hide to the car park and back again.
Three Common Sandpipers were seen and a female Reed Bunting was present. A few warblers were still singing away despite the late hour, with the pick being a Lesser Whitethroat in song opposite the hide.
A steady stream of large gulls passed over headed south, as did a single Grey Heron.

Sutton Bingham - Wed 27 Apr

I stopped off at the reservoir on my way back from Weymouth and it was again rather quiet on the bird front. A single Common Sandpiper was on the northern causeway and another three were feeding on the water's edge just north of the hide.
Also from the hide, the pair of Mandarin were again present, though were not straying far from the vegetation overhanging the water. A couple of Stock Doves flew through but there was little else of note...so it was back home to cook dinner for Ellie!

Nothe Fort, Weymouth - Wed 27 Apr

With term restarting yesterday, it was back to term-time hours and as a result I got my afternoon off so headed down to Weymouth as it was such lovely weather. It was 2.30pm by the time I arrived at the car park at the Nothe and it cost me £2.30 for two hours of parking...rather expensive I thought!
I set about trying to find a Subalpine Warbler that had been seen yesterday afternoon and a couple of times earlier in the day, though the directions of exactly where it was were somewhat vague. I bumped in to a couple of other birders who had a bit more information and we eventually found the area it had been frequenting. Over the next hour I saw a couple of Blackcaps and a very obliging Lesser Whitethroat, but no sign of the Subalpine Warbler.
One of the other birders present then got a bit more info via a phone call to one of his mates, the bird had been seen in the top of a rather large pine tree...most unlike this species as it usually skulks low down in vegetation. However, the tip-off proved spot-on as the Subalpine Warbler was found preening at the top of said tree. I managed to get a good view of it for half a minute or so, and from the colouration it looked like a first-summer male or bright female of the western species.
So after a successful mission and with my car parking money nearly up, it was time to head off back through Weymouth and avoid the rush hour traffic.

Sutton Bingham - Tue 26 Apr

A very brief visit before work produced just two Common Sandpipers on the northern causeway. There was nothing of note at all from the hide.

Sutton Bingham - Mon 25 Apr

A brief late afternoon visit was not that productive. Yet again there was nothing of note at the northern end of the reservoir so a sat up by the hide and spent half an hour watching and waiting for something interesting to happen!
A male Mandarin flew up the reservoir and a Lesser Whitethroat was singing in the hedge behind me, but failed to show itself. Half a dozen or so Swallows were hunting insects over the water. However, with nothing else of note happening I came on home, just in time to cook dinner!

Meare Heath NNR - Mon 25 Apr

Ellie and I popped up to Meare Heath for a walk before lunch, and were amazed to find a mass of cars at the Ashcott Corner car park. Despite this we managed to find a spot that everyone else appeared to have missed judging by the number of cars left in the road.
We then took a walk out towards Noah's Lake, and within a few yards of the car Ellie spotted a Great White Egret fly over towards the Ham Wall RSPB reserve. We then paused to look over the drained lagoon and before long I located the Lesser Yellowlegs which had been present for several days. Today had been our first chance to take a look at it. Also on the lagoon, well over fifty Black-tailed Godwits and a Redshank.
Continuing on towards Noah's Lake we stayed on the main track as we had been warned that the hide was filled to bursting. This meant a somewhat restricted view, but we did see at least ten Hobbies feeding high in the sky, we also saw three more on the return to the car.
We decided against a walk out on to Ham Wall and instead came on home for lunch.
UK list for 2011 now at 215 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 24 Apr

After dropping Ellie off at church for the Easter Sunday service, I popped up to the reservior for a little over an hour. West Pool and the main reservoir from the northern causeway produced nothing so I drove down to the southern end and took a long walk round the back of the reservoir (having checked in with the warden first!).
Before long I had picked up a year tick in the form of a singing Lesser Whitethroat. Several other warbler species were also in full song, with a Reed Warbler showing briefly in some willows. As I neared the dead tree opposite the hide, four Common Sandpipers took flight from the water's edge. A male Reed Bunting was showing well and another was heard in song. The pair of Mandarin were also seen briefly in flight.
As the morning progressed and temperatures started to rise several butterflies started flitting about and I added two new species to my 2011 butterfly year list in the form of Green-veined White and Painted Lady.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 23 Apr

