With dreadful weather this morning it was lunchtime before I headed out. I soon heard that the two Long-billed Dowitchers, first found late yesterday afternoon at Lodmoor had been relocated, so I headed for Weymouth. Dorset was host to a juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher last winter, but seeing two together in the UK was something I had not seen before. It is likely that these birds were part of the influx of North American waders last autumn and may have been the same birds that were recently at Chew Valley Lake.
High winds and heavy showers at Lodmoor
Not much point in searching for Bearded Tits in a gale!
The two Dowitchers showed well, but a bit out of photos range
After checking for seabirds offshore I headed for Radipole to look at the gulls that gather in the late afternoon. I was delighted to find an adult Ring-billed Gull in the car park before I had even parked. I later found that Luke the warden had seen it earlier outside the visitor centre. I managed to take a few photos before someone walked right through the flock and flushed the lot! There appears to be two Ring-billed Gills visiting Radipole at the moment.
Adult Ring-billed Gull
Also in the car park many Common, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls, plus a few Mediterranean Gulls that were flushed before I could photograph them.
Today Paul Harvey and I did a tour of the various rare birds in west Dorset. We started at the Bridging Camp at Fleet, getting good views of both the Richard’s Pipit and the Hume’s Leaf Warbler. Scanning the bay produced two Black Brants with the several hundred Dark-bellied Brents.
The Fleet from by Littlesea Holiday Camp
The Sun on the Fleet near Abbotsbury
We continued on to Lyme Regis were we searched the Cobb for the Spotted Sandpiper, the same bird I saw a couple of weeks ago. In spite of the waves breaking over the top, the Cobb was very busy with people out for a walk. Purple Sanpipers showed well but there was no sign of the American vagrant. We later searched the area around the mouth of the River Lym, all to no avail.
The biggest waves broke over the top of the Cobb
Purple Sandpipers showed well
We later searched the River Lym and had good views of a Dipper, a scarce bird in Dorset
We continued on to Forde Abbey in the far north-west of Dorset. Scoping the Great Lake of the stately home from the road gave us views of more American vagrants, two male Ring-necked Ducks. Also present were a pair of Mandarin Ducks.
The Great Lake, Forde Abbey
We ended up at Hatch Pond in Poole, where in spite of the fading daylight two Bitterns showed well. A great conclusion to a great day.
The upright spike in the lower centre is a Bittern!
Happy New Year to all readers of my blog!
I have decided that this year I will try for a big British year list. As I enter all my bird sightings on the computer I by default keep a year list. Most years I try to see most of the birds that I can in Dorset and west Hampshire, but this year I’m really going to push the boat out and try to see over 300 species in the UK in the year, far more than I have even seen before.
I started the New Year with a quick visit to Longham lakes, I was particularly interested in seeing the Blue-winged Teal again, which after an hour or so of searching revealed itself. It was too far away to be photographed but I had reasonable views and even saw the blue forewing. An immature male Scaup was also on the lakes along with lots of commoner species, but the Smew that was there yesterday seems to have gone.
I returned about 10 and picked up Margaret. We headed to Poole Quay where we joined lots of other local birders for Mark and Mo Constantine’s New Year bird boat. Year after year they very kindly hire one of the Browensea ferries for a trip around Poole Harbour for the benefit of local birders. It is great social event, they provide good food and we (usually) see good birds.
The Quay was packed, as an annual raft race takes place at about the same time as we were to depart. The raft race participants seem prepared to get soaked in their makeshift rafts irregardless of the weather.
Are they here to see us off or to watch the raft race?
... rather them than me!
Unfortunately the weather wasn’t kind to us and soon it tipped down. Some persevered on deck but many retired to the cabin. Good birds were seen, a Great Northern Diver, 14 Spoonbills on Brownsea lagoon and a distant Red-necked Grebe but it was in the main (a very enjoyable) social event. I wish to give my thanks to Mark and Mo for their generosity.
We gathered on deck or birding and a chat ......
.... but soon the upper deck was abandoned due to the weather.
Down below, Justin from Lyme Regis provided some lovely cheeses and Storms restaurant provided the tasty soup.
17 month old Kimberley Elborne was the youngest participant.
Plans for birding post boat trip were abandoned and Nick Urch and Trevor Warren returned to our house in order to make plans for our bird race on January 14th.
My friend Paul Harvey from Shetland has returned to Upton to see his parents. On Friday evening he arranged for Ian Alexander and I to join him and our old friend Trevor Squire for a drink. We met up in the World’s End pub. Trevor was my ringing trainer and we have all known him since the 70s. Trevor has been ringing for over 50 years and is one of the most experienced ringers in the whole country. We spent the evening catching up, discussing ringing opportunities all over the world and reminiscing on some of the great times we had in the past.
