Temptation and penance

I do almost all my local birding by bike these days but there is still the odd occasion - a new bird for the county list, for example - when time is of the essence and I succumb to the temptations of a twitch by car. The finding of an American Golden Plover by Daragh Croxson on Saturday 25th November was one such occasion and the chance of a lift with Phil Saunders was not to be missed. It was a glorious sunny day, perfect for a bike ride, but I had been on a long walk around Swineham first thing and didn't really have the energy for the 17 mile journey to Weymouth. Besides, I also had designs on a short range bike twitch too add Short-eared Owl to the year-list that evening, a mission accomplished successfully at 1650 when one appeared just before it got too dark to see.

American Golden Plover, Lodmoor, 25th November 

American Golden Plover, Lodmoor, 25th November 

American Golden Plover (right), Lodmoor, 25th November 

American Golden Plover (right), Lodmoor, 25th November 

After the indulgence of a car trip to Weymouth I figured penance could be paid the next morning with a bike ride there: if I got an early night I could head down to Lodmoor avoiding the worst of the traffic, and, if the bird was still there, be back before the weather turned as bad as the forecast suggested it might. Leaving in the dark, the first 45 minutes were mercifully dry but then the heavens opened, and what would normally have been the last 45 minutes of the journey became 55 when a flat tyre 5 miles out of Weymouth required re-inflation. Fortunately my self-sealing inner tubes did their job and I didn't need to accept the kind offer of help from Garry Hayman who passed me at this point on his way to Lodmoor, in a much more sensible mode of transport given the conditions.  

American Golden Plover (rear, showing grey axillaries), Lodmoor, 25th November 

American Golden Plover (left, showing grey axillaries), Lodmoor, 25th November 

American Golden Plover (left), Lodmoor, 25th November 

American Golden Plover (right front)

Once I had crested the hill above Osmington, the worst was behind me and I could sashay down to Weymouth with the spray flying behind me at a top speed of 29mph. By the time Garry had walked around the reserve I had caught him up and we met with Daragh before heading up the western path where the Golden Plover flock appeared to be hanging out. We scanned several hundred birds for half an hour without success and I consoled myself with the thought that I could at least accept Garry's offer of a lift home if we couldn't find the bird.

Golden Plover, Lodmoor, 25th November

Golden Plover, Lodmoor, 25th November

Hen Harrier, Piddle Valley, 25th November

White-tailed Eagle, Piddle Valley, 25th November

Daragh commented that the flock looked smaller than the day before, at which point we noticed some small groups of Golden Plover still dropping in. This gave us the incentive to keep looking and after ruling out a couple of 'possibles', Garry and I both locked simultaneously onto a bird which looked the part and sure enough we were able to confirm the features of American Golden Plover. Like the day before, its slighter build, darker cap, paler breast and habit of aggressively chasing European Golden Plovers around on the mud helped us pick it out from the crowd.

Mute Swan, Swineham, 25th November

Kingfisher, Swineham, 25th November

Bestwall, 25th November

River Frome, 15th November

In my last post I wondered how many more species I might add to the non-motorised yearlist - since then I've managed to add a bit of the remaining low hanging fruit in the form of the Owl and a local Black-throated Diver, bringing the year-list to a respectable 217 as November approaches its end, just 2 behind last year's total on the same date, but 2 ahead of my record breaking year of 2021. I will still need an incredibly good December to beat that year's tally of 224, but with Jack Snipe, Bittern and Whooper Swan still to see, you never know.

American Golden Plover, Lodmoor, 26th November - a wet day with poorer light than the previous day

Black-throated Diver at Swineham

Black-throated Diver showing white flank patch

The Black-throated Diver was my first of 2023 and also a Swineham patch tick

Eat your heart out, Minsmere

When I started buying books about 'where to watch birds', the authors always recommended Minsmere or Titchwell as great places to go to see Bitterns, Marsh Harriers, Bearded Tits, Avocets, Spoonbills and the like. True, but not as satisfying as seeing them all a short distance from home, as is now possible for me on a good day in Poole Harbour. Today was one such day: it started at a beautifully frosty Swineham, which, goaded by my recent slating of it no doubt, delivered handsomely with a Bittern, a Marsh Harrier, a pair of Beardies and a bonus couple of Jack Snipe. We ended the day with a family stroll around a bird-filled Holes Bay, and a dramatic sun setting behind Avocets, Spotted Redshanks and a pair of young Spoonbills very close to the footpath. One of my best birding days of 2014 (others to be reviewed shortly in the barely-awaited 'review of the year' post).

