PWC Update and Two Night Herons

Both Patchwork Challenge tallies have made steady progress this week. Since the Oystercatchers mentioned in the previous post I have added seven species to the West Bay & Eype list...

Jay - seen a while back and omitted in error.

Great Northern Diver - 3 in total, including a stonking summer-plumaged bird which landed offshore.

Arctic Skua - a dark-phase bird E on Wednesday. Very, very welcome.

Sanderling - 6, with 4 Turnstones, straight in off the sea and away inland on Thursday morning.

Turnstone - 4; see Sanderling above.

Greenshank - a bit of PATCH GOLD. Apparently much less than annual here, one heard (with Pete Forrest) from atop West Cliff this morning. It was clearly passing through, but out of view below the cliffs.

Lesser Whitethroat - 2 heard rattling away this afternoon.

And the Bridport North patch has advanced by five...

Sedge Warbler - one seen (and heard briefly) behind Co-op as I walked into town on Friday afternoon.

Wheatear - one on wires over a field very close to home yesterday. The first of a bumper haul of four new species from my afternoon walk. The others were...

Swift - at least 16. Still haven't seen one on the West Bay & Eype patch though!

Hobby - rapidly through W. Superb views, but too quick for photos.

Whimbrel - 'naked' noc-mig last night.

Still waiting for really decent seawatching conditions. Mostly it's been third rate at best, just dribs and drabs, but generally enough to keep me plugging away long after I should probably have given up. Talking of third rate, here are lots of photos from recent days...

I must have been very bored on Thursday afternoon. This is a pretty obvious sinensis Cormorant, the first I've seen for quite a few weeks.

Yesterday's Bridport North Wheatear.

A bit closer. The first local Wheatear I've seen away from the coast.

This migrant Silver Y was flushed from the grass during yesterday afternoon's walk.

Bridport North Little Grebe...

...and Tufted Duck. Neither species exactly prolific here.

The familiar silhouette of a Red Kite closed yesterday's very productive walk from home.

I've not seen many spring Sedge Warblers locally, so was delighted to come across this one singing away next to the West Bay boatyard early this evening. Tricky to photograph through the vegetation though.

First light this morning was barely bright enough to get a photo of this Common Sand on the West Pier rock armour.

At close of play today, the West Bay & Eype patch tally is 105 species for 128 points, while Bridport North stands at 69 species and 76 points. I've no 'previous' with which to compare the numbers but am pleased enough with how it's going.

Full list on the PWC 2023 page.

Finally, a quick tale of two Night Herons. On Thursday evening Steve found a Night Heron on the Seaton Marshes Borrow Pit (see Steve's blog post HERE). Eventually it flew off towards the harbour, and called several times as it went. Steve managed to capture this on video. Hearing those flight calls took me straight back to June 2020, and the massive surprise of my Bridport noc-mig Night Heron (see NQS blog post HERE). The call notes on Steve's video seemed very similar in volume and tone, and I was extremely keen to compare them with my 2020 recording. Steve kindly extracted an mp3 file from his video and sent it to me. 

This is what the calls of each bird look like as sonograms...

Two Night Herons. Ju-u-u-st a tiny bit similar!

And this is what they sound like (gaps edited down to half a second or so)...

I never had any doubts that the 2020 bird actually was a Night Heron but, if I had, this recording would certainly lay them to rest. The similarity is incredible.

With grateful thanks to Steve for the excellent recording.

Skua Quest

Seeing skuas is an annual ritual that must be observed. By this time last year I had already seen eight of them: seven Arctic and a Great. 2023 is proving less cooperative. Although I know it will happen sooner or later, later is never what you would choose, right? So I am putting some effort in. Not this morning though. This morning was clearly going to be one of the no-skua kind, so I made an early circuit of the golf course side of West Bay and enjoyed a fantastic walk...

View from the eastern edge of the patch this morning, looking back towards West Bay...

...and east towards Burton Cliffs.

With bright sunshine and barely a breath of wind, migrants were always going to be at a premium, and the only two Wheatears were both in what is proving a very reliable spot for them: the West Pier and rock armour...

Wheatear arrives at the southernmost tip of West Bay...

...and works its way inland, a few yards of concrete at a time.

Skua-wise, this evening's forecast was extremely unpromising - a cool, offshore breeze and showers. I had two choices. One, sit indoors and moan about the rubbish weather for seawatching; two, sit outdoors and do likewise. At 17:30 I was in the seafront shelter, limbering up for a good moan. Two hours later I checked my notes...

13 Gannets, 2+ Guillemots, 1 Kittiwake, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 95 Manxies, 33 Sandwich Terns, 1 Red-throated Diver, 2 Shelduck, 6 Whimbrel and 1 Bar-tailed Godwit.

