Honey Buzzard!

Pied Flycatcher at the observatory

Fairly quiet early morning around the trapping area, though another Pied Flycatcher was caught and ringed. 2 more Pied Flycatchers were in The Moat and another at West Beach, at least 5 Whinchats and 2 Wheatears were present along with a few Willow Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps.

Poor images due to severe heat haze of the Honey Buzzard over The Desert

The Honey Buzzard was obviously looking to land and rest, which it did a few seconds after I photographed it when it land on some Sallows, only to be flushed after a couple of minutes by a dog walker, it then flew a few hundred metres up the Long Pits and settled in another Sallow clump only to be flushed again by the same dog walker, it then flew NW over the reserve towards the ranges and was quickly lost in the haze.

Whinchat at Galloways this evening

At Galloways this evening at least 9 Whinchats and 3 Pied Flycatchers with a few Stonechats, a Sedge Warbler, several Common Whitethroats and Reed Warblers.

 Water Rail from Hanson this evening

2 Visits to Hanson today saw 4 Greenshank, 4 Ruff, 3 Golden Plover, 2 Knot, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and10 Garganey among the usual wildfowl and Lapwings.

7 of the 10 Garganey at the ARC this evening 

This Polish Black-headed Gull was again present on the ARC today

Weekend!

Pied Flycatcher in a private garden 2 birds present

 Pied Flycatchers have been the star attractions this weekend, apart from the Honey Buzzards for those lucky enough to have had them right overhead, I managed a distant bird in the heat haze. I'm not sure what the holiday weekend count of Pied Flycatchers was but I'm sure it must have been at least 40, with a few Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats, Wheatears and as far as I know not a single Common Redstart, where are they? Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps still form the majority of birds trapped and ringed. Most the waders seem to have cleared out along with the Black Terns, but the little Gulls and Garganey seem to be hanging on.

 Sea watching has been dire even with light South Easterlies, the warm settled weather may be pleasant but it does very little for the birding.

 As it has been so hot for I have spent a lot of time sky watching seeing a distant Honey buzzard, 20+ Common Buzzards, several each of Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Sparrowhawk, a single Peregrine and a few stratospheric Swifts.

1 of at least 3 Pied Flycatcher at the Sanctuary

 Iphone image of Pied Flycatcher 

Common Buzzard over my garden

1st cycle Mediterranean Gull at Firth this evening

At Burrowes this evening c300 Oystercatchers roosting, 4 Redshanks, 2 Ruff, a 1st cycle Mediterranean Gull and little else. Now that the Terns have fledged and left it was eerily quiet. 

Redshanks at Firth this evening  including a colour ringed juvenile

Water Rail at Hanson this evening

Hanson was very quiet this evening just 2 Greenshanks, 3 Ruff, 3 Garganey and Common Sandpiper among the usual wildfowl. A Water Rail showed well albeit briefly in the failing light.

Bittern!

05.55-06.55 from the sea watch hide per AJG:
Common Scoter: 2W
Fulmar: 1W
Balearic Shearwater: 1W
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 55W
Sandwich Tern: 272W
Common Tern: 34W
Again very quiet avian wise around The Point this morning, a few Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Stonechats and Willow Warblers.

Reed Warbler at Galloways

At Galloways a Pied Flycatcher, a Whinchat, Common Whitethroats, Reed Warbler, Stonechats and the usual fare.

 Bittern from Hanson Hide

 

 At the ARC a Bittern put on a superb if brief showing from Hanson hide. Also there 3 Little Gulls, 2 Greenshanks, 2 Redshanks, 3 Ruff, a Wood Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Golden Plover, a single Common Snipe, Water Rail, Great White Egret, Little Egret, a Peregrine, 2 Marsh Harriers and 7+ Garganey among all the usual wildfowl.

 Very poor images of a distant leucistic Harbour Porpoise at the fishing boats this afternoon

 13.00-16.00 From the fishing boats with AJG, JTM & JH:
Common Scoter: 2E
Great-crested Grebe: 1W
Gannet: 24W
Cormorant: 9 around
Whimbrel: 2W
Arctic Skua: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 142W
Common Tern: 4W
Black Tern: 9W
Swallow: 4 out
Sand Martin: 36 out
Grey Seal: 2
Harbour Porpoise: 10+ including a Leucistic individual

 Whinchat at the Observatory

Around The Point this morning although there wasn't many birds there were some nice birds, 2 Whinchats, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Wheatear, Black Redstarts, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Reed Warblers etc. 

Wheatear at the Observatory

 Wasp Spiders around the Observatory

Galloways was quiet with another Pied Flycatcher and a few each of Common Whitethroat and Stonechat but little else.

