Ham Wall RSPB & Meare Heath NR - Sat 7 Apr

I took Tristan up on to the Somerset Levels this afternoon for a few hours. We started off with a walk out to the first viewing platform at Ham Wall RSPB. The constant singing of Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs followed us along the path. However, there was nothing much happening at Ham Wall so we retraced our steps back to the car and on to Meare Heath.

As we walked along, I say as we walked...I walked and Tristan slept in his papoose strapped to my front! An adult male Marsh Harrier flew past giving some great views. The partially drained lagoon still hosted the two Long-billed Dowitchers which we had gone to see a couple of weeks ago. There were also a couple of Redshank, a summer-plumaged Ruff with a smashing white head, and a flock of forty or so Black-tailed Godwits. A single Great White Egret was also present, looking splendid in full summer plumage.

The male Marsh Harrier passed over the reed beds behind the lagoon as did a Bittern. We continued out towards Noah's Lake but Tristan awoke and decided it was time for us to head home. As we returned to the car a female Marsh Harrier was seen and after a quick nappy change (for Tristan, not me) we came on home.

Sutton Bingham - Sat 7 Apr

Another quick trip to the reservoir this morning for a little over an hour, and it was pretty much as it was yesterday. There were two drake Wigeon on West Pool and a pair were present at the southern end. A single adult Great Black-backed Gull was present and a Raven flew over.

The first Blackcaps of the year were singing, with at least two heard. A couple more Willow Warblers had also struck up territories since yesterday with at least three heard singing.

However, it was pretty quiet all in all.

Sutton Bingham - Fri 6 Apr

A couple of hours at the reservoir this morning with Tristan whilst Ellie went in to town to do a spot of shopping. A quick stop off at the northern end found the five Wigeon having moved up the reservoir and feeding on the water's edge on West Pool.

I then moved on down to the southern end and spent a little over an hour checking out the area. The two adult Great Black-backed Gulls that were present a week or so ago had turned up again. A Common Sandpiper (presumably the one I saw last night) was near the southern causeway. A flock of thirty Common Gulls dropped in and then moved on south. Great Crested Grebes numbered some sixty birds, most of which appeared to be paired up.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen near the Canoe Club and a pair of Reed Buntings were also present. The first singing Willow Warbler of the year was in full song in a small clumb of trees near the hide.

Sutton Bingham - Thu 5 Apr

Another extremely brief visit on my way home from work tonight and all the action was towards the southern end of the reservoir. The five Wigeon were still present but there were finally some migrants passing through. Midway between the hide and the Canoe Club about a dozen Sand Martins were feeding over the water and two Swallows were feeding alongside them. The surprise of the day came in the form of a fairly early Common Sandpiper that flew over the water and alighted on the far bank, nine days earlier than last year's first bird (though just a couple of days before the first sighting in 2010).

Sutton Bingham - Wed 4 Apr

A very quick visit on my way home from worked again failed to produce any migrants, that being said an adult Yellow-legged Gull was with the usual Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls on West Pool for about five minutes or so before taking to the air and being lost to view. A pair of Tufted Ducks were also on West Pool.
The southern end was pretty quiet, with just five Wigeon remaining of the wintering flock and nothing else of note at all.

Kingcombe Meadows & Sutton Bingham - Sun 1 Apr

After lunch I took Tristan out for the afternoon and we set off south and a visit to somewhere different and we found ourselves at the Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve of Kingcombe Meadows, some five miles west of Maiden Newton. We had a walk around part of the reserve for about half an hour. Several Chiffchaffs were singing as were a few Blackcaps. Also, ninety-two days in to the year I finally saw my first Nuthatch of 2012!

With little else about we drove back towards home, stopping off for a while at Sutton Bingham Reservoir. The southern end of the reservoir still held twenty-one Wigeon and a pair of Tufted Duck were also seen. At West Pool another two Wigeon were seen and a single Teal. However, the highlight was a Little Ringed Plover that was sat on the water's edge on West Pool.

 

With time running out and nothing much else to see I set off back home before Tristan got too hungry.
UK list for 2012 now at 162 species.

Portland & Wyke Regis - Sun 1 Apr

I awoke at 5.00am and could not get back to sleep, so as I had the morning to myself I set off for Portland at 6.00am and arrived at Barleycrates Lane, Portland less than a hour later. Walking along the lane I could hear Blackcaps singing and soon saw one and then a thrush flew out of a patch of ivy and landed in the top of a hedge, a female Ring Ouzel! An excellent start to the day and then a male Ring Ouzel briefly joined the female. I continued along Barleycrates Lane to West Cliffs and then back to the car, adding Willow Warbler to my year list and seeing several Meadow Pipits, a pair of Stonechats and many singing Skylarks.

I then drove down to the Bird Observatory and took a walk out to the Bill. My first stop was the Qinetic compound where I set up my scope and scanned through the gathered auks, and amongst the Guillemots and Razerbills I found a Puffin...as you can no doubt tell from these excellent photos I managed to get with my mobile as the bird bobbed on the waves about half a mile away.

As I watched the Puffin two Somerset birders, Cookie and Alick Simmons joined me, we then walked down to the Obelisk where after an enjoyable chat I did a bit of seawatching whilst the others headed back inland. There was nothing much out to sea, several Gannets flew through as did another Fulmar and a second Puffin.

I then walked up East Cliffs where I saw a White Wagtail and a couple of Wheatears.

I then found a very colourful Rock Pipit and new it must be of the Scandinavian race, littoratis. As I watched the pipit John Rickards walked towards me with Portland regular John Lucas. We all got great views of the pipit down to a couple of metres. The phone then rang and it was Steve Crimp, we had arranged to meet up for the morning and he had not had as good a start to the day, dipping the Hume's Warbler and Richard's Pipit at Wyke Regis along with Steve Chorley and John Oake. About twenty minutes later the boys arrived and we continued our walk around the Bill but added nothing new to the list other then a couple of Swallows that flew in off the sea. Heading back inland Barleycrates Lane was now devoid of birds too so we all decided to stop off at Wyke Regis so the lads could try again for the two rare vagrants!

It was nearly 11.30am when we arrived and as I had promised to be back for lunch I knew I could not linger too long. More Wheatears were seen, as were a few Linnets as we walked bast the Bridging Camp. Out on The Fleet I picked out ten Sandwich Terns, but after half an hour the Hume's Warbler failed to show and I had to head off. Mr Crimp joined me and we bid farewell to the others. Steve and I failed to find the Richard's Pipit too! The phone then rang as John and Chorley had seen the warbler, so Crimper ran back and came on home having already had the bird a week or two earlier. Despite missing out at Wyke Regis I had a brilliant morning out.