Another Purbeck Pallas's

Purbeck's Winspit Valley held two Pallas's Warblers yesterday so I headed there when the rain stopped this morning. I had barely left the village and started down the footpath to the valley when the bright yellow rump of a Pallas's Warbler buzzed down the track in front of me and ducked into the hedge. This was no doubt the same bird as that found yesterday by Andrew Lawson, brother of fellow Swineham regular Marcus. Down at the bottom end of the valley I could find nothing rarer than a Firecrest and a few Blackcaps, but with large numbers of Goldcrests present, the valley held a sense of promise at least.

Pallas's Warbler - my 3rd in Dorset in 2 days

Not perfect photos (taken at ISO 3200 in very low light) but an intimate view at least

Blackcap at Winspit

One of many Goldcrests in the valley

Goldcrest

The seaward end of Winspit Valley

A late male Southern Hawker at Winspit

Brambling in the car park at Arne RSPB to end the day

A momentary lapse of unreason

October half-term means holidays, and we'd normally be on the Isles of Scilly by now. Not this year though as we went in August, so I'm at home and free to twitch with abandon. However, I seem to have mislaid my cheque book, and temporarily regained my sanity, so rather than thinking about chartering choppers to Lundy, flights to Unst or speedboats to Rum my thoughts turned to local birding today. And very rewarding it was too:

This Barn Owl perched on the roof of the hide I was sitting in at Middlebere before giving a close flypast...

...and alighting briefly on a post in front of the hide.

The Barn Owl was out quite early - about 1600

This male Hen Harrier hunted alongside the track at Middlebere

A Migrant Hawker at Swineham had survived the overnight winds

A distant Merlin was at Bestwall

This late Wheatear had been blown in to Swineham Point...

...and a equally late Red Admiral was also on the wing.