Male Bearded Tit on a frosty reed head at Swineham. Wow.

Female Bearded Tit. This pair fed just yards from the path for about 20 minutes.

I was insufficiently quick on the draw to catch a Bittern dropping into the reeds in front of me on arrival at Swineham but managed a record shot as it flew away into the light when disturbed by a dog later in the morning.

Two Jack Snipe flushed as I walked out to Swineham Point - contrary to textbook form, rather than plopping down after a short flight, this one did a wide circle around me allowing for a few flight shots.

Compare to this Common Snipe, which has a more prominent white trailing edge to the secondaries, a longer bill and longer wings.

Mute Swan in the frosted fields of Bestwall

Female Stonechat on an icy fence at Bestwall

And a male on the same

Avocet in Holes Bay

Curlew, Holes Bay

Little Egret, Holes Bay

Pintail viewed from the concrete bench at Upton Country Park

To the blog-reading couple who hadn't seen Spoonbill when we met at the concrete bench - I hope you saw them as well as I did on the way back. And Happy New Year!

Both immature birds, told by their pink bills and black in the flight feathers.

The Spoonies were just yards form the path by the PC World drain outflow - a good day for close encounters.

Spotted Redshank - one of 2 in Holes Bay

Teal, Holes Bay

Other normally camera-shy wildlife was also spotted around Holes Bay



Sun setting on waders and ducks in Holes Bay

Oh, and a Black-necked Grebe from yesterday at Studland. Yet more quality birds from the Poole Harbour collection.

Grebes and goals galore

This weekend's Wareham Rangers under-11's Big Match was away to Wyke, so I went down early with the Mitchells, whose son is our midfield maestro, for a look around Portland Harbour beforehand. Grebes-a-plenty at the moment - Black-necked appeared in small flotillas, Slavs popped up here and there and Great Crested were everywhere. A Red-necked was also present but we failed to find it in our time-limited search.

The Grebes in Portland Harbour were too distant for photographs: not so this Little Egret off Portland Castle.

I also made it down to Swineham this weekend where waders were in good numbers - this Curlew one of many

At the match, goals were almost as plentiful as Grebes had been: by half-time our boys were 10-0 up, flattered only slightly by playing down the 30 degree slope. They listened intently to the coach's pre-match talk, and did whatever he told them. We weren't the only parents on the touchline wondering what his secret was.


The sign promises Pewits...

...so never let it be said Swineham doesn't deliver.

As the score reached double figures, squeamish mothers from the visiting team thought our boys should take their foot off the gas. But, their sons concluded, this was no time for mercy. They received the unspoken support of their fathers who have been on the receiving end of too many ritual humiliations in far flung corners of Dorset to not want them to fill their boots.

Marsh Harrier is expected at Swineham these days...



...Hen Harrier is more of a treat.

But for an inspired half-time change of keeper by the brave home team, which restricted Rangers to just three more wind-assisted goals after the interval, it could have been even more one-sided. Both Moore Jnr and Mitchell Jnr made the score-sheet with well-taken strikes, so we all went home happy with our haul of grebes and/or goals for the day.

Similarly, Redshank is to be expected...

...but Spotted Redshank is more of a bonus - this part of a flock of eight.

Wyke play on Portland, and the ivy-clad, Portland stone walls which circled the pitch looked ideal for a Dusky Warbler. And we were all impressed by the pitchside facilities: plastic chairs to give an all-seater stadium feel, home and away changing rooms and, best of all, an extremely cheap tea bar: at 30p a cup some 40% cheaper, I note, than the Mitchell's Touchline Bistro prices back in Wareham. Surely an inquiry by the FA, if not the Competition Commission, is called for.

This Redhead Smew, which inexplicably favoured Lytchett Bay over Swineham for several weeks in January, has finally seen sense and come 'home' - I missed its arrival so this was an excellent patch tick (thanks Trevor for the scope views).

Slightly closer was this Mute Swan.

Unlike Wareham Rangers I haven't been pulling up any trees lately birding wise, but a couple of strolls around Swineham at a pace which, in keeping with the theme of this post, can only be described as Berbatov-esque, have been quite rewarding. See pictures for the highlights.


Saturday was a day of sunshine, showers, hail, rainbows and dramatic cloudscapes at Swineham.