You still 'ere II?

As the end of a fortnight's holiday approached I realised I hadn't left Dorset so indulged myself with an out of County trip today. An earlier attempt to photograph the Oriental Turtle Dove wintering in Oxfordshire ended dismally (see post of 20th March 2011) so news that Steve Akers was opening up again this morning presented a good option. I was the first visitor to arrive at 0730, four others joined us for morning coffee, and the bird arrived on cue at 0737. It came to feed on the bird table for 5 minutes at about 0800 and then returned to a perch in the shade until we left at about 1000. Steve's hospitality was still very warm after all these months, and he confessed that he did not quite know what he would do when the bird finally leaves. The collection from visiting birders for Birdlife Malta now runs to several thousand pounds.

Dorset Dolphins

A few more shots from our recent chance encounter with Bottle-nosed Dolphins off the Dorset coast:

Uneventful boat trip...

...until this pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphin turned up. Taken from the regular boat from Poole to Swanage on a family day out. Spectacular.

You still 'ere?

No sound of yesterday's Nightingale or sign of Garganey at Upton Country Park this morning, but nearby at Hatch Pond fourteen Waxwing were still present. Lucky workers at Poole Council offices in Stinsford Road have been able to admire these birds in the alders outside their office window, but today the birds were commuting between a birch tree and this berry-bearing hedgerow.

They eventually headed off to the west, presumably in search of a supermarket car park or industrial estate somewhere else. Not sure how many are left in the country but it doesn't sound like there are that many left.

Interesting how faithful they have been to this area for so much of the winter and early spring, and how the numbers at the same site seem to fluctuate as birds come and go.

Another Nightingale...

After yesterday's success with Nightingale (see post for 23 April), the last thing I expected on the walk from home on Poole Quay to Upton Country Park today was a singing Nightingale. But as I approached the viewing screen on the west side of Holes Bay, a short blast of unmistakable song gave its presence away. I wasn't able to get a look at it, but put the news out and others did manage to see and hear it later. A pair of Wheatear, Raven (pictured) and Stock Dove added further interest, and in a return visit in the evening a drake Garganey (bottom picture) was also present.

Dorset Nightingales

Although I have heard both Nightingale and Thrush Nightingale in Dorset before I haven't actually seen either, so headed to White Nothe this morning to look for the former. About 6 males were singing on arrival but it took a couple of hours of patient watching of the dense coastal scrub to actually see one (pictured distantly through heat haze). The local Yellowhammers were more obliging, posing against a background of gorse covered hillside.

Brownsea fliers

Good light and co-operative subjects provided opportunities for flight photography on Brownsea today. From top: Med Gull, Sandwich Tern, Shelduck.