Must fly, can't chat

The day before my recent emergency excursion to Portland to see a Spectacled Warbler, I was on Portland shortly after dawn looking for commoner migrants - flycatchers, chats and warblers. Photographing a migrant male Pied Flycatcher well in Dorset has been a long-held ambition - and so it remains as I didn't see one on Sunday. But I did find a female in the Reap Lane area, alongside a couple of Spotted Flycatchers. Another Spotted Flycatcher was just around the corner at Avalanche Road, all entertaining and confiding birds to watch.

Pied Flycatcher, Reap Lane

Pied Flycatcher, Reap Lane

Pied Flycatcher, Reap Lane

Pied Flycatcher, Reap Lane

Spotted Flycatcher, Avalanche Road Hump

Spotted Flycatcher, Avalanche Road Hump

Spotted Flycatcher, Reap Lane

Before the flies, and therefore the flycatchers, had woken up, I had ambled up Barleycrates Lane where Whinchat was the early bird of the day - a couple of this attractive species were present. The Whinchats were matched for perkiness as the morning warmed up by a duo of male Redstarts which played their own version of duelling banjos, singing at each other across a Portland paddock.

Backlit Whinchat on Barleycrates Lane

Whinchat, Barleycrates Lane - from the exact spot I saw the Northern Harrier on 21 April 2014, in case I hadn't mentioned it previously...



Whinchat is always a delightful bird to see

Invariably sitting up to give good views



Male Redstart, Reap Lane

Male Redstart singing on Reap Lane

Willow Warblers were still passing through this weekend - this one at Reap Lane

It shouldn't be a surprise that a series of early morning visits to Portland in recent weeks have proven so rewarding for migrant birds, but what was a surprise was the apparent lack of birders I encountered around the middle of the island. I'm not complaining, or indeed criticising - I display borderline criminal neglect towards my own patch at Swineham, after all - but let's face it, there is a bit more incentive to get out on a spring morning if you live on Portland!

Whinchats on Barleycrates Lane

Perfect timing

About once a week I need my car for work, otherwise preferring to travel by train. Sometimes on these days I sling my camera in the boot in the hope that something interesting might turn up during the day and I can go to see it on the way home. Once in a blue moon, something interesting does turn up, usually on Portland, but nine times out of ten it is gone by the time I get there. So the chances of seeing something good on the way home after work are actually pretty slim. Yesterday, however, the stars aligned and it all came together beautifully: a Spectacled Warbler, the first record for Dorset and only the 9th for the UK, was found at the Bill in the late afternoon, and a couple of hours later I was watching it with a small crowd of appreciative observers.

Spectacled Warbler, Portland Bill

Compared to the much commoner Whitethroat, the Spectacled Warbler is smaller, with black lores...

...more extensively dull pink underparts and a shorter primary projection

There was much wing-flicking and the occasional rattlesnake call from the warbler

Wing-flicking from the other angle. Charming!

Note the clear demarcation between white throat and pinkish underparts

A very smart male

Portland is not the easiest place to get to from outside Dorset, and I guess given the late hour of the bird's discovery that not too many people would have made it down from out of county to see it. It was found by a visiting birder on the first day of a five day stay so he will be most welcome to come again! The warbler was not seen today so it was a fortunate and exclusive group which got to enjoy it yesterday. A quick stop at the Ferrybridge car park on the way home as dusk approached found it crawling with migrants, part of yet another handsome fall which has been a feature of Portland this spring: Wheatears appeared to be on every rock, a couple of Whinchats were present, including a startlingly bright male, and an equally startling male Redstart was also hopping around the rocks. All against a carpet of pink thrift. A magical end to the day.

A small but happy band at the Bill

Wheatear at Ferrybridge

Whinchat against a backdrop of thrift

Looking south from Ferrybridge at the back of Chesil Beach to Portland beyond

Bonus birds on Scilly

While the Cliff Swallow was the main target of Saturday's visit to St Mary's, the time of year meant that there was always likely to be a selection of other good birds to see even had it not been there.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Porth Hellick

Compare and contrast to this Greater Yellowlegs from Titchfield Haven, April 2015

The Lesser Yellowlegs in context of the habitat at Porth Hellick Pool

A dainty and attractive wader

A long-staying Lesser Yellowlegs was our first American vagrant of the day, entertaining us by strutting around outside the seaward hide at Porth Hellick at point blank range while we waited for the Cliff Swallow to wake up. It was accompanied by several Greenshanks, Dunlin and singles of Green and Common Sandpiper - though the juvenile Temminck's Stint which I had hoped would stick until the weekend seemed to have moved on.

