Return to Ghana

Excited about going back to Ghana tomorrow to continue our project work out there. The project is basically in the spirit of West Africa- chaotic and with a life of it's own beyond anyone's control so basically we are just going out there and seeing what happens. This will be the sixth trip there following a several month university placement in 1997, Wise birding trips in 2013 and 2017 and private trips in 2018 and 2019.  

Loosely I'm looking for bird species I still need for my world life list (about 66 species but some of them almost impossible), working up the highest bird trip list we can (won't be high as it's a target trip) and doing as much moth trapping as we can and recording butterflies where time permits. I basically want to make a start on learning some of the moths and targeting any bird species I need in Ghana. This was the remit we sent to our team so God only knows what we'll actually get. Whatever happens it will be fun. 

Originally the plan was to focus on one area in Ghana (my MSc dissertation study area) and attempt to buy some land and co-ordinate exploration from there (basically the same model as the Bulgaria project)  and that's still the plan but Covid obliterated the fragile progress so this is basically a jump start trip to rebuild connections. Also a new exploration project has emerged in the last year or so via the Search for Lost Birds Initiative with one of the target species being Ghana Cuckooshrike HERE so we've been in contact with  John Mittermeier and intend to do some preliminary research on this. This species could actually be in our proposed research area or at least in the region. 

Fingers crossed the global energy chaos won't cause us any problems, we've paid a bit more to fly with British Airways to get extra insurance so hopefully all covered. I'm really keen to keep going with Ghana as West Africa should buffer the escalating world conflict and reordering pretty well and be very well placed for steady sustainable growth. Fortunately the people of Ghana are still mostly nature based (most still live on the land) and prioritise humanity above money to a greater degree. They will be much more resilient to any global shocks and reconfigurations than some other areas, especially from the existential risks of AI. It's quite likely such socieites will move forward if global downside risks are realised by Zionist/Trump/Techlord recklessness while most other areas move back (to more resilient nature based societies). It's a good place to have connection to.   

Me in 1997 on the Kakum canopy walkway during my MSc dissertation trip in Ghana. I still get vertigo on it - no improvement in 30 years. 

Trickling In

The high pressure conditions with a light north easterly and clear blue skies continue. The light headwind is cool too so it seems to be holding back migration a bit but things are still trickling in.  

I did Ferry, the Tramway and Mill Lane before family matters this morning and then I sneaked out again in the evening for another couple of hours and the Church Norton circuit. 89 species of nearly 2000 individuals was a pretty good stab at the sort of numbers around HERE with highlights including a newly arrived singing male Blackcap in the discovery area, an uptick in Chiffchaff with about 10 singing birds around there too, a light northward passage of Mipits,  2 Ruff still on Ferry, a flock of 60 Dunlin flying around Ferry (presumably migrants as they looked lost and Dunlins don't usually get on there), a Spotted Redshank in Ferry Channel , a flock of 15 Barwits in the harbour, four Slavonian Grebes were off Church Norton in the evening and 2 Coal Tit on Mill Lane.

This evening there was a lot of activity around the tern islands at Church Norton with six Sandwich Terns, about 300 Black-headed Gulls and 40 Med Gulls all calling and displaying and seemingly setting up territories already.  

Elsewhere on the Peninsula today there was Short-eared Owl at the Bill and LRP at Medmerry so things trickling in nicely. Yesterday there were 2 Cranes and a small arrival of Wheatears round here and at Portland there was a significant fall of Wheatears and some steady vis mig so obviously more than a trickle going on there . 

Dunlins flying around Ferry field. No large counts in the harbour today and these seemingly migrant birds suggests birds are moving out. 

Spotted Redshank- actually is Spotted as it moults into summer plumage. 

Shoveler and Wigeon numbers are still holding up but only one Brent Goose today, a few Teals and very small numbers of Pintails. 

Summer scenes around the Tern Islands

Barwits- the biggest numbers I've seen this year in the harbour

Great Crested Grebe on Long Pool

Noctule flying around during the day along the Tramway

Despite the cold nights (getting down to 4 C) the first part of the nights are quite mild. NFYs recently include Blossom Underwing (above) and March Moth. 

A bit more Clouded Drab variation

Understanding Vagrancy by Dr Paul Dufour

Really enjoyed this lecture from Paul Dufour delivered recently in Oxford about the phenomenon of rare birds and the biological and evolutionary implications of them. There's a lot more to rare birds than a lot of people know and here's a great introduction on the subject. I've had the pleasure of birding on Corvo and working on some papers with Paul who is a world leading authority on the subject and a really nice bloke too. 

For more like this on this subject (my favourite subject) here's some links to a two part series on Vagrancy  I did for Birdwatch:

THE PIONEERS

FATE OR FREE WILL?

The third wave

A high pressure south easterly swinging to north easterly has been a feature of the last couple of days which has jump started a bit of migration again. Despite the rather cool wind, temperatures got up to about 16 C this afternoon. This is the third noticeable push this year following the late Feb/early March spell, the big Tuesday last week and now this period.  I missed out yesterday as I had to work and Matt and I also did a day at the Lodge. There was a bit of wildfowl movement yesterday off the Bill including the year's first Garganey. 

Therefore I got up early and headed over the Bill to try and get in on it. It was not a bad move with a male Serin flying around for about 10 mins from 0630 and landed in the trees by Oval field for a bit too. Ian managed to get on it before it flew off into the village and other visiting birders also saw it later in the day. I also had a couple of grey geese which I didn't get enough on to identify for sure but they didn't look like Greylags and the photos suggest maybe Bean or Pinkfoot but the photos are just not good enough to be sure. There was also a few Pintail and Common Scoters moving and a trickle of Meadow Pipit passage with 44 up to 9am and I then had a few more going over Ferry. Ebird list and photos HERE.

