Tuesday 8th. May 2012

Another grey start , so I headed to Down House to do the bird survey . 23 species were recorded , about average . Summer migrants recorded were Blackcap , Chiffchaff , Common Whitethroat and Swallow . No sign of the Roe Deer and the only species to make it to the viewfinder was this Song

Thrush , singing his heart out in the formal garden . I intended going on to the Greensand Ridge to look for reptiles , but the promised clearance looked unlikely in the near future , so I headed for New Hythe , patch of fellow Blogger Phil / Sharp by Nature , to see if I could get into the Nightingale fest that has been going on down there . I parked at the waterworks entrance , and within 20 metres had the first of many Nightingales singing , in fact I had three birds before I got to the diver's bridge . Also singing were Common Whitethroats , Willow Warlbers and Reed Warblers . As usual , I had a look around the ditch for any signs of Water Vole , and saw movement some way down the ditch . It seemed a small specimen , and indeed turned out to be a juvenile . I watched as is swam to where a

Bramble stem from the bush on the bank had reached the water . It then proceeded to climb the stem to get to the upper leaves . Once it  to where the stem went more horizontal , it proceeded to strip off the leave to eat . At first it seemed to eat every leaf but the ones between it and the camera , but

eventually it moved more into the open , allowing better shots . A second juvenile appeared but kept well under cover amongst the dead reed stems . While mesmerised by the climber , I saw another local blogger , Alan Woodcock / Snodland and Surrounding Area , about to cross the bridge and beckoned him over . We had met in Snodland the previous winter when the Waxwings were over in good numbers . Alan was pleased to get some shots , as he told me he only had shots of adults . Alan also put me on to the Nightingale hotspot , so after the climber dropped into the water and disappeared into the bank , I went back into Nightingale mode at the Brook House track , and was not disappointed , finding good numbers , even though it was almost midday , when things tend to go

quieter . I also manage to get the shutter going on one individual , I think he was too interested in what he was singing to worry about me . Also found on the scrub area were St.Georges Mushrooms /

Tricholoma gambosum . By now , the clearance in the weather had become heavy drizzle , so |I headed back to the car and had my lunch . I decided to still call at the Greensand Ridge on the way home and got there in not much better conditions than leaving New Hythe . The first three small

sights didn't produce much as regards reptiles , but they did produce a Peacock butterfly , it must have seen the same forecast as I did , and another held about a dozen Scorpion Flies , all males ,

identified by the orange Scorpion -like tail . The reptiles started coming , 2 Common Lizards , 8

Slow Worms , including a couple of large males with blue spots , 6 Grass Snakes of assorted ages ,

including one that obviously didn't want to be recognised , all found under refugia . With the conditions , I was resigned to not finding an Adder , but then came across this large female , and I'm

reasonably sure I saw her on my last visit , but some 150 metres distant from today's position . As well as the Peacock , I recorded two male Orange Tips , this one looking like he wished he hadn't

bothered emerging . Along with the Bluebells and Greater Stitchwort , Red Campion / Silene dioica ,

a member of the Pink family is trying to cheer things up , along with swathes of Yellow Archangel /

Lamiastrum galeobdolon , a member of the large Labiate family . Some plants have already gone

through their flowering period , and fruits are starting to form , like Bilberry / Vaccinium myrtillus , a member of the Heath family .
And the clearance ? Half way home from the Greensand Ridge , the sun came out , the temperature rose by 5C , it was warm , but it didn't last for long .
As I said , not a sign of the local blogger at New Hythe , probably boning up on Rat Pack numbers at home .

Sunday 6th. May 2012 ( Dorset - Part 2 . )

The weather on our third day in Dorset dawned grey and cool , but we set off back to Studland and another attempt at Dartford Warbler . To put it in a nutshell , I spent over two hours wandering over a soggy Studland Heath and basically saw very little . A couple of Mallard , Shellduck , Magpies ,