No skuas, of course, nor anything new for the year, but not too shabby really. Just a couple more scans, then home...

I know what you're thinking, but no, that didn't happen. However, two Oystercatchers did fly past. Species number 98 for the West Bay & Eype Patchwork Challenge list. Result!

Last night was chilly and clear. Apparently the northern lights were visible for many, but I didn't see them from my naked noc-mig chair. I did hear a load of shuffling and snorting though, and saw our first garden Hedgehog for ages. Here is a ropey phone pic...

Garden Hedgehog, frozen, and on the point of curling up, so I backed off.

The moth catch was pathetic. Just four moths, but remarkably one was a migrant micro...

I am an optimist by nature, but honestly cannot see me adding to the 2023 skua tally tomorrow.

The quest continues...

Four Subheadings

The last three days have been brilliant. Loads of action, a few surprises, some ropey pics. Here it all is, organised into spurious categories...

The Sea

Once again I've spent too much time looking at it. Cumulative totals as follows: 5 Common Scoter, 11 Common Terns, 88 Sandwich Terns, 6 'Commic' Terns, 51 Gannets, 68 Manxies, 8 Shelduck, 5 Whimbrel, 8 Guillemots, 1 Med Gull, 2 Shags, 1 Pale-bellied Brent.

The Pale-bellied Brent was a surprise, as were the two separate Shags. All flew east. No skuas here yet, though a couple of Poms and plenty of Arctics have been seen off Chesil and Portland Bill.

While peering through the damp and dismal murk late on Friday afternoon, I spied this, 280m away on the West Pier rocks...

Purple Sandpiper

It's a few weeks since I last saw Purple Sand here, so yesterday morning I headed out early for a proper look...

Two Purple Sands!

Mmmmm..!

Before I forget, here's a pucka seawatching photo...

One of five Whimbrel that went past in yesterday evening's rain. Not sure what it's up to. Calling? Throwing up? Lovely bird of course. Always.

Mammals

I saw a Grey Seal off  the West Pier this morning, pointed out to me by a passer-by. A quick burst of photos, and it was gone. I didn't realise it was looking away at the time...

There is something oddly satisfying about this pic of a shiny bonce and whiskers in the oily sea.

And I'll take this opportunity to include a photo I took almost a month ago. Just a Brown Hare, but the closest to Bridport I've personally seen, just north of my West Bay & Eype patch boundary...

Hunkered Hare.

Migrants

I'll be honest. I've had reservations about my decision to stick more local in 2023. Getting to know West Bexington and Cogden over the last few years has been very enjoyable and very rewarding. Would the West Bay area cut it, or would I wind up dissatisfied? Certainly it is a different kettle of fish, but last autumn hinted at the potential. First of all, it has proper seawatching 'facilities', with seats and a roof. Winner! And despite being a comparitively poor vis-mig year there was plenty of excellent quality logged from the West Cliff watchpoint, including two Woodlarks that I was jammy enough to see. A personal highlight was the obliging Barred Warbler of course. The tiny ex-quarry which held it proved to be a proper bird magnet, and perhaps the first location I realised must be quite a hot-spot. For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of getting to know somewhere new is discovering such hot-spots, those relatively small areas which seem to draw birds in certain conditions. Today I came across another.

Right on the eastern edge of the West Bay & Eype patch, I have really fancied this particular area but thus far seen little there. Today it came good. Plenty of Blackcaps and a few Willow Warblers had found this corner, but the highlights were a Redstart and two Garden Warblers...

I saw this Redstart twice in about an hour, both times very briefly.

'Just' a Garden Warbler, but truly a welcome local sight. Initially a bit of a tease in the beautiful Blackthorn blossom.

I know I've said it before but, for me anyway, Sylvia not borin.

I spent a fair bit of time here, hoping for a jackpot Pied Fly, but in the end was more than happy with my winnings. Earlier I had seen a very elusive Sedge Warbler in the reeds next to Rise restaurant in West Bay, so that was three new species for the PWC2023 list.

Migrants are certainly dribbling in still. This morning a Whitethroat flew over the garden and plonked into a neighbour's tree. Garden tick, and addition to the Bridport North PWC2023 list.

Noc-mig

Nothing too dramatic yet, but some lovely recordings. Here are a couple of beauts. First, a cracking little bit of Whimbrel song...

And from last night, possibly my best recording of Little Ringed Plover, which flew over at 04:04. Just over a minute, edited down to about 30 seconds. An absolute corker which illustrates perfectly why I don't plan to pack in the noc-migging any time soon...

I should point out that Little Ringed Plover is apparently on the Bridport Recording Area list purely on the strength of my noc-mig recordings, and has yet to provide a sight record! Which I find pretty remarkable.

