Red-backed Shrike

It always seems to happen this way - I was sat far from any birding environment when I received a text message from Martin "15ft away from Tidemills Red-backed Shrike and light perfect". I was in mixed company at the time and my outburst was very restrained. Now this isn't always the direction of information; I had done the same when I was on "Elvis" on the Ythan Estuary and the message was pretty similar, and I am sure the response was too.

 Having missed the bird I was tempted to pay a visit the very next day. However, lurid tales of a large crowd of birders in attendance deterred me, especially when descriptions that people in full camouflage and veils were standing next to people in check shirts and other garish garb to obtain shots of an obliging bird. I decided to stick to Plan A and go to the North Wall to pick blackberries and sloes - an annual foraging festival.  On the wall I met Trevor and Ian and we all had a go at photographing the considerable flock of Yellow Wagtails that were following the cows in the fields below Honer Farm.

A message from Bart Ives had us scurrying out of the fields back on to the wall in search of an elusive Wryneck, which despite a couple of hours searching I failed to find. So back to the blackberrying, not BlackBerrying - as my spell checker would prefer.

Monday and the weather forecast wasn't good so we decided not to venture forth. Tuesday morning the weather was fair and when Martin picked me up we reckoned that a visit to Tidemills was in order. When we arrived I was surprised that no birders where present, mind you neither was the bird. I had just reached the point where I thought "it's gone" when it appeared and of course posed perfectly. Great to have it to ourselves for a while and at one stage the sun came out - the "crowd" peaked at five and we left happy.

We waited patiently for a "bee in the beak" shot but with the cooler weather they were not flying so much. Anyway, patience was rewarded with a "beetle in the beak" instead. Looks like a Devils Coach Horse, Ocypus olens - happy to be corrected.

I guess this is where it got rid of the indigestible bits.

 

Today was a fruitless trip around Pulborough Brooks, virtually no reward for our circumnavigation of the reserve, just a distant view of a Marsh Harrier and countless Canada Geese.

On to the North Wall where, at high tide, a host of birds where on Breech Pool - not for long. As the RSPB "gardeners" left in their bright blue van just about every bird decamped for the harbour.

This young chap/chapess was creating havoc amongst the wildfowl and waders but I got the impression it was just having fun rather than a serious hunt for food.

Nice to see the Wigeon back in good numbers, Pintail too.

Eider it is or it isn't

Within the birding fraternity nothing creates more discussion than a single specimen of wildfowl in an unusual place. Experienced birders, without even seeing a bird, will dismiss it as an escapee or "plastic" should it be behaving oddly or be out of place by just a few miles. So it was with today's bird, a male Eider in breeding plumage has been consorting with the Mallard flock in Fareham Creek. This bird is just several miles away from the Solent, where it would be considered perfectly normal.

Visually this bird is correct in all respects, full of wing and no visible rings. It just happens to be giving a female Mallard the full Eider works, head bobbing, wing flapping, sky pointing and above all else, the "Awoo" at considerable volume. Anyway, if you want to see it for yourself, it is currently residing in Fareham Creek either close to the marina or off Bath Lane recreation ground, high tide being the best time to visit. Plastic or not this bird gets a tick from me for its stunning good looks and eccentric behaviour. However, it must be a bit thick if it hasn't realised that the Mallard is just not impressed.

On the way to Fareham we had dropped into Nore Barn Stream where, with a rising tide, we expected to get close to both Spotted Redshank and Greenshank. Unfortunately we were a tad early and only found the Spotshank at distance so left intending to return later when the tide would have brought the birds closer.

Our third venue was a return to Farlington in the hope of catching the Short-eared Owl that had been reported. Unfortunately we dipped, probably because of the brisk onshore breeze. No sign of the Bearded Tits either. On the lake a single Avocet and out on the mud several Knot active amongst the Oystercatchers and Grey Plovers.

Back to Nore Barn and at high water all the birds had disappeared from the stream area, probably due to the excessive amount of dog walkers in the area, most of whom could not control a dog as long as their rear end points downwards.

