Building the bike list in 2024: the story so far

My plan, hatched in January, to concentrate this year on new birds for the non-motorised life list (as opposed to yearlisting) has one significant limitation - namely, the appearance of birds which I haven't already seen. With the list standing at 267 species at the end of 2023, most of the 'easy' stuff, quite a few minor rarities and even a couple of 'megas' were already on the list, and the options obviously narrow with each new species seen. The first sniff of a new bird in 2024 - a Little Bunting at East Morden on 4th February - evaporated no sooner than it had been discovered, and I had to wait almost until the middle of that month for the opportunity to get to 268. 

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

The target was a Red-breasted Goose on the Hampshire coast at the Keyhaven/Pennington complex of coastal lagoons. I was therefore up bright and early on the 10th to take advantage of a reasonable forecast for the 35 mile trek to the east. Despite most of it being on tarmac I thought the new mountain bike would be a good option to negotiate the sand covered stretches of Bournemouth seafront and the gravel tracks of Keyhaven, and it did indeed perform pretty well on both without being too sluggish on the roads.

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

With tubeless tyres the risk of punctures was negligible, and the ability to raise and drop the saddle from a lever on the handlebars - a new feature to me which I thought at first would be a gimmick but which has turned out to be a game-changer - meant that I travelled in comfort as well as style. The omens were good with reports of the Goose being present on Normandy Lagoon coming through as I headed along the coast. Although this meant a couple of extra miles would be added to the journey to get to the eastern end of the complex of lagoons, the main thing was that the bird was there, and it gave excellent views as soon as I arrived. 

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose, Normandy Lagoon, 10th February

Red-breasted Goose is one of my favourite species, and this individual performed wonderfully, showing aggression towards nearby Brents, and eventually giving a close fly-past before heading west. This was my cue to head home, but not before adding Eider, Spoonbill, Ruff and a smart drake Scaup to the non-motorised year list. It would be difficult for the rest of February to top that experience, but it came close on 24th when news of a Yellow-browed Warbler in Dorchester broke sufficiently early in the day for me to complete the 34 mile round trip, adding a bonus Redpoll to the year list at Thorncombe Wood on the way home. The Warbler was not a bike tick, as I saw this species on a long trip to Bridport in 2022, but still a good bird this early in the year.

Pintail, Pennington Marshes, 10th February

Scaup (drake), Pennington Marshes, 10th February

Wigeon, Pennington Marshes, 10th February

Yellow-browed Warbler, Dorchester, 24th February

Redpoll, Thorncombe Wood, 24th February

It was another two months before the next opportunity for a 'bike tick' arose and it felt high risk: on the evening of Friday 19th April a Marsh Sandpiper was located on exactly the same lagoon as the Red-breasted Goose - but would it be there in the morning? I gambled, setting off early the next morning, and, re-tracing my steps from February's trip, was again pleased when news of the bird's continuing presence was reported as I made my way along Bournemouth seafront. My photographs weren't brilliant looking into the low morning sun, but telescope views of this delicate wader - the first of this species I had seen in 20 years - were very good.

Marsh Sandpiper, Normandy Lagoon, 20th April

Marsh Sandpiper, Normandy Lagoon, 20th April

Marsh Sandpiper, Normandy Lagoon, 20th April

The next opportunity to add to the bike list came with the start of passage of Pomarine Skuas past Dorset's coastal headlands in late April and early May. I've done plenty of seawatching on bike trips to Portland Bill over the last few years but have not managed to connect with this species so made a plan to head for Portland on Saturday 4th May - peak Pom season in theory. It felt like a really early start would be advisable to get in position at the Bill, so I set off in the dark at around 0400, flushing a Tawny Owl from the roadside just outside of Wareham. It got light much earlier than I anticipated and I started to wonder if I should have left even earlier. 

