I then decided to go home to get on with family weekend stuff and within minutes news broke of a Woodchat Shrike at Pagham Rife found by Jim Weston. I headed over there and was soon enjoying cracking views of a fine male Woodchat Shrike with Marc, Andrew, Bart, Adam and Courtney. There was also Little Ringed Plover and Wheatear in the the same field.
Before I met up with Holly and the kids at Runcton Cafe I had a quick look at Pagham Spit for any more Wheatears- no more Wheatears but 7 Little Terns fying around and 6 Whimbrel out in the harbour.
Later in the day Ian called to ask if I wanted to join him in going back to see the Woodchat (he hadn't seen it yet as he had been at football) so we walked from Halseys across the fields to Pagham Rife. The Woodchat was still there now with 3 Little Ringed Plovers and a Wheatear. On the way back we tracked via Owl Point Field where a male Whinchat and 5 Wheatears had been found early on in the day. That was now 11 Wheatears I had seen today and there were a further 5 at the Windmill, 7 at Medmerry and 4 at the Bill seen by others so at least 29 on the Peninsula today (there were 100 at Portland, 20 at Beddington yesterday and good numbers in Oxon too- a good Spring for them). What with the 3 Little Rings at Ferry and Pagham Rife that was 6 today with another from Medmerry, also a good spring count. All the news from today HERE.
As Ian and I were walking past Halseys, a Hoopoe started calling. Immediately I said to Ian is that your phone ring tone? It's a Hoopoe. He said no it wasn't and the bird carried on calling again. We went round the back of the wood to see if any other birders had been playing the call but there was nobody there so we put the news out. We both had to get home but looked for it for about 20 minutes and then Andrew and Bart arrived so we left them in the area so hopefully its pinned down. My Hoopoe jink has finally lifted although I still haven't seen one, so not fully lifted yet.
Woodchat and Hoopoe are both Peninsula lifers for me and the Whinchat also a Peninsula year tick. Now on 210 for my Peninsula list and 154 for the year list. An excellent day! It was a light NW wind today and I wasn't expecting much in the 'worst wind' but it was very light, almost calm and a high pressure which must have facilitated the overshooting birds. Still very much a surprise and proves you don't need a tail wind for birds to overshoot- they will even overshoot in a light headwind as proven today.
Presumed adult male (?) Woodchat Shrike (above) The first on the Peninsula since 2007. The ageing and sexing of Woodchats is problematic with all birds undergoing a near complete winter moult. Overall males have a darker red-brown crown and upper mantle, jet black feather tracts and less white around the eye than a female. On this bird there is quite a bit of white around the eye and the feather tracts have a bit of brown tinge on the remiges but look more jet black on the mantle so it's not straight forward. The bird wasn't singing and males often sing on passage. However overall the deep red crown colouration and the presence of jet black feather tracts suggests a male but this appears less obvious in some recent better pics HERE so for me the jury is still out. Various texts say sexing is sometimes only possible when male and females are together and some lone birds are very difficult to sex. In terms of age as all birds have an extensive to complete winter moult it is the presence of a moult contrast that can age birds (so the brown tinge in the remiges doesn't imply an age related feature) and there doesn't seem to be any contrast so suggests an adult bird. Finally there are three races of Woodchats, nominate senator in Europe to Turkey, badius in the Balearics and niloticus in the Middle East. Badius lack the white primary patch and niloticus has a yet black mask, a very extensive white primary patch and pale at the bases of the rectrices. Neither of these suite of features are present on this bird and it appears a typical senator. * 200426 update - word back from shrike expert Tim Worfolk agrees this is a male with the black on forehead and solid black ear coverts strongly indicative of male.
Male Wheatear- a nice fall of these today
Whimbrel- a small arrival in the harbour today with 2 in the Ferry Channel and 6 out in the harbour
Singing Corn Bunting at Long Pool field
Dunlins in summer plumage at Pagham Spit
The moth trap was also lively last night with highlight this Puss Moth (above) and Mullein (below). Also NFYs included Iron and Pebble Prominet, Ruby Tiger, Sharp-angled Peacock and Dark Spectacle. Now on 57 for the year.
*Sources: Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds, ID Handbook of European Birds and Collins Guide
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