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.
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| Redstart (female), Wareham Forest, 1st May |
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| 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.
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| Little Tern, Ferrybridge, 2nd May |
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| 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.
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| Iceland Gull at Lodmoor on the way back from Portland, 2nd May |
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| 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.
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| Hobby, Morden Bog, 7th May |
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| 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!
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| Woodchat Shrike, Portland, 8th May |
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Dunlin, Pilot's Point, 12th April
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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!
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| Sanderling, Pilot's Point, 12th April |
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| 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.
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| Hen Harrier, St Aldhelm's Head, 20th May |
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| 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.
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| Puffin, Dancing Ledge, 22nd May |
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| 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!
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