I was planning to add further sub-headings to this post - Expectations, Frustrations and Breeders, to name three - but have run out of time and inclination. Until next time...

More Arrivals

Interesting weather this morning: a cloudless sky and a brisk north-easterly, which for here is about as offshore as a wind can get. Assuming lots of birds had crossed the Channel last night, or were doing so right now, several hours of headwind might encourage them to touch down on reaching the coast, rather than flying straight over it. Only one way to find out...

I still have much to learn about birding in West Bay and Bridport - like what spots are best in different conditions - but one thing I do know: Wheatears like to pitch up on the various bits of seafront rock armour when they arrive. I didn't have much time before work, but tried the seafront first...

Newly-arrived Wheatear on the harbour's West Pier. The very excellent seawatching shelter just creeping into shot on the right.

Confiding female Wheatear. This image is uncropped.

NQS Wheatear photo tally slowly growing.

Brisk north-easterlies in late April often encourage migrating Bar-tailed Godwits to cut across land on their journey north. I wasn't particularly expecting to see any at West Bay, but paused frequently along the seafront to have a quick scan offshore. Lowering my bins after one last fruitless effort, I spotted a medium-sized bird at eye level, just a few metres away and heading straight at me. As it went past, the penny dropped. It was a Barwit, and it had a Whimbrel in tow. Both birds flew straight over those buildings visible in the first Wheatear photo, and away inland. Hopefully they went on to brighten up some land-locked patch birder's day like they had mine.

I saw other birds make landfall too. Small ones. At least three Willow/Chiffs and what was probably a Whitethroat. It is such a buzz to witness passerines arriving like that, knowing they've just crossed the Channel. Heading up West Cliff to the Barred Warbler quarry (definitely a hotspot) I was hoping for Grasshopper Warbler or better. I got a Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warblers, 5 Blackcaps and my first Whitethroat of the year. Ah well. Still, the potential was obvious. Birds were actively arriving all the time. By the time I got back to the seafront there were four new Wheatears present, bringing the morning count to 11. Like the earlier ones, these too headed off inland very quickly. And, unfortunately, so did I...to work.

The local WhatsApp group has been busy all day. Kev Hale found a Hoopoe at Beer Head; Redstarts, Whinchats and a Pied Flycatcher popped up in various places; an Osprey and two Hobbies were seen, and this evening there is news of a Woodchat Shrike found at Cogden earlier. A very lively day indeed!

After work I headed up the Mangerton River valley. Being some four miles inland, I wondered if a few of today's new arrivals might linger there, like a nice male Redstart, say...

No chance. But I did find two Willow Warblers, which is a new species for my Bridport North PWC2023 list.

Last night I caught an absolute belter of a moth on the cabin wall. Tiny, but stunning...

Esperia sulphurella is apparently common, but new for me.

Some more pics from the last couple of nights...

At 14mm from palps to wingtip, not so micro.

Brindled Pug. Caught three of these now, and this one is the freshest.

The very common Brimstone, but this one is immaculate and my first this year.

The 2023 moth tally is 54 species plus three aggregates which, according to my Twitter feed, seems to compare quite favourably with what other moth folk are getting.

Arrivals

Sunday night was mild, calm, overcast and very slightly damp. Surely perfect for a few arrivals? The moth trap was out, the noc-mig kit primed and waiting, the early alarm set...

Come morning, the moth tally was 35 of 19 species, including four new for the garden and a pucka migrant: Diamond-back Moth. Comfortably the best catch of 2023, and definitely an arrival. The noc-mig recording revealed four occurences of Oystercatcher, two of Whimbrel (my first this year, and featuring a lovely bit of song) and another wader that I haven't sussed yet. The best bit of wader action so far this year, and definitely an arrival. A pre-work plod around West Bay and the golf course produced three Common Sandpipers - my first of 2023 - and six Wheatears. Not bad. And yes, definitely an arrival.

Some time later, I had a quick scroll through Twitter. A concise tweet from Portland Bird Observatory...

Note: 'Huge fall.' And it was. By close of play, the PBO tally was 616 birds ringed by just three ringers, an all-time day record. And literally thousands of warblers passed through the island, plus a superb list of other bits and bobs. Full details HERE. Quite an arrival - definitely - but all I can say is there wasn't much overspill in this direction!

After work yesterday I paid tribute to another arrival, one that was very overdue if you ask me...

Black-winged Stilt at Black Hole Marsh

Black-winged Stilt is still a rare bird here, but over the last twenty years I have lost count of the number which have occurred east of Seaton, west of Seaton, and everywhere but Seaton. With all the lovely habitat on offer, this improbably long-legged wader is so-o-o-o-o overdue on the Axe. It turned up on Sunday, and I was well chuffed for all the local birders but pretty laid back about seeing it myself. If it waited until after work on Monday, great, I would drop by to say hello. It did, and I did. Mind you, five minutes in the hide was more than enough for me!

