Give Me A Ticket For An Aeroplane - The Box Tops

As announced yesterday the next adventure will begin in South Korea a great place to start but there is an ulterior motive,

THIS

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The highly charismatic Relict Gull Larus relictus has a small, declining population, breeding very locally on steppe lakes in Mongolia and adjacent parts of Kazakhstan, Russia, and China. Once thought to be an eastern form of Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus, Relict Gulls are highly susceptible to disturbance and predation on the breeding colonies, and threatened by wetland developments in their non-breeding range: the population is put at between 2,500 and 10,000 and is listed as Vulnerable in the BirdLife International Red Data Book. Very small numbers are known to overwinter in South Korea.

Of the 54 Gulls in the world holding Full Species Status, this is the last one I need to see to complete the set. A long way to go to see a shite-hawk I hear you say, but there will be a lot more to the trip than simply that. If one is seen it would undoubtedly be the highlight of what may include 5 countries (minimum) on an undecided time scale which will be months rather than weeks long. All of this has kept me at home today, despite almost unbroken sunshine throughout, searching the Internet for flights, thumbing through the Birds of East Asia Field Guide and knocking up an endless list of things to do.

Always a great favourite wherever I go The Fish Market very extensive here.

On the strength of all this, I will have to rely on a few photographs from my last trip in 2007. Every one of the 14 full days in the country will be given over to searching for Relict Gull until one is found, but of course there should be much else to report on the way.

First port of call (literally) will be the Incheon Ferry Terminal which runs from the city to the island on which the airport is located. Here there should be extensive mud flats, perfect for these Gulls, if they haven't turned them into a Container Base or some such thing.

Incheon Map

The slipway on the island side is itself a great catchment for various Gulls so I might even save myself a walk?

It will also be interesting to see this bridge completed,

which I seem to remember was up there with the longest suspension structures in the world.

and one or two more probabilities from the Bird World

Harlequin Duck

Brown-eared Bulbul

Oriental Turtle Dove

Glaucous-winged Gull

Black-eared Kite

Yellow-throated Bunting

The Shape of Things to Come - Ramones

Overnight the wind had veered into the south bringing with it a far warmer feel to the day, but on the down side continuous light rain. It will take much more than this to deter me from venturing forth and by 08:00 the cemetery was far behind me.

Not a trace of frost or ice at Radipole. and with the sluices remaining open the water level was diminishing encouraging Common Snipe, 36 in all, to venture out to feed in the open.

The big surprise was the arrival of a Common Sandpiper which regularly over winter in the county but remain pretty much static in their chosen location (such as Holes Bay, Poole Harbour) making it likely that this was an early migrant?

On the way to Portland, a male Mallard was seen at Ferry Bridge, the first for the Island this year, but as it was high water nothing more than a couple of waterborne Brent Geese. An illuminating hour at the Bird Observatory not only allowed me a loan look along the Book Shop shelves but a chance to appraise 'The Birds of East Asia' at my leisure.

In Southwell the Crocus were bloomin, albeit a little hampered by the weather, but the rain continued and by mid-day the wind was again seeking the east making it cold, good job then that I had a lunch date with

Maggie & John Gifford plus Lesley, to my right, which we took at The Spy Glass pub at Overcoombe close to Weymouth. Good food, great company and if the words herein are a little slurred, a good drink.

Global Warming is always a good topic, for which I don't have too much time, but with happenings locally who knows. Reports on this site of Carrion Crow and Long-tailed Tit carrying nesting material during the month of January, then maybe the next couple of reports will not surprise. Terry Coombs tells me that Blackbirds are sitting on eggs, 4 to be precise, while in Dorchester

a pair of Tawny Owls have already hatched 3 young while one more egg is yet to bare fruit.

All photographs on today's post are from the archive for illustration.

