White-wingers in Weymouth

I have often wondered whether the island outside the Radipole Lake visitor centre has hosted more rare birds per square metre than any other piece of real estate in the country. If it didn't before today it took a step in the right direction when an exquisite adult Ross's Gull, present in the area since Wednesday, paid a visit. This high arctic species is a great favourite amongst British birders, making very occasional appearances on these shores. The last one I saw was in neighbouring Devon, a tatty juvenile bird, a contrast to today's dapper adult.

Ross's Gull as it flew from Radipole Lake towards Weymouth Bay

Ross's Gull breeds in Siberia, Greenland and northern Canada

Only the 3rd occurrence in Dorset and the first since 1974

Son George and I had been dropped off in Weymouth by his mum and had planned to get the train home so thanks are due to the Mitchells for getting us back to Wareham, and to the kind chap from London who gave us a lift from Lodmoor to Radipole when the Ross's Gull was relocated there in the early afternoon. George is not a huge fan of birding, but he enjoyed the people watching. Desperate twitchers screeched to a halt in the Radipole Car Park wild-eyed and breathless, muscling their way to a good view like sharp-elbowed parents getting their kids into the best schools. Within minutes of seeing the bird, he observed, they were transformed into grinning idiots, generously offering new arrivals a look through their telescopes and slapping the backs of their travelling companions.

Wing-stretching in the harsh light of mid-afternoon...

...followed by a yawn revealing a Black Guillemot style gape

Note the short red legs

Earlier at Lodmoor, while we had been jogging on the spot to keep the cold at bay, hoping the Ross's Gull would drop in there, a couple of rather more substantial white-winged gulls had provided some good practice for finding the right exposure with the camera: not that I'm complaining, it was lovely crisp weather, but white birds in dark landscapes in the midday sun? Not easy.

The whiter of the two Glaucous Gulls at Lodmoor - note the pale iris

This is the more mottled of the two Glaucous Gulls - note the beadier dark eye

And here both Glaucous Gulls together - the one on the left a particularly fine specimen

With Thayer's, Ring-billed, Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls all being seen at Blashford Lakes just over the border into Hampshire, intrepid birders who left Weymouth in the early afternoon could have clocked up double figures in gull species in a single day. We were quite happy though to stick around Weymouth, enjoying a major Dorset rarity and a handsome selection of waders on display at Lodmoor.

Lapwing, Lodmoor

Common Snipe, Lodmoor

Spoonbills, including a Dutch-ringed Bird, Lodmoor

Ross's Gull, Radipole Lake



February...

The second monthly instalment in my look back at 2016 comes, logically enough, from February. The most fruitful part of the month for wildlife photography was a few days half-term break in Cornwall. Our cottage near Marazion was only a short drive from the undoubted birding highlight of the month, a close encounter with a 1st winter Hudsonian Whimbrel near Perranruthroe. This bird, which first arrived the previous autumn on the Isles of Scilly in first winter plumage, made its way to the mainland and was still being reported within the last few days. Running a close second for photographic highlights was a very entertaining Pallas's Warbler, another long stayer, which spent some time near the Dorset village of Portesham. Six of the best photos from February:

This picture of the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Boat Cove in Cornwall was selected as Birdguides 'Picture of the Week' 

I think this is my favourite photo of it though, for the rocks and the background as much as the bird: my photo of the month and bird of the month for February

This Glaucous Gull in Newlyn Harbour was another highlight of February half-term in Cornwall

Back at home in Poole Harbour, Water Pipits in Lytchett Bay brightened up a few dull February mornings 

Running the Hudsonian Whimbrel a close second for bird of the month was this long-staying Pallas's Warbler

The Goldeneye in Poole Park were very photogenic in February - this the male...

...and this the female

Tricky wingers

After spending Tuesday morning with the Hudsonian Whimbrel, I headed back to our holiday cottage to collect the rest of the family before heading back out to spend the afternoon around Marazion and St Michael's Mount. A couple of juvenile Glaucous Gulls had been reported there but we could find neither despite extensive searching up and down the beach. As the light faded we headed around to Newlyn where the harbour is a good bet for white-wingers at this time of year. Masses of gulls were following a fishing boat and I eventually picked up a Glaucous among them. I later caught up with it loafing on the pontoons in the inner harbour.

Holiday snaps

I'm on holiday with the family so am allowing myself the luxury of posting loads of photos without attempting to compose a coherent narrative. Liberating. I should do it more often.

I stumbled across this juvenile Glaucous Gull on a late evening visit to St Ives on Friday having left the camera behind. Fortunately it was still there yesterday.

Initially hidden behind some rocks it was eventually tempted out by someone's thrown away chips

With a Herring Gull for comparison

We considered buying some more chips to bring it closer but this proved unnecessary

Quite a brute!

Showing some aggression

Turnstone, St Ives

I had to get young Rowan to herd these tame Turnstones into the right position

 

Earlier in the day a Fulmar cruised the cliffs at Godrevy

Male Linnet, Gothian Sands

OK it's not a Crag Martin, bit still nice to see a Sand Martin

Several were perched on the fence at Gothian Sands

Rock Pipit, Gothian Sands

This Dunlin was one of a small party in the surf at Marazion today

A single Sanderling was also at Marazion

Not just good birding in Cornwall. A fair bit of this going on too.

Gullable

It's been a busy few days with a visit to Kent (to see friends not Pond Herons) returning to Dorset via various south coast sites. Yesterday, after staying with extended family in Hampshire, the children and their mum wanted to go to Paulton's Park. I was given the choice of joining them, or going birding before picking them up at the end of the day. Hmm, a tricky one. A whole day birding versus a whole day at a theme park. Just give me a minute to think about that...In the end I forsook the log flume and thought I would see if I could see 10 species of Gull in 24 hours. The results:

Glaucous Gull, Littlehampton. A 2nd winter bird - a striking plumage. This bird dwarfed everything around it and even when distant among hundreds of other large gulls on the breakwater by the River Arun could be picked out by its gleaming rear end.

Kumlien's Gull, Littlehampton - generally regarded as a sub-species of Iceland Gull, this bird has been present for a couple of weeks. Infamously variable in juvenile plumage, the wing-tips could look very dusky when at rest but came into their own as the bird took flight.



Herring Gull was easy enough, as were Black-headed, Greater and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Common Gull - also easy enough, this one was at Walpole Park, Gosport, also the home of...

...the long-staying Ring-billed Gull, which was looking good. Or perhaps Gosport just made it look good.

Med Gull - quite a few of these at various south coast sites

Well I managed 9 species on Wednesday, but first thing this morning this Little Gull at Cogden made it 10 - technically still within 24 hrs of my gull quest starting yesterday morning.

Kittiwake at Cogden was a bonus 11th species for my 24 hours. I ran out of time to get back to Middlebere for Yellow-legged Gull and a round dozen!

With plenty of other white-winged gulls around, a Bonaparte's in Devon and a Laughing Gull in Cornwall, I reckon it would have been possible to see 14 species of Gull in a day on the south coast this week - 15 if you were fortunate enough to come up with a Caspian. There have also been 5 more species in Britain and Ireland since the turn of the year (Ivory, Franklin's, Ross's, Slaty-backed and American Herring) so for big listers with a Tardis it's theoretically possible to have seen 20 gull species in 2014 alone. Fancy that.