My List - The Killers

Still suffering from BTitis and poor weather we find ourselves still playing 'catch up'. Add to that the fact the single Brain Cell is like the Internet, only functioning when it feels like it, I can't honestly remember which day this Post refers to - whichever it was a good day starting at Longham Lakes and during a first 'all round scan' picked up on a group of birders intently looking in a single direction. They were, at the time, at the furthest point from me and during my brisk walk to find out what was going on didn't seem to move a muscle. Had they re-located the Penduline Tit, was it another Hoopoe or Ortolan, NO it was no more than giving the tree tops a good grilling for passerines (perching birds or less correctly songbirds). Regardless, it was good to meet up with the

EAST DORSET R.S.P.B. GROUP
(including long time birding friend Phil England) as she and her
cohorts put me onto a series of birds.

SHOVELER (male)+

SHOVELER (female)+ were additions to the
County Year List while

GADWALL (male)*

GADWALL (female)*
joined the others on the 2014 Year List.

NUTHATCH*

and SISKIN+ followed in quick succession

as the temptation became too great

not to snap away at this

(male) KESTREL

hovering in hunt over the reeds.

Then Surprise, Surprise the first Butterfly of the year a
PEACOCK.
Further to that, just the night before c2 Moths were attracted to the
security lights, one delicate little 'white thing' and the other flying like
a 'most unlikely' Hummingbird Hawk-moth - we'll never know!

COAL TIT+

GREEN WOODPECKER+
were both welcome additions but the small group of birds on a spit
had no 'list value' at all - but lovely to view.

c2 Little Egret with a single Mallard and a bunch of Black-headed Gulls.

While the rest of the County is gunwales under in flood water here at Longham, where such things are carefully controlled, the water level has been purposefully reduced even showing a decent stretch of foreshore.

MISTLE THRUSH
became the next + before moving on to Blashford Lakes just a
15 minute drive away in Hampshire. There, the

RED-CRESTED POCHARD*
took quite some finding while Great White Egret, Mealy Redpoll and
Marsh Tit evaded me completely - next time?

Driving back to Parley, via the Avon Causeway, on the A to B track would usually take 15 minutes but with no drop in flood water along the River Avon the road to Hurn Village remains closed. However, with the incentive of a Green-winged Teal on the flood-plain there the extra distance through the town of Christchurch to get back was considered well worth it. Bright sunlight was the bane here (yes here I go again) so 2 separate vantage points were used to 'scope the many hundreds of Eurasian Teal occupying what used to be 'dryish meadows'. The American Duck was not seen, but a pair of

GOOSANDER
(male right), feeding where once cattle grazed, were another bonus *.

                         UK           Dorset

01/01                 73                0

02/01                 91                0

03/01                 97                0

04/01               102                0

05/01               108                7

06/01               124              51

07/01               124              78

08/01               134              94

09/01               137            107 

With little or no change in Reader Statistics today the table is not shown.

WE ARE KEEPING OUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR A 'POST' TOMORROW.