Sunday 16/08/2020

Ringed Plovers. The birds in the image below headed off high towards France

Early this morning CP picked me up and we drove the couple of miles to Jury's Gap where we spent a couple of hours on the Green Wall of The Midrips and Wicks. The pools are drying out rapidly and look perfect for waders. Unfortunately the only waders were 20 Avocet, a few Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Oystercatchers, a Greenshank, a Redshank and a Common Sandpiper. A Pied Flycatcher flew along the Green Wall and 2 Wheatears were present, a Hobby was also noted. A party of 19 Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin flew out high towards France and 15 Ringed Plovers were feeding on the beach.  

Avocets

Wheatear

Common Redstart

When we left The Midrips we walked the track from Jury's gap to the working pits where we found 4 of each of Common and Green Sandpiper. In the small group of bushes we found a Common Redstart, Pied flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Whinchat and Wheatear, It was an excellent and very relaxing stroll, the only other person we saw was a lady out on her horse.  

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap. I will never tire of seeing these delightful birds.

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher photo bombing a Common Redstart

Lesser Whitethroat

This afternoon at the fishing boats with AJG and RW the sea watch was grim, singles of Black Tern, Fulmar and Arctic Skua, 2 Oystercatchers and 10 Common Scoter were note. The few Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns were just feeding off shore, thank goodness we had the Gulls to entertain us. We watched the lifeboat go out to another rib full of immigrants about a mile out, whom they took on board as it looked like the rib was sinking. They then headed off towards Dover . 

The juvenile Great Black-backed Gull robs the Cormorant of its catch of a Mackerel

Can it hold on to its prize

Struggling to align the Mackerel

Just the tail left to swallow

Z9 Lesser Black-backed Gull ringed in Holland. I am awaiting details.

K.TOH Lesser black-backed Gull ringed in Belgium. I am awaiting details. 

A couple of moths from last nights catch 

The very beautiful Palpita vitrealis first of the year for me

 A Scarce Bordered Straw that like myself has seen better days

Saturday 15/08/2020

Willow Warbler at Galloways this morning

Galloways this morning still held 4-5 Pied Flycatchers, Common Redstart, Whinchat, Wheatears many Common Whitethroats and Stonechats, though the highlight for me was high flying flock of 10 Grey Plover which flew NE calling as they went.

Pied Flycatchers at Galloways this morning

Wheatear at Galloways this morning

A quick lunchtime visit to the ARC  found the Glossy Ibis still present, fortunately it doesn't seem to be too bothered by people standing, walking and shouting on the bank. At the Pines 2 more Pied Flycatchers and several Willow Warblers, as several feral kids were running around screaming I left wnd went home for lunch.

Arctic Skuas off the fishing boats this afternoon

13.45-15.45 from the fishing boats with AJG who collated the numbers:

Common Scoter: 2E

Fulmar: 4W

Gannet: 12W

Cormorant: 2 around

Oystercatcher: 2W

Arctic Skua: 6W

Kittiwake: 3W

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 juv/1w

Sandwich Tern: 46W

Common Tern: 213W

Little Tern: 1W

Wheatear: 4 on beach

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 15+

Fulmar off the fishing boats this afternoon

 1 of c15 at least of Harbour Porpoises off the fishing boats this afternoon

Late afternoon at the top of the Long Pits 3 Pied Flycatchers, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Common Redstart, also the usual warblers.

Friday 14/08/2020 Wood Warbler & Pied Flycatchers

The 5 Cattle Egrets flying into roost last night & still present today

Glossy Ibis in the setting sun last night & still present today

AJG again did the early sea watch and kindly sent me the details.

06.15-07.45 from the fishing boats:

Common Scoter: 2W

Gannet: 37W

Cormorant: 6 present

Oystercatcher: 2W

Turnstone: 1W

Kittiwake: 1W

Sandwich Tern: 56W

Common Tern: 354W

Black Tern: 2W

Willow Warbler at Brett's marina this morning

Wheatears at the entrance to Galoways this morning

1 of at least 4 Pied Flycatchers at Galloways today

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Flycatcher Denge Marsh Gully

1 of 20+ Wheatears at Galloways at least another 20 at Denge Marsh Gully

Yellow Wagtail Denge Marsh

Absolutely stunning Wood Warbler in the garden of David and Sheila Bunney who very kindly allowed me access to photograph it, also 2 Pied Flycatchers in the garden.

Juv/1w Yellow-legged Gulls at the fishing boats

13.30-16.45 from the fishing boats with CP, Dw and AJG who kindly collated the numbers:

Shelduck: 1E

Common Scoter: 4W

Fulmar: 1W

Gannet: 54W

Cormorant: 3 present

Oystercatcher: 2E

Arctic Skua: 5W

Kittiwake: 3wW

Mediterranean Gull: 1 juv/1w around

Yellow-legged Gull: 2 juv/1w

Little Tern: 4W

Common Tern: 470W

Sandwich tern: 65W

Black Tern: 9W   3 o/s

Guillemot: 1 present

Swallow: 4S

Harbour Porpoise: 12+

Grey Seal: 2

Painted Lady in Davids garden

Golden Twin Spots from last nights catch

 

 

Wednesday 12/08/2020

Glossy Ibis in the early morning gloom

A grey early morning at the ARC and there were surprisingly few new birds around, the Ruff, Common Sandpipers and Little Ringed Plovers were all still present but nothing new, the few Reed, Sedge, Common and Lesser Whitethroats that were showing were probably all local birds.

Great White Egret

This Stoat was having a funny 5 minutes running, leaping, cartwheeling and chasing its tail

Common Buzzard

One of the hottest days of the year and I decide to spend the morning cycling and walking locally. Aound Bretts Marina I got the feeling that the majority of birds here were all local breeders, further down  Galloways 4 young Wheatears and several juvenile Yellow Wagtails could be seen on the ranges, even these could all have been locally bred. I flushed a Common Buzzard off its road side perch and it flew too close too the local Hobbys nest, it got repeatedly dive bombed for its trouble. Apart from Linnets, Great Tits and another Wheatear Denge Marsh Gully was bird less, no sign of any of the hoped for Flycatchers and Chats.

This afternoon at the fishing boats was still very hot but at least there was a cool breeze. Offshore the visibility was appalling, all I saw were a handful of Common and Sandwich Terns. Luckily for me the stale bread attracted a juvenile Caspian Gull and juvenile/1w Yellow-legged Gull.

When flushed the Buzzard got too near the Hobbys nest and was dive bombed and escorted away

Linnet enjoying a fresh puddle

Juvenile Caspian Gull already starting to moult to 1w plumage

Juvenile Caspian Gull above  Juvenile/1w Yellow-legged Gull below

 Size comparison of juvenile/1w Yellow-legged Gull & 1s Great Black-backed Gull