To the Runner - Jon Anderson

From the SENSATIONAL 
and maybe somewhat overlooked album by
Jon Anderson - ex Yes
OLIAS of SUNHILLOW

To the Runner

Harrier - (Cross Country) Runner - get it?

Another 'away day' and even though to the same location as in more recent days, Poole Harbour, an altogether different part with the potential of a selection of differing species of Birds? This time we stuck more or less to the southern rim of the second largest Natural Harbour in the World, making a particularly good start on arrival at Middlebere. There, and almost immediately we spotted a female

HEN HARRIER

quartering the reed-bed and while there were c2 Marsh Harrier in view
at the same time our full attention was focused on this much more scarce raptor.

Even if not a single bird were noted on any visit to this out of the way location,

the tiny Hamlet alone provides excellent value, as was the case,

as all else to be added to the list were a good number of

DUNLIN

(added to the Dorset List)

along with a decent gaggle of
BRENT GEESE
Onward towards Studland Bay, which the 'pureists' will tell you forms the
eastern perimeter of the harbour, as usual we could not resist the temptation

to stop and admire the

HIGHLAND CATTLE 
 (which at this visit appear to have doubled in numbers since our last visit)

 
 which form part of what we feel is 'no coincidence
Scotland Farm! 
 
 From the 'in car' camera approaching

CORFE CASTLE

 With a number of scans of the telescope revealing nothing on a very
choppy sea, the only interest lay in

MEDITERRANEAN GULL

viewed from above at the elevated Middle Beach Car Park

and given the absence of anything else this

CARRION CROW
took centre stage.
Save for the Harrier, bird-wise it had been a case of fairly lean pickings,
but our trump card was to visit the village of Studland in the hope of the speciality there.

We didn't have to wait long to hear the raucous screeches of the local

RING-NECKED PARAKEET
which not unusually took some time to bring to view.

It was the somewhat strange behaviour of Herring Gulls that drew us to their perch,
as the Gulls were flying around the trees, seeming mobbing them, behaviour we have never seen before.

Arriving at the

immediately there was an addition to the Year List

RINGED PLOVER

in good numbers but little else.

Avoiding the Chain Link Ferry on this occasion we returned via the same route
and found along the way a few
SPRING LAMBs but nothing else to report!
The Full Album

Olias of Sunhillow - Jon Anderson

OLIAS was to build the ship the Moorglade Mover
RANYART was to guide the moments begotten light
QOQUAQ a leader, and fashioner of peoples was 

charged to unite the 4 tribes of Sunhillow.

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Mellow Yellow - Donavan

The precursor to Storm Doris, which didn't effect us here in the south of England quite as much as elsewhere across the country, was yet another short pulse of Mothable overnight temperatures. This inspired us to activate 2 of our traps but catching only c3 Insects over 2 nights one of which was a

'first for the year' 

DARK CHESTNUT
It also seemed to induce the

DAFFODIL
(Mellow Yellow Link)
buds to burst while raising the sap in other creatures such as the

SEBASTOPOL GEESE
on Parley Pond. Also there we found another

female

WIGEON

content at the time to just graze the grass on the island.

Numbers of

MEADOW PIPIT

along with

PIED WAGTAIL
have also showed a marked increase,

and we also have a minimum of c4

GREEN SANDPIPER

across the Recording Area.

 COOT
have also more than doubled in numbers,

as there is now a pair on the Irrigation Pond with a third on the Gravel Pit.
Seen here diving for Pond Weed not only for food but as was noted last
year also a part of the breeding ritual. 3 nests were built during that period.

It is unusual for

BLACK-HEADED GULL
to alight on the ponds, so considered notable,

(except when bread is offered)

but they were soon gone!
Best find of the day was undoubtedly the appearance/return of a

LITTLE GREBE

actively feeding

and compered with others at sites such as Longham and Radipole
showing some signs of 'summer plummage'.

At a distance it was seen preening and also

 heard 'singing', we now look forward to its Mate turning up?

Back at Parley Pond the

WIGEON

had obviously received her 'sailing orders' and put to sea

getting something of a mild rebuke from one of the local male
MALLARD

but all in all seemed content enough.

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Extra, Extra Read All About It

As something of a 'catch-up' we publish these images in an
Extra Post
before they get out of date.
Apologies for no prior notification!

The Strange Rover windscreen at the Last Frost,
seems a long time ago now!

 A 'highwire act' indeed

 BLACK-HEADED GULLs

 on telephone cables.

Just one of the c2

COOTs

stayed for a second day but strayed to the Irrigation Pond.

(here with a MOORHEN)

Most, of what little action there has been, was confined to the

Moors River and associate Water Meadows

where once again

 BLACK-HEADED GULL

 featured

this being the first of the year we have noted with a

Black Head

Hampered somewhat by distance and poor light

 next up was certainly the

 Bird of the Day

 and will, likely as not, also qualify as

Bird of the Month

 as this is only the 'second'

 BLACK-TAILED GODWIT

ever to have been seen within our

Recording Area!

Maybe it followed us back from our Poole Harbour trip?

 A lone

HERRING GULL

was all else there before we moved on to a slightly misty

 MERRITOWN HEATH

 where all of note were

 c2

 ROE DEER

in quick succession.

 It was also noted that one of the

Tawny Owl Boxes

seems to have been occupied by 'something', but given the nesting material

thought rather a Grey Squirrel than any species of Owl.

Here's hoping this might be the year!

 The Puddle of Mud

as it has been dubbed is also attracting the odd

Green Sandpiper

which was just a little too lively for us today,

 while this deformed branch from a wind-blown

SILVER BIRCH

was also of interest.

 What was far 'less' interesting, in fact darn right annoying, was the

Solar Panel Grass Cutting Contractors

showed up and even not their Part of Ship laid this area, of what was 

seed bearing tall grass and host to about 100 overwintering Goldfinch et al, to waste.

The cuttings were even disposed of leaving no food source at all for the birds,

which haven't been seen there since. The Reader can be assured of a terse word in their 

Shell Like in the hope of no recurrence again at this time of year.

Finally, and had we not spotted the Godwit, this

SHELDUCK

 found among the hubbub of the workforce at the back of the

Eco Recycling Centre

would have stolen the show as not only the first of the year for our area,

but the first of the winter.

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