Portland Bird Observatory - 18th to 21st August 2014

Portland Bird Observatory

We went to the Portland Bird Observatory for a three night stay and it didn't disappoint. From Willow Warblers to Blackcaps, it was a great trip. Don't forget rainbows too!

The Obs in its glory!

As soon as I saw the rain, the first thing that came into my head was to get the Obs and the rainbow together. And that's what I did.

Juvenile Willow Warbler

I was allowed to go on some ringing trips in the garden and this was one of the juvenile Willow Warblers that was ringed. Thank you to the ringers for making this possible.

Blackcap

Guess why this is called a Blackcap! This was one of the many wonderful birds ringed at the Obs. There are more blogs coming soon on our trip to Portland so stay tuned...........

The Holiday so far - 17th August 2014

Drip, Drip, Dip

Linnet

As the title suggests, the rain was pouring down at the site where a Pacific Golden Plover had made camp for the past week. The approximately one mile long walk was just not at all appealing. Eventually we broke, the rain gradually died down and we set off on a long trek to find at the end that the bird had flown even further up the reserve. Not giving up, we tried to follow what seemed like an invisible bird. At the top hide a Linnet came into view. Time got the better of us though, we had to leave to carry on our journey to Derby. On the way back to the car we met Peter Moore who was unamused when we told him that the bird had flown off.

Where were the Wheatears?
 

Stonechat

We went out for some fresh air at Durlston to look for Wheatears but didn't manage to see much. Unfortunately folks, I could only manage some juvenile Stonechats and a Greenfinch.

Juvenile Stonechat

 A Stonechat which I manged to catch in mid-hop (not sure that's a word)!

Greenfinch

During Dad's breakfast, a Greenfinch came in on a tree and sat nicely for a while.

Lots of Waders, not just the bird kind

Dunlin

Finally, we found some waders at Ferrybridge. We nearly always get the tide wrong but this time we got it right. Dunlin and Sanderling were on the agenda today.

Not sure that they know where the edge is! 

Some people think that wading around in the middle of the flats is the edge! This is so annoying as the people cannot seem to see the birds as they walk though the previously landed flocks of birds.

Sanderling

The Sanderling, another one of the common waders out on the Ferrybridge mudflats although not many of these birds seen today.

Hen Harrier Day - 10th August 2014

Protesters

Okay, I don't have any Hen Harrier shots but I do have some people protesting for Hen Harriers not to be shot on Grouse moors. The next best thing, right. Please support the campaign for Hen Harriers and against wildlife crime.

Mute Swan

I took the advantage of the wildlife at Radipole and managed to rustle up a Mute Swan in flight.

Great Crested Grebe

A young Great Crested Grebe swam past the reeds in front of me. At the time, I had no idea what on earth it was, so I was slightly disappointed when I found out.

Gannet

We went down for a very short and late sea watch at Portland and weren't let down by the Gannets. Too far for good pics but why not try.

What a lot of Gulls - 12th July 2014

Mediterranean Gull

The Mediterranean Gull should really be called the Black-headed Gull. As you can see, the head is jet black rather than the chocolaty colour of the Black-headed Gull. There is also no black tip in the wing for adult Mediterranean Gulls.

Black-headed Gull

Ferrybridge had lots of Gulls out on the mud. This Black-headed Gull is definitely different to the Mediterranean Gull.

Common Tern

A stop at Radipole resulted in some nice pics of common birds. A Common Tern was fishing just by the bridge.

Herring Gull

Probably the closest I have ever got to a Herring Gull, informally known as the Seagull.

Looking for Nightjars again - 27th June 2014

Sunset

Accompanied by Gabe, we set out to look for Nightjars, which Gabe had never seen before. We were welcomed rather nicely by a beautiful sunset.

Gull flying across the sunset

Just one of the very few birds that we sighted on the heath.

Deer

Deer were out and about on the heath as we continued to search for the nocturnal creatures.

Nightjar

As we headed back pretty much birdless, a loud churring sound came out of a nearby tree; a Nightjar eventually came out and perched. Believe it or not, the bird is on the left of the forked branch. Honest!

Families Everywhere - 7th June 2014

Common Tern

We went to Weymouth to celebrate a cousin's birthday and we walked up and down the front of the beach when a Common Tern perched up on a marker post.

Marsh Harrier

On the way back along the front a Marsh Harrier came up out of the Lodmoor marshes.

Stonechat

After we came home, we couldn't resist the opportunity to go and see a Dartford Warbler on the heath.This juvenile Stonechat was the first bird we saw.

Dartford Wabler

Luckily, a Dartford Warbler was bombing around in the bushes on the heath.

Back to the Bog - 1st June 2014

Short-toed Eagle

We set off yet again at the early hour of 07:00, not to see a Bee-eater, but to see if we could get better views of the Eagle and sure enough, we did. Better photos as well.

Short-toed Eagle

We finally decided to cautiously walk nearer to the bird and join the majority of the birders. We settled in a spot 150 meters from the bird. Unfortunately, the haze makes the photo slightly out of focus. For once in my life I wished it was colder.