Harbridge and Wyke Down, 27th January

On sunday we had another good day's birdwatching. We started by heading to Harbridge, and the day got of to a superb start with two barn owls seen on the journey.

 At Harbridge we hoped to find the three bean geese seen there yesterday. Unfortunately we missed them- they had seemingly been spooked by a farmer driving his tractor through the field they had been in. We did find some great other birds though. On the flooded fields behind the church at Harbridge, there was an enormous flock of lapwings, at least 650, and among them were three golden plovers and rather surprisingly a knot- a true bird of the coast which had bizarrely ended up a long way inland here at Harbridge which looked slightly out of place among the much larger lapwings. We then searched a field which contained a remarkable 45 mute swans, as well as several dozen Canada and greylag geese. Nearby, there were nine Egyptian geese, certainly the most wild of this species that I've seen in England (definitely more so than the very feral ones in Hyde Park last December!) and on the river there were lots of wigeon, teal and tufted ducks, as well as a little egret. We then found three Bewick's swans, only my second sighting of the species, and a really nice species to see. Just before we headed to Wyke Down, I decided to have a last check of the lapwing flock, and was duly rewarded by finding three ruff- my first in Britain, and a complete surprise. Of course these birds were looking rather drab in their winter coat compared to their remarkable summer plumage, but there was still something striking about them,  they are certainly a stand out wader with their comparatively large size and orange legs- highlighted by the fact that the bird is the only member of its genus in the entire world. Interestingly, only the male birds are called ruffs (so called due to their breeding plumage when they don a remarkable set of feathers around their neck, which looks very similar to fashionable 16th and 17th century neck collars popular with Queen Elizabeth I) and the females are called reeves.

We then drove to Wyke Down, hoping to find another new bird for me- the great grey shrike. We found it almost immediately- a quick scan from the car park and there it was perched on the top of a small tree. We got closer to it and enjoyed some superb views. It is a remarkable bird- unlike almost all birds its size it is a carnivore, feeding on lizzards and small rodents and with the unique (and rather savage) habit of impaling its victims on thorns to help the shrike with tearing its prey apart. A further look around the down produced lots of reed buntings, yellowhammers and skylarks, as well as a fly over golden plover with a large flock of lapwings. The best birds were, however, a peregrine feeding on a freshly killed pheasant near 12 roe deers, before it was forced to move of its kill by a buzzard; and a corn bunting, now a very rare bird in Britain having once been an abundant countryside bird. Its decline has been due to changes in farming techniques, and it is one of a number of species that has been severely affected by this. The mammalian highlight was definitely the dozen or so hares in a plowed field on the down- they are a mammal I always enjoy seeing.

Back at Hilifeld, we have had a period of some great species this winter, which continued with at least two bramblings in with a flock of chaffinches and goldfinches that was feeding in our garden. The bird feeders have been very busy, with up to twelve long-tailed tits, eight blue tits, seven robins and four nuthatches (as well as the other usual species) using them at any one time, along with a single marsh tit, a goldfinch, a bullfinch and our first greenfinch on the feeders this winter.

Great Grey Shrike, Wyke Down 27.1.13

Certainly what can be described as a 'record shot' of the ruff- you may just be able to make them out in the middle!

Wareham 20th January

We had a great morning today in the Frome Valley. We started by looking for a whooper swan reported from High Tor, but unfortunately despite several mute swans being present, we couldn't find the whooper, but we did find several curlew and little egrets. We then went to Holmebridge, hoping to find the pink-footed goose seen from there yesterday, but immediately found the whooper swan there next to a mute swan! It was my first new British bird of the year, not a particularly rare one but a difficult one to find in Dorset. We then headed down the public footpath which ran alongside the flood plain, and found a great group of siskins in a small area of woodland there. As we crossed the floodplain, we spooked several snipe and two woodcock. There were thousands of thrushes on the plain, almost all fieldfares and redwings, and hundreds of lapwings. Through the scope, I found a group of greylag geese (somehow my first in Dorset!) and I felt confident that the pink-foot would be among them. As we got nearer, I found the pink-footed goose, my second new bird of the day. Despite it being a common bird in winter in the north of England, having always lived in the south this was a good new bird.
We then headed to Lytchett Bay. On the way, we came across a trio of waxwings in a roadside tree and watched them for ten minutes, before they flew off. The second waxwings we have found ourselves this year already! At Lytchett, we found several goldeneye and red-breasted mergansers, some brent geese, a shag and dozens of great crested grebes in the water. On the beach were several oystercatchers and turnstones and a single ringed plover. The best birds were, however, a pair of sandwich terns, a great bird to find in winter in the UK. We ended with a kingfisher which took off from a jetty and whizzed past us.

Hilfield 18th January

There were a huge number of birds at Hilfield today, a rough estimate of the number of each species I saw today either in, or flying over my garden is here:

1000+ Woodpigeon
c.800 rook
c.400 jackdaw
c.200 lapwing
150 starling
120 golden plover, redwing
100 chaffinch
80 carrion crow
50 fieldfare
26 skylark, stock dove
22 goldfinch
12 blackbirds, long-tailed tit
10 blue tit
8 robins, great tit, coal tit
6 herring gull
5 song thrush, mallard
4 pheasant, nuuthatch, dunnock
2 buzzard, magpie, bullfinch, marsh tit, goldcrest, wren
1 brambling, greenfinch, black-headed gull, great spotted woodpecker

There were quite remarkable numbers of birds around, presumably as a result of the cold weather. The golden plovers were the highlight as the species was a long overdue new species for me at Hilfield, and the second occurrence of a brambling this winter was another great bird. Sadly no sign of the waxwing or peregrine though!

