A couple of days in the west

A couple of depressions crossed the Atlantic this week so I decided to position with Jaffa in Devon in the hope that there might be an influx of american vagrants that we could head to. There wasn't unfortunately apart from an American Pipit and a couple of REVs in Ireland but there was also a few more American waders along west coasts. 

As our main hope therefore was maybe a new wader we went to Siblyback Reservoir and Davidstow Airfield yesterday. The Pec Sand that arrived in a group of four earlier in the week was still present at Siblyback but there was no sign of the Buff-breast that was seen yesterday morning. There were a few other bits including Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Ringed Plovers and Dunlins and a few Wheatears HERE. 

Davidstow had a few waders including Golden Plovers, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers and also a few Wheatears HERE. We had a bit of excitement with a dark and heavily marked Golden Plover that showed some American Golden Plover features but after sharing standing shots with friends and eventually getting a view of the underwing (which showed too much white) we had to conclude that it was indeed a dark juv European Golden Plover. 

It was great to be back in Cornwall checking some of our old regular spots when Jaffa and I, Sam, Lee and others were at Plymouth University in the 1990s. It was nice to see  Davidstow airfield has not changed and is as surreal as we remembered it with waders running and up and down the old abandoned runways. 

Today we checked out Jaffas patch at the Otter Estuary and surrounding area HERE and HERE. Highlights included a juvenile White-tailed Eagle (a bird first recorded in the week which was a first for the site), a migrating Hobby, a bit of vis mig with nearly 80 Mipits west and some nice Cirl Buntings. 

A nice little mini trip and great to catch up with Jaffa.

Pec was a world year tick so now on 930 for the year. 70 to go to hit the target! 

Juv Pec (images above)

Dark juv European Golden Plover with a more typical one. We discussed the possibilty of introgresion or hyrbids and frequency of dark juv Golden Plovers in the population with Killian who also shared some images of extreme AGP look-a-likes from the Netherlands. Interesting stuff.  

Cirl Buntings (above and below) 

Juv White-tailed Eagle 

Gos Returns

After a day quoting in London I decided to unwind by spending the evening in the harbour. I wanted to check the waders on the falling tide but the water in the harbour was still full so I decided to check Ferry and Long Pool. HERE

A Marsh Harrier went over the field opposite Long Pool putting up about 100 Meadow Pipits, 100 Linnets and 30 Yellow Wagtail. There were also 4 Whinchat and a Wheatear in the fields. 

I got to the bench at the end of the Long Pool and decided to chill and scan. Soon I heard the call of a Curlew Sandpiper that flew around with a Dunlin before going back down in the saltmarsh with the roosting waders. Not long after that I had a distant Osprey heading west but I got distracted from the Osprey by some commotion over the harbour with a group of Rooks and Jackdaws incessantly mobbing a raptor. It was a large accipiter so I rattled off some shots and it looked like a Gos candidate but I wanted to check on the big screen as it was so distant. I followed the bird as it went low over Halseys and sent all the Woodpigeons up. 

I then went to Church Norton and bumped into Andrew and showed him the accipter photos and he agreed it looked interesting. When I got home I sent them round for second opinions and Andrew, Ian, Jaffa and Marc all agree it was a Gos too.  

Maybe the same bird I had a few weeks ago in July HERE. A local mega bird so hopefully it reappears and more people see it. 

Goshawk (all images above with Rooks and Jackdaws)

First-winter Whinchat

Birding Mondays

After a weekend of family ties it was good to have the traditional Monday off to head out into the field. I was up at 430am so decided to do the moth trap by head torch before sunrise and then headed over to Church Norton.  

I walked through Greenlease Farm to the Severals and then to the breach along Norton spit and then back to St Wilfred's HERE. Sadly the highlight (in terms of local status) was a vocal Ring-necked Parakeet flying around the trees between the Severals. There were also a couple of Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart and 3 Wheatear. Hirundines were on the move and there was also about 30 Meadow Pipits over but only 3 Yellow Wagtails. A flock of 15 Golden Plovers were flying around too. 

After a stop off at Julie's Seafood and Enticott's bakery I had a quick look at Ferry where the two Little Stints were still showing well and a juvenile Merlin flew low over the Ferry field causing a commotion. Merlin was a patch year tick so now on 181. 

After an early lunch with Holly I then went over to East Side and walked to Pagham Spit and back HERE. Highlights included a juv Curlew Sandpiper (identified from a photo again retrospectively), the Osprey on cue at high tide, the usual occasional adult Yellow-legged Gull and a good increase in wildfowl numbers with 254 Teal. 27 Pintail and 37 Wigeon. After dissappearing for a few days, the small waders also reappeared with 110 Dunlin and 60 Ringed Plover. 

I was watching a wader distantly which I couldn't make up my mind if it was a Ruff or a Barwit and before I could clinch it, a Peregrine took it. It could have been the Ruff that has been around. 

Juv Little Stints

Juv Curlew Sandpiper- once again one of the best ways of checking the waders on east side is to wait for them to get disturbed at high tide and do a fly-by. They are often distant or hiding in the saltmarsh so its a good chance to get some photos as they whizz past and then check the photos later. Today's check revealed a Curlew Sandpiper that I didn't see in the field. Not sure how I will feel if I ever find something like a Baird's Sandpiper like that! It's also a good way of counting the waders as I can upload the photo to ChatGPT and ask it to count the birds in the image. 

