With one weekend in September earmarked for a Silver Wedding Anniversary in Kent, another for returning the first born to Uni and the final one to be subsumed into a planned holiday to Shetland, opportunities to add to the non-motorised year list have been a bit restricted this month.
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| Red-backed Shrike, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd September |
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| Red-backed Shrike, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd September |
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| Red-backed Shrike, St Aldhelm's Head, 2nd September |
The first Saturday of the month I arranged to meet an old friend who was down in Dorset for a short break at nearby Arne, forgetting that Saturday mornings are Phil Saunders' guaranteed slot to find a good bird at St Aldhelm's Head at this time of year. I had barely left home when the phone rang with news of his latest discovery: a Red-backed Shrike at Pier Bottom. It would have been the height of rudeness to ditch my visitor, of course, so we enjoyed our stroll, enjoyed some obligatory coffee and cake even more, and, having said our farewells, I set off for the south coast.
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| Yellow Wagtail, Middlebere, 2nd September |
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| Yellow Wagtail, Middlebere, 2nd September |
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| Yellow Wagtail, Middlebere, 2nd September |
It had been a cool and cloudy start to the day but by the time I reached the daunting Kingston Hill the sun had burnt through requiring a supreme effort to stay in the saddle and not dismount to push the bike. With that obstacle negotiated it was a more straightforward final few miles to Worth Matravers onto the rough tracks towards St Aldhelm's Head. Pier Bottom requires a right turn before reaching the head and after hoiking the bike over a style I was nearly there. Although I could see the brambles where the Shrike had been, I was perturbed to see Phil and Steve Smith yomping up the steep slope nearby - had it flown off? It turned out they were chasing a Vagrant Emperor and the Shrike stayed put - so moments later I was enjoying good telescope views and grabbing a few photos.
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| Redstart, Middlebere, 2nd September |
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| 7 of the 8 Ruff (a patch record for me) at Swineham on 11th September |
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| Juvenile Great Crested Grebe, Swineham, 11th September |
It was a good start to the month and the following weekend provided an opportunity to add one of the lowest hanging pieces of remaining fruit to the year list in the form of a Curlew Sandpiper at Middlebere. I'd had a few attempts at this bird so it was good to finally catch up with it with James Leaver and Garry Hayman. The Kent trip wiped out the following weekend and with mid-week opportunities to get out severely restricted by a combination of work and the shortening days, by Saturday 16th I was ready for something more ambitious. A Glossy Ibis had been seen dropping in to the roost at Hengistbury Head three evenings running and as the forecast wasn't great in the morning, it made sense to leave home mid-afternoon, have a bit of a seawatch and await the arrival of dusk and, hopefully, the Ibis.
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| Curlew Sandpiper, Middlebere, 8th September |
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| Curlew Sandpiper, Middlebere, 8th September |
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| Curlew Sandpiper, Middlebere, 8th September |
The seawatch was a bit half-hearted if I'm honest, and I was severely distracted by the prospect of a fishcake and cold beer at the grill on the Mudeford Sandbank. Thus satiated, I took up position on the harbour shore near the roost site and waited for dusk. Herons started to arrive shortly before 1900 but the Ibis had been appearing around 1930 so I would just have to be patient.
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| Ruff, Swineham, 17th September |
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| Ruff, Swineham, 17th September |
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| Ruff, Swineham, 17th September |
With the light fading, even incoming little egrets were getting harder to see and as 1930 came and went I started to fear the worst. Two minutes later though and the unmistakable shape of a Glossy Ibis loomed out of the darkness to my left and almost immediately dipped behind some trees. Fortunately it banked up again before dropping into the roost enabling a record shot.
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| Cattle Egret, Swineham, 17th September |
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| Cattle Egret, Swineham, 17th September |
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| Black-tailed Godwit, Swineham, 17th September |
The journey back along Bournemouth seafront was cycling bliss: a following breeze, no traffic, free water refills and only the occasional meandering piss-head to be avoided. I was home by 2130 and tucking into the venison casserole I had the presence of mine to whack in the slow cooker before leaving home. The year list ticked over to 206, a few behind last year's tally of 210 on the same date - but autumn has barely begun!
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| Glossy Ibis, Hengistbury Head, 16th September |
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