A Day at the 'Races' - Queen

Just like a kid on Christmas Eve, it was a night of intermittent sleep but before even 'showing a leg'

 PHEASANT

took pride of place as first on parade,

 and coming in a variety of plumage's this one has been

strutting his stuff locally for a few days now.

 The fluid songs of

 BLACKBIRD

 and

WREN

were heard before springing out of the hammock like the proverbial

Thomson's Gazelle 

and with the door flung wide open

WOOD PIGEON

GREEN WOODPECKER

 GREAT TIT

and

 HOUSE SPARROW

were logged.

As this appeared and making a necessary diversion to the

Moth Traps,

we found among the still meagre pickings 2 species

New for the Year

 MUSLIN MOTH

this specimen being something of a Max Whitlock of Lepidoptera

Beautiful Underparts

 IRON PROMINENT

 along with another

PIED SHIELDBUG

 With 2 of the traps sited close to the banks of the

River Stour

it was no surprise to hear, and later see,

 REED WARBLER

among the Sedge's, but unfortunately search as we did we could find no

Sedge Warbler among the Reeds.

MAGPIE

 BLACK-HEADED GULL

 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

'If I Had a Hammer'

I'd

Trinidad "Trini" López III

one or two of them.

 COLLARED DOVE

 GOLDFINCH

lots of breeding pairs with the closest nest just outside the door.

 MOORHEN

unusually no signs of breeding, it's getting late.

 BLACKCAP

a good number have arrived, with a few establishing themselves here,

since late April.

 A little thin on the ground at this time of year, so a valued addition of

GREYLAG GOOSE

having said that these 2 have taken to flying close to 

Slight Return II

each morning for the past week so thought "well pinned down"!

CARRION CROW

brought up the final Bird Species for this episode 

but please tune in again tomorrow for 

Part Two it gets Better.

The first of the 4 Mammals noted on the day.

ROE DEER

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It's All in the Game - Nat King Cole

This Post is simply a prelude of the Mini Bird Race 

undertaken on May Day which seems to have expanded

from a tiny Acorn into something of a Monster.

My interest in BIRDS has spanned 7 decades (and quite frankly I'll be glad when I get fed up with them - ho, flippin' ho) with the first documented record being that of Manx Shearwater in West Bay, Dorset viewed from the 'mighty'

Ocean Salvage Tug 'Confiance' 

at 18:30 on 29/05/1975.

(a water colour by Falmouth Lifeboatman Tony Warren 1983)

As an aside, over the years, and intermittently,  there was the privileged distinction of serving on her as

Able Seaman, Boatswain, Chief Officer (Mate) and Master.

Prior to that and to my chagrin, during the late 50's and very early 60's the focus was more on stealing their eggs and shooting the hapless creatures, but it was the Royal Navy that diverted me from such barbaric practices for a full 10 years during which time the interest lay dormant. It was only a casual conversation with my old shipmate Paul (Andy) Knapp, onboard the same vessel, about our respective boyhoods that rekindled the flame. Some time later, with Confiance dry-docked in Portsmouth and with plenty of time on our hands and me in charge, it was considered my duty to 'order' Andy to accompany me to the none-to-distant Farlington Marshes for a spell of Bird Watching. There, we met the Warden who introduced us to both Jack Snipe and Long-eared Owl which was also the first time we ever kept a Day List. Over many subsequent years it became almost traditional to spend New Years Day with another dear friend, Hugo Wood-Homer, undertaking a similar but now far more intense and dedicated day 'twitching! Who knows how many years that continued?? but during each of them we would suggest trying the same thing on May Day, when a whole different variety of birds might be recorded, but we never did. These Posts, regardless of how many, are dedicated to

HUGO and CAROLINE WOOD-HOMER

(hoping to see you both again some time)

There are few rules associated with such an event save to say the welfare of the Bird must be paramount, and each species should be positively identified either by sight or sound, you are only fooling yourself! In my humble opinion, the latter stems from what might be refer to as the Quail Effect, which is, if one of these secretive, threatened and infrequently seen tiny birds is calling away like billy-o in the middle of a corn field do we all 'really' need to dash in and flush it just for a 'tick' in the log?? Other terminology banded about days before the race begins, which in turn we have all fallen foul of, always raise a wry smile for me. "Pinning it down" (what like a Moth on a plasterzote sheet?), getting a particular species "staked out" (knowing full well it's still going to be there on your return??) and RECONNAISSANCE (reci for short) which has been my sole intent over the passed week in preparation for Sunday.

It was also decided to forgo the usual series of photographs and images to save time, but the equipment was still carried and the theory lasted little more than a micro-second. With more than 300 images/footage to edit, the reason is probably clear as to why we are not going to press today. Further to that, the intention was to make the report as short as possible but on such a successful day, when attempting to better the current record of 56, 'stuff that', you are in for the FULL BIFTA no matter how many Posts it takes - so best get to it! 

Just to keep the appetite whetted, here are this mornings finding

on a damp, drizzly, overcast and windy day.

 The nest of a

 WREN

Found, and pointed out by Janet directly above the first trap
and not noticed by myself during construction.

