Peter Moore's Wildlife Blog

Saturday, 25 June 2022

May's birding by bike

May's birding by bike got off to a flyer: after a bimble through Wareham Forest on the first of the month which added Redstart and Tree Pipit to the year list, on the 2nd I returned to Portland to look for Little Tern and other spring migrants. Although the day produced nothing spectacular it was a fruitful one as I still had some 'easy' species to catch up with - in the end I notched up Common Tern, Garden Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper and Red-throated Diver as well as the Ferrybridge Little Terns.

Redstart (female), Wareham Forest, 1st May

Redstart (male), Wareham Forest, 1st May

I was back on Portland the following weekend, this time to twitch a minor rarity in the form of a Woodchat Shrike. I made the same journey last spring for a Red-backed Shrike - the Woodchat was about 2 fields away from where the Red-backed was - and on both occasions the birds did the decent thing and stuck around long enough for me to get there.

Little Tern, Ferrybridge, 2nd May

Common Scoter past Portland Bill, 2nd May

An evening trip to Evening Hill in the hope of seeing a pair of reported Barnacle Geese on Brownsea proved predictably unsuccessful, as did a Durlston seawatch with Steve Smith in the hope of catching a Pomarine Skua which proved few and far between this year.

Iceland Gull at Lodmoor on the way back from Portland, 2nd May

Iceland Gull, Lodmoor, 2nd May

Mid-month saw the first of a run of frustrations when an overnight stay for work away from home made it impossible for me to see one of the best birds of the year: a Red-necked Phalarope which hung out until dark with a wader flock on Studland Beach. A Squacco Heron in Weymouth and two Black-winged Stilts at Abbotsbury either didn't stick around long enough or were too far from home to attempt a mid-week twitch.

Hobby, Morden Bog, 7th May

Later in the month a possible Monty's Harrier tempted me down to St Adhelm's Head, but turned out to be 'just' a Hen Harrier, and a reported Black Guillemot enticed me back to Dancing Ledge, but turned out to be just a rumour. I'm not sure which was worse, being unable to go for good birds or going for good birds which turned out to be something else - but probably the former as at least the latter gave me some exercise!

Woodchat Shrike, Portland, 8th May

Dunlin, Pilot's Point, 12th April

As the month's end approached we were preparing for a family holiday to Norway where our nephew is studying. I thought my run of bad luck might be coming to an end as whilst on the train back from Reading an Alpine Swift was reported showing superbly well on Ballard Down - there ought to be just enough light for me to get home, saddle up and cycle the 10 miles see it. I pushed myself hard on the way there but when just 15 minutes away news came through that it had vanished. I took the news badly and it seemed to symbolise my rotten luck for the month!

Sanderling, Pilot's Point, 12th April

Sanderling, Pilot's Point, 12th May

There was one last chance to see the Alpine Swift but it would be a slim one: head back early before work the next morning and hope it had roosted on the cliff overnight. I rose early and thought better of it at first. But it was a fine morning, and I really wanted to add Alpine Swift to my bike list so changed my mind and went for it.

Hen Harrier, St Aldhelm's Head, 20th May

Grey Partridge, St Aldhelm's Head, 20th May

I made good time travelling light (if the bird was there, there would be no need for a telescope) and arrived to find a lone birder looking a bit forlorn. I joined him on the cliff edge and asked if he had seen the Swift: 'no sign in the last 20 minutes' was the unwelcome response. 'What's this then?' I found myself saying as a giant brown and white cigar-shaped torso with scything wings loomed up the cliff face to eye level! The gamble had paid off, and I returned for the morning's work with a spring in my step.

Puffin, Dancing Ledge, 22nd May

Any thought that my luck had finally turned was banished when Britain's first twitchable Eleonora's Falcon arrived in Kent on the day we headed for Norway, meaning I had to turn down several offers of a lift from friends who were going to see it, and an eminently cyclable Gull-billed Tern was found at Radipole on the first weekend that we were away. Memories of the successful Alpine Swift twitch were sufficiently fresh, however, to apply a soothing balm to these psychological wounds!

Alpine Swift, Old Harry, 27th May

By the end of the month I had clocked up 342 miles on the bike - a creditable total and the biggest of any month so far in 2022 - for a return of 16 species added to the yearlist, exactly the same as the tally for May 2021.

Alpine Swift, Old Harry, 27th May

Sunday, 19 June 2022

Off the bike

Easter saw me take an enforced break from cycling with a long-planned family holiday to Scotland finally happening after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid restrictions. We first booked Capercaillie Cottage near Rogart in Sutherland back in 2019 so we had waited a long time to get there. Before doing, so, however, a couple of stopovers were planned to visit old friends on the way.

Black-browed Albatross, Bempton, 11th April

Partly obscured views improved as the Albatross nudged its way into view

The Albatross attempting to land on Staple Newk

A magnificent bird

The first of these saw us heading for East Yorkshire and the giant chalk cliffs of Bempton where, among the throng of native seabirds, the Black-browed Albatross had returned for its third or fourth summer. Seeing it is a bit hit and miss, and arriving late afternoon it looked like it might be a miss after I had stood on a windy Staple Newk viewpoint for an hour with no sign. Then someone pointed out that the Albatross's shoulder could just about be seen from further along the viewpoint.

The Albatross can go missing for days at a time...

...so I was fortunate to enjoy such good views

A huge and impressive wingspan

Not quite so elegant when dropping off the cliff to take flight!

The Staple Newk viewpoint is a robust wooden balcony built on the clifftop and despite being able to hold about 30 people, there were only about 2 places where a sliver of the bird's shoulder could be viewed from. Sharpening my elbows I got in position and hoped for it to do something to reveal a better view. After a while it began to preen and stretch and I could piece together views of this most magnificent and unusual of birds. Suddenly it was all gangly wings and open bills as a Gannet started giving it a hard time and it dropped off the ledge to reveal the full glory of its vast wingpsan.