After dinner Ellie and I drove up to the reservoir in the off chance that the Black Stork seen over Yeovil earlier in the afternoon might have been hanging around. It was always going to be a long shot, but we gave it a go. Needless to say we drew a blank, but it was worth taking a look as from the hide a ring-tail Hen Harrier flew over heading east. A real surprise and a new Sutton Bingham tick for me. The bird showed really well in the evening sun, nice broad wings and a large white rump patch ruled out any rarer harrier species.
Also during our hour long visit we saw seven Common Sandpipers just to the north of the hide and a pair of Teal were seen briefly in flight. A pair of Mandarin were also present and seen in flight from the southern causeway.
On West Pool five Tufted Ducks were on the water and several Swallows were whizzing about.

Bratley View, New Forest - Sat 23 Apr

Leaving Ellie's mum and dad after a very enjoyable and relaxing stay we headed up to the New Forest and decided to try our luck and give the Black Stork another go! The bird had been viewable from the car park at Bratley View between 12.00 noon and 2.00pm for the past three days, so we were hoping it would do the same today. To cut a long story short...it didn't!
In very hot weather I did manage to see a couple of soaring Goshawks and several Buzzards. On the ground a Stonechat was looking very proud on a gorse bush. But after two and a half very long and hot hours we gave up and headed home...only to find out that a Black Stork had passed over Yeovil at 3.00pm!

Avon Beach, Mudeford - Fri 22 Apr

Ellie and I were staying in Mudeford with my in-laws for a short two-day break and after a large lunch and afternoon nap, we all headed down to the beach for an evening stroll. After our quick walk we sat down over-loooking the sea and I took the opportunity to try a bit of sea-watching. Whilst I was not overly conifident that I would see much, I did manage to pick up a single Black Tern and four Common Terns flying east, and at least ten Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore during the duration of our stay. Not a bad result in just thirty minutes!

Sutton Bingham - Thu 21 Apr

Another very brief pre-work visit produced three Common Sandpipers on the northern causeway, and the pair of Little Grebes remain on West Pool.
From the hide a Whitethroat was singing from the hedgerow and a Goldcrest was heard in the small stand of conifers that runs alongside the path to the hide. However, there was little else of note.

Hardington Moor NNR - Wed 20 Apr

Ellie and I decided on to take an evening stroll up to Hardington Moor as the weather was so good. Whilst I did not see a lot in the way of birds, just a few of the commoner warblers such as Chiffchaff and Blackcap, and a couple of soaring Buzzards.
A few butterflies were still on the with several Orange Tips present as well as a few Peacocks and Brimstones.
There were also loads of orchids in bloom, with Green-veined Orchids:

 And Early Purple Orchid in flower:

All in all a pleasant stroll before dinner!

Sutton Bingham - Wed 20 Apr

A very brief visit for twenty minutes before this morning was pretty uneventful. A single Common Sandpiper was on the northern causeway, and surprisingly six Tufted Duck were on the main reservoir. However, these were the only sightings of interest.

Tealham Moor & Ham Wall RSPB - Sun 17 Apr

After lunch Ellie and I drove up to Tealham Moor so that I could try and pick up Yellow Wagtail for the year list. After a wait of some ten minutes I got lucky and picked out a cracking male bird, though I had heard at least one bird calling as soon as I got out of the car. Also present, what appeared to be a male Blue-headed Wagtail, though the heat haze was such that I could not rule out it being a Channel Wagtail, there was one here last year. With nothing else about at Tealham, we drove on to Ham Wall.
Luckily there was a space in the car park at Ashcott Corner and we walked out on to Ham Wall. It was now early afternoon and very hot, and as a result there were not as many birds around as I would have liked. However, we did manage to see a Cuckoo for the third time in as many days, and a single Hobby was also seen. Hardly surprisingly a Bittern was heard booming, but we failed to see any.
Several butterflies were about and we saw a couple of Holly Blues and several Brimstone, Orange Tips, Peacocks, plus a couple of Speckled Woods and a Red Admiral.
So all in all a pretty good afternoon out and about.
UK list for 2011 now at 210 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 17 Apr

After dropping Ellie off at church I drove up to the reservoir. A quick scan of West Pool produced a pair of Little Grebes, but nothing else, so I drove on down to the hide. From here I was hoping that a pair of Garganey that had been seen last night might still be present, but there was no sign of them.
In fact, there was not really anything of note at all apart from a pair of Teal. At least three Reed Buntings were present as well as the "usual" Chiffchaffs and Swallows.
A single Orange Tip was also seen and that was about all I had to show for an hour long visit.