I then went over to Ferry and walked up to the end of the Long Pool to view the harbour HERE. Highlight was five Ruff on Ferrry including four summer plumaged females found by Anthony the warden in addition to the usual winter plumage bird. A Spotted Redshank was in the Ferry Channel again and there were a couple of Avocet on Ferry too. 

So overall a nice little early Spring day. There were also Barnacle Geese found today on the Peninsula. All of today's news as always on the excellent local blog HERE. 

As usual I like to compare what's going on round here to other migrations spots and my old inland patches. We seem to be doing better round here than last early Spring for migrants but there is some crazy stuff going on in Oxfordshire with this absolute inland mega Ringed-billed Gull HERE and then this American Wigeon turned up HERE and now there's a Green-winged Teal with the American Wigeon. Meanwhile Jaffa found a Bonaparte's Gull at his patch HERE. The kind of US invasion which is most welcome- hope we get a strike here! 

Male Serin flying around and perched up at the Bill (above and below). The earliest ever Spring record for the Peninsula. 

Pintail on the move

Sandwich Tern

Female summer plumaged Ruff on Ferry

Curlew (above) and Black-tailed Godwit (below) in the harbour

Grey geese sp (above and below). More pics HERE. I would have thought more silver grey on the upperwing would be visible for Greylag and also the necks look dark in most of the photos. Just not enough to make any conclusions IMO. 

Little Ring

A fresh south west wind was blowing today in overcast skies which brightened up a bit later in the day. I started the day off at the Bill with Ian and Andrew HERE. Highlights included 80 Brents moving east and 4 Great Northern Divers.

I then checked out Ferry which was pretty good with the year's first Little Ringed Plover, a Ruff, 5 Avocet, Green Sandpiper, 100 Golden Plover over Medmerry, 2 Lapwings (the only ones around) and 47 Black-tailed Godwits. Wildfowl numbers seemed quite a bit lower with only 35 Shoveler, a few Teal but still 100 Wigeon with another 200 in the harbour too. A short burst of Mipit movement at around 11am involved 52 birds flying north. 

I then went over to Pagham Spit, then East Side and finally over to Church Norton to attempt a harbour count. I made it 85 species of 2057 individuals HERE with highlights including 60 Brents still, 14 Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour, the Spotted Redshank in White's Creek, 7 Barwits, Peregrine, Rock Pipit and still some good numbers of waders including 300 Dunlin, 158 Grey Plover and 60 Curlew. Most notable absentee today were Sandwich Terns and very small numbers of Med and Common Gulls (and Black-headeds for that matter). 

The Little Ring puts me on 137 for the local year. 

Little Ringed Plover and Golden Plover on Ferry

Small looking Blackwits. After the winter flock departed en masse, a few groups have been arrivng and moving through in the last couple of weeks 

Grey Plovers, Barwits and Turnstones

Dunlins, Grey Plovers, Barwit and Knot. Chat reckons 332 birds in this image which is broadly similar to what I estimated in the field which is good to calibrate my counts. 

Male (above) and female (below) Red-breasted Merganser- a little influx in the harbour today

Great Northern Divers off the Bill 

Welcome break

Despite a cold start and a northwest breeze today's weather was clear and the temperature picked up by the afternoon. Looks like the more windy and wet conditions return tomorrow so it was a nice break today. I popped out before the usual Saturday family proceedings started and checked out Ferry and the harbour from the end of the Long Pool HERE. The Ferry field was lively with a Ruff, Green Sandpiper, over 50 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Curlew, 4 Redshank, 3 Lapwing, 1 Snipe, 2 Avocet and 2 Oystercatcher and there was a Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank in the Ferry Channel. A Weasel was running along the Long Pool footpath which was nice to see. 

In the afternoon I popped out again and went to Church Norton to twitch the female Wheatear that the Vicar had found this morning. Ebird list HERE. Luckily the Wheatear was still there and also four Slavonian Grebes were off shore (presumably the same birds from last week that Ian saw earlier in the day too). Now on 136 for the local year list. It was quite a gap since my last 'summer migrant' with Sand Martin on 28th Feb, Swallow on 2nd March and now Wheatear on 14th so nearly a two week gap between new summer migrants after an early start.

Female Wheatear- my first for the year. I think the first time my first for the year has been a female rather than a male.

Ruff

Seemingly more Blackwits around today with an increase to around 50 birds on the Ferry field including this colour ringed bird below

Reed Buntings along Long Pool were singing away in the bright conditions

The Cattle Egret was in the field opposite our house this afternoon

Raven at Church Norton

Weasel (above and below)

Winter bites back

The temperature is set to get to around 4 C tonight and the wind is a cool westerly with a bit of north in it. Yesterday was really windy and felt cold.  I didn't bother putting the moth trap out in such cold night temperatures and bird migration has slowed right down on the Peninsula. 

Wednesday night was the last relatively mild evening with about 20 individual moths with the first Red Chestnut of the year. Stuck on 23 species of moth in the garden for the year. 

A noc-mig session on 10th March was pretty lean with highlights including Oystercatcher, Teal, Coot and Redwings HERE. 

With demoralising field conditions I've got on with work,  bits in the garden, updating some databases, getting the latest Dutch Birding paper to advance draft stage, reading and doing a bit of music. 

Very slow going and looking forward to the next wave of migration- Tuesday looks promising- just as I have to head back up to London. 

Red Chestnut (above) and Chestnut (below) 

Twin-spot Quaker

Dotted Border- quite a few of these this Spring