Port and Wey

24 Mar 24

Furzedown Farm, Tidmoor Cove and Lynch Cove

It's that time of year again to prep the caravan for friends and relations to stay in. And of course the obligatory walk around the "block" with Ted. Thank goodness I wore wellies though as I've never seen so much mud on the path especially between the two coves. Even with wellies, I had to take a detour along the beach, it was that bad.

Highlights
Mud aside it was pretty good walk with the main highlights being:

Little Egret: two in Lynch Cove
Shelduck: At least twelve in the Fleet

Pheasant: One in Furzedown Farm
Oystercatcher: Eight on the exposed mudflats.
Bar-tailed Godwit: One in Lynch Cove
Redshank: One feeding on the shoreline between the coves.
Sandwich Tern: Three in amongst the Mediterranean Gulls
Stonechat: A male at the back of Tidmoor Cove
Blackcap: A male and another calling at the back of Tidmoor Cove
Chiffchaff: Five singing at the back of Tidmoor Cove

Mammals Recorded:
Grey Squirrel

Birds Recorded:
2 Little Egret
12 Shelduck

1 Pheasant
8 Oystercatcher
1 Bar-tailed Godwit
1 Redshank
10 Black-headed Gull
40+ Mediterranean Gull
20+ Herring Gull
2 Great Black-backed Gull
3 Common Gull
3 Sandwich Tern
Wood Pigeon
1 Skylark
2 Meadow Pipit
2 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
1 Stonechat
Blackbird
Song Thrush
3 Cetti's Warbler
2 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Rook
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A Little Egret fishing in Lynch Cove.

An Oystercatcher in Lynch Cove with..........

..........a further two further out. plus my first Bar-tailed Godwit of the year in the foreground.

Another first for the year...........

..........was this Redshank feeding along the shoreline...............

.........between the two coves.

Mediterranean Gulls in flight.

In the centre of these Mediterranean Gulls is a Common Gull.

And at the back of the gulls, a Sandwich Tern comes into land.

A male Stonechat at the back of Tidmoor Cove.

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Speckled Wood

And the one that nearly got away. My first Speckled Wood of the year sat on a Hazel leaf. I took this shot before moving around it, to take a better shot. I didn't make it and it was gone!!

Bees Recorded:
20+ Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

General Shots:

Lynch Cove

Ted:

Yes Ted I'm coming.

23 Mar 24

Portland Bill, Hut Fields, Obs Quarry and The Slopes

It was a very late afternoon visit to The Bill, but very rewarding with my first Wheatear of the year, with a female in the QinetiQ compound. Sadly no photo as she disappeared into the undergrowth.

Birds Recorded:
1 Fulmar
50+ Gannet
6 Cormorant
4 Shag
1 Kestrel
100+ Herring Gull
30+ Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
3 Meadow Pipit
6 Rock Pipit
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Stonechat
1 Wheatear
2 Chiffchaff
Magpie
Carrion Crow
1 Jackdaw
1 Raven
80+ Starling
20 House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Below are a few Rock Pipit photos including leg-ringed AAN, one eating a Sea Louse and a very grey individual.

Rock Pipit "AAN"

A Rock Pipit eating a Sea Slater (Ligia oceanica), which also goes by the names of Sea Roach, Sea Louse or Common Slater. More on Sea Slaters Here.

And the grey individual.........

.............which initially I thought was a Water Pipit.

General Shots:

The Pulpit getting a battering

Portland Lighthouse with rain clouds moving in.

Ted:

Ted having a good run.

Ships Today:

This is the British Fishing Support Vessel "CEFAS Endeavour" on its way from Falmouth to Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel here.

Aircraft Today:

This is the Specialist Air Ambulance for Children on its way to a call in Weston Road, Portland. It landed at 5:22pm and took off at 7:11pm. More on this helicopter here, here and here

22 Mar 24

RSPB Radipole Lake

It was another visit to Radipole this afternoon in hope of seeing my first Sand Martins for the year and I'm pleased to say that a pair were flying around the North Hide, where the Sand Martin colonial nesting site is located.