Longham Lakes & The New Forest - Sat 16 Apr

After a morning of chores, Ellie did our weekly shop whilst I continued work on our new patio, we had lunch and then decided to head off to the New Forest and see if we could locate the Black Stork that had been around for a week or so, albeit extremely elusive and almost impossible to locate!!
On the drive down we made a slight detour and stopped off at Longham Lakes near Ferndown. Ellie waited in the car whilst I walked out to look over the two lakes. Four Common Sandpipers were somewhat jumpy, whizzing across the water as I walked past. A couple of Sedge Warblers were singing from some very small patches of reeds, and I picked up my first Garden Warbler of the year. However, the birds I was after were on the larger lake and meant a brisk stroll to a vantage point where I could scan the water. Before long I had found the Little Gull and within a minute the pair of Garganey...so job down and back to the car!
We carried on down to the New Forest and parked up near Ocknell Plain hoping that the Black Stork would roost in the same area as it had the previous night. We gave it over two hours, but there was no sign of the bird. We did, however, see at least four Cuckoos and a couple of Curlew. The gorse and heather held a few Stonechats and Wheatears. At just gone 6.00pm we decided to call it a day as we had a long drive home.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 15 Apr

I finished the day off with an evening visit to the reservoir whilst Ellie was a choir practice. The first Common Sandpipers of the spring had arrived en masse, with eight on the northern causeway and another three just to the north of the hide.

Also near the hide, a pair of Teal were present.
A pair of Mandarin flew out of the vegetation at the far end of West Pool and then headed off south, and several Sand Martins were feeding over the fields. Two pairs of Tufted Ducks were also on West Pool, as was a single Mute Swan.
Before I knew it, time was up as I needed to get back and collect Ellie from church.
UK list for 2011 now at 204 species.

Budleigh Salterton & Aylesbeare Common RSPB - Fri 15 Apr

After a good morning on Dartmoor we headed back west and paid a visit to Budleigh Salterton. I was after one bird in particular, and it did not take me long to locate it on the estuary...a first winter Bonaparte's Gull. This was only the second time I had seen this species, the previous one also in Devon.

We then walked up the river, scanning the fields where we noted at least seven Wheatears, one of which was a pretty smart looking Greenland Wheatear, noticeably larger and with much more colouration on its underparts. A Sedge Warbler was seen briefly in the small reedbed and a Cetti's Warbler also made a cameo appearance.
After about a mile long walk upstream we decided to take a seat and whilst doing so I noticed a few House Martins hawking over the fields, my first of the year. We then retraced our steps back to the car park and I managed to get a better view of the Bonaparte's Gull.
We then drove up to Aylesbeare Common and took a quick stroll around the heathland. Several Chiffchaffs were singing and a few Linnets were about. We were looking for Dartford Warblers but we drew a blank. As Ellie was meeting a friend for a cup of tea we headed back home after a great day out in Devon.

Yarner Woods NR - Fri 15 Apr

A fairly early start and a drive down to Dartmoor and a walk around Yarner Woods. We arrived at 9.45am and walked from the car park up to the heath where several Willow Warblers were singing away, and a single Tree Pipit gave a great song flight and then settled in the top of a small tree.

We then continued in to the woods and Ellie's sharp eyesight soon paid dividends as she spotted a small bird in a tree next to the path, getting on the bird I knew immediately that she had found a cracking male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker! We watched this wonderful little gem for about five minutes before it flew off away from us.
Continuing on through the woods Ellie was on form as she first picked out a male Pied Flycatcher, the first of at least a dozen that we saw, and then a Cuckoo!

