With A Little Help From My Friends - The Beatles

It's always worth remembering that no matter how many analogies you make to playing cards, if Lady Luck isn't in attendance you might just as well stay at home. In the same way as yesterday the dark, rain baring clouds soon rolled away, the sun was blinding and the predicted chill had set in.

It was a rare privilege to be invited to visit the Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens, as the collection of plants here are in many ways unique, but there was an ulterior motive!

A walk up to the top of the grassy knoll is access to the Jurassic View looking, in the first instance, to the east and the full length of The Fleet and onward (if there was no glare) to Portland.

While to the west little more than an ancient canon, it's much better in real life.

Paul Harris, my guide for the day, looks back to see if I've got my breath back yet!

A beautiful place indeed, but especially having the whole 30 acres to ourselves.

Features include Ornate Garden Sheds,

Moss clad Oak Trees.

a number of ponds, with this one having hosted an Otter in the past.

Both Daffodils and

Snowdrops where nearly in full bloom,

a Japanese Bridge,

plus a magnificent

Sculpture Garden

but then the first object of my desires

one of 3 Firecrest an addition to the Year List

On the way back to pick up the hire car, the ladies of Abbotsbury were in their Sunday Best riding attire, but I really did have to get myself going. A drive to Devon had the potential of adding another 3 species to the list, but trumps and Ace's were being heavily lent on.

At the Exminster Marshes Car Park the news was not good, as what should have been an academic Long-eared Owl but a f... whoops dog owner had flushed it from its roost since when it had not been seen. Disappointment followed disappointment as the Red-breasted Goose had also flown of, heavens knows where, but there was still a chance.

A male American Wigeon has been resident at Dawlish Warren for the past few weeks, but is only visible around 'high tide'. Spring tides are evident at the moment, and when did I arrive? at exactly Low Water.

This Reserve is renowned for its long, deep sand walk across the dunes to the Warren Point which I undertook, ending up at the hide but the local birders suggested it would be a few hours before there would even be a chance.

It was time to abandon and take a long rethink on strategy, so rather than heading further north I took another look for the Owl and Goose before returning home. I am still in the thought process as to direction, but tomorrow, weather allowing, I'll be at it again.

All of this has been made a great deal easier with information received from

John Gifford, Sheila Edwards, Paul Harris, John Down and Ian Lewis,
all of whom

I Thank Very Much.

The Game Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Lady Sings!

The Year (January) List now stands at 193

All Western On The Quiet Front

They just keep on coming, as today we are able to welcome our 163rd country/region to the readership, the 3 islands that make up the Cayman Islands part of the Greater Antilles Group.

The nearest I have personally travelled to the islands is Cuba, and in traditional fashion we extend a warm welcome, hope you enjoy the read and please spread the word throughout the Islands. WELCOME!

Weymouth Bay, Beach and Seafront this morning.

Considering it's January the weather in general has been very good with only an occasional frost, some rain and on the whole mild. This continued today with what may turn out to be the best day of the month, bright sunshine, cloudless sky, decent temperature and next to no wind unless you were stood at the tip of the Bill.

However, on the deficit side there was very little to report from around the bazaars. The cemetery remained very quiet, while at Radipole these distant Common Snipe where in company with 8 Black-tailed Godwit even further away.

Even this Little Grebe did a

disappearing act at my approach and so it was the bus to Portland.

There too things were quiet with this impromptu shot from the bus

of a flier who must have just taken off from New Road. I did meet Dave & Ricky Lambert at the Observatory who had seen some Purple Sandpipers but apart from that it was left to the sea to produce any other excitement. Off-shore various seabirds were passing by in their thousands, consisting mainly of Gulls, Auks (Guillemot & Razorbill) plus a good number of Gannets.

The Army, seemingly erecting a temporary wireless station, were of some interest but after a coffee at the Bird Observatory, where redecorating is in full swing, I made for home.

If the 200 species for January are to be achieved, the equation is 8 species in 4 days! With a small trump card up the sleeve and maybe an 'Ace', plus a 'never say die attitude, here's hoping for a little more to report tomorrow!

This early post today will allow me to maximise the time that is left.

Once Bittern........

There was heavy rain before dawn this morning, but the stiff south west breeze soon pushed the remaining clouds away, while otherwise there was once again a mild feel to the day. If proof were needed of the latter then reports of Swallows already in Kent and Cornwall would endorse this as Dotterel and Hoopoe have also been seen in Cornwall.

A blank was drawn in the cemetery, so onward to Radipole where I was prepared to invest a couple of hours to see if a Bittern would emerge from the reeds. In the event it was mainly the usual with no more than 5

Pochard feeding in the shallows,

Moorhen as ever,

while the male Marsh Harrier was up and about early quartering the reeds

until finally settling in its favoured tree.

Shelduck were also present along with

good numbers of Gadwall,

Shoveler and

Dunnock were also present but the wait for the elusive Heron was in vain. The old adage is quite clear that 'if the mountain won't go to Mohamed' then catch the

X53 service to Poole and search for it elsewhere! Before boarding it was noted there were a few Merchant Vessels in Weymouth Roads, but with no adverse weather to keep them there than it was probably due to commercial reasons they were anchored there.

A selection of vessels at anchor off of Weymouth. Alighting at the

it was thought there would be a good chance of Common Sandpiper here

but with the fresh breeze blowing directly along the railway embankment, both bank of this along with the rocky foreshores of Holes Bay were turned into a 'splash zone'. The walk around the perimeter takes a little more than an hour, but with little more than

Wigeon and

Oystercatchers to report it was time to move on. A bus from the Poole Station to Broadstone put me within a couple of miles of

Hatch Pond where I might get a second go at Bittern.

Only a small water course, there have been as many as 4 reported here in recent days

so there was an even better chance than at Radipole.

These 2 Cormorants had just completed a bout of fishing and where drying their wings as a Kingfisher flew by and also present were Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Teal, Mallard and Common Snipe. It was something of a wait but sure enough

this Bittern revealed itself, flying half way across the lake.

Only by a stroke of luck did i arrive back at the Poole Bus Station with a full hour to wait for the return X53 to Weymouth, so decided to retrace my steps in the hope of the Sandpiper. This was not to be, and apart from getting caught in a rather severe but short lived hail storm, the journey home was uneventful. One more species to add so

The Year (January) List now stands at 192