Avocet, Pennington, 20th April

Eider pair off Normandy Lagoon, 20th April

Great Crested Grebe, Pennington, 20th April

Rolling along the cycle path at Ferrybridge I passed Debbie and Pete Saunders but didn't stop to ask if they'd seen anything. I immediately regretted this and remembered that they post sightings on the Bluesky app so quickly checked it out. At the top of my feed was a post from Joe Stockwell: 'Dark morph Pom Skua slowly east off the Chesil'. The post was timed just after 0600 - and it was just after 0600! I had Joe's number in my phone and called immediately - it turned out that I had already overshot his position on Chesil Beach with Paul Harris, as I was already near the skate park at the southern end of that stretch. Retracing my steps would surely mean missing the bird and urgency was added when Joe reported that a second Pom was now in view.

I know I've cycled a long way when I can see the Isle of Wight ferry - 35 miles from home

Greenshank at Baiter Park on the way to the Marsh Sandpiper

The Needles from Pennington Marshes, 20th April

Following Joe's advice I headed up onto the the crest of Chesil Beach at the earliest opportunity - easier said than done as the heavily laden bike sank into the shingle and my body, tired from the early start and the 22 miles already on the clock, was quickly exhausted. Once there, telescope, tripod and binoculars had to be retrieved from panniers, assembled and de-steamed before I could start scanning the distant horizon. No Poms were in view but after another call to Joe who described their location relative to a distant buoy, their position was soon triangulated and I was treated to the glorious sight of a pale and a dark morph Pom, both sporting ridiculously long, spoon-shaped tail feathers, floating slowly towards, and eventually beyond, Portland's west cliffs.

Lesser Whitethroat at Stanpit on the way home from the Marsh Sandpiper

Wheatear at Stanpit, 20th April

Wheatear at Stanpit, 20th April

After this triumphant start to the day, I pressed on the the Bill, sure that even more Poms would filter past. As I approached Culverwell I could hear an unfamiliar warbler song and tuning in eventually concluded it was probably a Subalpine Warbler. A poor signal led to a garbled phone call to Martin Cade but before I could try again a ringer pulled up and confirmed that I was right to suspect I could hear a Subalp - but wrong to think it was coming from a bird as it was in fact coming from one of his tapes! 

The Poms were too far out to photograph and this Arctic Skua wasn't much closer (Portland Bill, 4th May)

My second sighting of Common Dolphin off the Bill (4th May)

Another good bird distantly off the Bill - Puffin (4th May)

I was not best pleased, particularly as this was wasting valuable seawatching time, but when I finally got to the Bill there wasn't much to write home about: a couple of Arctic Skua and a lone Puffin were the highlights of the next few hours staring at the ocean. I started the long journey home but not before a quick look in the Observatory garden for a reported Spotted Flycatcher. The Flycatcher didn't show but the ringers redeemed themselves by pulling a stunning male Hawfinch out of a net. This was a huge bonus on top of the Poms especially as it will save me contemplating a long, cold trip to a New Forest roost site come the winter.

Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Lodmoor, 4th May

Hawfinch, Portland Obs, 4th May

Hawfinch (male), Portland Bill, 4th May

Three new birds for the non-motorised list at the mid-point of the year then - let's see what the autumn brings.

 

Spring in the valley of plenty

The lower reaches of the Piddle Valley as it approaches Poole Harbour fall within my local 'patch' at Swineham, and occasionally turn up the odd good bird. But this winter's extreme rainfall saw the valley flood more extensively and for longer than at any time since I've been in the area, leading to a bumper spring for rare and scarce birds as the flood waters receded, leaving as they did a myriad of pools and wet channels which, for a brief period, were topped up by the incoming tide.

Little Gull, Lower Piddle Valley, 29th April

Little Gull, Lower Piddle Valley, 29th April

According to the landowner, the flooding was due to a sluice gate getting stuck open at the height of the floods, and he couldn't wait for it to dry out so it could be fixed. So the tidal phenomenon stopped as soon as that happened and the floods quickly dried out in the warmth of late May. A canny move might have been to do a deal with Natural England years ago to get the land into stewardship and manage the water levels more with birds in mind - but with climate impacts making winters like 2023/24 more likely, over-whelming of the sluice might become a more frequent occurrence naturally, so they're unlikely to pay him to enable it to happen now. And if it does happen, we might well get more spring birding like the period we just enjoyed.