Peregrine- Hilfield

Hilfield has been superb this winter- with bramblings, ravens, thousands of starlings, redwings and fieldfares and of course a waxwing. I found another great bird today, with a very vocal peregrine allowing great views from our garden! This is only the second peregrine I have seen at Hilfield, and the last one was a bird that flew over very high. This bird was perched on top of a tree, and every so often would make a swoop to the garden in pursuit of prey. Peregrines are always a great bird to see, and this one was particularly special.

Peregrine Falcon, Hilfield, 16.1.13

Marrakech and High Atlas 4-9th January

We arrived at Marrakech Airport late in the evening of the 4th and the only bird seen were spotless starlings, which had gathered in enormous clouds around a crane and the floodlights at the airport, creating a remarkable spectacle as the sun set.

The next day was spent wandering around the busy souks of the old town of Marrakech, where birdwatching was not a priority. I did however see a new bird from my bedroom at the riad we were staying in, made remarkable by the fact that it had no windows to the outside. It was a house bunting, which appeared to live and nest inside the hotel, feasting on the remains from breakfast.

The only other birds of any note seen during the morning were common bulbuls, a kestrel and my first Moroccan blackbirds. In the evening, however, we were treated to a stunning spectacle as dozens of white storks returned to their nests on the ruined walls of the old palace. Unfortunately our camera had packed up, so I missed the opportunity to take some great photos of the storks on the palace with the Atlas Mountains in the background. It was one of the great birding sites I have witnessed. Near the palace, we saw some other birds of interest, including great views of a kestrel, a fly-past little egret and hundreds of little swifts.

The next morning, we visited the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech. I was hoping to find some better birds here, but the best we could find were several blackcaps and a woodpigeon, not to dissimilar from Dorset! That all changed, however, when a parrot flew into a tall palm tree, disturbing the blackcaps. Knowing that the only naturalised feral parrots in Morocco were ring-necked parakeets, which this certainly wasn't, we knew the bird must have been an escape. We later identified it as a Senegal parrot, presumably a bird brought up by traders from the Western Sahel, which escaped and is now thriving these gardens. It was certainly an unexpected sight!

We then headed up to the foothills of the Atlas for an afternoon's walk. On the way we saw a southern grey shrike and some magpies of the northern African race, which have a small patch of bare blue skin behind their eyes. At Oued Ourika, there were dozens of cattle and little egrets and some grey herons.

Our first birds of the foothills were an African blue tit and Iberian chiffchaff, both new birds for me, and the chiffchaff was not at the normal time of year. The blue tits are now classified as a separate species from the one found in the UK, and show a stronger blue than our ones. As we continued to walk, better birds began to appear, a lanner falcon and a sparrowhawk flew past. Soon, a pair of Bonelli's eagles drifted over, a new species for me, and certainly the bird of the trip. We then saw some African chaffinches, perhaps a future split from the normal European chaffinches. Another new species for me, the European serin, began to appear, mostly birds flying overhead. We then saw some white wagtails and coal tits. Soon, we came across a great group of hawfinches, a real suprise, and one I had only recently seen for the first time in the UK. We then flushed a small flock of barbary partridges, my first of the species, and another first was a cirl bunting which flew over. As we returned, we came across a large group of serins flitting among the trees very close to us, which ended a great walk.

The next day, we drove to the Atlas. At a stop on the way, we found a lesser kestrel. In the garden of the house we were staying in, there were some more African blue tits and chaffinches, as well as coal and great tits. A walk further up into some conifer forests brought some great birds, the best of which were dozens of firecrests and Atlas crossbills, as well as short-toed treecreepers and black redstarts, hundreds of red-billed choughs flying over, which were disturbed by a golden eagle, always a truly stunning bird to see. My only new bird was the rock bunting, several of which we found by a little stream. Later on we saw some flyby grey wagtails.

The next morning, we headed back up to the hills, seeing a Maghreb wheatear along with the same species as yesterday, and later we found a great spotted woodpecker in the village of Imlil.

We then headed back to Marrakech to catch our flight back to Gatwick. I did, however, manage to add two species to my trip tally on the return journey with a water pipit and two black wheatears, which was my final new species of the trip.

Waxwing- Hilfield!

I returned from a week in Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains on Thursday morning, but have been at school since then, and so I haven't had time to write up the trip, which I will do shortly.

I had a chance encounter with certainly the most exciting bird I have seen at Hilfield. I went outside to refill our birdfeeders, when I saw a plump, starling-sized bird fly past and land in a tree in the garden. I ran inside to get my binoculars, and to my disbelief it was a waxwing! Obviously my first at Hilfield, and only the second time I have ever seen the species. Waxwings have flocked to the UK in great numbers this winter (there are about 5000 in the country right now), but have only started to move into Dorset in the last week or so. Thankfully I managed to take a few pictures in deteriorating light:

Waxwing, Hilfield, 13.1.13

The only other bird of note seen at Hilfield today was a marsh tit- the first on the feeders this winter.

January 1st Hilfield

I had a walk around the garden this morning in search of my first birds of the year. I found 23 species, including buzzard, great spotted woodpecker, jay and goldcrest, but the highlight was definitely my first ever winter chiffchaff at Hilfield, which showed briefly in one of the oaks before it flew into the woods.