L-R: Ian, me, Trevor and Paul
On the Saturday the 31st Paul, Ian and I visited Lytchett Bay, an area that Paul birded regularly when at school. There were good numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Lapwing and Dunlin but neither us, nor Shaun who was birding from the opposite side of the Bay, could add that elusive extra species to the Lytchett year list.
Lytchett Bay from the main sluice
Over 100 Canada Geese and 56 Brent Geese were in the Bay
During the evening Janis Andy, Amber and Kara came round for a meal and stayed to see the New Year in.
Amber and Kara's New Year resolution was to be nicer to each other - lets see how long that one will last!
Both Kara ......
.... and Amber were showing off new dresses .....
.... and Kara entertained us with some songs before we turned on Jools Holland's Hootenanny to see the New Year in.
Yesterday Simon and I paid visit to my mother’s old house. Having lived there as a teenager and stayed there regularly ever since, it was a poingent moment to realise that this would be my final visit. Simon has worked very hard to renovate the house and its now ready for rental.
Margaret and Simon in the newly renovated lounge.
Before we left Derby we called in on another old friend, Nigel Mackie. Nigel was at school with me (and Martin and Tricia) and later shared a house with me for nearly six years in Leeds. Nigel still lives in Leeds and now that he is retired he has more time to visit his mother in Derby. We paid a quick visit to Nigel’s mother’s and went for a walk around Allestree Park.
Margaret, Kara, Amber and Nigel at Allestree Park
We wish we had more time to spend with Nigel but we had another old friend to visit.
Di Beech, the former partner of my late friend Clive, and a house mate of Nigel and I in the mid 70s, recently moved with her husband Steve to the pretty village of Breedon-on-the-hill in south Derbyshire. (Kara, Breedon-on-the-hill is a place name not an instruction to breed-on-the-hill!) They have an absolutely charming home, an old beamed renovated farm-house that has even seen the nearby defunct bus shelter incorporated into the building. Later we headed back to Poole, arriving in the late afternoon.
Di and Steve photographed at our wedding in 2009.
Whilst the adults had a natter, Amber and Kara snuggled up by the fire.
During the morning we visited my old friends Martin and Tricia Gadsby. I have known Martin since I moved to Derby in 1965 at the age of 14 and Tricia since 1967, I was best man at their wedding in 1976. Both have retired this year, so we could compare the benefits of our lives of leisure. Their son and daughter, James and Alex were home for Christmas and it was great to meet up with them as well.
James, Martin, Tricia and Alex Gadsby
The old mill on the River Derwent is close to where Martin and Tricia live. These old mills were just considered part of the industrial scenery in Derby and the Derwent Valley, but now their historical significance has been recognised as the birthplace of the industrial revolution and have been given World Heritage Status, putting them on par with the Dorset coast, Ankor Wat or the Pyramids!
Trouble at mill ?
The weir on the River Derwent
In the afternoon Simon, Viv, Margaret and I nad the four girls went for a walk around Carsington Water, a large reservoir on the edge of the Derbyshire Dales. The area is managed for nature and recreation and has an interesting visitor centre, all of which attracts hoards of people even on a cold winter day.
Whilst the girls went straight to the play area we took a short walk to the bird hide. The dry autumn has left its mark and the reservoir was lower than I have ever seen it. The feeders attracted many Tree Sparrows and a single Willow Tit and out on the water 26 Barnacle Geese (undoubtedly of feral origin) and a Great Northern Diver were seen.
The water level is usually right up to the hide and all of this mud is covered .......
..... and the sailors must be struggling to launch their yachts.
In the courtyard of the centre is a huge granite ball supported by a cushion of water. Jennifer, Amber and Kara find that it takes considerable effort rotate it or to stop it once it gains momentum.
Today we set off to see my relatives in Derby. Kara and Amber came with us so they could spend time with my nieces Miriam and Jennifer.
We arrived at my brother Simon’s place in Duffield by midday and Simon and I soon went to see our mother in the nearby nursing home. Her dementia is slowly getting worse, but there was a flicker of recognition when we arrived.
Mum and Simon
During the evening we all joined Simon, his wife Vivienne and their two girls for a party at Viv’s parent’s house. Dennis and Ida are great hosts and a visit to see them is always a highlight of a trip to Derby. We were joined by Viv’s brother Graham, his wife Sally, their three grown up daughters Vicki, Katie and Emily and their respective husband’s and Vikki’s two-year old daughter Lauren and Emily’s six month old son Arlo; four generations in all!
Ida and her grand-daughter Vicki and great-grand-daughter Lauren.
Dennis and Adrian (Katie's husband) relaxed and watched the TV.
Dennis and Ida had set up some disco lights and a karaoke machine for the kids .......
... but the glitter ball only worked when Simon shone his torch on it!
