Boy did it rain this morning and it's always reassuring when the weatherman get it right, when they say it will clear by early afternoon. With a trip into Weymouth planned for mid afternoon, it was just a case of waiting for the rain to stop so that I could get a walk in before I headed off the island. It did stop eventually at around 1:00pm and even the sun came out, and with it dozens of flies and hoverflies.
There were very few birds seen in Penns Wood and apart from a few Great Tits, Blue Tits and Chaffinches that was it.
The best though was to come when I came down the last few steps to the cove. As I looked across the beach I could see 2 then 3 Whimbrel on the shoreline. I managed to find a bit of high ground and found a further 3.
The beach here is fairly flat for a good 100 feet from the beach huts and then it really slopes down to the shoreline. So with a bit of stealth, I managed to crawl over the pebbles and gain a great advantage point from the last bit of high ground on the beach.
All was going well until 2 anglers pitched up and walked straight down to where the Whimbrel were feeding. Realising what was about to happen I set myself up to video them in flight. The Whimbrel that is.
In some ways it was a bit of a blessing as I soon realised there were actually 7 birds. They flew to the rocks at the north east corner of the cove, stayed for a few minutes before heading off north again around the point.
Also on the beach were 4 Rock Pipits
Five of the 7 Whimbrel feeding along the shoreline
Here are 3 Whimbrel checking out the beach
Ah it looks like I've been rumbled.
Maybe not.
Slightly smaller than a Curlew
And quite nimble along the beach.
One last look and then it was off as the anglers arrived on the beach
When the Whimbrel took off I soon realised there were 7 birds.
Here are 6 of the Whimbrel on the rocks and the 7th..........
..........on his own.
Penns Wood looking really lush after the rain this morning.
Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis my first of the year in Penns Wood. My first one last year was on 25 Apr just 20 metres down the track in the grounds of St Andrew's Church
There were several hoverflies about including this Dead Head Fly.
Ferrybridge
This afternoon as I was heading off into Weymouth there were at least 30 Bar-tailed Godwit on the mudflats. This morning 38 were recorded by Debby Saunders Here.
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.