The Great British Bird Hunt: Week 21 07-09-2014 Birds Spotted: 3

So we're now into September and migration season is in full swing. Taking the moment to look up into the sky for a few moments has the chance to reward you with a new passing bird, while your local haunts are bound to have new species there, especially if they are close to water sources.
I was still on holiday this week so I've had the chance to do a bit more birding than usual. My first trip was to Hengistbury Head where I was on the lookout for migrants. I wasn't disappointed...

Wheatear
I've been hoping to see one of these thrushes for a while now and my trip didn't disappoint. The Wheatear is a summer migrant, spending several months with us before returning to central Africa for the winter. It's a gorgeous looking bird with a distinctive black stripe on its face and a slightly orange breast. While there are around 240,000 breeding pairs it is still found on the RSPB's amber list due to rapidly falling numbers. Regularly seen between March and October, I saw a pair of birds on one of the cliff tops. I managed to get a few quick photos before they hit the beach and eventually flew out to sea. Here's hoping they made the trip safely.

A clifftop Wheatear. Note the black stripe and the white one above that.

A more distant shot of the same bird on the beach.

Wigeon

My second new bird was a flock of Wigeon. Due to it being migrant season, every time I saw a flock of birds fly overhead I'd take a shot in the hope it would be something new. My tactic paid off as I was rewarded with what I thought were Teal. The large amount of white on the wings is a dead giveaway that it is in fact a Wigeon (something I found out on the ever helpful Birdforum.net).

The Wigeon winters in most parts of the UK, flying over from the likes of Russia and Iceland, it's a medium-sized duck with a yellow forehead and pink breast (although these are possibly in eclipse plumage.

The large white wing markings indicate Wigeon, not Teal.

The rest of my trip was relatively uneventful, although I saw some nice Stonechats and Wigeon. I also met a lovely chap called Phil who I spoke to for around 10 minutes and pointed out some new bird locations for me.

Anyway, here's what else I saw.

There were plenty of Stonechats around. Here's a juvenile.

A pretty male.

And another juvenile.

A male Linnet stopped by the Natterjack Toad pond.

As did a Meadow Pipit.

And a female Reed Bunting.

Shelduck flew overhead.

And so did a Jay.

Little Egrets were taking advantage of the tide being out.

Looking for suitable fish to eat.

A scaring off the other Egrets.

Noisy thing!

I spotted a Long-Tailed Tit.

Who had a fall out with a ChiffChaff.

Hiding in the bushes upon losing.

And here's the obligatory Pigeon shot.

I then took a trip down to Queen's Park golf course to see if the Grey Heron was there.

A Magpie greeted me on the way to the pond.

No Heron, but I did see a Moorhen.

And a young Moorhen attacking a Terrapin.

I then took another trip to Hengistbury Head on Sunday, getting my third bird.

Warning! Record shot alert.

Water Rail

This shot was taking with my powershot on maximum zoom so it's terrible. It's good enough to show this amazingly secretive bird though.

Although they are on the green list with over 1,000 breeding pairs I've never seen a Water Rail. They stick to reeds, which can make them very difficult to see. A little smaller than a Moorhen, they're notable for their long beaks and distinctive walk. I was looking at a Little Egret and saw this sneaking behind it, clearly on the lookout for food. I've heard them in the past (they have a distinctive squealing call like a pig) but this is a lifer for me. Now to get a better shot :)