Peter Moore's Wildlife Blog: November's birding by bike

October ended with my non-motorised year list on 214 species, 5 more than at the same stage last year - so inevitably I started to wonder if I could exceed my total of 224 species seen in 2021. I had a very good end to last year, adding 6 new species in November and a further 9 in December. Many of the species which turned up in December stayed into the New Year so were already on my 2022 year list, so it might be a bit harder to make up the numbers as the year approached its end.

Dusky Warbler, Durslton

Dusky Warbler, Durlston

Still, I was determined to give it a go, and the first opportunity to do so arose early in the month with a Dusky Warbler at Durlston Country Park on the evening of 4th November. This would be a non-motorised 'lifer' as well as a year tick so was not to be missed. I would be cutting it fine though as it was a working day and the nights were drawing in, but I remember seeing Dusky Warblers on Scilly right up until darkness fell and set off as soon after finishing work. It was a race against the sunset but on arrival James Leaver and Garry Hayman were on site to point the bird out almost immediately. Fortunately it was very active and vocal, although a challenge to photograph in the last of the light. High ISO ratings and a bit of work to denoise the pictures in Topaz AI even produced some satisfactory images.

Arctic Tern, Weymouth

Early November produced some south westerly storms and a smattering of reports of Leach's Petrels, Sabine's Gulls and Arctic Terns, any of which would be good birds for the year list. Conditions the day after I saw the Dusky Warbler looked promising so I arranged to meet Phil Saunders at Chesil Cove on the Saturday afternoon.

Sabine's Gull, Chesil Cove

It was 23 miles into the wind and I underestimated both the effort and time it would take to get there on the bike. The last mile or so from Ferrybridge into the storm was tough to say the least! In the end it was a disappointing seawatch with nothing more unusual than a Common Scoter. Jumping on the train to get home wasn't an option due to a strike, and to add insult to injury I got a proper soaking heading back along the Ferrybridge causeway where the high tide brought the sea almost up to the level of the road. Still, the wind was behind me for the rest of the way home which made it a bit easier.

Sabine's Gull, Chesil Cove

Black-headed, Mediterranean and Sabine's Gull, Chesil Cove

More storms over the next few days produced more reports of Leach's, Sabs and an Arctic Tern which appeared to be lingering around Weymouth marina. The problem was it was mid-week and the only chance to give myself a shot would involve a very early start and a bit of luck to see a target species and get back in time for work. By Thursday 10th November the temptation proved too great and I set off in the dark into another south westerly shortly before 0500. Arriving at Weymouth marina around 0700, I saw the Arctic Tern almost before I had got my binoculars out of the panniers, and after a few photos was on the road with the wind behind me and back at the laptop in good time.

Snow Bunting, Studland

Red-throated Diver, Studland

A Sabine's Gull was reported at Chesil Cove whilst I was still in Weymouth but I lacked both the time and energy to press on for it. I would just have to hope that it stuck around until the weekend. If it did, I would have a decision to make as a Snow Bunting had also appeared during the week and appeared to be lingering on the beach at Studland.

Snow Bunting, Studland

Early on the morning of Saturday 12th news came through that the Gull was indeed present, and figuring that this was less likely to stick around than the Bunting, I made the long trek to Weymouth for the third time in eight days. Again meeting up with Phil Saunders, this time our trip to Chesil Cove was more successful as the Gull showed in T-shirt weather. A celebratory bacon and egg sandwich from Quiddles cafe was called for before the wind-assisted ride home.

Snow Bunting, Studland

After these exertions Sunday 13th November should really have been a rest day. Unfortunately no-one had told the Snow Bunting. I hauled my weary ass into the saddle and bounced gingerly in the direction of Studland through Rempstone Forest. An hour or so later, I bumped into local birders David Foster and Rich Andrews in the National Trust car park at Shell Bay who confirmed the continued presence of the Snow Bunting. Within minutes I was face down in the sand photographing this confiding bird as it foraged along the strandline. Two young bird photographers joined me followed by their parents as we enjoyed our close encounter with the winter visitor. Roly Pitts then rocked up, and after more photos we wandered south down the beach to look for a Red-throated Diver which was reportedly very close in.

Snow Bunting, Studland

After a brief but good view I decided to head back for more Bunting views whilst Roly continued down the beach - a tactical error on my part with hindsight as Roly saw and photographed 6 Long-tailed Ducks heading south shortly after - another key target for the year! Despite this it had been a good week with 3 additions to the list.

A trip to the guitar shop in Poole took us conveniently close to this bit of quality plastic: Wood Duck at Creekmoor Ponds

Wood Duck, Creekmoor

The rest of the month offered up limited opportunities to add to the year list. Several visits to the patch produced little more than the depressing realisation that avian flu was now running through the local bird population, judging by the number of dead or dying Canada Geese in the area. More positively, it took just a couple of quick visits to Lytchett Bay to catch up with a colour-ringed Water Pipit - so November ended on 219 species, 4 ahead of the total at the same point last year, with a further 230 miles on the clock. Could my 2021 record fall at the first attempt? That would all depend on what December had in stall...