My first big effort to add to the non-motorised year list in June came on the 8th with an early start to beat the traffic down to Portland where a lingering Sooty Shearwater was my main target for the day. It was a warm morning, pleasant for cycling, and I made reasonable time, making the last short climb of the journey up out of Southwell before preparing to freewheel down towards the Bill. As I did so a text from Steve Smith at 0750 relayed news that a Bee-eater had flown up the East Cliffs earlier that morning. I was literally saying to myself 'well that could be anywhere by n...' when I heard a 'bloop' and saw a vivid flash of colour in a bush next to the road - Bee-eater!
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| Bee-eater, Portland Bill, 8th June |
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| Bee-eater, Portland Bill, 8th June |
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| Bee-eater (with bee) just before it vanished over Top Fields |
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House Sparrow successfully bred in my garden - this youngster was present on 1st June
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Applying the brakes without trying to screech to a halt, and mindful that in hi-vis I was somewhat more visible to the Bee-eater that it was to me, I rolled the bike along the road until the Bee-eater was just obscured by a hedge so as not to flush it, quickly dismounted and made a call to Martin Cade at the Obs to break the news. Then I quickly assembled the camera and took a few photos. The sun was a bit harsh from the side but to get a kinder light would have involved heading back up the road and risk flushing the bird so I had to make do and over-expose a bit more than I would have liked.
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| Scarce Chaser, Swineham, 11th June |
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| Four-spotted Chaser, Swineham, 11th June |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser, Swineham, 11th June |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer, Swineham, 11th June |
A couple of cars had by now made the short journey up from the Obs but stopped a bit before my position, and I could see the first occupants rolling out and looking in all directions but mine. I thought I was pretty visible in my bright yellow jersey but apparently not so I waved as frantically as not flushing the Bee-eater would allow. This caught their eye and the first arrivals got there just in time to see the bird before it looped over the road and headed up over the Top Fields out of view. After the disappointment of dipping a Bee-eater at Durlston by about 20 mins back in May, this felt like a triumph - but there was no time to waste as there was still sea to be watched!
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| Hobby, Swineham, 11th June |
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| Carrion Crow, Swineham, 11th June |
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| Blue Tit, Swineham, 11th June |
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Rock Pipit, Portland Bill, 14th June
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I could see shearwaters in with a distant gull flock off the Bill but they were too far out to identify with confidence. Eventually, however, a few came close enough to resolve as Balearics - my first of the year. I was having no luck with the Sooty but I was joined by James Lowther and shortly after he picked it up flying in from the west. Frustratingly I couldn't get onto the bird but fortunately it landed on the sea and we watched it drift for some time with a Guillemot for company.
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| Moving my son out of his Bristol Uni accommodation on 15 June took me within a mile of this male Desert Wheatear in Keynsham |
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| Desert Wheatear, Keynsham, 15th June |
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| Desert Wheatear, Keynsham, 15th June |
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| Desert Wheatear, Keynsham, 15th June |
Those three new birds for the year on 8th June turned out to be the last of the month - I went back to Portland on 14th for a very disappointing seawatch and ended up getting the train home. Soon after we were heading off to the Picos for the family holiday and the afore-shortened month kept the cycling down to a modest 91 miles with the year list on 200 - the earliest I had reached this milestone which usually has to wait until August!
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| Sunset on Slepe Heath, 21st June |
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| Nightjar (female), Slepe Heath, |
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| Nightjar, Slepe Heath, 21st June |
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| Bee-eater, Portland Bill, 8th June |
