Sunday 24 May 2015

American Golden Plover, Gull-billed Tern and stacks of Red Kites

23rd May 2015 - Topsham and Exminster Marshes


I was thinking about breakfast and wondering whether to go to Bowling Green Marsh or maybe popping across the river. I'd decided to consider it over breakfast when Dave Stone called - James Diamond had found an American Golden Plover on Exminster Marshes. Twenty minutes later, coffee in thermos but still lacking breakfast, I was watching said bird at a range of something like 500m from the canal bank. Mostly it was just a head and neck appearing above the grass or out of a ditch, although it sometimes came into full view allowing a look at the all-important back end - long primary projection beyond tail and short tertials. Photos were clearly out of the question. It was a dull greyish bird with only blotches of black below ghosting the full breeding plumage pattern, a prominent dark cap and a broad white supercilium curving down the neck and breast sides. Despite watching on and off for about two hours I never saw it fly and the only time it spread its wings it was facing away.

While waiting for better views (and still thinking of breakfast), Keith Birchall called. Having decided to forgo the American GP, he was at BGM for the morning high tide and just happened to bump into a cracking Gull-billed Tern (now seriously regretting my earlier indecision, if I'd stayed for breakfast and gone to BGM?). Another twenty minutes in the car, and luckily opting at the last minute to drive straight there rather than stopping to pick up my bike, and I got to the hide just minutes before the tern flew out.

Some distant shots as it departed.

Gull-billed Tern - 23/5/2015 Topsham

Gull-billed Tern - 23/5/2015 Topsham

Gull-billed Tern - 23/5/2015 Topsham

All that and before breakfast. Mind you, it did remind why I hate twitching, even locally.

And the Kites? Most recent years I expect to see maybe one over the house. As I headed out the back door with the dog on our daily visit to the Rec a Red Kite appeared over the cemetery. I grabbed my camera from my rucksack and called to Carolyn in the kitchen, another followed, then another. At least five, possibly six as I lost birds at times behing trees and houses, gaing height and drifting north west.

Red Kite - 23/5/2015 Topsham

Red Kite - 23/5/2015 Topsham

Red Kite - 23/5/2015 Topsham

Red Kite - 23/5/2015 Topsham

I'd always assumed that our annual summer influx involved 2nd year birds, on a 'teenage wander' before reaching breeding age. From these photos it's possible to make out the pale undertail coverts shown by juveniles and most 2nd years. All were in moult but this doesn't help as all ages should be in primary moult at this time of year.

I soon got another call from Keith, who was now on the Exminster side, and who'd had twenty plus travelling west across the estuary, I picked up another five high and distant against the Haldon Hills. Ten in a day and a year total of 14 so far.

Monday 18 May 2015

Avalon Marshes

16th May 2015 - Shapwick and Ham Wall

 

I first visited this area of the Somerset Levels back in June 1989 when I saw my first and only UK Roller. It's all a bit different now, several square miles of shallow pools, reedbeds and wet woodland hosting an impressive range of special breeding birds. In recent years I usually make at least one trip in spring and I'm always amazed at how good it is. No Bitterns this time, a bit late in the day perhaps, but plenty of Hobbys in the air feeding on dragonflies, the Great Whites were in full breeding condition - dark bills and red legs, and at least a couple of Marsh Harriers were on display.

Marsh Harrier male - 16/5/2015 Shapwick, Somerset

Marsh Harrier male - 16/5/2015 Shapwick, Somerset

Marsh Harrier male - 16/5/2015 Shapwick, Somerset

Hobby 16/5/2015 - Shapwick, Somerset (hard to count but probably at least 20 over the marshes scoffing the dragonflies and completely ignoring the swifts and hirundines - not on the menu today)

Great White Egret 16/5/2015 - Shapwick, Somerset (distant but shows the dark bill and red legs of a bird in peak breeding condition)

Great Crested Grebe 16/5/2015 - Ham Wall, Somerset (my camera does occasionally take half decent photos - if the bird's near enough!)  

And no, I didn't go up for the Hudsonian Godwit. I pretty much hate big twitches these days and anyway, I've every confidence it'll turn up somewhere nearby this autumn - the upper Exe Estuary is a 'traditional' site after all!

Saturday 2 May 2015

Common and Spotted

1st May 2015 - Topsham


In all the years I've been birding Topsham Rec these are the best photos I've taken of Common Sandpiper, they're normally just too far away, too wary and too hard to sneak up on. These shots may not be that great but they do, at least, show the subtle seasonal variation in appearance of Common Sands, i.e. the dark barring on the scapulars and coverts and the faintly spotted breast of breeding plumage.

Common Sandpiper - 1/5/2015 Topsham

Common Sandpiper - 1/5/2015 Topsham

Common Sandpiper - 1/5/2015 Topsham
 Compare with these shots of the long-staying Spotted Sandpiper which I found at the Rec back in 2009. This bird was tame, eventually.

Spotted Sandpiper - 23/12/2009 Topsham

Spotted Sandpiper - 5/1/2010 Topsham

Spotted Sandpiper - 5/1/2010 Topsham

Spotted Sandpiper - 5/1/2010 Topsham

Spotted Sandpiper - 5/1/2010 Topsham
It was typically quite unapproachable at first - I first suspected it on 20th November but it took a few days to get good enough views and photos to confirm it. By a month later it was extremely confiding, or rather was so desperate for food in the severe weather it would feed along the footpath - even creeping under gates into gardens. I was using a 180mm macro lens at the time and even then the bird would come so close I could barely keep it all in frame. The 5th January was the last day I saw it, overnight the temperature dropped to -10 and the river partly froze. I heard reports that it was still present but I'm sceptical - I was at the Rec most days and while there were a few Common Sandpipers, there was no Spotted.