The Great British Bird Hunt: Week 9 15-06-2014 Birds Spotted 7

I'm starting to realise that if you want a good chance of seeing birds you need to go where they are. This week saw me returning to Radipole Lake and Lodmoor. There were a good 50-odd birds I could have potentially seen, but my final tally was nowhere near that. Still it gives me a good reason for going back again. It was also an opportunity to test out my new 400mm lens that I had bought to help with this project. The feelings with it have been mixed, mainly because it's a lens outside my scope as an amateur. I took some terribly blurry shots, so I need to work on my technique. I did manage to get a few crackers though and one terribly blurred shot of a new bird, so let's get that out the way first shall we?

Great Black-Backed Gull
There was a ridiculous number of Herring Gulls at Radipole Lake. Fortunately, it did mean this fellow was easier to spot as he instantly stood out compared to everything else on the lake. This is our largest gull and is notable for its bulky beak and darker legs. It's quite a bulky gull and a frequent breeder here with around 17,000 pairs. This particular fellow was living up to his reputation, generally bullying the smaller gulls so he could snatch some easy meals. While he's a resident throughout most of England's coast, he's otherwise a winter visitor to other parts of England, particularly the east side of the country.

Reed Bunting

I've never seen the next bird, and was instantly attracted to its striking song. To the untrained eye it looks like a small sparrow, but you soon notice its all black head and its dropping moustache. Like many of the smaller birds at Radipole Lake, it likes to hide in the dense reed brushes, which can make them a bugger to spot. Luckily for me, this male wanted to share his song with the world and hopped up onto a nearby tree allowing me to get him in my sights. Reed Buntings are actually quite numerous and breed throughout the Uk. In fact there are over 250,000 breeding pairs according to the RSPB, which makes it rather amazing that it's taken me 40 years to actually see one. I was clearly looking in the wrong place!

He looks like a House Sparrow, but the black head soon gives him away.

Another shot of him, singing away.

Shoveler

At first glance the Shoveler looks like a Mallard, but he has a bulkier head and an extremely large bill. It's an interesting duck, choosing to migrate here from warmer climes and also stay here the year round. I saw my first at Radipole Hide but I was struggling to get a clear shot. I managed some better images at Lodmoor. Sadly, the birds I saw were quite drab looking, as if they were already moulting. They remain interesting looking birds however and their large beak (used for sifting around for food) really do make them stand out. They're quite a small duck as well, as you can see from the shot I've put up with a Shelduck.

Blurry shot at Radipole.

Much better images at Lodmoor. Note the big wide bill.

I always like to catch reflections when I can...

The comparison shot I mentioned.

Black-Tailed Godwit

I've already spotted a lone Bar-Tailed Godwit at Lodmoor and this time I was rewarded with its relative. At first glance they look extremely similar, but the Black-Tailed has a white belly. It apparently only winters here in my part of the UK, so maybe I got lucky with this pair or my RSPB database needs updating. It spent pretty much all its time combing the flats for invertebrates, and as a result constantly had its bill in the ground. I think this is a male and a female (I mistook the female for a Redshank, but have been assured by RSPB members that it is a female). Less than a handful actually breed in the UK, meaning many of the birds are wintering, or flying through on passage.

Heavily cropped as he was a way out.

Because they have longer bills than Pipers they can reach different invertebrates.

And here's the happy pair together.

Cetti's Warbler

You'll seldom see a Cetti's Warbler (pronounced Chetty) as they love to skulk in reeds. You will hear them however as they have amazingly explosive songs, almost as loud as a Nightingale. They are resident along the south coast and are fairly recent settlers, having first set up their nests here in 1973. Cetti's Warblers are incredibly hard to distinguish from other warblers as they can all look so familiar. In fact, if I hadn't seen it singing myself I wouldn't have been able to tell it from Adam. I actually spotted this Cetti's as I was leaving Radipole. I heard it behind me as it had been disturbed by another passing birder. Luckily, it flew right into my sights, allowing me to get a couple of shots of this elusive bird.

As you can see, it's quite a nondescript looking bird.

It's song is incredible however and once you hear it you never forget it.

House Martin

I've already spotted Swallows and Swifts, so it was only a matter of time before this other summer migrant flew into my sights. The House Martin is a delightful little birds, smaller than a Swallow with a white underbelly and rump and blue wings. Sadly its brilliant colouring is lost in this shot at the weather was so overcast. It's an incredibly quick bird and really made me work for a shot, but I'm happy with the one I was able to take. Like the Swift and Swallow it likes to spend as much time as possible on the wing. You'll often recognise its nests, as they can usually be found under the eaves of houses (little pellets of mud stuck together). Spotting this House Martin means I just need to find some Sand Martins now. I actually know a good location from when I was a youngster, so I might head over there in a couple of weeks to see if they're still around.

Jay

I didn't have to travel anywhere to see the last bird of this week as it appeared in my own back garden. My younger daughter excitedly told me about it and in true fashion it had gone before I could get my camera out. Fortunately for me Jays are quite nosey crows and it soon headed back looking for some easy snacks. I've seen Jays quite a lot since starting this blog, but never when I have a camera to hand. Therefore it was quite a treat to see it in my own back garden. It's an absolutely magnificent bird and my favourite British crow. Ironically they can be quite hard to see, despite their fantastic colouring as they tend to be quite shy birds, keeping high up in the trees and rarely hanging around for too long. Hunger must have gotten the better of this one as I was able to get quite close before he flew off.

So that's my round-up for yet another week. It was pretty good, with a large number of spottings, many of which I've never seen before. I was particularly pleased with the Cetti's and the Jay was a nice surprise as well. My running total now is a decent 62 birds spotted, which leaves me with 210 left to find. I'm heading off to London next week, so hopefully I'll be able to bring my total down to 200. Here's hoping. In the meantime I'll leave you with some of the other birds I spotted at Radipole Lake and Lodmoor.