Twitching on a school night

Building a non-motorised year list has involved three main types of birding for me in 2021: visiting local sites on foot or by bike for species which are expected to occur at some point, cycling to locations further afield where a wider range of species might be seen, and heading for a specific spot to see an individual bird of a rarer species - twitching, in common parlance. In the latter category, all of my long distance trips (Black-winged Stilt and Iceland Gull at Lodmoor, Glossy Ibis at Stanpit, Tawny Pipit at Cogden and Whiskered Tern at Longham) had been at the weekend or on days off when there was plenty of time to recover from the exertion.

Woodchat Shrike, Iford Golf Course, 18th May

This last week brought a new test of resolve - two in fact - in the form of distant rarities for which a snap decision was needed about whether to go or not given the possibility that neither would hang around (and spring migrants often don't). The first of these was on Tuesday, a bright male Woodchat Shrike on the 12th tee at Iford Golf Course the other side of Bournemouth, 18 miles to the east. When news broke earlier in the day I dismissed the idea of twitching on a weeknight, as with a holiday approaching at the end of the month work was backing up and I needed to be on top form the following day. But when the bird was still present late afternoon, I realised that with the lighter evenings I could probably get there and back by 2100 and still get an early night to be fresh for work the following day.

Bonaparte's Gull, Lodmoor, 20th May

The forecast suggested the evening would be dry with a westerly breeze - an aid to getting there and a potential barrier to a swift return, but having already prepared dinner in the slow cooker (a sumptuous venison casserole, since you ask), I didn't need to worry about getting back too early with that in hand. The cycle route as far as the Poole/Bournemouth boundary was very familiar, but after that I took a few wrong turns when following a google maps walking route (it doesn't do cycle maps for this part of the world yet). As a result the journey there took about 90 minutes, 15 longer than I had expected, but as I approached the golf course, two familiar faces from Purbeck, Rob Johnson and cousin James, assured me I was nearly there. I reached the 12th tee shortly afterwards. The shrike was out of view and I was concerned that it might have gone to roost early with the cold weather suppressing the availability of potential prey.

Bonaparte's Gull, Lodmoor, 20th May

Other birders present knew roughly where to look though and the Shrike soon perched up in view for a few photos. I didn't hang around too long in the cool of the evening, especially as the light was fading, and with the winds not as strong as I had feared, the journey home was smooth enough and completed comfortably before 2100. I was fine on the Wednesday, again probably underestimating my fitness level built up from the miles already under my belt this year.

Bonaparte's Gull, Lodmoor, 20th May

Thursday brought a sense of deja vu when a Bonaparte's Gull was located at Lodmoor during the day. Although the distance was about the same as for the shrike, one look at the forecast was enough to dismiss the idea as it would involve cycling directly into 50-60 mph south-westerly winds! With the experience of fighting into a gale at Cogden still fresh in mind, I shrugged my shoulders and tried to put it to the back of my mind. I finished work just after 1700 and the bird was reported as still present. It was obviously sheltering from the gale so unlikely to go anywhere, though who knows what it would do tomorrow?

Portland on a week night would be a bridge too far by bike - it would be dark by the time I arrived if leaving after work! So I indulged myself with a car journey to see this Chough on 11th May - a Dorset 'tick'.

This last thought was enough to tempt me into action against my better judgement, and within 10 minutes I was on the road again. In the end, whilst slightly hair-raising at times, the journey to Lodmoor never quite reached Cogden levels of terror - the headwinds slowed progress to a crawl at which very little damage could be done, and as they were hitting me head on the risk of being blown over by side-winds was greatly reduced. Which is not to say it wasn't an energy-sapping slog - on a scale of '0' to 'taxing' it was definitely at the 'taxing' end. But I pressed on through squalls and fallen tree debris and as I reached the edge of the Lodmoor reedbed I could see a few birders distantly on the west side where the Gull was last reported: a good sign that it was probably still there. Minutes later I was enjoying close views of the Bonaparte's and the efforts of the previous 95 minutes had all been worth it.

The Chough in flight over Dorset's version of machair!

The return journey was probably my most enjoyable bike ride to date. I stopped pedalling at one point on the steep hill up out of Weymouth and realised I was still being carried along by the wind. I clocked 20pmh on another uphill stretch out of Poxwell on which I had been reduced to a 5mph crawl during the journey down. 95 minutes on the way there was reduced to 80 on the way back, the psychological barrier of twitching on a school night had been broken, and more quality had been added to the year list, bringing the total to creditable 185.

I enjoyed a brief close view of the Chough but it would not look up! A shame it didn't stay until the weekend or a bike trip would definitely have been in order.

Well that went quickly

And so 2018 has drawn to an end. A transition year for me professionally, and the focus of my energies on this perhaps inevitably led to less time out with the camera over the course of the last twelve months. Which is not to say I didn't get out - on the contrary, communing with nature and Canon continued to be an essential distraction from the trials of 'real' life. Blogging, by contrast, definitely took a back seat - just 28 posts in 2018 compared to 68 in 2017 and 165 in 2012, which was apparently the peak of my powers in terms of textual diarrhoea. A few highlights from the first 6 months of the year below.