I have seen several Lesser Yellowlegs, but not since my first at Abberton Reservoir in 1998 (before I was into photography) had I seen one so close

The white rump was obvious in flight

This reminds me of the cartoon Roadrunner

A good view of the open wing and tail

On leaving Porth Hellick, a few Wheatears punctuated the walk around the perimeter of the airfield as we ambled through the heat of the midday sun which had by then burnt off the grey clouds of early morning. The Standing Stones field in the Old Town proved to be a bit of a migrant trap with a Red-backed Shrike and a couple each of Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat providing some variety. A Clouded Yellow which buzzed quickly past was my first of the year - Scilly is always a good place to see them.

Common Sandpiper, Porth Hellick

Dunlin, Porth Hellick

I thought we might have another American vagrant on our hands when Rowan said 'Dad, what's this Black Duck?' Hopes were dashed when I raised my bins to this iridescent freak-show reject!

Small Copper at Porth Hellick

All too soon Rowan and I had to return to the airport for our 1425 return flight - but it had already been a memorable day. A brief cruise around Davidstow Airfield on the way home failed to produce the hoped for Buff-breasted Sandpiper (one was found there today) but that still couldn't wipe the smile off our tired and happy faces. Looking back I can't quite believe I agonised so much over whether or not to go, and next time I have resolved to be more decisive. For me, that will mean eschewing the usual full business case development process in favour of just the outline version, slimming down the cost-benefit analysis to a mere 10 pages, and restricting the normally extensive stakeholder consultation to just immediate family. And maybe a few close friends...

Juv Red-backed Shrike near the Old Town

Spotted Flycatcher in the same field as the Shrike

The Flycatcher shares a branch with a Whinchat

Rowan gets the hang of photography at Porth Hellick

Closer to home...

After a (literally) high octane trip to the Isles of Scilly on Saturday with number 2 son, yesterday was spent closer to home with an early morning stroll around the patch at Swineham (more on that later), followed by cheerleading duties at number 1 son's first football game of the season.

Juvenile Woodchat Shrike, Wyke Regis

Adult Woodchat is a striking bird, but I like the subtle scalloping of the juvenile plumage

As the final whistle blew on that, we (club secretary and fellow birder Jol, and his son Joe) realised that we were half way to Wyke Regis, where a Woodchat Shrike found by Joe Stockwell was reportedly showing off to all comers. We braved the threatened traffic chaos of the Weymouth 'Iron Man' event (which didn't disappoint: there was plenty of chaos) and arrived on the baking banks of the Fleet lagoon to find the Shrike playing hide and seek around the edges of a weedy field and horse paddock.

The Shrike sat up in front of us for an extended period...

...but there was no way go get that pesky branch out of the way!

It even turned around for a rear view

We secreted ourselves up against a hedge and I peeked around the corner to look for the Shrike. There was no sign of it but a movement in the top of the hedge caught my eye. All I could see was a pipit-like streaky breast but then with a bit more movement it materialised into the Ortolan Bunting found earlier in the day by Brett Spencer, who had gone to photograph the Woodchat.

Better qualified people might be able to identify the prey item here

Some kind of beetle, I presume

Easily picked out in the hedgerow, even from distance

Just when I thought that was a real bonus, Joe tapped me on the shoulder and indicated excitedly that I should look to my left - the Shrike had just landed in the nearest bush at point blank range. We watched it watching us for a few minutes before it dropped down to feed on the ground. My youngest son Rowan, now listing like a crazy man following his success with the Cliff Swallow the previous day, joined us to try his luck for some photos. The confiding Shrike was unperturbed, and we filled our boots.

This Ortolan Bunting popped up within yards of the Shrike

A Common Redstart was also in the same area - looked a bit 'eastern' at first glance with a pale panel in the wing!

A Wheatear sat up on the fence around the paddock

The same fields held a Redstart, a couple of Whinchats and several Yellow Wagtail, so it felt like a proper little migrant trap for the afternoon. The return journey involved another unplanned scenic tour of the Dorset AONB courtesy of the Iron Man road closures but still a great day with the family to cap a highly successful weekend.

A young Swallow begging for food near the paddocks

Whinchat on the wires