Those wings!

A good view of the 'eye-liner' look

Gannet

Puffin

After soaring around for a few minutes it became apparent that the Albatross wanted to land on Staple Newk and I hoped it would do so out in the open for some unobscured photos. It tiptoed onto the ledge a couple of times but on each occasion the sharp-billed Gannets would not let it settle, so I had to make do with some action shots of the bird unsuccessfully trying to fold its massive wings and get comfortable.

Razorbill

Guillemot

Razorbill

Staple Newk

After success with the Albatross and a night in Brid, it was time to press on to see the second old friend of the trip. Rosy lives in a dreamy self-build eco-home on the Isle of Skye's Sleat (pronounced slate) peninsula, best accessed via the old Mallaig-Ardvasar ferry rather than the 'new' bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. We arrived in good time to make the last boat of the day and were soon settling it to warm hospitality and spectacular views back over the sound to the mainland.

Great Northern Diver, Mallaig Harbour waiting for the ferry to Skye

Wheatear, Sleat, Skye

Snipe drumming, Sleat, Skye

Hooded Crow, Portree

We wasted no time exploring Skye, booking a boat trip out of Portree the next day to take advantage of a decent forecast, during which we saw Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Black Guillemot, Otter, Common Seal, White-tailed Eagle and a very lively pod of Common Dolphin. The Eagle sat in a tree above our boat and would not be tempted down even when the skipper threw in a fish. The Dolphin were more co-operative, bow-riding and breaching as if to perform for the cameras.

Common Dolphin, Portree

White-tailed Eagle, Portree

Skye is a beautiful island but also a large one - as usual I probably tried to cover too much ground in our few days there, but in the process managed to locate Skye's first Ring Ouzel and Common Sandpiper of the spring, a few Wheatear and dozens of drumming Snipe on the moors above Ardvasar. The Ring Ouzel was on the scree slopes near The Quiraing, where a migrant flock of Pink-footed Geese were also noted. A family visit to Kilt Rock was slightly spoilt by a contretemps with a drone operator, clearly ignoring the signs asking him to desist so as not to disturb cliff-nesting birds. It was not the last time on the trip that irresponsible drone use caused my blood to boil, and it does seem to be an increasing nuisance in some sensitive environments.

Ring Ouzel, The Quiraing

Golden Eagle, Skye

Common Sandpiper, Sleat peninsula

After a few enjoyable but damp days with Rosy on Skye it was time to head across the country to Rilochan, a farmstead near Rogart in Sutherland, for the second week of Easter. The cottage was close to Loch Grudie, which a few weeks later would play host to a very rare Short-toed Eagle. I didn't see that species of course but had great views of both White-tailed and Golden Eagles over the course of the fortnight, with Red Kite also regular over the cottage.

White-tailed Eagle, Portree

Black Guillemot, Portree

Portree

Loch Fleet wasn't far from the cottage so on our first evening, while the family settled in, I headed down to the mouth of the Loch to look for a long-staying drake King Eider. It wasn't easy to pick out from thousands of Common Eider, but it was there and I enjoyed reasonable views of it, as well as the spectacle of vast Eider flocks diving for food in unison.

King Eider at the mouth of Loch Fleet, 16th April

Thousands of Eider at the mouth of Loch Fleet, 16th April (click to enlarge)

This very dark pheasant at the cottage caused a double-take

Wheatear in the garden at the holiday cottage

This was just about the furthest north we had been for a family holiday so as well as the obligatory day trip to John O'Groats, we were able to check out the impressive sea stacks and auk colonies at Dunnet and Duncansby Heads, the former including a few Puffin. The cottage itself was an idyllic location with Curlew, Oystercatcher, Wheatear and Grasshopper Warbler all singing in the garden.

Treecreeper

Black-throated Diver

Impressive stacks at Duncansby Head

Auk colonies at Duncansby Head

Duncansby Head

I was keen to explore some of the excellent mountain roads around the cottage. In doing so I was pleased to discover a local Black Grouse lek, a pair of Golden Eagle, a ringtail Hen Harrier, summer plumage Slavonian Grebe, several Osprey and all three divers in breeding plumage. The loop from Loch Fleet past Loch Bruidhe down to Bonar Bridge was particularly scenic.

Great Northern Diver, Scrabster

Black Guillemot, Scrabster

Black Grouse

Male and two female Black Grouse

Tower Hide at Forsindard RSPB

Pink-footed Goose nr Forsinard

I made a solo pilgrimage to the RSPB reserve at Forsinard and while birds were few and far between it was good to appreciate the landscape of the Flow Country. A 4 mile walk around the nature trail at Forsinain was similarly birdless but walking on stepping stones as they gurgled and bubbled on the spongy sphagnum moss was an unusual experience.

Red Kite, Rogart

Osprey, Bonar Bridge

Hen Harrier

Golden Eagle

More successful bird-wise were a couple of evening trips to Embo pier, which produced Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter, Bonxie and a small flock of Purple Sandpiper with the commoner waders, and a trek out to Tarbat Ness - another amazing landscape where migrating Red-throated Divers were passing almost overhead.

Red-throated Diver

Long-tailed Duck, Embo Pier

Common Scoter, Embo Pier

Dunlin, Embo Pier

Purple Sandpiper, Embo Pier

This was the first time in many years that we'd taken two weeks off at Easter, and it was well worth it to see some familiar and new parts of the Highlands and Islands. A final stop to meet up with my brother and nephews at Edinburgh Castle broke up the long journey home where the bike awaited me - and there was work to do to renew the effort to build the non-motorised yearlist.