08.00-10.00 from the sea watch hide:
Shelduck: 2 up
Teal: 2 up
Shoveller: 4 up
Common Scoter:13 up 30 down
Red-breasted Merganser: 9 up
Red-throated Diver: 32 up 17 down
Great-crested Grebe: present N/C
Fulmar: 1 down
Gannet: present N/C
Oystercatcher: 2 up
Mediterranean Gull: 1 up
Sandwich Tern: 23 up 5 down
Harbour Porpoise: 2+
Common Dolphin: 2
JTM spotted 2 Dolphins c1 mile off shore and for around an hour we watched them moving up and down presumably feeding, eventually they came a little closer just the other side of the bouy,. The consensus was that they were Bottlenose Dolphins, but a conversation with Paul Weiss this evening and reviewing of the images I took, has led me to conclude that they were Common Dolphins, though I would willing take advice from any cetacean experts.
Highly cropped images of Common Dolphins?
Firecrest at the lighthouse today
2 Firecrests in the lighthouse garden and another Black Redstart in the experimental station but I saw little else of note. Another Black Redstart by the lifeboat station.
Lovely male Brambling at the visitor centre feeding station today
I made my way to the reserve after receiving a message from Liz Hunter about the male Brambling at the visitor centre feeders. With a little patience it showed very well gleaming in the bright sunshine.
Scanning Tanners Pool the 3 Smew still in residence among c70 Wigeon and 2 Pintail, all of which ere constantly being harassed by a Marsh Harrier. The was also 2 Slavonian Grebes on the reserve per Liz and Paul and 2 Black-necked Grebes on the ARC per RW.
Great Spotted Woodpecker at the reserve feeding station
A fostered Lamb at Scotney
A 2 hour walk around the back of Scotney late morning /early afternoon was predictably disappointing avian wise, highlights being 7 Avocet, a Grey Plover, 3 Curlew, 5 Dunlin, 2 Common buzzards, a Marsh Harrier and a few Skylarks and Reed Buntings.
Fancy racing Pigeon at West Beach this afternoon
15.00-16.00 from the fishing boats:
Common Scoter: 8 up
Red-throated Diver: 26 up 24 down
Turnstone: 2 on beach
Skylark: singing behind the boats
Sandwich Tern: 19 up 16 down
Look like Common Dolphin to me. There were a couple in Southampton Water a month ago. Lovely melanistic Montys on the next post. Ive lost many owl photos to 'malfunctioning' flashes, part of the joys of night birding... Cheers Gareth
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Dolphin ID Gareth. I'm afraid I cant blame a flash malfunction, it was sheer incompetence on my part for not checking the settings before I left camp!
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