Stonechats , Willow Warblers and a single Meadow Pipit , looking as if it didn't want to be there was just about as good as it got . In a dense area of Gorse and Heather , I was once again 'barked' at by a

small herd of Sika Deer , who , having bounded off , stopped at a safe distance to check me out . By the time I got back to Carol and the car , I felt as if I had been on an all day route march . With no brightening of the weather , we decided to catch the chain operated car ferry from the tip of Studland over to the Sandbanks area of Poole , then headed along the coast to Hengistbury Head , the other side of Bournemouth , a good site for Natterjack Toads I had read . On our arrival there were several coaches parked up and the whole place was swarming with students out on a field trip , so much for any slim chance of seeing a Toad . And so it was , even their spawn was under attack , with a pair of Mallards looking like they were feeding on it in one of the shallow ponds . There was compensations

though , a chink in the cloud allowed a short spell of sunshine and that encouraged a Small Copper onto the wing , my first sighting this year , and when I got up to the lighthouse area on top of the

cliff , there were anything up to 15 Wheatear bouncing about amongst the grass . Naturally enough ,

having just arrived , they were very flighty and keeping a good distance between ourselves , whilst all the time keeping an eye out for a passing meal . There were also good numbers of hirundine feeding along the face of the cliff and Blackcaps , Willow Warblers , Chiffchaffs and Common Whitethroat could be heard in the wooded area further away from the cliff . On my way back to the

car park , a male Linnet was much more approachable as he sang to attract a mate . From there , we made our way to Upton Heath , a Sand Lizard site the other side of Poole , that I had been told about by a volunteer at Arne . Unfortunately , by the time we got to the site after much confusion with Upton Country Park , the cloud had filled in again , with a marked drop in temperature . I had a look around , but it soon became obvious that it was a lost cause , especially with the arrival of many late afternoon dog walkers . I did however find a new , for me , species of Milkwort being Heath /

Polygala serpyllifolia . On the way back to the b&b , we made a stop at the site where I photographed the Sand Lizards the day before , and found the two enthusiasts who told me of the site , doing the same thing , passing and having a look . We had a look around but there was no sign of any reptiles out , so we went on our separate ways . The last full day dawned just grey and cool , so we decided to head down towards Weymouth , where we found low cloud and drizzle , so headed a bit further on to Portland and Chesil Beach . The viewpoint at the top of Portland kept drifting in

and out of the mist and during one clear patch I got my only shot , a Herring Gull at rest . WE headed back to Weymouth and stopped at an open air market , and whilst Carol had a look around that , I went to have a look around an incredible large reedbed alongside the car park , which just happened to be RSPB Radipole Lake . As soon as I got onto the path , Reed Warblers could be heard in large

numbers , with very few being seen . I just about managed a shot of this one , the only one that gave an opportunity . There were also good numbers of Cetti's Warbler , but apart from an occasional glimpse , it was the usual 'heard , rarely seen' . A calling Reed Bunting was seen further down the

 path and shortly afterwards , a female collecting nesting materials . Towards the far end of the reedbed , Little and Great Crested Grebe were found , the latter still displaying . The expected Coots , Moorhens , Mallard and Tufted Ducks all put in an appearance , as did a Great Black-backed Gull ,

posing with three Herring Gulls . A lot of noise coming from around a corner , was found to be

coming from two gorky juvenile Carrion Crows , shouting for food from the nearby adults . The low clouds seemed to have kept large numbers of newly arrived hirundines in the area , and they were busily feeding on insects very close to the surface of the water . I spent some time trying to get shots , but the light was very poor , but I managed to get three of the species on camera .

House Martin

 Sand Martin

       Swallow

It was as I finished here that I met two birders from London , who told me about a Glossy Ibis that had seen earlier at another reserve , Lodmoor , so I decided to find Carol and head up along the coast a bit to see if I could connect with the bird . Making my back to the car park , I caught a movement in some reeds and almost dismissed it as another Reed / Cetti's Warbler , but for some reason stopped to see if the two birds would show . It took a couple of minutes , but when the first one did , I was ready

and although a bit distant , was pleased to see a male Bearded Tit emerge and perch on the outside of the reeds . I managed a few shots before he darted back into cover . I could see the other bird still moving within the reeds , and was more than overjoyed when it too came to the front of the reeds , to

 reveal itself as a female . She too didn't stay long , and after a few seconds the pair flew across the opening in the reeds and disappeared deep into the other side . If anyone is visiting Weymouth , this reserve , almost in the middle of the town , is well worth a visit . Collecting Carol , we headed up to Lodmoor , another wetland reserve . The reserve has no dedicated car park and an adjacent 'pay and display' did not look the type of one to leave Carol in the car , so driving around , I managed to find a 'back door' to the reserve , in a road with houses alongside . I set off for a look around and was soon in a large reedbed , once again containing lots of hirundines and Warblers , with the addition this time of a Cuckoo in a wood overlooking the reeds . It gave me an opportunity to get a poor shot of the