Fly-by Ringed Plovers- couldn't see anything in with them. According to Chat there are 66 of them (and a few Dunlin).  Ringed Plover graphs HERE showing some interesting fluctuations in the harbour. 

Juv Black-tailed Godwits- an increase in numbers today and of juvenile birds after a few lean couple of weeks for Blackwits 

Wigeon. Wildfowl numbers are now beginning to take over wader numbers in the harbour. Graphs for Teal HERE, Pintail HERE and Wigeon HERE all showing a kick off point in last week. 

The daily Osprey

The adult Yellow-legged Gull 

Redstart at the Severals

Another Silver-spotted Veneer was the highlight of the moth trap. 57 species last night. There was also a Blair's Mocha, Pearly Underwing, Rush Veneers, Delicates, Sean Clancy's Rustic (my new name for them now I'm friends with him!), Portland Ribbon Wave, a few Small Mottled Willow and a few Silver-Ys on the migrant front and Sallow was new for year. Also 140 Large Yellow Underwing once again dominating the catch. Unusually I had a few day flying moths in the severals including Carnation Tortrix (several), Mullein Wave and Agriphila tristella. I keep meaning to mention the good number of Clouded Yellows over the last week or two. Marc Read estimated 60 over the weekend in one field alone. They are dotted around everywhere and one day a week or two ago I had a small vis-mig of them over the garden. 

Pied Tortrix, Eucosma campolilana was also a NFY. Now on 542. 

Weekend round-up

It was mainly a family weekend but managed to get out for a few hours on Saturday morning with Marc HERE and today Lee and Rachel visited and we managed to squeeze in a quick look at Snowhill Marsh after a walk round East Head HERE. Pretty quiet really, the Ruff was still at Snowhill and the Little Stints were still on Ferry and a few migrants hanging around Church Norton with a Marsh Harrier over the harbour first thing .

The weekend highlight came from the moth trap- a Heath Rustic which was a lifer. 

Marsh Harrier at dawn

Goldcrest

Wheatears on the Beach

Heath Rustic- lifer. Garden list now on 720 and year list on 540. A rare moth in West Sussex by the looks of it HERE. 

Vestals continue their good run with 9 yesterday night 

The once local legend Silver-spotted Veneer again. Must be near double figure of these now for this year. 

Brindled Green- NFY. There was over 100 Large Yellow Underwing in the trap last night which are completely dominating the catch. Around 36 species a night. 

Super September

After jamming in about 50 hours work this week I took today off to do an all-dayer locally. It was almost a perfect day with comfortable weather and light and birds everywhere, with lots of good photo opportunities. 92 species HERE in Pagham Harbour alone is a personal day record with highlights including 2 cracking juvenile Little Stints on Ferry, an Osprey, 3 Spotted Redshank, a Ruff flying around the harbour, 3 late Little Terns, 2 Redstarts, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, 3 Whinchat, 7 Wheatear and good numbers of wildfowl. A group of 6 Raven going over was unusual.

After lunch with Holly at Runcton, I then went over for the high tide at Snowhill where additional species included 6 Golden Plover, 2 Stonechat and also another Ruff. 

It was then back to Pagham Harbour. I had done North Wall and East Side in the morning so went over to Church Norton for the evening.

Juv Little Stints on Ferry

Two juv and one adult Spotted Redshank

Got the shot I was after, Redstart on the St Wilfrid's Church gravestones (above and below)

Chiffchaff with Blue Tits 

Spotted Flycatcher 

Wheatear

Whitethroat

Whinchat

Osprey with catch 

Juv Ruff

Little Terns

Juv Ringed Plover on Ferry 

Red Underwing (above) and Mullein Wave (below) have been recent moth trap highlights 

Beddington Farmlands Update

 

More on the recent dissappointing planning committee decision in the facebook post below. Sadly Beddington Farmlands is a case study on the farce of nature conservation in the planning system and a study on the corporate capture of local democracy. I guess the lesson is 'own or moan'- it is those who own capital and land who decide on how the world will be and the planning system and democracy can easily be manipulated by those who own capital.  For those that don't - all they can do is either become fake ecologists, provide cover for the capitalists and take their pound of flesh or... complain and moan. 

Wryneck, Beddington Farmlands

I had two days quoting in London this week which was fortuitous as there had been a Wryneck at Beddington so I was able to visit on Tuesday evening. It had been raining all day and stopped in the early evening so I quickly headed over there in the hope the bird might come out with the sun. It had been getting in the bushes on the south edge of the North Lake. As I don't have access any more to the site I was limited to viewing from the gate/ permitted footpath but luckily the bird did indeed come out and sunned itself in the evening sun. 

A Beddington tick for me. I was on 224 at the end of last year so this should put me on 225 but not sure how my list is affected by the taxonomic updates. 

There were are few other bits too including 3 Green and 2 Common Sandpiper, Pintail, Wigeon and Peregrine HERE.

Good to see a few of the old gang including Anand and Claire and also had a curry at the good old Asia Tandoori with Claire after birding. 

Wryneck

Peregrine doing a bit of pest control (with Ring-necked Parakeet)

Eclipse male Pintail

We stayed until after sunset to count the roosting birds on the lake which including 43 Egyptian Geese which is a personal record for the site. So at least one recent success story. Sadly on September 2nd the local authority approved a planning application for the farmlands which is more or less the final death sentence for the site, re-setting the legal framework for further perpetual decades of slow managed destruction while legitimising systemic societal abuse by corporate actors. Good to get what could well be my final Beddington tick and for all hope to finally die on at least a high note- a cracking little bird.