Trip reports

MINIBUS TRIP to PORTLAND and WEYMOUTH - Tuesday September 30th 2008

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

21 set off in the bus and 2 cars for this popular trip. Unfortunately the weather was windy, with full overcast and occasional showers. Despite arriving 90 minutes after high tide at Ferrybridge, the mudflats were still covered and no birds were present. A quick look at Chesil Cove to see if the westerlies had driven anything inshore revealed only herring gulls, so we moved on to the Bill. Here the wind reached 30 mph, and as it was from just north of west, seawatching was slow!! However, a Merlin flew over our heads, several Gannets passed by, and fleeting glimpses of a few razorbills were had by some. When the rain stopped, we wandered along the clifftops to the Observatory, enjoying 2 swallows, 5 pied wagtails and 3 rock pipits, plus a small flock of linnets, and 2 kestrels. At midday, we returned to a windswept Ferrybridge, where the mud was now host to dunlins, ringed plovers, an oystercatcher and 3 bar-tailed godwits. As we were leaving, a pair of ravens was seen, plus a distant peregrine that, having moved the gulls, settled on a post on Chesil beach.

On to Radipole to search for an American vagrant that has been in the area for a month. First, however, it was good to see that the water levels had been lowered, which attracted snipe, more dunlin, and a few black-tailed godwits, along with an array of gulls, including Mediterranean, plus a mix of ducks. We then took the footpath towards the sea, and soon found our quarry, a male hooded merganser in full breeding plumage. Having initially arrived in dull brown colours, the bird now looked magnificent despite the poor light, although the tufted ducks to which he was displaying were obviously not so impressed! Bonus birds in the same area were a hunting kingfisher and a juvenile bearded tit, picking around the shoreline detritus. The day, having started poorly thus ended on a veritable high.

Other birds recorded - Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Shag, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Turnstone, Common Sandpiper, BH Gull, Common Gull, GBB Gull, LBB Gull, Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Cetti's Warbler (h), Blue Tit, Starling, Magpie, Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow (58 species)

Reported by Steve Oakes