Little Gull, Lower Piddle Valley, 29th April

A pair of summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe spent one night only on Swineham Gravel pit on 25th April 

The first scarcity appeared over the floods when they were at their peak right at the end of March in the form of a Little Gull, which I didn't see as I was away on a family holiday in Scotland. On my return I found the valley impassable even with wellies, though by the 7th April it was just about navigable and small flocks of Shoveler and Tufted Duck could be seen enjoying the high water levels. 

Bar-tailed Godwit, Swineham, 26th April

Avocet, Lower Piddle Valley, 29th April

The waters had risen again by the 11th making the valley once again impassable. By late April some good waders were starting to appear with 4 Spotted Redshank (3 of which were approaching summer plumage) and 7 Greenshank accompanying the more typical Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks and Lapwings on the evening of the 23rd. Just out of the valley a pair of summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe on the gravel pit added a bit more quality to the patch year list on 25th. 

Spotted Redshank approaching breeding plumage - up to 5 were in the valley this spring

Bar-headed Goose, an escaped/feral bird, but my first at Swineham

I couldn't get down in time to catch two Ruff which were seen on 25th, but they confirmed the impression that the Lower Piddle Valley was shaping up to be the Poole Harbour wader hotspot of spring 2024 - even the most die-hard Lytchett Bay loyalists were deserting their base to have a look! On 26th, the Bonaparte's Gull found by Adam Day earlier in the month on Wareham Common was relocated on the pools left by the receding floods along with the long-staying Little Gull. Spotshanks peaked at 5 on the 28th and a Common Sandpiper was added to the burgeoining valley wader list for the year, joining the more regular Little Ringed Plover as the water levels dropped.

Bonaparte's Gull in the Lower Piddle Valley on 30th April

The Bonaparte's Gull was a bit closer when it first appeared higher up the Piddle Valley - this was taken on 18th April on Wareham Common

The quality wader theme continued with a Wood Sandpiper on 29th, and although I dipped it that evening, I did see a Piddle Valley mega in the form of a lone Avocet. The following night the Wood Sandpiper dip was forgotten when timely news from Garry Hayman reported that an unprecedented 3 Wood Sands were at the east end of the valley - I arrived just in time before the rising tide pushed them off.

2 of the 3 Wood Sandpipers which required a quick dash to the valley on the evening of the 30th April

Little Ringed Plovers frequented the floods throughout April and May

Local birders resolved to check the valley as often as possible and May began promisingly when I found a drake Garganey on the floods on the 2nd. Later than evening as I returned via the bank of the River Frome I saw my first Swineham Otters - a family party of 4 including 2 youngsters throwing themselves into a ditch from the bank repeatedly for what looked like the pure joy of it - as least if it was hunting practice it was pretty ineffective!

My first Swineham Otter was seen on the evening of 2nd May with a family party of 4

Drake Garganey in the Lower Piddle Valley on the evening of 2nd May

Monday 6 May was quieter but 159 Black-tailed Godwit was a respectable count and Shelduck numbers were also impressive around that time with a high count of 108. On 9th a flock of 6 Ruff, including a breeding plumage male, was an excellent count, though their appearance was brief and I missed them again. 

Whimbrel appeared on several dates in the Piddle Valley this spring - this one was photographed at nearby Sunnyside

Flyovers by Ospreys from the local re-introduction scheme (note blue ring) frequently flushed the Piddle Valley wader flocks, adding to the need to follow up reports of scarcities promptly! 

I went for another look on 10th and though the Ruff were not present, I was delighted to find 5 Grey Plover (3 in summer plumage), 3 Knot (1 in summer plumage), 17 Ringed Plover (my previous high count was 4), 3 Greenshank, 5 Dunlin (3 in summer plumage) and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit (1 in summer plumage) - all good birds for this location.