Kara sang several songs but was upstaged by two-year old Lauren's repeated rendition of 'jingle bells'
Sally with her grandson Arlo. Arlo's father Choy is a Philippino and was greatly surprised when he learned that I had not only been to the Philippines but had visited his home town as well.
Amber took her turn in looking after Arlo.
Merry Christmas to everyone.
We have had a very pleasant day.
This morning I popped down to Lytchett Bay, as I have done for the last four days in the hope of adding one final species to the Lytchett Bay year list. The 2011 list stands at 149 and one more is required to set the record. Common(ish) species that have not been seen include Goldeneye and Pochard. As Shaun has returned to Geordieland for Christmas I have attempted to keep an eye on the place – my rewards the second record of Golden Plover this year, a flock of 31 Brent Geese (unusual in the Bay) and a nice male Marsh Harrier.
Back to the Christmas celebrations….
Janis and Andy, Amber and Kara and Janis’ friend Helen came round late morning for a mega present opening session followed by a wonderful Christmas dinner courtesy of Margaret.
Kara and Amber waiting for the present opening go-ahead
.... which soon came...
... even for the adults. L-R Margaret, Helen, Janis and Andy.
I was delighted to be given the final volume of Handbook of Birds of the World, a most excellent series.
To give us more space we moved the table into the conservatory.
Kara
Amber
Janis
I was invited to fellow ringer Mike Gould to help with ringing some Redwing and Fieldfare that were visiting his parent’s garden in Woolsgarston near Corfe Castle. I had expected a standard suburban garden not a small estate. There certainly were plenty of thrushes of five species visiting the garden, but only a single Blackbird and Song Thrush came low enough to be trapped. We ringed about 20 of the standard fare of Goldfinches, Robins, Dunnocks and tits.
Plenty of birds visit this most extensive garden.
Standard fare - a Dunnock
Mike's parents keep captive waterfowl like these Mandarins....
.... and these Emperor Geese, a bird from arctic Alaska and eastern Siberia
On the way back I had a look around the Froome valley watermeadows in the hope of finding a Bewick’s Swan. No luck there but I was delighted to find a Cattle Egret with a couple of Little Egrets in the East Holme watermeadows seen from ‘High Tor’ on the Wareham to Wool road.
East Holme area seen from the Wareham to Wool road.
A record digiscoping shot of the Cattle Egret.
Whilst I was in Ethiopia there was a Spotted Sandpiper seen at Lyme Regis, the most westerly point of Dorset. Spotted Sandpiper is the North American equivalent of our Common Sandpiper and a rare vagrant to the UK. Although I had seen this species seven times before in the UK, I have never seen it in Dorset. Having accepted that it hed been and gone whilst I was away, I was delighted when Kevin phoned at lunchtime to say it had reappeared. The journey was hindered by many slow lorries and as I had to be back by four for an appointment, the whole thing was a bit rushed, however in spite of poor light the Spot Sand showed well along with about 15 Purple Sandpipers.
The Cobb, Lyme Regis' famous breakwater immortalised in the film 'the French Lieutenant's woman'.
Spotted Sandpiper can told from the similar Common Sandpiper by its yellower legs, shorter tail and differences in the barring on the wing coverts. Unfortunately the spots only appear in summer plumage.
This is the 8th time I have seen this species in the UK but the first time in Dorset.
The Cobb is probably the best site in Dorset for Purple Sandpipers
In winter Purple Sandpipers specialise in wave washed rocky shores, groynes and breakwaters.
Saturday evening we attended the Nexus organisations Christmas dinner dance at the Queen’s Hotel, Bournemouth. This sort of event is often characterised by mediocre food, poor service and a disco that no-one wants to dance to. I am glad to report that this was an exception, good food served promptly and later a wide range of danceable music at a volume that didn’t deafen (I think I’m showing my age).
Some of our friends from the Nexus organisation..... ..with the inevitable party hats.
On Sunday morning I took part in the WeBS count, an acronym for Wetland Birds Survey. Each month from autumn to spring wetland birds across the UK are surveyed in a coordinated count. Up to now I haven’t taken part as I had to work weekends and was often away on foreign trips at this time of year. The WeBS counts in Poole Harbour has required a relaunch as many key areas were going uncounted and I volunteered to cover the southern section of Holes Bay.
Good birds including 75 Avocets and 7 Knot were seen, along with 260+ Black-tailed Godwits and many ducks.
Wigeon numbers have increased markedly in Holes Bay in recent years.
As well as the Barclay House Choir , Margaret has been practicing with the local church choir and tonight they gave a great performance at the annual carol concert at the Parish Church.
The Parish Church at Lytchett Minster, where we got married two and a half years ago
The church is always packed for the carol service. Margaret is in he choir somewhere at the back on the left.
Many of the neighbours have modest Christmas lights on their properties......
.... but some still go a bit over the top!
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