Dorset 1 - Gone with the Wind

I suppose in some ways my interest in Dorset wildlife began with Aidan Brown's 'A Dorset Diary' blog on surfbirds http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/DD/ A good mix of birds, butterflies and flowers from a range of places with names like Arne, Middlebere, Hartland Moor, Morden Bog, to quote just a few recent examples. It's one I check regularly because it's not wildlife I see locally. So when we decided to have a short holiday down there I did a little research. The Dorset heaths are, apparently, home to hobbies (never had a good view), sand lizards (never seen), smooth snakes (ditto) and the almost mythical Dartford warbler. I'd have been happy to see one of this list. Let's face it for reptiles you really need a bit of sun (we had a few minutes here and there), and for the DW it was always going to be pot luck. The guide said they were skulking birds that flit from gorse bush to gorse bush, and DON'T LIKE WIND. The gales didn't let up for 5 days so you can guess the rest.

So you won't see any of the above. But don't despair, there are other more common heathland birds. As always click on the link to my 'latest' web album for better quality pictures. The wind did make clear shots a little tricky, but some worked out.

Stonechat.
Surprisingly hard to get near at Durdle Door where we were staying, but I eventually found a pair feeding young. The female was more accommodating.
A later visit to Arne produced better views of this male (clearer on the web album)

Linnet.
The most common with several family groups flitting around Durdle Door.

Yellowhammer.
A little shyer than I expected, but eventually some passable shots, again at Durdle Door.

Meadow pipit.
To my surprise, sitting next to a fence to try and get some linnet produced some good close views of this Mipit.

More Dorset to follow in a later post - I just bet you can't wait.

Being thankful for small mercies

Let's face it, July is not really prime birding time. And after a couple of days in the birdless wastes of central London (no, pigeons don't count in this context) I needed a bit of inspiration, and it came in the form of these pictures of juvenile bearded tits on Graham Catley's 'Pewit' blog : http://pewit.blogspot.com/2008/07/bearded-tit-juveniles.html
Why not, I thought, go and see if I can find any evidence of similar at Newport wetlands. After an hour or so the words birdless wastes started to reform in my mind, but I bravely cast them aside and snapped some easier targets.

Narrow leaved everlasting pea
Tufted vetch
Common melilot (and friend)
It turned out all was not lost on the bird front either. When I saw this reed warbler ...........
I knew there would be something else of interest - canny piece of detective work, eh? Always follow a full beak. Turned out to be a fledgling, which eventually showed, sort of.
In the magazines it would be sitting out on an isolated stem in all it's glory, but remember I live in the real world of limited time snapshots. Highlight was the one time I actually saw this food pass, rather than inferring it from all the shaking reed stems!
Having sated my birding needs just enough I headed for home, pausing to look in the ditches around the new visitor centre, where I saw two aquatic aliens. Huge great black things swimming along amongst the algae and weed. I know it's a rubbish picture (somewhat turd like?), but I have no doubt they were water beetle larvae. They look more like great silver in the pictures in my book, but this is said to be rare and so odds are they would be great diving, which is what I originally assumed. Must ask next time at the centre.

Oh, and just a few glimpses of pinging beardies, no obvious juveniles.

As always better quality pictures on the web album - follow link to right.

Awwww!

Suddenly my little copse has gone quiet, literally. The green woodpecker is rarely to be heard. No trees are cheeping from holes. No sign of the spotted flycatchers (incubating or gone?). Nearby though the world is young, fresh and having a wash.

This fabulous robin fledgling came for a look .......

(as ever better quality images on the web album) and a whitethroat just about crept into camera range (at last).

At home the 5th brood of house sparrows seems to be doing well, and one was even trying swallow mum's head whole.

Meanwhile this male was ready to try again, and letting the local ladies know, by sitting above a nest box, cheeping incessantly and strutting his stuff in a kind of metrosexual blend of fluffing and pumping up.

Forest morning

I still find it strange to see ducks in trees. I know goldeneye nest there, but I've never seen one just sitting in a tree, unlike this Mandarin pictured in the early morning at Cannop Ponds.

Nearby a second was just waking up, as was it's duckling - briefly - before they both settled down again for a while.

Then there was a bit of wriggling, and suddenly there was a multitude. Well a small multitude anyway.

I still haven't got even a half good picture of a male redstart, but I'm making some kind of incremental progress. At least this is recognisable!But the highlight of the day was the pied flycatchers, which were exceptionally obliging. Sadly the 'pair shot' isn't as sharp as this resolution might suggest, but overall I'm pleased with this range of snaps (and another sixty or so - the hazard of digital photography).

As always I will post 'latest' shots on the web album (see links) where the quality will be significantly better.

Going, going, gone

On Saturday we were out gardening when we realised the second of our blue tit broods this year was fledging. Rubbish photos - focusing issue mainly, but low light too - but you can see the pattern as one of the chicks is tempted out of the nest box. At least three ended up on the floor, and they were still flitting around today.






It's been quite a good year. At least 4 broods of house sparrow on the go or fledged already in our nest boxes on the house, 3 starling nests in the eaves (we had 21 juvenile starlings on the lawn one day) and the house martins were back nest building today. Add to that fledgling blackbirds (I'm fairly sure we had couple of nests, but didn't find them), great tits, collared dove and greenfinch. Just waiting now for the jackdaws, probably my favourites as the young are such good value - they bully their parents even more than starlings, and that's going some.

Is this a lesser spotted woodpecker?

In the copse I heard a green woodpecker yaffle - at the beginning of the video on the link below. Then a woodpecker drummed - perhaps 30 seconds later. Although I know Green's do drum this is not in keeping with the descriptions in my books. I think it might be a lesser spotted as I didn't instinctively think great spotted which I've heard often - any views? It drummed several times, and always a long run like this. Only got one on tape so I've spliced it in 3 times. Sorry it's a bit faint amidst all that hiss.

http://www.vimeo.com/1120004

Any comments welcome.

Hedgerow and copse II

As Rolf would say "Can you tell what it is yet?". Not what they usually catch.

Another weekend on-call ruled out the Forest of Dean, so it was back to the copse. As the starlings in the house have fledged (21 baby starlings on the lawn on Sunday) I was hopeful the same would be true in the wood, leading to a more peaceful day!
Walking along the hedge I was pleased to see the whitethroats seem to have nested - certainly one was carrying insects. This would be a first for me locally. Whilst trying to see it I found another webspinning caterpillar - not the Lackey this time. Probably an ermine moth, I think.
And whilst watching them I saw this cracking scorpion fly
Sadly not one with the curled up tail, but still a good find. I wondered if it was predating the caterpillars, but from my books it seems they are mainly scavengers or fruit eaters, so I guess not.
Into the wood and I was delighted to find this pair of birds building a nest.
Being 35 feet up in a tree the views weren't the best, but this crop shows the classic spotted flycatcher pose.

I've mainly seen them in Scotland before, and usually at a much lower level. There is a small glade, so I'll go back soon to see if they come down to a more photo friendly level.
And, yes the copse was much, much quieter. There are more nests, although I still haven't found the green woodpecker hole that I am sure is there. And I think I heard a lesser spotted woodpecker drumming - got it on video (the sound!) and might post it to see what others think.
As usual some better quality shots on the web albums.