Winter highlights: the waterbirds

As the early spring migrants start to trickle in, it's time to look back at a few highlights of the winter. First up, some waterbirds and waders from around Dorset over the last few weeks.

Purple Sandpiper, Shell Bay Ferry Terminal

One of two Purple Sandpiper feeding on the ferry slipway at Studland yesterday

An engaging species to watch up close as it dodges the incoming waves

Much earlier in the winter a flock of Goosander spent some time fishing close in to Hamm Beach in Portland Harbour

Nine birds in the flock the day I was there

Red-breasted Merganser, also in Portland Harbour

Male Red-breasted Merganser

Also that day a trio of Pale-bellied Brent Geese were with their Dark-bellied cousins at Ferrybridge

Quite easy to pick out among the Dark-bellied Brents

Closer to home a Black Brant (far right) was at Middlebere with the Dark-bellied Brent flock

Again, easy to pick out when on its own; not so easy in with a flock of several hundred birds

Two of the eleven Barnacle Geese which spent much of the winter at Swineham

This Black-necked Grebe was in Shell Bay earlier in the winter...

...same species, same place, just a few weeks later



Sanderling dwarfed by a wave about to break on Studland beach

Purple Sandpiper

Minimal effort

While the Northern Isles and Scilly have had their share of October rarities already this year, there haven't been many to chase within striking distance of home so far this month, apart from a flurry of goodies on Portland today while I was busy at work. But it was the desire for a change of scene, without much physical effort or lugging my gear too far, rather than desperation, which saw me heading off to Exmouth on Sunday morning where a Ridgway's Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii minima, has been present for the last few weeks.

Ridgway's Cackling Canada Goose: a bit of a mouthful, but worth a fortune in Scrabble.

A smart wee bird, whether tickable or not

A similar sized bird to the Dark-bellied Brents with which it was associating - conspicuously not with its much larger cousin...

...the more familiar, larger and lighter feral Canada Goose

Now before all the purists out there start castigating me for twitching untickable dross, let me explain. First, I like the Exe Estuary. Unlike Swineham, it is always full of birds, even if, like Swineham, some of them are escaped from wildfowl collections. Second, while I have seen presumed wild Richardson's Cackling Geese among flocks of Barnacles on Islay and at Caerlaverock, I'd never knowingly seen Ridgway's before, in or out of a pen. And third, I couldn't face trudging around the patch, and just fancied going a bit further afield without having to make much effort. The Exe is good for that: in several places you can just pull up and scope it.

The Ridgway's in context with the Brents

It took off with two Brents and headed out into the Estuary

A few Pale-bellied Brents (which breed in Svalbard, Greenland and Canada) like this one above, and a Black Brant (which breed in Alaska), were also with the Russian Dark-bellied Brent flock on the Exe - indicative of their ability to pick up all sorts of rough trade.

Brents on the Exe

The chances of the Ridgway's being accepted as a wild bird may therefore be slim, but, as finder Matt Knott points out in his blog, minima breeds just a short hop across the Bering Sea from Russia, and the Dark-bellied Brent's breeding grounds on the Tamyr peninsular are about the same distance away from minima's breeding grounds in Alaska as their wintering grounds - albeit in the opposite direction. So, with a little imagination, it isn't wholly inconceivable that it hooked up with what is, on the face of it, an unlikely carrier species.

Sika Deer back near home at Arne

A little more bashful in the woods

Not much point in this leucistic Sika trying to hide - taken at Middlebere last weekend

Water Vole at Arne

After Sunday morning's jaunt, I was back home in time to watch number 1 son and the rest of Wareham Rangers U-13s retain their 100% league record this season, and take a walk around Arne with number 2 son and his mum. Sika Deer serenaded us in the woods, Spoonbills gathered by the dozen in the channels, and an array of autumn funghi presented endless opportunities to remind them via the medium of hackneyed puns that, despite going AWOL around this time of year in search of rare birds, I can still be a fun-guy to be with.