fourth member of the hirundines , the fast flying Swift , not really a shot for poor light conditions . I had a good look around , but couldn't find the Ibis , but on a very well groomed - by rabbits , area of

grass , I did come across a Whimbrel feeding on insects . It carried on feeding , taking no notice of me , but when a local dog walker appeared , the bird took flight , but it did return when the dog and

walker moved on . By the time I got back to Carol , it was starting to drizzle , so time to head back to the b&b , but as I was putting my gear in the back of the car , Carol spotted a raptor and by the time I

got the camera out again it had been joined by a Carrion Crow . By now the light was grim , and I can't get any markings on the underwing . Probably another Common Buzzard , or maybe ?

Saturday 5th. May 2012 ( Dorset - Part 1. )

Back in the depths of last Winter , when it was cold and damp , I planned a Spring visit to the Purbeck Hills in Dorset , an area that I have always wanted to visit . With reptiles and migrant birds on the 'want list' , I booked a b&b for Carol and myself at Corfe Castle , not actually in the castle but in the village that bears the same name , right in the middle of the area . After last year's incredible Spring , I went for the beginning of May , envisaging wall to wall sunshine and Mediterranean temperatures . We all know what the second half of April was like , and as last weekend approached , my dreams seemed to be in tatters as wind , rain and cool temperatures were the order of the day . It came as some surprise as we prepared to set out that the sun was actually shining , but accompanied by a very cool wind , but at least it wasn't raining , but the forecast for our four days was not encouraging . We arrived in the area still in sunshine , so I decided to make the most of the conditions and headed for RSPB Arne . It was obvious straight away that the deluges of rain recently had not escaped the area , and although the reserve is on sand and well draining under usual conditions , large puddles of water covered many of the trails and heathland areas off the main trails were also flooded . Leaving Carol with her book in the car park , I set off for a look around , with Dartford Warbler on top of my list . One of the main centres of interest , the pond where Raft Spiders can usually be found , had burst it's banks and was now just part of a flooded heathland and unapproachable , unless you happened to be wearing waders . Looking over the area of the heathland trail , I couldn't see anyone else about , and when the trail opened out , the reason became apparent , as an almost bitter wind was blowing in off the sea , ensuring that any birds were sheltering . Every

now and again , the odd call or movement , especially in sheltered dips , but all of these turned out to

be pairs of Stonechats , warning each other of my presence , then quietening down once I had passed . A very distant sighting of a Hobby , one of a pair that have returned to the site again this year , a few Corvids and the odd Linnet and I was down by the viewing screen overlooking the saltings , half way round the trail . Lots of Shellduck , a few Black-tailed Godwit and a mix of Canada and Greylag Geese were all that was seen , surprising as the tide was out with plenty of mus revealed . As I started the second part of the trail back towards the car park a movement on top of some Gorse allowed a very quick sighting of a male Dartford Warbler , but before I could raise the camera , he was gone , not to be seen again . And that was just about as exciting as the return journey got , in fact there was more birdsong in the car park than on the way around the trail , with Blackcap , Chiffchaff , Willow Warbler , Blackbird , Wren and House Sparrow all chiming in , to say nothing

of a male Peacock who had wandered in from an adjoining property , and taken up station on one of the picnic tables . With Carol happy with her book , I set off on the woodland/farmland  trail leading out from the village church . I had only just started down the track , when I heard  the sound of calling Common Buzzards somewhere beyond the trees behind the church . Eventually four birds

showed , but I only managed to get any two in the viewfinder at any one time , before two drifted over the farmland and the other two back from where they came from . The expected woodland birds started to show up , but the trail went to a high area with plenty of fence posts , but not a sign of a migrant sitting on any of them . Almost at the saltmarshes on this trail , I came across a small herd of