The first two Black-winged Stilts I ever saw, in May 1984, involved an illicit dawn raid on Perry Oaks Sewage Farm, where Terminal 4 of Heathrow now resides. Huge fun for a much younger me, and an experience that would be tough to beat. I've only seen one other: Sammy, the bird that lived at Titchwell for ages back in the 1990s. Despite several relatively local opportunities I have never bothered going to see another one.

Rushing off to see rare birds simply because they are rare has long been off the agenda, so I couldn't help a wry smile on hearing today's...er...'major' news...

Disclaimer: photo may not be of actual bird at actual location on actual date

Possibly the most obvious candidate for addition to the British List, this morning's Black-winged Kite in Powys has set birdy Twitter on fire. If it ever gets pinned down, there will be some twitching. A lot of twitching. However, the funniest thing about this event is that I have a screenshot of a friend's WhatsApp message sent last Friday, predicting exactly this species, this week. Such phenomenal prescience surely deserves a big boy's pack of Cadbury's Giant  Buttons? Yes it does. The only thing is, that WhatsApp message predicts another species as well, one which isn't here yet. He has until Sunday...

Meanwhile, in the land of Everyday, birding continued as normal...

Early Saturday morning, and a very welcome sight on the West Bay rocks...

...my first Whimbrel of 2023

Although I heard my first Willow Warbler on Saturday morning, I didn't see any until today, when I clocked up a total of seven at West Bay...

Willow Warbler at West Bay this afternoon. The long primary projection (compared to Chiffchaff) is obvious in this shot.

Red Kite has become a familiar sight in recent years. Still, locally it is usually a species of warm, sunny days, from late morning on. So I was surprised to see one just inland of West Cliff at 07:00 this morning...

Looking inland, very close to the autumn vis-mig watch point at West Bay. The Red Kite has just been noticed by some of the local corvids.

Yep, it definitely has their attention now!

I shan't say much about noc-mig just now but, as there was a Little Grebe last night, I thought it might be instructive to post a sonogram which illustrates a helpful difference between that species and Whimbrel, a very real confusion risk when heard only...

Whimbrel is famous for its classic, so-called 'seven-note whistle' (actually nine in this case) but Little Grebe can sound awfully similar. The give-away is that introductory 'pip' note (frequently two of them) which indicates Little Grebe.

Finally, moffs...

Apologies for imminent photo-indulgence, but in the last few days there has been quite an arrival. Moths have arrived on the new-for-garden list, on the new-for-year list, and on the pleasingly-photographed list. I shall start with probably the rarest, a moth which bolted to freedom the moment I gave it a sniff of fresh air, and is therefore on just the first two lists...

New to Britain in 2017 apparently, this recent arrival is quite possibly breeding in Dorset now, but there are still fewer than a dozen records on the county's Living Record map. So yes, Caloptilia honoratella is a good one. Shame about the pic though.

Original in-the-garage pot shot. It is a ve-e-e-ry small moth.

Spotting a micro-moth during after-dark, moth-trap loitering sessions is always a highlight, and I get ridiculously excited about them. Many are just so whacky, like the one above, and full of character. The Diamond-back Moth is in that category but did a bunk before I could photograph it. Here are a few others instead...

Big for a Depressaria, at approximately 12-13 mm long. Photographed through a plastic pot lid. The moment I lifted the lid out of the way...off like a shot!

Our second for the garden. Rather worn, so its various tufty 'fins' are a bit knackered.

This one is tiny, but that's no excuse for the woeful lack of photographic sharpness. Not sure what happened there. New for the garden.

Our second one of these, but this time I got a decent side-on photo...

...showing the crazy scale-tufts.

And now the macros...

Grey Pine Carpet. New for year.

Nut-tree Tussock. A regular customer last summer, but this one was new for the year and definitely worth a pic.

Early Tooth-striped. New for the garden, and a springtime classic it seems.

A nice, fresh Common Pug. First for the year, and quite early I suspect.

A male Muslin Moth. New for the garden.

Brindled Pug. A bit worn, and very nearly overlooked as a Double-striped Pug. New for the garden.

Red Chestnut. New for the garden. Rather worn, and consequently not quite as red as the illustrations suggest. Struggled to ID this one, but got there in the end; ObsIdentify helped.

In addition to moths...

Alder Leaf Beetles Agelastica alni along the Mangerton River, north of Bridport, on Sunday afternoon. Grateful thanks to Karen Woolley for the ID.

Lots of them!

NQS is traditionally one of those Wheatear-heavy kinds of blog, and I am conscious of falling a bit short this year so far. Thankfully there was an arrival at West Bay first thing this morning. Just the one...