(A complete absence of) April showers: part 2

With the lighter evenings, regular visits to Swineham after work kept the non-motorised year list ticking over during April with Reed Warbler (5th), House Martin and Yellow Wagtail (7th) and a Common Sandpiper (9th). But to keep up the pace I was going to have to travel further afield and push myself beyond the local patch. 

Glossy Ibis, Stanpit, 14th March

With a week's leave from 10th-18th April, the opportunity to do so arose and I planned a big day out to the eastern extremity of Dorset where I had my eye a couple of tasty potential additions to the year list. But first there was the business of a Glaucous Gull to attend to. A juvenile of this species had been reported once or twice at the lesser know birding mecca of the Alderney Water Treatment Works between Bournemouth and Poole, and it or another had also put in various appearances on the Brownsea Island webcam earlier in the winter. Glaucous Gull was on my 'maybe' list for 2021 so when it was reported on Friday 9th, with nothing better to do on the Saturday, I thought I'd take one of my regular exercise rides, which by this time were running to 15-20 miles, to Alderney, a round trip of 24 miles, to check it out.

Glossy Ibis, Stanpit, 14th April

It took just over an hour to make the journey, at the end of which I found myself peering through an ugly metal fence at an unprepossessing pair of water tanks holding about half-a-dozen large gulls. After a couple of hours, not unexpectedly given the infrequency of previous reports, there had been no sign of the Glaucous Gull so I headed home. 

Glossy Ibis, Stanpit, 14th April

Walking through the garden gate around 1800 I checked my phone to see I had missed a call from Phil Saunders (of Red-rumped Swallow heroics - see my last post) - Phil must have arrived shortly after my departure and had seen not just the Glaucous Gull but a Caspian Gull - a very difficult bird to catch up with in these parts. We worked out that had I got Phil's message when he called and gone back, I would have missed the Glauc, which didn't hang around, but would have seen the Casp! We concluded that the white-winged beast must be dropping in and out fairly regularly and seeing it again ought to be possible if one was prepared to invest the time.

Glossy Ibis, Stanpit, 14th March

The rotten luck of the Saturday brought out my stubborn streak so I resolved to retrace my steps the next day and stay as long as it took to see the Glaucous Gull. Arriving early, Phil joined me for the first couple of hours of the vigil, a few other Dorset birders including Shaun Robson dropped by for a chat, and their company over the course of the day lifted my spirits and helped persuade me to stick it out when I felt my enthusiasm waning. 

Glossy Ibis, Stanpit, 14th March

It was a cold day so I had wrapped up warm, but still wasn't expecting the snow flurries which hit Canford Heath as the afternoon wore on. Despite the grim surroundings and conditions, giving up too soon could also have lead to a repeat of the previous day's experience of someone else seeing the bird after I left, which would have been unbearable. So, as the last two sightings had been between 1700 and 1800, I resolved to stay until 1830 before giving up. 1830 came and went and I reluctantly conceded defeat.

Jay, Hengistbury Head, 14th April

I had plenty of time to think that day - the birding was slow to say the least, the flyover Little Ringed Plover which Phil and I saw early morning being the highlight - and I realised that I had probably spent longer standing around waiting for the Gull than I had for any other bird, ever, including some extreme rarities. Having cycled all that way, nipping back and forth wasn't really an option, so while it would be a stretch to say that the cycling was making me more patient, it certainly appeared capable of changing the dynamics of my birding and improving my tolerance of lost causes!

Jay, Hengistbury Head, 14th April

If it weren't for the approaching week off, I don't think I would have invested the best part of a weekend in trying to see a single bird, and with so much good exercise the time wasn't exactly 'wasted' - but it did leave me wanting my next long journey to be for something more, shall we say, reliable. The long-staying Glossy Ibis at Stanpit Marsh fitted the bill and although this was the furthest I had been by bike for a specific bird, it was a pretty flat run around Poole Harbour and across Bournemouth seafront.

Stonechat, Hengistbury Head, 14th April

After an early start and a smooth journey I arrived as Stanpit to find the Ibis somewhat disconcertingly not on view. It soon appeared from a ditch though and flew closer as the morning progressed to a pool close to the path. After a few photos, I headed around to Hengistbury Head where another 'sitting duck' awaited in the form of Purple Sandpiper on the groynes. I had to go all the way to the final groyne to see them but half-a-dozen birds showed well so it was worth it.

Purple Sandpiper, Hengistbury Head, 14th March

On the way home I decided to give the Glaucous Gull one last go as it was barely a detour to Alderney. Meeting up with Marcus Lawson who, remarkably, had found another Caspian Gull at the water treatment works earlier that day, we spent another fruitless hour and a half looking for the white-winged apparition without success. 

Redshank, Stanpit, 14th April

Marcus left at about 1730, joking that his departure would guarantee the arrival of the bird, so I thought I might as well give it another half-hour to see if he was right. Amazingly, he was and the Glaucous Gull dropped in for a quick bathe and a drink at 1745. It was present for barely two minutes, just enough time for me to balance on the bike pedals (the only way to get a clear view), press the lens against the waterworks fence and grab a few shots whilst passing white van men shouted 'f*****g paedo'. Being innocent of this charge, I couldn't have cared less: after more than 15 hours, 3 trips and 70+ miles cycled I had seen the Glaucous Gull. 

Glaucous Gull, Alderney WTW, 14th April

I felt I had earnt it and indulged with some celebratory cursing of my own. Following this triumph, the 12-mile journey home was a breeze. The year list had risen to 157 and there were still 2 weeks of April left to go.

Glaucous Gull, Alderney WTW, 14th April