Sika Deer , and probably wouldn't have spotted them had one not 'barked' as I approached . The saltmarshes produced another individual grazing , two snoozing Shellduck and two Black-headed Gulls , and that was it , really worth climbing to the top floor of the hide . A few Lesser Redpoll were seen high in a Pine and a 'rattling' Mistle Thrush flew over , before a much large herd of Sika Deer , sheltering out of the wind in a field . There must have been 30/40 that I could see , all watched over

by a white stag . I read later that he isn't a true albino as he doesn't have pink eyes , and is described as a white morph . And that was it for my first much anticipated visit to Arne , the only consolation being that if I had come the previous week , I would probably have got soaked as well as not seeing much . On our way down to the b&b , we would pass the turning to Studland , another area I wanted to visit , so just went down for a quick look . Another great heathland area and beautiful sandy beach on one side of the peninsular , and a good site for Sand Lizards I had been told , but the conditions were not conducive whilst we were there , so a look at the beach and a shot of a passing

Oystercatcher , and it was off to the b&b , a meal in a local pub and fingers crossed for the weather for tomorrow , which wasn't looking too promising .
The morning dawned bright and not too windy , so after breakfast I couldn't wait to get to Durlston Country Park , on the cliffs near Swanage . Plenty of gulls about , a male Kestrel passed under me , no more than 5 metres away , but I wasn't ready for him and he was gone . Jackdaws seemed to be

nesting below and a few Carrion Crows passing by , then , a much larger Corvid flew in , a Raven . It soon became very apparent that it had not yet had it's breakfast , as it began searching the ledges that the Guillemots were nesting on , and it wasn't very long before it found what it was looking for , an

egg , which it took further along the cliffs and devoured the well formed embryo . Shortly after this , I met up with a local birder who told me that this was one of a pair that were nesting on the cliffs for the first time , which was good , but not good for the resident Guillemots , whose nests were being predated by the pair at an alarming rate . I personally saw three eggs being taken . The birder also showed me where the resident Kestrels were nesting on the cliffs , and sure enough , there was the

male I had seen earlier , on sentry duty outside the nest , and directly below him was a group of

Guillemots , no doubt discussing the thieving Ravens . Another chap came along and stopped to ask if there were any Orchids on the site , so whilst the local birder and this chap chatted , I left to look for Dartford Warbler in the thick Gorse above the cliff path , but I only found Linnets , Common Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs , but I did meet a couple of reptile enthusiasts from Derbyshire , who told me of a site that they had visited the day before , with good numbers of Sand Lizards present , a site that we had passed driving from Arne to Corfe Castle . I tried not to be too rude , but with the sun still shining , I couldn't wait to get back to the car and do some reptiling , in case it didn't last . We got there just after noon , and I set off searching , knowing that the best part of the day , the morning whilst things are warming up and the Sand Lizards do the same , was already passed . I found some good habitat for the species , sandy slopes with Gorse cover , but the lizards obviously hadn't read the script . Thinking back , yesterday was probably the first warmish day for the best part of a week , so it would have encouraged a lot of movement , but I carried on searching . Eventually

I did find a female , well camouflaged , basking just outside a rabbit hole . She allowed me a few shots before disappearing down the hole . Another half hour went by without finding any more animals , but I did see two teneral Large Red Damselflies , making their maiden flights after hatching . I decided to try my luck on the other side of the road , which was flatter and more Gorse covered . It soon became obvious that the Gorse was home to at least two pairs of Stonechats , the males noisily telling me to keep moving . I also put up a Roe Buck from a thick clump of Gorse , which barked at me as it bounded off . Then , within another stand of Gorse , I found a 3mtr. x 1 mtr.

corrugated sheet , and underneath was the first of three Smooth Snakes that I found on the site . The Smooth Snake is by far the scarcest of the three snakes in the UK , and although resembling an Adder , does not have the continuous zig-zag pattern along it's back , is not poisonous , and has a

round pupil , compared to the vertical pupil of the Adder . But , apart from a few Slow Worms , I didn't find any other reptiles on this side , so I returned back to the other side again . I must admit , I was starting to think that it was getting late in the afternoon , when , just like waiting for a bus ,

two males were found almost together , both looking very dapper in their green breeding colours . Before leaving the site as it clouded over , I found another two males and another female , I was well satisfied . We decided to head for Swanage to get an evening meal , which was a good choice as the sun was still out there , and we had a nice walk along the front and even managed to get a shot of one

of two Sandwich Terns that were noisily looking for food some way out in the bay . After the meal and heading back to the b&b , I stopped at some very good looking Barn Owl habitat . We didn't strike lucky with an Owl , but we did get two more Common Buzzards and a non-stop calling Cuckoo , which we never did get sight of .
The forecast wasn't good for the next two days , so it was back to finger crossing .
I'll write those two days up tomorrow / Monday .