Some funghi

Some more funghi

Even more fun guys (groan)

Insert bad deer pun of your choice, I'm done here

A rousing finale

We arrived back in Dorset last Saturday after a family holiday in Suffolk which left me free on Sunday morning to trawl Dorset for some minor rarities and photo ticks for the year list. The forecast was to turn nasty by mid-morning so I started reasonably early at West Bexington, hoping to see the 3 Cirl Buntings which had been reported on and off. I was fortunate to bump into Mike Morse on arrival who showed me to the right spot. The first bird we saw was a Sparrowhawk so that didn't bode well, but after not too long a wait the Cirls flew in to the far hedge as Mike had predicted. Birders are being asked not to use the permissive footpath which goes close to their favoured hedge so we watched from the coast path and I managed a few record shots from distance. Possibly the worst photo tick on this blog this year. But this is a top bird in Dorset, a county tick for me and, more to the point, it's identifiable so passes all the necessary tests for inclusion here.

Sparrowhawk, West Bexington (#116)

A very heavy crop of the male Cirl Bunting (#117) at West Bexington

Raven, Abbotsbury (#118)

Next stop was Abbotsbury where a Greenland White-Fronted Goose has spent much of the winter - not a photo tick this year on account of it being a race of White-fronted Goose, several of the nominate race of which I saw earlier in the week in Suffolk. But still a very good bird down here, and the first I had photographed of this species in Dorset. A Raven over provided an easy photo opportunity. The Black Guillemot in Portland Harbour was my next target, and I soon located it, still distant but closer than on previous visits, and certainly close enough to get a passable picture by the low standards I have set so far in this post.

Greenland White-fronted Goose, Abbotsbury

Now here's a test for the ethics of the photo year list: the white blob with black on top far right is a drake Scaup at Abbotsbury Swannery. The dark blob with white blaze on the face far left is a snoozing female Scaup. I know they're Scaup, you know they're Scaup, but should I 'count' them for the photo year list? No, even I have standards.

Black Guillemot, Portland Harbour (#119)

A close Pale-bellied Brent at Ferrybridge was nice, although the rain and wind had picked up by the time I got there. Again not a photo tick on account of it 'only' being a sub-species of Brent Goose. Finally, there was just time to catch up with the Golden Plover flock at Maiden Castle for one last photo year tick (also the first I have photographed in Dorset) before heading back to Wareham for Rangers' U-12s final game of the season. Although arch rivals Swanage and Ringwood have games in hand and on form should finish above Wareham, we look likely to conclude the season as top scorers and can finish no lower than third, so well done lads - and thank you for letting me have my weekends back.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Ferrybridge. Compare to...

...Dark-bellied Brent Geese

Golden Plover, Maiden Castle

Golden Plover, Maiden Castle (#120)

North versus South

The weekend presented the possibility, at least in theory, of an extreme distance twitch to the frozen north for an American Coot. In the end I decided my shoulder wasn't up to the long drive so I stayed in waterlogged Dorset. North 0: South 1 on that score at least. Having thus 'saved' 24 hours travelling time, I reasoned with the impeccable logic of a frustrated twitcher, there was plenty of time to check out both the developed northern shore and the undeveloped southern edge of Poole Harbour this weekend. Check out below who won the North v South Poole Harbour derby:

GOAL: Cetti's Warbler often talks a good game at Bestwall but isn't often seen. 1:0 to the South.



GOAL: Spoonbill and Yellow-legged Gull at Middlebere - 2 more good birds makes it 3:0 to the South within 15 minutes. It's just like being at Anfield.

GOAL: Hen Harrier at Swineham on Friday night. Not a great shot, but they all count. 4:0 to the South. It really is like Anfield.

GOAL: the North's fightback begins. A bit of a goal-hanger, this Scaup has been in Poole Park for a while now. Getting smarter though with each moulting feather. 4:1.

GOAL DISALLOWED: no-one's quite sure what this Poole Park resident is. Bahama Pintail has been mooted but not a pure one, possibly that or something else having done something shameful with a Red-crested Pochard? Anyway, whatever it is, it's clearly offside.

GOAL: Pale-bellied Brent Goose in among 300 of its Dark-bellied cousins on Baiter Park. South 4, North 2.

GOAL: Slavonian Grebe just off Baiter Park. A good bird anywhere but especially here.

EQUALISER: a first winter Little Gull did a quick tour of Baiter before flying right over the car. Four all.

FINAL WHISTLE: the Little Gull appeared towards the end of the day but as we made for home I relocated it among the fishing boats off Poole Quay. Score draw a fair result I reckon

By the way, if you fancy driving me to Inverness via Durham next weekend while I sleep in your passenger seat, occasionally stirring to hand you petrol money and regale you with anecdotes you've already read on here, drop me a line.