Binge biking

Since returning from the family holiday in mid-August my cycling/birding seems to have settled into a pattern of big bike rides on a Saturday or Sunday (sometimes both) and not much in the week as pressures of work and shorter evenings reduce the opportunities to get out and about. And as my non-motorised year list gets longer, so the number of species I can realistically see in what remains of the year gets smaller. That said, we're now well into autumn migration, bringing the opportunity to catch up on a few species I missed during last winter and the spring.

Black-necked Grebe, Abbotsbury, 30 August

Among these was Ruff, a species I knew I would see eventually so hadn't made a particular effort to catch up with. I was in need of some serious exercise as the last weekend of August approached, so the Lodmoor/Portland combo seemed like a good option, and I had a good chance of at least one year tick with a striking white-headed Ruff at Lodmoor, presumed to be the same bird which has returned over several winters. 

Black-necked Grebe, Abbotsbury, 30 August

Spooked by what seemed like an exponential increase in dangerous driving over the summer months, and tales of friends of friends falling victim to similar, suffering various fates up to and including death, I have been a bit more wary on the roads for the last few months, so took a slightly longer than normal route to Weymouth to avoid the main drag as far as possible. The Ruff was indeed present at the end of the 18 mile journey to Lodmoor, and feeling fresh I pressed on the additional 10 miles to Portland. 

Black-necked Grebes, Abbotsbury, 30 August

The Bill seemed busier than usual and the reason soon became apparent as a hideously noisy powerboat - the first of many in some kind of dick-waving sea race - thundered past. I couldn't stand the noise so after my second Arctic Skua of the year, which gave a double-take with a 'wtf' look on its face as it trundled past the speed-freaks, plans for a leisurely sea-watch were abandoned.

I guess these budget-Bransons will have spaffed more carbon by the time they crossed Lyme Bay than I've saved all year by swapping car journeys for the bike

I had done 55 miles by the time I got home so I felt like I'd earnt a rest day on the Sunday. Until...news of four Goosander at Silverlake - about 14 miles from Wareham - reached me via Geoff Upton. Goosander is a tricky species in these parts, as they tend to secrete themselves in inaccessible stretches of rivers and gravel workings. 

Pintail, Abbotsbury, 30 August

Silverlake was as good a site as any to see them but having discussed with Geoff earlier in the year, he had advised that they were still very hit and miss. This foursome were newly arrived though and potentially a bit sleepy as they seemed to be roosting up on the edge of an island.

The four Goosander at Silverlake, 30th August 

Within minutes I was off, and was watching the Goosander before other birding friends who knew I needed this species for the year-list had even had time to relay the news. Flushed with success, I noticed that a couple of Little Stint were still at Abbotsbury, as they had been all week. I wouldn't normally consider cycling that far for such a common species, but they seemed nailed on, I was over half way there already, and it was the weekend after all.

Mute Swans at Abbotsbury, 30th August

The sprint to Silverlakehad taken more out of me than I realised, and the onward journey to Abbotsbury, though pleasant, was tough going, at least until I reached to top of the Ridgway and could free-wheel the last few miles to the Swannery. Handing over my £10 entry fee, I was shown to the Meadow Pool hide by a helpful warden only to find the Little Stints had moved on! 

Black Swans at Abbotsbury, 30th August

It was the third time this year that I had cycled to Abbotsbury and not seen my target bird - though in all three cases (Whiskered Tern, Roseate Tern and Little Stint) I would eventually catch up with the species in question. A trio of Black-necked Grebe close-in at the Swannery provided some consolation, and a few Wheatear and a flock of Yellow Wagtail on the way home helped overcome the disappointment of dipping the Stints. 

Whooper Swan, Abbotsbury, 30th August - not tickable as thought to be an escape

The satisfaction of doing over 110 miles on the bike in a weekend overcame any lingering regret at returning from Abbotsbury emtpy-handed, and the green year list had moved up to 202 as August drew to a close. 

Yellow Wagtail, Abbotsbury, 30th August