Perseverance paid off with a brief sighting of a Grey Phalarope at Chesil Cove late morning. In fact there had been five counted earlier this morning, but having dispersed further up the coastline, I thought I was going to be out of luck.
But I stuck it out and eventually after 90mins of searching, one appeared opposite The Cove Inn. It was the briefest of sightings, as it flew up into the air behind a breaking wave and then landed on the crest of the next wave and disappeared out of sight as tried to photograph it. I waited another 30 minutes, but there was no sign of it or any of the others.
Late afternoon and a message on the local birdwatching group was that there were 6 Grey Phalaropes opposite The Cove Inn here.
After a quick visit to the Doctors, for a routine check up, I dropped into Chesil Cove, to see what was about. All I can say is what a mess. The whole length of the beach was covered in rubbish, nets, buoys, dead animals and birds, it was a sad sight.
The sea certainly wasn't as rough as it has been, but it was still pretty feisty in that very strong westerly. The conditions looked perfect for a Grey Phalarope, but not today!
Mammals Recorded: 1 Sheep - deceased 1 Grey Seal - deceased (Not a pretty sight so I have refrained from posting a photo of it.)
Centre frame a deceased Sheep. Where it originated from will never be known.
Whilst Ted was having a short back and sides at the groom room, I spent a good 80 minutes walking around the Buddleia Loop at Radipole.
Main highlight was that it wasn't raining; though a couple dark clouds threatened to do so, but moved swiftly on in that gale force westerly.
On the bird front I recorded at least 6 Chiffchaffs and 2 Blackcaps around the loop, and on the water a good 30+ Gadwall, Shoveler, Mallard and an odd looking duck, which had I seen it before editing my photos, I would have taken a better photo of it.
And my odd looking duck is a drake Garganey moulting. I did have my suspicions, but to be honest I had it in my head that Garganey are quite large. Well I got that wrong, so thank you to Ed Wilson for putting that notion out of my head. So my first Garganey this year.
In one spot here, there were up to 8 dragonflies "hunting" for flying insects. Very difficult to photograph and equally difficult to ID as well, though one of them looks like a
Surprise of the morning was a single Ivy Bee on Hemp Agrimony. Not a plant which Ivy Bees normally visit.
And what about the wasps, I must have counted a good 50+ Common Wasps, along with a few German Wasps and Digger Wasps.
Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Moorhen, Coots and on the far left a small..........
........duck. Which is a drake Garganey. See notes above.
A drake Gadwall and............
..............three more drakes and two ducks.
And here are two drake Gadwall either side of a very vocal female.
The visible Gadwall are all drakes with a duck hidden behind the second male.
Three ducks and one drake Shoveler.
More Shovelers in flight.
An adult Moorhen sticking close to the reedbeds.
Well I never knew that!! A group of Coots, like the ones here are called.............
..........a cover, a raft, a commotion, or a swarm. Other terms include a fleet, a shoal, or even a codgery.
This Blue Tit was following a flock of 8 Long-tailed Tits and a couple of Great Tits
Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
2 Feral pigeon
This feral pigeon has a "cauliflower" cere. This is either down to avian pox, respiratory disease or hopefully with this bird, just down to old age; when the cere grows bigger as they near 10 years old.
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: 1 Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta
A Common Carder BeeBombus pascuorum on Common HawkweedHieracium vulgatum
On this Hemp AgrimonyEupatorium cannabinum is an Ivy BeeColletes hederae. This is not a flower it usually visits for nectar by all accounts. Normally if Ivy flowers are in short supply they will feed on other late-blooming flowers from the daisy family (Asteraceae), such as Common RagwortJacobaea vulgaris, Chicory Cichorium intybus and Common DandelionTaraxacum officinale. Well there's a first time for everything.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded: 50+ Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris 2 German Wasp Vespula germanica 2 Digger Wasp Ectemnius sp.
There were a lot of Common WaspsVespula vulgaris about..............
............compared to just a couple of German WaspsVespula germanica seen.
This is a Digger WaspEctemnius sp. and............
.................here is a short video of it.
And here is another Digger Wasp
Hoverflies Recorded: Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax The Footballer Helophilus pendulus
A Common DroneflyEristalis tenax
The Footballer Helophilus pendulus
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Many unidentified flies Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp. Greenbottle Lucilia sp. Blue Blowfly Calliphora vicina
A Blue BlowflyCalliphora vicina
Plants: Black Bryony Dioscorea communisa Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Hawkweed Hieracium vulgatum Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris Dog Rose Rosa canina Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum
Hop Humulus lupulus Ivy Hedera helix Large Bindweed Calystegia silvatica
Sea Aster Aster tripolium
Sea AsterAster tripolium
It is a bit of a coincidence, but at Lodmoor RSPB Reserve there............
...........are also Hops Humulus lupulus growing there as well. These were on the Buddleia Loop.
General Shots:
Other than the reedbed, you wouldn't know that between me and the fir trees, is a waterway and a busy main road.