We then set off on what ended up being a very long walk before eventually getting back to the car at midday. A really productive morning and some wonderful birds.

Stanpit Marsh & Highcliffe - Mon 11 Apr

I had the day booked off work so offered to take Ellie down to Highcliffe so that she could get her hair cut and whilst there we took the opportunity to visit her parents. We decided on a walk at Stanpit before meeting her folks for lunch but after a hundred metres the chill wind drove Ellie back to the car, so I continued on alone! It was hardly worth the effort though as all I saw for my efforts were a couple of Curlew and a couple of dozen Black-tailed Godwits on the mud. A fair number of Sand Martins were present, but the only other migrant I saw was a single Common Whitethroat. As I returned to the car, a Cetti's Warbler was calling.
We then drove along to Mudeford and had a very pleasant lunch with the in-laws before we set off to Highcliffe. I dropped Ellie off at the hairdresser and went and parked the car in the cliff top car park for an hour. I had a good wander about, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, though there were loads of Greenfinches about and a few Linnets.

Sea-watching produced nothing apart from a couple of Cormorants and the usual gulls, an extremely distant black blob looked interesting, but was probably just an auk! So not a lot on note today, but then again, it was not a birding day I suppose, especially as I ended up in a garden centre for what seemed like most of the afternoon!

Meare Heath NR and Ham Wall RSPB - Sun 10 Apr

Ellie and I decided that as it was another wonderful day we would head up to the Somerset Levels for a walk after lunch. Parking as usual at Ashcott Corner we walked out on to Meare Heath, and one of the first birds we saw was a Bittern in flight! We then took a look over the drained lagoon where a drake Green-winged Teal was showing really well (see the really top quality record shot of it feeding below!):

A single Bar-tailed Godwit was present with the Black-tailed Godwits, apparently a rare Meare Heath bird! We then continued on to the hide overlooking Noah's Lake. The hide the packed so I had to stick my head in through the door and a very obliging gentleman set his scope up so that I could first see a Little Tern and then a Cattle Egret, birding does not get much easier than that! Another Bittern also flew across the water.
We then retraced our steps and walked out on to Ham Wall. There were slightly fewer birds this side of the road, but at least three Bitterns were booming. Several warblers were singing away, including at least one Sedge Warbler. There were several butterflies on the wing and we saw loads of Small Tortoiseshells, Peacocks, Brimstone, and Orange Tips.

After being out and about for a good couple of hours our stomachs started rumbling and prompted us to head on home for dinner.
UK list for 2011 now at 197 species.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 10 Apr

An hour long visit whilst Ellie was at church was spent at the southern end of the reservoir due to Model Boats on West Pool, and a large number of sailors and canoeists on the main reservoir meaning there were no birds elsewhere on the water. I parked by the hide and walked south, a Blackcap was singing near the southern causeway and five Swallows were whizzing around overhead. As I entered the trees I was surprised as a Tawny Owl flew out in front of me and away through the vegetation! Whilst I had heard Tawny Owls at the reservoir, this was the first time I had actually seen one here. The first Willow Warbler of the spring was in reluctant song whilst several Chiffchaffs were in full voice. A probable Sedge Warbler was starting to spill out a few notes, but I could not locate it. Two male Reed Buntings were also present. I also saw a few Speckled Wood butterflies on the wing.

Radipole RSPB & Lodmoor RSPB - Sat 9 Apr

Driving back in to Weymouth from Portland we stopped off for a visit to Radipole. We only paid for an hour and after checking to see if anything was about walked out to North Hide. A few Reed Warblers were singing and a handfull of Sand Martins were hawking over the water. As we reached the hide a female Marsh Harrier was seen in flight. We had been told in the Visitor Centre that a pair of Kingfishers were nesting near the artifical Sand Martin nest bank. After a short while we got on to a fishing Kingfisher, my first of the year. We then retraced our steps back to car. John and Andy took a walk round the Buddleja Loop, Steve decided to meander back, and I pegged it so that I could try and locate the long-staying Hooded Merganser. I eventually found the bird roosting, though it was a little too distant to get a decent photo.
Our hour up, we set off again and before long found ourselves at Lodmoor RSPB. We walked around the reserve, seeing what was almost certainly the same female Marsh Harrier that we had seen earlier at Radipole. We managed to get very good views of the wintering Long-billed Dowitcher that John and I had seen way back in January.