Summer plumaged Knot (here with a winter plumaged bird) was one of the star waders of the spring - and a patch tick for me

Summer plumaged Grey Plover was another highlight of spring in the Lower Piddle Valley

The number of Little Gull doubled to 2 on 11th May, and Knot peaked at 4 on 16th - but the best was yet to come. On Friday 10th I posted a message on the local WhatsApp group asking if anyone had checked the valley today or did it fall to me to go and find the Temminck's Stint or other rare wader? As I was mid-way through my last meeting of the day on 20th, a message arrived from Garry Hayman with a very hazy picture of a distant wader he couldn't identify. I replied that the speckles on the back 'look a bit Temminck's' - but as I was still in my meeting I had to advise him to seek further advice from others. They came to similar conclusions and soon reinforcements arrived to confirm the identification. With my meeting now finished I dashed down on the bike to join the bijou twitch which had by then formed.

Large gatherings of hirundines were another feature of spring at Swineham this year - here Sand Martin and Swallow in a pre-roost gathering on 10th May

Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Knot, Little Gull and Ringed Plover all in the same shot - stellar patch birding by the standards of recent years 

This would have been a fitting Coda the spring symphony of birding in the Piddle Valley - but the following morning we were treated to an encore. As well as its fair share of work-shy and retired types, Purbeck is well served by a small band of dedicated working birders who diligently check promising sites on the way to, from and sometimes during work. One of these, Rob Johnson, dropped in to the Piddle Valley early on the morning of the 21st, on the way to work at the Port of Poole, to look for the Temminck's. He couldn't find it but went one better, locating an American Golden Plover - a first for Swineham - on the rapidly evaporating pools. Only three locals managed to get there before it was chased off by a Lapwing, never to be seen again - and I was delighted to be among them.

Temminck's Stint found by Garry Hayman on the 20th May - our first since 2020 when I stumbled across one on the Frome Valley pools. Not since that year, when I also found a Marsh Warbler and a Pectoral Sandpiper, have we had such a purple patch at Swineham

The stunning American Golden Plover found by Rob Johnson early on the morning of 21st May

Between myself and Garry Hayman, we calculated we had seen 22 species of wader over the course of the spring in the Piddle Valley - full list, with high counts where noted (and the 21 species of wader I have seen at Swineham so far this year marked '*'), below:

1. American Golden Plover (1)*
2. Avocet (1)*
3. Bar-tailed Godwit (2)*
4. Black-tailed Godwit (159)*
5. Common Sandpiper*
6. Curlew*
7. Dunlin (11)*
8. Green Sandpiper*
9. Greenshank (7)*
10. Grey Plover (5)*
11. Knot (4)*
12. Lapwing*
13. Little Ringed Plover (3)*
14. Oystercatcher*
15. Redshank*
16. Ringed Plover (17)*
17. Ruff (6)
18. Snipe*
19. Spotted Redshank (5)*
20. Temminck's Stint (1)*
21. Whimbrel*
22. Wood Sandpiper (3)*

My photos taken at some distance in a heat haze don't do justice to the AGP

Within a few minutes of my arrival the AGP was spooked by a Lapwing and not seen again - only four local birders managed to see it in the end

The rest of May passed uneventfully with the exception of a Ruddy Shelduck of unknown origin which was located on Swineham Point from a birdboat and twitched successfully by myself and Nick Hopper. It too made it onto the Piddle Valley list, just, dropping in to the mouth of the river, where a Bar-headed Goose had been seen earlier in the month - adding a bit of fantastic plastic to spring in the valley of plenty. 

A Ruddy Shelduck of unknown origin appeared with a party of Egyptian Geese on Swineham Point for one day only on 29th May

It flew to the river (right hand bird) making it the last good bird of Spring 2024 to grace the Piddle Valley