Other highlights were 4 Grey Herons, 3 Marsh Harriers and 5 Chiffchaffs. The latter all singing.

Birds Recorded:
2 Great Crested Grebe

5 Mute Swan
5 Cormorant
4 Grey Heron
2 Canada Goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Tufted Duck

Pochard
3 Marsh Harrier
1 Water Rail (heard)
Moorhen
Coot
1 Snipe
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
2 Sand Martin
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
5 Cetti's Warbler
5 Chiffchaff (all singing)
8 Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A pair of Great Crested Grebes

This lone Mute Swan thought about landing on the main lake, but thought otherwise when it saw the resident pair.

An adult Cormorant dries its wings. I think the bird on the right is another adult and a juvenile in the foreground.

The Grey Herons were busy flying about on the reserve.

Here's another one.

A pair of Gadwall. The drake is on the right.

And a pair of sleepy Pochard. This is the drake and.......

...........this is the female.

And these were the three Marsh Harriers circling over the reserve. This is no #1

And #3.

For a split second I thought I had my first hirundine for this Spring. It turned out to be a Snipe.

My first two Sand Martins............

............this year.

And on the reserve there were at least 5 singing Chiffchaffs.

A male Reed Bunting, but I'm not sure why it doesn't have a full black head. A first year male maybe!!

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

A male Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) and close-by..........

......... I expect this is a female.

General Shots:

Marsh Harrier territory.

21 Mar 24

Sandsfoot Castle Beach, Small Mouth and Ferrybridge Sandflats

It was a disappointing walk along the north side of Portland Harbour this afternoon, as I tried in vain to locate the two Black-necked Grebes seen here this morning. In fact they have been overwintering in Portland Harbour, along with a Slavonian Grebe, for the past 3 months. Yet I have failed on several occasions to see them!

However I did come across 21 Red-breasted Mergansers drifting slowly across the harbour, comprising of 11 drakes and 10 ducks.

There was nothing on the sandflats as it was almost High Tide.

Birds Recorded:
1 Cormorant

21 Red-breasted Merganser (10f, 11m)

1 Oystercatcher

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Wood Pigeon

1 Blackbird

Magpie

Carrion Crow

An adult Cormorant fishing....................

.............in Small Mouth Cove.

Twenty-one Red-breasted Mergansers drifting along in Portland Harbour.

General Photos

The north-coastline in Portland Harbour with Sandsfoot Castle centre

Ted

Ted has just realised there are six other Ted's following him.

Ships Today

This is the British Cable Layer "CS Sovereign" on its............

..........from Portland Harbour to Brest (France). More on this vessel here.

20 Mar 24

Dewflock Farm, Dorchester

The main highlight from a brief visit close to Dewflock Farm, was my first Coal Tit of the year. Other highlights here were 5 Chiffchaff and a Blackcap singing.

Birds Recorded:
6 Mallard
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaff
1 Coal Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

One of 5 Chiffchaff singing next to Dewflock Farm. There is also a Mediterranean Gull calling in the background.

19 Mar 24

RSPB Radipole Lake

Today it was a wet miserable walk around Radipole in the hope of seeing my first Sand Martin of the year. I blanked and in the process got absolutely soaked in the intense drizzle.

However it wasn't all gloom and doom as I at least noted 5 Chiffchaffs singing, and 6 calling when the rain intensified. No singing in the rain for these birds!!

Other birds of note were a pair of Great Crested Grebes courting and a Little Grebe calling from the reedbeds.

Birds Recorded:
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Little Grebe
5 Cormorant
4 Grey Heron
5 Mute Swan
1 Canada Goose
Mallard
8 pairs Tufted Duck
1 Pochard
1 Water Rail (heard)
Moorhen
Coot
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
11 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Reed Bunting