In The Bleak Mid-Winter

Despite getting the moleskin trousers back from the pawn shop it still felt a good deal colder this morning featuring a cutting north easterly breeze and little in the way of sunshine. The cemetery once again lay bare while nearly the whole of Radipole Lake was once again covered with ice. It would seem we are going through something of a Doldrum as far as wild-life (especially birds) are concerned pointing to having to rely on archive photos to please the crowd? Apart from the 'usual' at the lake today there were 2 sights I had not seen at that location before, starting with a

Moorhen seemingly driven by the weather to feast

on the carcass of a Black-headed Gull. Further along the path I met my friend Lulu who, learning of my itchy feet, offered some excellent travel tips on one of the countries that may have the pleasure of my company in the near future. She also told me of a

Black Swan in the vicinity of Westham Bridge.

A resident of Australia, there are a number scattered throughout the county, especially Abbotsbury/Fleet areas,

but this is the first for me at Radipole.

Even the slightest brush with the Australian theme has me thinking about those visits to see my

youngest daughter Lisa and her family there.

The view from what was once her home with husband Bernard, 15 stories above Potts Point and the whole of Sydney Harbour including the grey structure which is one of actor Russel Crowe's homes. Much has changed since that trip in 2008, including Bernard being appointed Commander in the Royal Australian Navy, 2 and a half Grandsons (Frederick & Alexander so far, bless em) and a change of location. It is proving a difficult wait for the next visit!

Rainbow Lorikeet

Noisy Miner

Laughing Kookaburra

Grey-headed Flying Fox

Sydney Botanical Gardens

Eastern Yellow Robin

Two Little Dickie Birds - Nursery Rhyme

Still reporting one day late, it was yesterday that the rest of the country were shivering in below zero temperatures while once again we didn't even get a frost and though the sky remains overcast there is little wind to spoil the day. Goldcrest and Coal Tit remain vocal in the cemetery, with little else of note there, but on Radipole most of the lake is now free of ice and for me a very early surprise.

Almost the first bird was this Bittern which gave me barely time to raise the camera let alone focus,

and while we are not expecting a nomination for this years Moran Prize,

these images give some idea of what was seen.

Other birds to emerge from the now not so frozen reeds included c3 Great Crested Grebe,

a more than obliging female Gadwall,

the confiding Water Rail once again

along with the local Marsh Harrier

which this morning took a short flight to the south end of the reserve

before returning to his favourite perch close to the North Hide.

One of about a dozen Robins on the patch awaiting its grocery delivery,

while your friend and mine (Hooded Merganser) was busily trying to seduce any unsuspecting wildfowl that happened along. Main targets today were 'male' Tufted Duck.

Very few Gulls on the lake today, but I did learn later that I missed an Iceland Gull by no more than minutes, with just a single Mediterranean Gull on the car park.

A Mute Swan flew directly overhead,

with other regular residents such as Great Black-backed Gull and

Cormorant were also present, but it was now time to take the bus to Ferry Bridge. Sharp contrast here compared to the last couple of days, as by my estimation there were easily 400 Mediterranean Gulls, a few more Brent Geese, a Turnstone, 5 Red-breasted Merganser plus a Common Gull.

Today's project was to take another look at the Richard's Pipit and Hume's Leaf Warbler, hopefully adding them to the 'ongoing' February List, so a walk to Littlesea along The Fleet. Looking back from whence I had just come, Portland was shrouded in mist and low cloud

while the Oyster Beds were visible at low tide.

Plenty of Mediterranean Gulls here too, many already sporting full black hoods,

along with c9 flighty Little Egret.

All else to see was this wreck just before reaching the

Army Bridging Camp where so far not redundant Soldiers were being put through their paces. There was no sign of either Pipit or Warbler but there were a few Curlew, Grey Plover along with plenty of Oystercatcher and Red-breasted Merganser, while the rapidly clearing clouds let the sun shine through making for a most pleasant walk home.

It is rapidly approaching the time when I should be thinking about the next adventure, and all I can say at the moment is that South East Asia should feature at least in part.

Watch This Space!