 Pied Flycatcher at Galloways

On the ARC from Hanson 4 Greenshank, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Redshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Dunlin, 12 Garganey, a Great White Egret among the usual Gulls and wildfowl. 

Pointing out the Red Underwing on Hanson Hide

13.00-15.00 from the fishing boats per AJG
Common Scoter: 12W
Coot: 1 drifted east on the tide close inshore (would have been a Dungeness sea watch tick for me)
Arctic Skua: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 144W
Common Tern: 59W
Swallow: 6 out
Sand Martin: 54 out

Pied Flycatcher in a private garden this afternoon, many thanks to Dave Bunney for allowing access

Willow Warbler after a bath

 Hummingbird Hawkmoth

This evening on Burrowes I was unable to find the Black Tern or anything else of note, I did note 3 Norwegian and 1 French ringed Great Black-backed Gull.

Scorched Carpet the best in the trap this morning

First thing around The Point fair numbers of Willow Warblers and Common Whitethroats, much smaller numbers of Reed & Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap and very little else.

2 Spotted Redshanks were new into the ARC this morning

3 visits to the ARC saw much the same as the last week or so with the addition of 2 Spotted Redshanks. At least 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and several Garganey still present, also the 2 Little Gulls are still appearing erratically.

13.20-15.30 from the fishing boats with JTM,LH,PH & AJG who kindly collated the numbers:
Common Scoter: 5W
Gannet: 7W
Cormorant: present n/c
Scoter 5 down
Arctic Skua: 1W
Kittiwake: 2W
Sandwich Tern: 141W
Common Tern: 25 down
Sand Martin 122 down
Swallow 51 down

1 of 2 Pied Flycatchers at Galloways this afternoon

Late afternoon at Galloways was reasonably productive with 2 Pied flycatchers, a Whinchat, several Stonechats, 2 Ravens, many Common Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Linnets, along with the odd Sedge and Reed Warbler.

This evening on Burrowes a moulting adult Black Tern, 3 Great White Egrets, 2 Dunlin and 2 Common Sandpipers of note, also many Swallows hawking high over the reserve. 

1 of 3 Peregrines around the pylons this morning

Still very quiet around The Point avian wise, this morning there were 7 Wheatears around The Moat with a few Meadow Pipits, in the trapping area a few each of Willow Warbler, Common and Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed Warbler and Stonechats. From the garden 6+ Common Buzzards and a couple of Marsh Harriers, all of which behaved like local birds, some Sand Martins were moving as well as a couple of Swifts.

Turnstones at the fishing boats

12.45-15.45 from the fishing boats with JTM and AJG who collated the numbers:

Common Scoter: 9W

Gannet: 34W
Cormorant: 7 around
Turnstone: 3 around
Arctic Skua: 1W   2 around
Mediterranean Gull:16W all 1st cal yr
Kittiwake: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 340W
Common Tern: 24W
Sand Martin: 57 out
Grey Seal: 2
Harbour Porpoise: 2

7 of the 10 Garganey from Hanson this evening

At the ARC this evening 10 Garganey, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank, 2 Ruff, 3 Dunlin and a Black-tailed Godwit of note among the usual Lapwings and wildfowl.

On Burrowes this evening 2 Black Terns among the Common Terns and 4 Common Sandpipers on the islands.

Juvenile Caspian Gull!

07.45-09.30 from the sea watch hide joined by OL:

Fulmar: 1E
Gannet: 477W   21E
Cormorant: 17 around
Avocet: 3E
Arctic Skua: 1 around  DP
Kittiwake: 6W
Sandwich Tern: 164W
Common Tern: 63W
Sand Martin: 82 out
Harbour Porpoise: 2+
At the ARC from Hanson late morning 3 Wood sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, Redshank, Dunlin, several Garganey and the usual wildfowl.

The 3 Avocets going back west past the fishing boats this afternoon

Huge number of Gulls at the fishing boats this afternoon gorging on washed up shellfish

Juvenile Caspian Gull

13.00-15.30 from the fishing boats:
Common Scoter: 3E   5W
Great-crested Grebe: 1 around
Gannet: 144W
Cormorant: 7 around
Turnstone: 3 around
Avocet: 3W
Arctic Skua: 2W    1 around
Kittiwake: 1W    1 around
Yellow-legged Gull: 8+ around juveniles
Caspian Gull: 1 juvenile
Sandwich Tern: 268W
Common Tern: 199W
Black Tern: 6W
Common Swift: 31 out
Sand Martin: 2 out

Herring Gull with shellfish

A very worn Small Mottled Willow the highlight of this mornings catch