Yankee Doodle Dandy - James Cagney

 If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,

 if it keeps on rainin' Levee's goin' to break.

 When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay.

It seems a lifetime since the last Post (2 days ago) since when I have been out on both with the nett result being ZERO! Despite one of the days being, on the whole, bright and sunny, water levels remain high, roads such as the Avon Causeway stay closed while a good many birds look to have disappeared. The many 'hundreds' of Lapwing there have not been seen over the last 2 days, and if it is possible to 'waterlog' Teal they too are absent. At Longham, the long-stay Black-necked Grebe has not been seen and Pochard are reduced to c2. Further afield the picture is even more gloomy, where at Portland dozens of Auks (mainly Guillemot and the odd unseasonable Puffin) have been washed up dead. That information comes from the Portland Bird Observatory Link.   

On the 'Bright Side', while the urge lasted and the archive was still open, we decided a few more images from across The Pond may be welcomed. This selection features 'vagrants' that have made the trans-Atlantic journey to be recorded in Great Britain, but have not been seen in this country by myself. The location and date of today's Baker's Dozen, +2 for cash, refers to my own particular sighting of that species.

 A huge favourite with most, even those yet to see one,

BLACK-and-WHITE WARBLER
10/10/1995 - Cape May, New Jersey, USA

 AMERICAN COOT
10/01/2000 - Pina del Rio, Cuba

 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT
26/03/2004 - Crooked Tree, Belize

 SONG SPARROW
05/10/1995 - Toronto, Canada

 BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
10/08/2001 - Lake Myvatin, Akureyeri, Iceland

 OVENBIRD
13/04/2004 - Monteverde, Costa Rica

 YELLOW WARBLER
04/05/1981 - Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
(The birthplace of Frank Sinatra)

 TREE SWALLOW
26/03/2004 - Chetumal, Mexico

 CAPE MAY WARBLER
24/09/2007 - Cape May, New Jersey, USA

 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD
26/04/2005 - Cape May, New Jersey, USA

 WILSON'S WARBLER
24/03/2004 - Piste (for Chichen Itza), Mexico

 HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL
 27/04/2008 - Kenai Fjord, Alaska, USA

 TUFTED PUFFIN
26/05/2008 - St Paul, Pribilof Islands, USA

 MAGNOLIA WARBLER
23/04/2004 - Piste, Mexico

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
(the eastern form known as Myrtle Warbler)

05/10/1995 - Niagara Falls, Canada

 Mean old Levee taught me to weep and moan,

mean old Levee taught me to weep and moan.

 Got what it takes to make a mountain man leave his home,
Oh, well, oh, well, oh, well. 

When the Levee Breaks - Zepparella

Not the most accomplished version of the Blues Classic

but certainly the most Eye-Catching.

Doubt Memphis Minnie would approve?

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On the Road Again - Canned Heat

Yesterday provided the long awaited lull in the foul weather, with both rain and wind abating giving a chance to get onto some serious birding. A slow start to February had, more or less, drawn a blank in additions to the various lists but at least now there was a chance of something to add. Not even having left the farm and there was a 'splash of colour' in the form of the now very confiding

 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

which did fly from the bird-table to the top of the nearby Ash Tree at my approach

 but had remained on the feeders long enough to study face pattern

and nape.

 MUTE SWAN

 along with aerobatic

 BLACK-HEADED GULL

 carrying out their 'high wire' act on the telephone lines.

 In addition the resident
KESTREL
was also taking a break from almost endless hunting,

 and a
MOORHEN
chugged across the pond before we continued to Mudeford, just a 

15 minute drive down the road.

There had been reports of both Long-tailed Duck and

 LITTLE GULL*

from that site the day before, but even after a fairly long search only the latter was seen and then at great distance. However, this was the first addition to the Year List in 11 days so no complaint while the images are the best, and closest to the bird in question, we have on file. From here it is about 20 minutes, dependant on traffic, across the Hampshire border to

 PENNINGTON

 all part of the Lymington/Keyhaven Marshes.

 A vocal ROBIN was the welcoming committee here and with a

lack of 'bird watches' it seemed it was going to be a task to find the 

target bird. The Hants web-site had reported "on the Camp Site Field"

as the latest sighting but all that could be seen there were

 c163 OYSTERCATCHERS

 along with c4 (Dark-bellied) BRENT GEESE.

As on my previous sightings of this bird there was perhaps more chance

on the main marsh, so I set off towards the

HURST POINT LIGHTHOUSE

in hope of encountering someone with some positive news.

Along the full length of the pathway to the sea runs an earth bund mainly vegetated by Gorse and Bramble (Blackberry) though unlikely territory for

 DARTFORD WARBLER

 but that low key scratchy-rasping (if that's a word????)

 betrayed their presence and with a little patience

 at least c3 closed to

 'Point Blank' (Lee Marvin) range.

It was here I met the second of only c2 'birders' for the day, but one 

with positive, but not ideal news. The

 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER*

 could be seen, but that was as far as the imagination would let it go!

In similar, if not exact, circumstances to my last visit in the Old Year

it was well tucked behind a grass tussock and had this been a 'Lifer'

would likely have remained 'off the list'.

 The images are from the archive.

 At the Coast of the Solent (the Isle of Wight in the distance) someone was having fun in their fast craft

 while the much slower

 TURNSTONE

allowed something of a shot.

This was the furthest extremity of my walk and the time selected

to let go the only rain of the day. The precipitation dampened the clothing 

but not the ardour and hey

 

 "I saw a Magpie in a RAINBOW, the rain had gone, I'm not alone

I turned to the mirror and I saw you - The Child" - 

 Marillion - Misplaced Childhood

 SHELDUCK

 overflying

 GREY HERON

brought the visit to Hants to a close, so back to the Home County.

 Looking for Egyptian Goose at the Avon Causeway, most of the

birds seem to have stayed away since their departure before my last visit.

All that could be found were a few Black-headed Gulls, Lapwings

and these GREYLAG GEESE.

 but look a Stranger in their midst

is it a BAR-HEADED GREYLAG?

                                     Year           Dorset

Tuesday 04/02/2014       173              142
Monday 10/02/2014       173              143

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Given the latest Weather Forecast and today's wind and

rain the next of the Yanks shouldn't be too far away!