A weekend of plenty

My local patch at Swineham was inaccessible this weekend due to flooding, providing the perfect excuse to neglect it once again for more exotic locations. In truth I had no intention of heading out on Saturday morning, so poor was the forecast. But when local news came through from Shaun Robson that Storm Petrels were passing him at Branksome I started to reconsider. A phone call from Jol Mitchell offering a lift to Durlston was politely declined - if I was going to head for the coast it would have to be by bike.

Spotted Sandpiper, Studland

Spotted Sandpiper, Studland

When unusual seabird movements are taking place on the Dorset coast, time can be of the essence - witness the massive movement of Cory's and Great Shearwaters recently which was over in a morning and therefor completely passed me by due to work commitments. With this in mind I decided to head for Peveril Point in Swanage from where local birder James Leaver had seen storm driven Leach's Petrels earlier in the week. Not only would this spare me the punishing climb up to Durlston Head, it would knock about 15 minutes off the journey to maximise my time sea-watching.  

Spotted Sandpiper, Studland

Spotted Sandpiper, Studland

Heading east would also mean the strong wind would be sort of behind me, hastening progress to the coast. Foresaking a shower and breakfast I was away in no time. I'd gone less than 2 miles when the heavens opened and despite wearing a waterproof jacket and trousers, reached the drowned rat stage of events within minutes. I thought 'maybe this isn't such a good plan' - but the mental image of Storm Petrels struggling against the wind in precisely these squally showers drove me on. Another extreme cloud burst near the half-way point at Corfe Castle forced me into a bus shelter, but I could see brightness behind it and pressed on as soon as it had cleared.

Spotted Sandpiper, Studland

Spotted Sandpiper, Studland

Shelter at Peveril Point is provided by a coastguard tower on the clifftop, so I set up scope, wrapped up warm and hoped for the best. Within 10 minutes I had seen my first European Storm Petrel. A couple more distant birds followed, so distant that I was unsure about the ID at first, but on reflection they were almost certainly also the same species. I phoned local birder Steve Smith between the 3rd and 4th birds and he joined me shortly after. With superior optics he picked out a few more Storm Petrels and while two birds were sometimes on view at one point, we couldn't quite be sure whether we were seeing a steady stream of different birds or the same few birds heading south, then landing on the sea before drifting back north only to try again a bit later to push around the Point but not quite making it.

Knot, Studland

Knot, Studland

Try as we might we couldn't find a Leach's, though three were seen from nearby Durlston Head - but given the conditions required to bring them to inshore waters, any species of Storm Petrel was always going to be a prized addition to the bike list. I went home contented and despite a headwind, stayed mercifully dry for the full 11 mile journey.   

Sandwich Tern, Peveril Point

Kittiwake, Peveril Point

I felt I'd earnt a lie in this morning but tea and toast were rudely interrupted by a phone call from Steve relaying news of a probable Spotted Sandpiper at Studland, found by top Dorset bird photographer Mark Wright, and identified from his photos by Paul Morton, who was on the way back to Dorset from a wedding up north. 

The Storm Petrels at Peveril Point were too far out to photograph - but I tried anyway

A pattering Storm Petrel off Peveril Point (honest!)

By the time the bike was packed and ready to roll it was already 0950, and I started to worry that the chances of a rare shorebird not being flushed by Studland's massed ranks of dog walkers were pretty slim, particularly on a sunny Sunday morning. The flooded causeway just south of Wareham was still passable by cycling on the raised pavement, so with this hurdle cleared I quickened my pace, reducing the normal journey time of 60 minutes to 50, and arrived at Bramble Bush Bay where a short line of birders with telescopes pointed in the direction of the Sandpiper. Initially out of view, it soon wandered out onto the beach where we enjoyed good views for an hour until the inevitable dog walkers ignored our pleas to give it a wide berth and flushed it around the corner and out of sight. 

This was the cue for lunch, but a scan of Studland Bay from Middle Beach over a pie with Phil Saunders - reprising the theme of our recent birding trip on Shetland - failed to produce anything more than a few Brent Geese, so I headed back to Bramble Bush Bay for another look at the Spotted Sandpiper. I was hoping the light would be a bit kinder than the harsh side-light of the morning and so it was. I got a few more record shots before retracing my steps to Wareham and adding the latest rarity to the notebook, bringing my non-motorised yearlist to 212 and non-motorised life list to 266.