First flush of spring

In a recent post I put the PC World Drain in Poole on a list of Dorset's migration hotspots - this was half-joking, but it's rapidly earning the sobriquet. Effluent-loving ringers, who have been unnerving the local hobos by hanging out in the bushes there this winter, had already confirmed it as the Sibe Chiffchaff capital of England. Today, in addition to the expected spring migrants it turned up a Redstart, a Grasshopper Warbler and, best of all, a Subalpine Warbler, seen by just two lucky souls. This first eluded the nets, then all the other local birders, for the rest of the day.


Common Whitethroat in the best sewer in Britain

My children's hobbies rarely dovetail conveniently with mine but this evening they were going swimming in Poole (not in the drain, I should add) so I got a lift and their mum dropped me off at PC World for an hour. By then it was pretty clear the Subalp had moved on but I was keen to see what else was still around anyway. Amid the shopping trolleys, traffic cones and floaters (I'm kidding. There were no cones), there were still plenty of Willow Warblers, plus a few Chiffs, Whitethroats and Blackcaps. Nothing special perhaps, but still quite a special congregation enjoying the micro-climate offered by the drain.


Warm weather brought out this Small Tortoisheshell