Monday, 23rd June: A bright and very breezy day, with plenty of sunshine, some cloud and feeler fresher than of late, with a brisk W/NW wind force 5-6.
Elmer Rocks: There was a large gathering of gulls well offshore this morning, with perhaps a thousand or more birds fishing and wheeling around. I spent some time trying to sort them out, but distance and heat haze prevented much accurate identification. Even so, there were clearly a good number of Mediterranean Gulls amongst the melee, though it was not possible to give an accurate estimation, but there were also about a dozen or so Gannets present and an uncertain number of Sandwich Terns.
Three Oystercatchers were roosting on the rock islands at high tide, then two Ringed Plovers were located on the beach, but a total of four Curlews heading west offshore were less expected. There wasn't much else of note, but along the beach footpath, from the kiosk to the boat compound, a total of four Marbled White butterflies were counted amongst the much commoner Whites and Meadow Browns.
Three roosting Oystercatchers (above), Ringed Plovers on the beach (middle two) and Curlews flying west offshore (lower two) at Elmer Rocks this morning.
Bilsham farm: A look at the reservoir late morning produced a Great Crested Grebe, three Little Grebes (two adults and a juvenile), 30 Coots. two Gadwall, six Mallard and a Tufted Duck, whilst amongst the 50 or more Herring Gulls washing and preening were three Lesser Black-backed Gulls (two adults and an immature). There wasn't much else of note, although the male Yellowhammer and two Whitethroats were singing from the periphery hedgerows and the regular Buzzard was soaring over.
Adult (left) and juvenile Little Grebes and (below) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (with Herring Gull and Coot) on Bilsham reservoir.
Saturday, 21st June: A rather grey and windy start, with a fresh E/SE wind force 4-5 along the coast keeping the temperature down. Although high pressure is dominating and conditions improved to periods of cloud and sunshine, then some heavy showers, it certainly didn't feel like the predicted heatwave, in the local area at least.
Elmer Rocks: Another morning when a sea-watch seemed likely to be the best option and I'd started on my usual circuit before eventually meeting up with birding friend Bola, who was already watching from near Poole Place. We sea-watched together for some while, and it was slow-going, but several small flocks of distant gulls held a number of Mediterranean Gulls, with a total of perhaps 20 or so, plus a couple of Gannets. There were also a number of Sandwich Terns back and forth and feeding in the flocks; I logged about a dozen, but Bola who'd been watching for longer probably recorded more.
The highlight though was non-avian, when a pod of about eight Dolphins - almost certainly Bottle-nosed Dolphins - was spotted at about 09:50hrs heading generally eastwards, about half-way to the horizon (so binoculars needed really). There was at least one large male and a couple of smaller ones too; seeing them is one thing however, but trying to locate them in a choppy sea and in a heat haze is quite another, and a few snippets of action is the best that either of us could do!
After the excitement, Bola and I went our separate ways, and I added three Oystercatchers and a Little Egret roosting on the rock islands. A pair of Greenfinch were calling still from the long hedgerow, but there was little else of note bird-wise, however a couple of Marbled White butterflies were seen in beach-front gardens as I made my way back.
The Dolphins offshore from Elmer Rocks this morning; not the greatest shots and I missed the male leaping right out (!) but the best I could do in the circumstances.
Marbled White butterfly in beachfront gardens at Elmer
Friday, 20th June: The fine and very dry weather continues, but the morning started with rather hazy conditions and plenty of high cloud in a surprisingly fresh E/SE wind force 5, keeping the temperature well down along the coast, before becoming very sunny and considerably warmer later, especially inland.
Lidsey WTW area: A noisy post-breeding flock of 300+ Starlings, containing many juveniles, was present in the WTW, especially on the filter pans, whilst two Swallows were feeding above, but these apart, the works was very quiet bird-wise. On the small reservoir nearby there were four Tufted Ducks, which had clearly begun their annual moult to their duller eclipse plumage, whilst also present were six Mallard, two Little Grebes and the pair of Coots with their two young, the latter now quite well grown although now reduced in number from the original four which fledged. Around the periphery a Cetti's Warbler was singing frequently and three Blackcaps and two Whitethroats also sang briefly.
Pair of Tufted Ducks on small reservoir near Lidsey WTW; the male (rear) in particular can be seen to be in moult to its dull eclipse plumage, with a head tuft not visible and the bright white flanks already mainly dingy and brownish.
Bilsham farm: It was again quiet on the reservoir, with just a Little Grebe, a Great Crested Grebe, a single drake Tufted Duck, six Mallard and 24 Coots. A small number of gulls were coming and going to drink and bathe - most being Herring Gulls - but including a fine adult (intermedius-type) Lesser Black-backed Gull which appeared for a very short time before departing. Four Swallows coming and going were probably the family visiting from the local donkey paddocks.
Around the hedgerows a Yellowhammer was singing for some while and nearby two Whitethroats were heard, though it was otherwise generally quiet. High up several Swifts were over the fields, no doubt alarmed by a soaring Sparrowhawk nearby, and then a Red Kite also drifted over
Yellowhammer at Bilsham farm
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