January
My review of the year starts, with unswerving commitment to neat chronology, in January, when the Hawfinch invasion of late 2017 continued to dominate the birding scene. Rural Dorset churchyards continued to receive many optic-bearing visitors not normally seen on hallowed ground as these chunky finches congregated wherever there were Yews. A couple of trips to Stanpit hoping to improve on my average pictures of the long-staying Stilt Sandpiper, which had relocated there from Lodmoor via Brownsea, proved unsuccessful towards the end of January though I did at least see it.

Bird of the month for January: Horned Lark, Staines Reservoir

My first and only 'out of County' trip of the month was to the exotic environs of Staines, where an American Horned Lark spent several weeks around the causeway of the vast west London reservoir. Shore Lark is one of my favourite species and Staines is closer than any of their regular wintering sites so the chance of seeing this exceptionally rare form reasonably close to home was not to be missed. The undoubted wildlife watching highlight of the month was, however, a chance encounter with a Humpback Whale in Chesil Cove in my adopted county of Dorset. A brief sighting of a distant individual allowed only for a poor record shot - but an incredible record nonetheless.

Wildlife highlight of the month: Humpback Whale in Chesil Cove

February
February was a month for gull connoisseurs, with a dozen species available for viewing in the Dorset/Hampshire area. The rarest of the lot, a putative Thayer's, currently regarded as a sub-species of Iceland Gull, was enjoyed on a short-range twitch to Blashford Lakes with my good friend Steve Smith, taking a break from his punishing schedule of globe-trotting wildlife junkets to slum it on the south coast with the rest of us. A Ring-billed Gull kept company with the Thayer's Gull in the same late afternoon roost.

Thayer's Gull, Blashford Lakes. What do you mean, underwhelmed?

With no disrespect to the Thayer's Gull (a rather drab juvenile), it was eclipsed for beauty if not rarity by one of the most sought after species from its family later in the month with the arrival of an exquisite adult Ross's Gull in Weymouth. This bird first arrived at Lodmoor where it proved difficult to catch up with but by the weekend it had relocated to Radipole Lake where Jol Mitchell and I, plus our respective sons, were delighted to catch up with it.

Ross's Gull, Radipole: my first Dorset tick of 2018 and bird of the month for February

March
March was a month of contrasts with icy 'beasts from the East' sandwiching the first signs of spring in the middle of the month. The cold snaps brought a Firecrest to my tiny urban garden, and a pair of hungry and unusually confiding Hawfinches down to feed in the graveyard of my local church in Wareham for a sought after patch tick.

Hawfinch, Wareham

A short Scottish trip at the end of the month saw me add the first new bird of 2018 to my British list in the form of an American White-winged Scoter off Musselburgh near Edinburgh. This striking seaduck was in good company bobbing along with Velvet Scoter, Surf Scoter, Red-throated Diver and Slovanian Grebe for company. Difficult to beat watching seaducks in winter on a wild Scottish estuary.

American White-winged Scoter (left-hand bird), Musselburgh: March's bird of the month

April
Easter saw us hopping on to a ferry in Portsmouth for a week's family holiday in Brittany. The beach and marshes at Suscinio turned out to be the top birding spot of the trip with Fan-tailed Warbler, Bluethroat, Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover all within a short walk form the car park. Serin, Firecrest, Cirl Bunting, Short-toed Treecreeper and Crested Tit exemplified the theme of the week: apparently common species in Brittany which are all rare or range restricted birds at home.

Camberwell Beauty, Le Parc naturel regional de Briere

A visit to the extensive wetlands of Le Parc naturel regional de Briere produced one of the highlights of the holiday - a close encounter with a couple of Camberwell Beauty butterflies basking in the spring sunshine. Marsh Harriers, Savi's Warblers, White Storks and Blue-headed Wagtails provided a colourful supporting cast.

Male Kentish Plover, Suscinio

Back in Dorset a Bonaparte's Gull returned to Longham Lakes continuing a good run of records of this American rarity. During the course of its stay I visited a few times to see the mottled feathers on the head moult into a fully dark hood within the space of a week.

Bonaparte's Gull, Longham Lakes: April's bird of month

May

Cuckoos are easy enough to hear in the spring but seeing one really well is another matter as they can be very shy. So when other commitments took me past Thursley Common early in the month I took the opportunity to pay homage to an exception to this rule - an unusually bold returning male which has become a photographer's favourite in recent summers. Concerns have been expressed about whether the mealworm diet supplements laid on for it have been doing it any good - but it hasn't stopped it getting to and from Africa over the last couple of years so I guess it can't be causing too much harm! 