A single Ringed Plover and two summer-plumaged Dunlin were also present. A Cetti's Warbler showed well next to where we had parked the car, and a couple more Reed Warblers were heard. With little else about we decied to call it a day, though it was only 2.30pm!

Portland - Sat 9 Apr

An early start as myself and three mates set off at 6.20am and headed south, arriving on the Isle of Portland at 7.00am. Our first port of call was Barleycrates Lane in Weston where we took a walk out to West Cliffs and back along Reap Lane to the car. Other than several Wheatears we didn't see much until we were nearly back at the car when I spotted a female Ring Ouzel! A cracking bird and a good start to the day.
We then drove on down to the Bill, and as the Bird Obs car park was full we had to shell out and pay to park. We set off to pick up the target bird as the Short-toed Lark I had seen on Monday was still present and was a UK tick for Steve and John. The bird showed really well in the same field it was in earlier in the week.

A few more Wheatears were also about, including one Greenland Wheatear. A walk up to Top Fields and back down through Culverwell failed to produce any migants, and the Hut Fields were equally unproductive. So we spent twenty minutes sea-watching.
This was also pretty poor, though several Gannets passed through and I got on three "Commic" Terns, but they were too far out to pin them down to a species. Several auks and a few Kittiwakes also passed through.
With our ticket expired we headed back inland and took a walk down to Church Ope cove. However, this also failed to produce any birds, other than a soaring Sparrowhawk, so we called an end to our morning on Portland.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 8 Apr

Ellie had choir practice tonight so I dropped her off and popped up to the reservoir for an hour. I parked near the hide and took a quick stroll along the water's edge. A pair of Mute Swans swam past and a small flock of Canada Geese were present. Five or so Swallows and two Sand Martins were hawking for insects high above the reservoir. I then drove up to the northern causeway and took a look over West Pool where there were four pairs of Tufted Ducks. The main reservoir held nothing of interest and as my hour was up I set off back towards home. However, to round the day off I got a pager message saying that the Ferruginous Duck had been seen at Chew and three Yellow Wagtails were at Tealham late afternoon...so a bit frustrating knowing I had missed these!

Meare Heath NR and Ham Wall RSPB - Fri 8 Apr

I parked at Ashcott Corner and walked out to Noah's Lake, but there were some rather chatty people in the hide so I did not linger. It was now extremely warm and as a result there were fairly few birds about, although several Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, and Blackcaps were in full song. A Peregrine was soaring very high in the sky, and on the drained lagoon a single Little Ringed Plover was present alongside several Black-tailed Godwits.
I then walked over to Ham Wall and managed to track down a Common Whitethroat as it sang from the undergrowth. At least five Bitterns were booming, and I managed to see one very briefly as it withdrew deeper in to the reedbeds. Several butterflies were on the wing, with Peacock, Brimstone and Orange Tips being especially numerous, I also saw my first Red Admiral of the year.
I had to be pick Ellie up from work at 3.45pm so it was soon time to head home after a nice day out in the sunshine, but a disappointing return in the way of birds.

Tealham Moor - Fri 8 Apr

After an hours drive from Chew, mainly due to a road closure and diversion north of Wells, I parked on the roadside and scanned across the fields. I was hoping that there would be some Yellow Wagtails about, but there was no sign. I did pick out a male Wheatear in the near distance and a few Skylarks were calling. A single Redshank was displaying and a Lapwing flew over. But as my target species was failing to oblige I headed off again.

Chew Valley Lake - Fri 8 Apr

I had the day booked off work and so I dropped Ellie off at work and then headed up to Chew Valley Lake, arriving at about 9.30am. I parked at Herriott's Bridge and scanned across the main lake in the hope that the elusive Ferruginous Duck might be about...but I found no sign of it. I did however manage to pick out what must be one of the last Ruddy Ducks surviving at the site. There were also a few Goldeneye still present and a Goosander flew over. In the reed beds there were a couple of Reed Warblers singing, but they were well hidden. I then drove round to Heron's Green but there was nothing of interest. In fact there were very few birds about so I decided against buying a permit and visiting the hides and instead headed back south to the Somerset Levels.