Within were both
LESSER SWALLOW PROMINENT and SWALLOW PROMINENT
(probably best distinguished, in simple terms, by the size of the 'white wedge' 
on the inner trailing edge of the fore-wing.)

 EARLY TOOTH-STRIPED
and
 
 EARLY THORN

and this tiny BEETLE yet to be identified.

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Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2

Or perhaps that should read

Sunday, Bloody 'GOOD' Sunday 
THIS POST REFERS TO 'LAST' SUNDAY
while tomorrow, not just a Sunday but also May Day,
will be given over to a Mini Bird Race
(or TWITCH if you prefer) 

With the wind still sticking doggedly in the northern quarter, albeit with a larger western component than of late, it's surprising there is anything about but on Sunday we seemed to do very well. Still wrapped up against the chill it was the Moth Traps which first produced a modicum of interest with

 POWDERED QUAKER

 being 'first' for the year

 as is

 NUT-TREE TUSSOCK

 With a continued threat of rain it was thought best to get the

skates on and pay an overdue visit to this beat of the

River Stour.

 Dividends indeed as first up was the presumed same

 CETTI'S WARBLER

which was first located during the visit of Dave Penney.

Never wise to be too presumptuous as soon after a second was

located on song much further up the river.

 No mistaking the next chattering sound coming from what can hardly

be described as a reed-bed, a tiny patch no more than 10 feet x 3,

but an annual catchment for

 REED WARBLER

added to the Year List.

Seriously boggy ground still prevents wanderings to the western

boundary of the property, but the 'about turn' was profitable

 throwing up a previously 'silent'

 SEDGE WARBLER

 in company with

 this female (no male detected)

 REED BUNTING

All of these species had been hoped for, as expected to arrive

at any time now,

 but to get the full Hat Trick of additions to the

Year List was considered a bonus indeed with

 LESSER WHITETHROAT

joining what was now rapidly becoming a throng!

Heading for the Common and deciding to do things in 

reverse order, for no other reason than a change, we

bumped into this industrious

SONG THRUSH

 gathering nesting material at the Puddle of Mud close to the

 Sewerage Works

"what a delight"!

The 2 main watercourses were next where, at the Irrigation Pond, the Coot remains transfixed at the nest while a loan Swallow hawked insects above, so little reason to linger. At the Gravel Pit, among a cacophony of bird song, just 2 stood out predominantly, that of

 CUCKOO,

 the fourth Year Tick of an already productive day, and

 WILLOW WARBLER

not a bit phased by my close approach.

It is considered that we already have a sufficient number of

Archive Images of 

 COMMON WHITETHROAT

DARTFORD WARBLER

 CHIFFCHAFF
plus a

 male

 and female
 BLACKCAP

so, while each were also recorded, making for 9

species of Warbler on that day, we felt no need to snap away any further!

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Little By Little - The Rolling Stones

A FILLER POST
(Accompanied by the Rolling Stones) 

given over to the antics and update of the

LITTLE RINGED PLOVER

there have been up to c5 in recent days.

Brief History

Bearing in mind that the first record of LRP in Dorset wasn't until 1950

and the first breeding record not until 1976, we feel we are blessed here.

Additionally, up until 1999 the maximum number of pairs proven to have bred

across the County was only c5 in the 1997 season with no details from the 21st century available.

The above has been extrapolated from

The Birds of Dorset - George Green.

(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

With no knowledge of any other records, it is claimed that I was first to find and prove breeding of Little Ringed Plover at the then Hurn Gravel Pits in 2014. During that season no fewer than c11 adults were seen at a single visit and by seasons end a minimum of 9 youngsters had been produced. Before returning birds had any chance to prospect, let alone breed, at the same site the Mineral Extracting Company had, for reasons probably only know to themselves, back-filled the whole area and turned it over to grass. There was a small exception to this as 2 small patches were top-dressed with gravel maybe in an attempt to induce the Plovers to stay? At the same time (2015) Phase II of the Solar Panel Complex at Parley Court Farm had been completed and fenced off to the general public. At the same time I was privileged to be allowed access to all the compounds and in turn met the Silverstone Environmental Officer, Ms Holly Game. Her tenure was very short lived, but before her departure a 'tongue in cheek' prediction was made to her that Little Ringed Plover would like breed in the largest of the areas. On 01/04/2015 the first adult bird arrived back at PCF and from then on daily and prolonged observations were carried out until the birds departed. During the breeding period at least c4 Plover were noted together and hoped to be 2 x 'pairs', but this was not an issue as 2 of them did depart fairly quickly. During the first fortnight of residence the remaining pair were watched going through all the rigors of mating and soon after a nest was found containing c4 eggs. All 4 eggs hatched, with the young all looking healthy and feeding well, but were reduced to c2 just 12 days after. As far as is know the surviving 2 returned to their wintering grounds and could form part of the c3 which have returned this year. Of the c2 adults that seemingly disappeared last year, it is thought that they may have been the pair that successfully bred behind the Eco Recycling Unit and are present again this year. These birds were left more or less to their own devices as only access on foot is possible to this second site leaving disturbance at a minimum. The stills and videos below are our attempt at showing just how well these dainty little Wading Birds are doing so far this year. We will keep you posted!   

DISPLAYING and JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE

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