Short-billed Dowitcher 16th September

I went down to Lodmoor this morning to see the juvenile short-billed dowitcher that had been there for nearly two weeks. It was only the second record for Britain and the first this millennium (remarkably the third British record appeared on the Scilly Isles three days after Lodmoor's bird arrived!).  We got there at 8 o'clock and went straight to where the dowitcher had been seen from. There were approximately 30 bird watchers there and right in front of them was the short-billed dowitcher feeding in its characteristic rapid prodding manner. I had seen a long-billed dowitcher at the same sight two years, so it made seeing this incredible rarity even more special. The dowitcher had been blown off course heading south to South America from its breeding grounds in Canada. It was a truly remarkable bird to see. Near the dowitcher were two black-tailed godwits, 8 teals and a little egret. I then walked around the rest of the reserve, seeing several lapwings and more godwits. I got to the hide and scanned. In front of the hide was a green sandpiper, my first in Britain and a truly magnificent bird. It flew out of sight, but soon another appeared even closer. Two sandwich terns went over, a pair of gadwalls and ten teals were feeding on the bank and a group of dunlin flew past. I then walked on, and had another scan. I added a 3 white wagtails, a ringed plover and a common sandpiper to my morning's list. I then went to Ferrybridge, seeing my first sand martins in Dorset as we went past Radipole. At Ferrybridge, we searched the large flock of waders for a curlew sandpiper. Unfortunately we did not find it, but did see lots of dunlin, ringed plover, a Mediterranean gull and a sanderling that briefly had us excited. There were also several wheatears around and a very unseasonal group of six pale-bellied brent geese, the scarcer form of brent goose in Dorset, feeding on the mud.

Short-billed Dowitcher, Lodmoor, 16/9/12

Common Sandpiper, Lodmoor 16/9/12

Sanderling, Ferrybridge 16/9/12

Green Sandpiper, Lodmoor 16/9/12

Back at Hilfield, lots of meadow pipits flew over and at both Hilfield and Sherborne good numbers of house martins and swallows flew over all week. Our Hilfield swallows left on the 13th and several buzzards and herring gulls came over on the 15th.