Local stuff

This vixen was walking around at the north end of Little Sea.

Found this singing Redstart the other day, lovely song with some Green Sandpiper thrown in for some reason. Very difficult to get a decent shot of this bird which sang from only the highest branches

Local Meadow Pipit, very pleased with this one, would grace any book!

Click on image for the full benefit

Little Sea, Studland

Steve Smith's Wood Warbler, keeping typically high up

Portland

Bit windier than I thought it was going to be so headed for the Pulpit rock to see what was passing. Not a lot in the end for the hour or so I was there. A few Gannets came in quite close

Very quiet on the land also, this was at the Hump

Sunnyside Farm

Up to 9 Wheatears together in the field south of the screen this evening. Didnt really have time to look at them properly but there were at least 3 typically coloured Greenland birds, with other more intermediate perhaps Icelandic birds and others paler again. To me however they looked very similar in size.

I read somewhere that Greenland birds have this habit of perching up on branches. ID solved!

Small pony with even smaller one

Portland Sunday

Up with the Larks at 5am full of anticipation as I was met with some drizzly rain.

First stop the west cliffs. Parked at the top of the hill opposite Fathom and Blues. As I got out of the car I could hear 3 separate Grasshopper Warblers singing, this surely was the fall I had been hoping for. Alas it was not to be as these ended up being only birds of note for some time until I eventually got to Culverwell. Met John Lucas who pointed me out a Wood Warbler. Straight out with the camera however the light was terrible and the shutter speed very low producing a real record shot. After this photo the bird stayed for a few more seconds before moving off north.

Shaun was ringing in Culverwell where one of the best birds was this female Pied Fly

Later had another quick look around Waycroft quarries where this Redstart was feeding

Portland

Went with Matt to the (very as it turned out) small 'fair' held at the Heights Hotel to help sell some Sound Approach books.

It was a bit slow so he let me get off early and I was able to have a look around the north end of the island for a change.

Not too much around although it was quiet everywhere apparently

Did run into a Fox with her cubs, although they decided to go off and play so only got one half decent shot. The mother however remained resolutely on guard duty although it did look half asleep

Sparrowhawk with victim

The lure of the Bill was soon too much so had a wander around the Top fields

A Curlew heading north was the only oddity so had to settle for a few shots of the local birds

Durlston etc

Another early morning visit which ended up deteriorating into just a photographic outing.

This place is so hard to work, you are either walking uphill or down and there is loads of cover. The best I could muster was a Lesser Whitethroat and a flyover Redpoll. Also of interest 4 adult looking Rooks were watched heading south east out to sea, god knows what they were up to.

In true Petrel style this bird is having a fair bit of trouble alighting.

Local Yellowhammer

Dont ask me why I even considered taking a photo of a Wood Pigeon, probably because it was sunny, anyway I only took one as it took off and was pretty happy with the outcome

A quick look around my now local area produced this late Merlin in the Cattle Egret fields west of the Wareham by-pass

Next stop Sunnyside Farm where there was a surprise visit by 6 Whimbrel

An evening visit to The Moors was a bit quiet