Harbour Lights - Francis Langford (Part I)

Having survived the meteorological Winter,
without too many scars, today we welcome the
MET SPRING!
Harbour Lights (Link) 

 Written by Hugh Williams (aka Will Grosz) with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy

it was firstly recorded in 1937 (The Golden Age of Radio)

by Francis Langford

With a wealth of Bird Life in and around the vast expanse of

Poole Harbour

(the second largest natural harbour in the World, after Sydney, Australia)

since the beginning of the year, it had been something far more than an oversight

that we hadn't paid our Annual Homage by now.

After the Snowdrops came the

CROCUS
and we were on our way.

HOLES BAY
This day was to be spent concentrating on the more northern shore

where immediately huge numbers of Waterfowl and Waders were in evidence.

First to hit the Year List was that 'beauty of a duck' the

PINTAIL
followed by 2 Species as yet not recorded in our home County

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT and CURLEW

CURLEW

CURLEW

For no other reason that it was at 'point blank' range this

CORMORANT
fell to the lens

 followed by short video clips

and a couple of stills

of much closer

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT

which is where the rest of our morning would be focused, and

 next came not the 'scarcest' of birds

 but certainly the most delightful

as a group of some 200+

AVOCET

fed, preened and slept in the shallows.

Another First for the Year.

That was by no means the end of it, as there is more to come,

but with the Old Enemy (time) pressing the rest must be held over

until our next Post.
This months 'header image', one of what are colloquially known as Darwin Finches,
 has not been selected for it photographic quality, but more for their bizarre 
activities (one of few birds to use a 'tool') and singular distribution in the world.
Further Reading Link
Annual Bird Totals at the end of February stood at
Great Britain = 154        Dorset = 145        Recording Area = 84 

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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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