Portland - Mon 4 Apr

After a good start to the day I headed west from Wareham and drove down to Portland, parking at the Bird Observatory. After collecting some books I had ordered I walked up the road and got on to a Short-toed Lark, which had been found yesterday. Yet another quality bird! I then walked down to the Bill but conditions were not suited to seawatching, though I did see my first Rock Pipits of the year!
Returning to the Obs via the Hut Fields I saw nothing of note, just a few Chiffchaffs and Stonechats. So I drove north to Weston and took a walk down Barleycrates Lane. This was another wasted trip, with no birds of note at all. Though this was not that surprising due to the lovely blue skies all morning.
So it was a real case of quality rather than quantity today as I headed on home at 3.00pm after a good day out and about.
UK list for 2011 now at 187 species.

Durlston CP, Studland & Swineham - Mon 4 Apr

A day off work and a fairly early start as I drove down to Swanage and Durlston Country Park to try and connect with a bird that I had longed to see for years. I arrived at Durlston just before 9.00am and was rather nervous as there had been no news on this bird on the pager since Sunday afternoon. However, after bumping in to the Warden I was reassured to hear that it was still present. After finding the right field I set up and within thirty minutes I was looking at a cracking female Red-flanked Bluetail! After watching the bird for a few minutes it disappeared in to the undergrowth so I had a stroll around as I had paid £4.00 to park for the morning, but there were no other birds about.

So at 10.00am I set off to Studland. Parking at the South Car Park and having to pay to park again, I walked out and scanned the trees where I found a pair of very amorous Ring-necked Parakeets:

Again there was little else about, so I drove up the road and spent half an hour scanning the heathland and Little Sea for birds. However, it was very quiet here too, so I retraced my steps and drove on to Wareham.

I drove through the centre of Wareham out to the east as far as Swineham where I walked out to Swineham Farm and the gravel pits, seeing a male Blackcap along the way. This was another twitch as the pager had alerted me to a Red-rumped Swallow seen earlier in the day. Luck was with me again as within twenty minutes the bird was located feeding with Sand Martins and Swallows. Another cracking bird and a great end to the morning.

Stanpit Marsh - Sat 2 Apr

As it was on my way to the lunchtime rendezvous I popped in to Stanpit Marsh for an hour. I walked straight out to Priory Marsh, but there was nothing much present, so I continued round Stanpit proper. Interestingly enough there was a small flock of six or seven Reed Buntings, and all the birds were males.

A single White Wagtail was present and a small party of Linnets were flitting around. As it was high tide there were not that many waders about, just a couple of Curlews and several Black-tailed Godwits. As I returned to the car a pair of summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gulls flew over.
At 12.55pm I left Stanpit and met up with Ellie and the in-laws for lunch after a nice morning out...it certainly beat shopping.

Hengistbury Head - Sat 2 Apr

Down to east Dorset today and whilst Ellie spent the morning touring the shops of Bournemouth with her mum, I set off to Hengistbury Head in the hope of finding a few migrants. I spent the first hour of my visit on the Head itself, but there were surpirsingly few birds about. A couple of Sandwich Terns were off the beach and a few Sand Martins and Meadow Pipits flew in off the sea. But on the land I only saw a few Stonechats and Chiffchaffs. So I walked back to the car and then on to Wick Fields. Again, there were few birds about but I did see my first Blackcap and Willow Warblers of the year, and a large flock of thirty or so Meadow Pipits flew overhead. So with little else happening I headed off to my next stop of the morning.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 1 Apr

After dropping Ellie off at Choir Practice I spent an hour at the reservoir, making straight for the southern end where I saw very little! A single Stock Dove flew over, and a pair of Kestrels were flying around. A couple of Teal were still present and a male Reed Bunting was singing. I then drove back to the northern causeway and scanned West Pool, but there were no diving duck on the water. Over the main reservoir a couple of Swallows were hawking insects and around forty Sand Martins passed through. So still not many migrants passing through but hopefully things will pick up in the next few weeks.