Patchwork Challenge Hengistbury Head Visit 1

As the weather wasn't too bad on Sunday I headed to Hengistbury Head with my wife and daughter.
It's a great opportunity for the patchwork challenge as a walk from the visitor centre to the ferry is a mile and a half, which easily covers the 3km rule of the challenge. It also allows you to cover a wide variety of environments, far more than at Longham. Despite this, the day was something of a bust as the weather was so windy, with hardly any small birds around.

Things started off well with a large group of 30 odd Wigeon feeding in harbour by the visitor centre. Black-Headed Gulls were also abundant, although I didn't see anything rare among them. Maybe next time... I looked for Little Egrets and Water Rails but the tide was in and the heavy rain meant everything was quite flooded. They'll be plenty of other opportunities. Oh and I saw a Coot.

A lot of Redshank were about, but they were quite far out.

I did look at the spit which is opposite Stanpit but the only bird I could identify with any certainty was a Cormorant. I'm sure there were some interesting gulls out there too, but my binoculars just weren't up to the task.

Moving into the woods I heard a lot of chatter, but my lousy knowledge of bird song meant the only bird I could identify was a Great Tit. I did spy a Blue Tit and some Starlings, but it was otherwise uneventful.

Lots of BBGs were about.

Scanning the next set of ponds produced a few more ducks, notably Wigeon (which were everywhere) Mallard and quite a few Teal. I saw a male Pheasant skulking around in the grass behind them and there were also about 5 Redshank feeding, but no other waders appeared.

Upon reaching the beach I spied Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow, Cormorants, Black Headed Gulls and a Rock Pipit, the first I've seen on the head. I still haven't seen the Purple Sandpipers, but I'll catch them one day.

A pretty lousy shot of a Rock Pipit.

The walk back wasn't too eventful, although I did catch Magpies, Little Grebes, a Grey Heron and a couple of Herring Gulls. Not the best of starts, but it's quite hard to bird when you have an impatient wife (who did kindly keep note of everything I saw) and a scooter-riding daughter.

Not the greatest start with 17 birds, but that just leaves me more to find.

Black Headed Gull
Blue Tit
Carrion Crow
Coot
Cormorant
Great Tit
Grey Heron
Herring Gull
Little Grebe
Magpie
Mallard
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Redshank
Rock Pipit
Teal
Wigeon

Week 34 07-12-2014 Birds Spotted: 1

It was a pretty poor week for me this week. Despite spending plenty of time at Arne and Hengistbury Head, I've struggled to take decent shots. Pretty much anything I take at great distance is extremely blurry, meaning I've little decent to share this week. I'm unsure if it's my technique or the pathetic low light (the sun set at 4pm today!) but what I do know is that it's not a great time of the year for taking photos. Still, I did get one new bird, so here it is.

Avocet
It's another record shot due to it being extremely far away. Still, there's no mistaken this incredibly striking bird. The flagship bird of the RSPB used to be something of a rarity in the UK, but it's numbers have slowly increased since its return in the 1940s. It's a medium-sized wader with distinctive black and white markings and a long upcurved bill. Around 7,500 birds winter here each year now and it successfully breeds at various strongholds throughout the UK.

Not the greatest shot, and the image is blurry, but it's an Avocet.

Another shot, highlighting just how deep the water was.

So that's it for another week. I'm now up to 126 photographed birds, with another 146 to find.

I saw another Dartford Warbler at Arne.

As well as a very distant Marsh Harrier hunting.

Brent Geese were numerous.

And there were lots of Godwits and Teal about.

I caught up with a Pied Wagtail at the barn.

And so another at the head.

There was a distant Pheasant in one of the fields.

And I spied a Goldcrest in the woods.

Black-Headed Gulls were numerous.

I caught a Wood Pigeon taking off.

And discovered an inquisitive Carrion Crow.

Week 29 02-11-2014 Birds Spotted: 2

I've been on holiday this week, so I've managed to visit a few places and see some new birds. Sadly, the weather hasn't been fantastic, meaning my shots aren't the greatest. Still let's take a look at the two new birds I spotted this week.

Pheasant
I've obviously seen these gamebirds in the past, but not since starting my blog. Anyway, we were taking a walk at Hengistbury Head when we discovered one in a bush tucking down on berries. We ended up seeing three in the end, but this male was arguably the most impressive.
It's found over most parts of the UK, and is introduced so there are plenty to hunt during the relevant season. In fact, over 2 million females exist, meaning the population shouldn't go into decline any time soon. It feeds on seeds, greens and shoots and is typically found in hedgerows, and open countryside. It's one of our largest game birds and is unmistakable due to its long tail.

I think this one was moulting as it looks a little scruffy.

And here's another shot of it. Tricky to get in focus due to the branches.

Goosander

I've been wanting to see a Goosander for a while, because it's one of our few saw-billed ducks. While I was lucky enough to find some over at Blashford Lakes, they were quite a fair distance away, meaning record shots only.

Anyway, Goosanders are handsome ducks with serrated bills designed for catching fish. They are on the RSPB's green list with around 3,000 breeding pairs and are found in most parts of the UK. They are often confused with Mergansers and are unpopular with fisherman due to their love of Salmon and Trout. Like many other ducks they happily winter in the UK, meaning that up to 12,000 will arrive. There were a handful at Blashford, mainly females. They stayed on the spit for for entire duration, meaning I'll need to go back for better shots in the future.

Here we have three Goosanders. The male is the bird in the middle.

Another record shot, this time showing the male preening.

So that's it for this week. I've now up to 122 photographed birds, with another 150 left to find!

Despite the weather being poor, I was still able to visit a number of different locations. So let's take a look at each one in turn.

Hengistbury Head

Always a favourite of mine, with lots of different environments and the possibility for rare birds.

Spied a Magpie at the golf course.

A passing Jay. Seeing lots of these at the moment.

Hunting Kestrel. Again, terrible weather.

Blashford Lakes

I've never been here before, but it's only 25 minutes up the road, so I'll certainly be returning.

Lots of Great-Crested Grebes were about.

Little Grebes were also plentiful.

A Cormorant dries off.

Saw a number of ducks including Tufted...

Mallard...

Pintail...

And Wigeon. There was rumoured to be a Ruddy Duck, but I didn't see it.

A flock of Lapwings were at the Goosander hide.

While Greylags and Egyptian Geese were far off on the spit as well.

Highlight of the day was a Kingfisher, that kept posing for pictures.

This is the closest he got, about 17 feet away. 

Heavy crops, but they will do for the moment :)

Truly stunning birds. Here's hoping I have more light next time as 1/100 is too slow!

Longham Lakes

I was hoping to see the Black-Necked Grebe, but it continues to elude me. Still it's a great location with lots of birds.

Seeing Cormorants resting on pylons is very odd. They were everywhere.

Managed to catch one on its way to fish.

Coots were plentiful, although I saw no Moorhens.

There was one lone Little Egret that kept the Mallards company.

Hopefully this shot is sharp enough!

A size comparison shot!

A Mute Swan plays peekaboo.

A Buzzard was on patrol.

I was surprised at how pale it was!

There was a single pair of Canada Geese.

And I disturbed a Shoveler!

Discovered a hunting Kestrel.

I think it's a male, but I could be wrong.

Stunning looking falcons.

I also spied a Pied Wagtail as I was leaving.

Hengistbury Head

Went there again today in search of the Lapland Buntings that had been sighted but didn't see them :( It was really windy and overcast, so there wasn't much about.

Starlings by the golf course.

More Pheasants were about.

Spied a Stonechat.

And also this male.

And a very noisy Wren.