Cuckoo, Thursley Common

May also saw me returning to Cerne Abbas, one of Dorset's best butterfly sites, where the Duke of Burgundy can be seen on the wing. This species is recovering well nationally thanks in large part to the efforts of staff and volunteers working on behalf of my new employer, Butterfly Conservation. A special mention to one of them, Patrick Cook, who I bumped into that warm spring day at Cerne Abbas, for over-taking me on his bike so often when I started cycling the 7 miles to work this summer. The daily humiliation spurred me on to stick with it and I'm a lot fitter as a result - cheers Patrick!

Duke of Burgundy with Dingy Skipper, Cerne Abbas

Due to my fondness for sanitation, when the family went camping toward the end of the month I was banished from their company and treated myself to a few days on the east coast. There, among other delights, I enjoyed the sight of lekking Ruffs at Frampton Marsh and breeding Swallowtails in the Norfolk Broads.

Swallowtail, Strumpshaw Fen

Back home in Dorset, a smart Rose-coloured Starling at Portland Bill was part of a remarkable invasion of this species across the country. This pink poser looked quite at home among the cliff-top thrift of the same colour and gave some close views when Rowan and I paid it a visit.

Rose-coloured Starling, Portland Bill: bird of the month for May

June

June began with some lepidopteran highlights: an Eyed Hawkmoth was a first for the garden moth trap, and a professional visit to Northern Ireland provided an opportunity to see my last UK butterfly species - the Cryptic Wood White - at Craigavon Lakes.

Cryptic Wood White, Craigavon Lakes: my wildlife watching highlight for June

Continuing the insect theme, I made the effort this summer to see some of the Odonata species which I had yet to see in Britain. Most spectacular among these was the Clubtail Dragonlfy. I spent a blissful morning photographing these on a slow-flowing Sussex river, then foolishly allowed myself to be talked into twitching a Moltoni's Subalpine Warbler at Blakeney Point in the afternoon with Steve Smith and Paul Welling. While I saw the Warbler's undertail coverts vanish into deep cover it was an untickable view, and the trudge back along several miles of shingle in the dark, with a limping James Lowen in tow, was, well, let's just say memorable! I should be grateful though that this was my only significant dip of 2018.

American Royal Tern, Church Norton: my second new British bird of 2018 and bird of the month for June

As is traditional, mid-June produced an inconveniently timed mega-rare bird in the form of an American Royal Tern at Church Norton. Train, bike and car were all involved in a late evening dash from Dorchester to see it just as the sun went down!

Bony's back

Bonaparte's Gull, named for the Emperor's nephew rather than the great man himself, is an American species which, until 2015, had been a very rare visitor to Dorset. A long-staying bird in Weymouth that year started a run of records which has seen at least one occur in the county every year since.

Bonaparte's Gull, Longham Lakes on 15 April

Note partial Ashy-grey hood, dark bill and pink legs

A shade smaller than the local Black-headed Gulls

The bird came in really close to feed on some bait thrown out by a fisherman

Dip-feeding and pattering on the surface, reminiscent of a Storm Petrel

The Bonaparte's (bottom right) was getting some hassle from Black-headed Gulls but held its own in the melee

Last year I managed to catch up with a first summer Bonaparte's Gull at Longham Lakes, and what is presumed to be the same bird reappeared there earlier in 2018. When first relocated in March just a few flecks of dark feathering could be seen on the head as it moulted into second summer plumage. I first hooked up with it a few weekends ago when these flecks had developed into a mottled, ashy grey hood. This had developed further still by the time I last saw it on 22 April. Quite amazing to study the photographic records which show that particular plumage feature advancing on a daily basis.

Bonaparte's Gull, Longham Lakes on 22 April

A little more distant on this occasion - but still very smart

A view of the upperwing...

...and the paler underwing (compared to Black-headed Gull)

Compare the key features in this shot with....

The more familiar Black-headed Gull

As if often the case, Longham Lakes had a good supporting cast for the Bonaparte's Gull - a smart drake Scaup was present on one of my visits, Great Crested Grebes were in their breeding finery and the first Reed Warblers of the spring gave themselves away with their scratchy song in the reedbeds.

Drake Scaup with Tufted Duck

Great Crested Grebes

Great Crested Grebe

Reed Warbler

Reed Warbler

Reed Warbler

Bonaparte's Gull

Black magic at Longham

Black Terns pass through my local gravel pit at Swineham but usually at a time of year when they are in their winter plumage. As I was attending the end of season party for Wareham Rangers Under-14s last Sunday (played 14, lost 10, drawn 3, won 1 - not their best) three of this species were reported in their summer finery at nearby Longham Lakes.

After the speeches and festivities were over I headed over to check out the Terns. Although spending much of their time roosting on a buoy in the centre of the larger southern lake, they did get up from time to time to feed, giving their shrill calls as they hawked over the surface of the water.

Longham is having one if its purple patches with the Bonaparte's Gull (still present last weekend), Red-rumped Swallow and Osprey being seen in recent weeks. Over the years I have seen Ortolan Bunting, Blue-winged Teal, Penduline Tit, White-rumped Sandpiper and Great White Egret there as well as commoner passage birds like Little Gull, Garganey and Little Ringed Plover. So another good record for the site, and no doubt more to come.