Terns and Scoters @ keyhaven ( part 2 )

Sorry about not posting this second part for ages but I have been really busy lately ( what with going to Wimbledon and the like) but anyway here it is..... :)

After adding the Scoters to my very, very, slow growing Life list I was on a pretty high note for the day and didn't expect it to get any better, but boy was I wrong! Leaving the young (ish) Birder to continue his scanning, me and my auntie walked the short walk to the inland pools that usaully held a nice variety of Waders, Gulls and Terns. Suprisingly there wasn't a lot about when we got there accept for some Redshanks, Curlews, Shelducks, Oystercatchers and BHGs...

But patience nearly always pays off - so we found a nice piece of comfortable ground, hankered down and snacked on our sandwiches ( tuna & vinegar, cheese & tomato sauce sandwiches for me, don't ask. ) After awhile patience did pay off and some distant Terns flew in off the sea. Plenty of Common terns at first but then I spotted a smaller Tern flying between the larger commons, with it flying closer to the bank we were sat on, we could make out a yellow bill and set of legs confirming it as a Little tern! Number two lifer for the day! AWESOME!! ( also later on we went to the Common terns breeding site down the end of Keyhaven, the terns were flying right over our heads, like a mini slice of the Farnes ) ,

The pics are of the Terns, Black headed gulls, Pied wagtails and Keyhaven...

Terns and scoters @ Keyhaven ( part 1 )

The day started off quietly arriving at Keyhaven, a few Redshanks and the odd oystercatcher flew along the coast, a solitary Pied wagtail walked along the shingle and Black headed gulls drifted over head...

After about 5 mins of speedy walking we reached our usual vantage point for scanning for waders and seabirds ( we once had a family of seals bobbing around out to sea here ). A massive
group of Curlews were roosting out on one of the mini islands (around 60 of em!). After chatting to a young (ish) birdwatcher ( about what was around today ), he informed us that a pair of Common scoters were drifting along the edge of the sea line... ( a potential lifer for me! ) So he kindly scanned and located them on his expensive looking scope and let me have a look, Two duck shaped splodges well out to sea..... thats a good enough view for for me! another lifer!

Martin down ( bad! ) pics

Here are a few pics from Martin down, No 1 is a really crappy pic of a Stonechat, 2, 3, 4 are orchids ( please comment if you know what they are, I am rubbish at plants! ) and the fifth is a yellowhammer.....

you cant win them all

A trip to Martin down yesterday to look for Turtle doves was rather uneventful......
Upon arrival Swifts were everywhere ( worringly I have not seen many Swallows this year )
and warblers sang from nearly every bush. Sadly none of the "purring" coo which usually gives the Turtle doves location away was heard. Walking up the hill , skylarks hovered up high and a family of stonechats were just asking to have their photo taken ( I didn't manage a good photo though!!). A little higher up we met a helpful birder who told us that he had not seen much around but had heard some T doves singing down on another path. So after saying bye to the old man we headed back to the other path and made are way down - Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Yellowhammers and a lonely male Pheasant were the only birds seen. Arriving where the birder had heard them ,we waited for a few minutes but after awhile it started to rain, so we headed back to the car defeated and wet through.........

We did'nt manage the Doves but never mind, I guess you cant win them all,
A few photos to follow later on ( Don't expect em to be great lol ).

Yearlist Update

I have not had anytime for birding lately so might aswell post an update on my lists for the year.
YR list: 114 (bad I know!!) highlights are as follows, Collared Flycatcher twitched at Portland (Candidate for the best bird of the year?!) Temmincks stint found at Blashford lakes ( i thought it was a Common Sandpiper at first! then some birders identified it for me..) Osprey found at a undisclosed site ( passing through to the Highlands no doubt as its no longer there ) and a Bittern at Blashford lakes ( best view ever! it walked out into the open in front of the hide setting off a million camera shutters!! ). So not that bad I guess......

My lifelist now stands at 141 but I am hoping to get loads of lifers when i move to spain like Griffon vulture, Lesser kestrel, Black winged stilt,Roller and loads more........

Scarlet Tiger Moth

Oh, I forgot to add this pic I got of a Scarlet tiger moth, A helpful man at the Visitor centre i.d it for me............

A great day around Radipole lake!!

Well folks here is my first post to this Blog, I will try and make it as interesting as I can....

Yesterday me and my Auntie(she is the one responsible for starting my interest in Birds and wildlife!) Did the usaul 40-45 min drive all the way down to Weymouth to try for the elusive Cettis Warbler. On the way down a few Buzzards, Sprawks(dont you just love that name..) and
Kestrels were seen hovering and gliding over the countryside.

We did stop off at Abbotsbury Swannery to try for Bearded Tits but i would rather not talk about it (guess why..) Radipole lake was a different story within a few minutes i had spotted a Sedge Warbler showing and singing well in a bush next to the reeds, a NEW lifer for me!! (by the way its a wetland habitat) Relucantly i left the Warbler to continue the search for the Cettis...

Down the path as I turned a bend I accidently flushed a Warbler, which flew over the reeds, landed and burst into song. Well the song was a dead giveaway "YES" finally a Cettis warbler!!
and It only took me Four years to see one!!....... lol