Next stop was the Ferry Pool at Pagham, nothing much to report, just the long staying Ruddy Shelducks, themselves the focus of contention during the annual bird race. Again their credentials questioned by another birder who hadn't even seen the birds. On down the road to Church Norton where a visit to the beach was kept very short, just a few Black-headed Gulls loafing in the surf which was doing its best to spill over the shingle. Perhaps it might be a good thing if the shingle spit was breeched by the tide and a new exit/entrance to the harbour recreated where it once was.

With the sun still shining we couldn't wrap up and go home so we decided to have another go at the Slavonian Grebe on Pagham Lagoon, again lots of pictures but the bird remained wary and at a distance despite our best efforts at concealment amongst the bankside gorse bushes. I would think, considering the amount of Sticklebacks that it is catching, this bird will remain for some time.

Finally a visit to one of my favourite venues - the North Wall, where the water levels appear to be even higher. Plenty of birds present on the flooded fields and I noticed that there were several ringed Black-tailed Godwits present. I had set up the camera to record some of these birds when suddenly everything took off, great wheeling flocks of Lapwings and Godwits filling the air. Try as you might the camera never catches the drama, but some of the photographs show the panic induced by the proximity of a raptor. Sure enough, on the ground where these flocks had been was an adult Peregrine tucking into a hapless wader.

A Day of Two Halves

First light found  me at the sluice on the North Wall at Pagham, Dave Shepherd had phoned me last night to say that he had found an "odd" diving duck in the creek and was seeking help in trying to identify it. Given Dave's track record I had no hesitation in going to have a look.  In the grey light I managed to locate two small diving birds in the channel, the first proved to be a Little Grebe, the other much more distant bird, was a small dark duck with the appearance of being "half submerged". However it beat a hasty retreat and I couldn't get any more identifying features, very frustrating. I hung around for four hours hoping for a return but unfortunately no more sightings, not helped by two inconsiderate "birders" walking out to the edge of the creek.

 I relieved the tedium of waiting by trying to get a shot of the very active Kingfisher which gave several flybys. In the rife there was a reclusive Water Rail which I tracked back into Breech Pool, quite a dark plumaged bird. On the pool itself there were the usual suspects plus two pairs of Shovelers and a single Snipe. The Wigeon that had relocated from the harbour went walkabout as if on cue.

One day I will get perfect light, distance and composition all at the same time!

Walkabout Wigeon

If you recognise yourself - thanks you inconsiderate *******

The second half of the day found me sat in the garden in pleasantly mild conditions with hazy sunshine. Just a few days of warmer weather has got the birds active. The Blue Tits are sparking and our nest box has been claimed but I am not sure of the tenants as there appear to be three at the moment - one will have to go. We have had a visiting pair of Coal Tits throughout the winter and as I sat on the patio they came to the feeders less than ten feet away. I have no idea of which is male or female but there appeared to be a pecking order, what I assumed to be the male visits the feeder first whilst the other bird perches a few feet away, moving in to feed when the other leaves.

The Goldcrests have reverted to their normal feeding behaviour, foraging for insects in the Christmas tree. The suet feeders definitely being a second preference, at least they have been sustained for almost four weeks since the snow came.

Armchair Birding

Whilst photographing the Whooper Swans on the North Wall I took about 100 photographs of the swirling masses of waders present in the north fields plus all the residents of the flooded parts. It is amazing what you miss when you are using only bins. Post trip analysis, my variation on "armchair birding", revealed several facts that hadn't registered in the field.

How many species?

Well a Pintail wasn't in my original log - and it sticks out like a sore thumb, how did I miss it?

Similarly - spot the hidden birds

One, possibly three Ruff

How many??????

So what's in the picture?

     329  Black-tailed Godwits (+/- 1% ), of which 6 are carrying lower limb red rings.
     1  Starling
     1  Wigeon

Given that several observers had estimated the flock at 500 and that this picture is of the main body and the flock often divided, then I am comfortable that our estimate is pretty good.

A lot to check and a long way off

Y+GY - a Solent bird

Y+GY  I sent the report of this bird to Pete Potts  on Saturday 22nd  and had a reply waiting in my inbox this morning. This bird was first ringed on 29/10/2009 at Farlington Marshes and has been recorded at various dates on the south coast. Oddly enough Pete had spotted this very bird at Vosper's, Portsmouth Harbour just three days previous.