Author: chrisbutton1

On the wet area near Mary Monts two Egyptian Geese were preening in the early sun and two Marsh Harriers, a young male and a female drifted over. It was pretty quiet on the sea other than one of the White-tailed Eagles being mobbed by a Herring Gull over the shoreline.

I headed to the hides. There was very little activity on De L’Orne and the highlight at Venner was watching one of the White-tailed Eagles approaching very closely to Brian and I in the hide.

The Canada Geese didn’t seem at all bothered.

From the Sailing Club 47 Pintail were gathered on the far side near the river mouth. A male Pied Wagtail was singing from the ground in front of the Sailing Club, probably the male that bred in the eaves last year.

Three Rock Pipits and four Skylarks called confidently as they headed over and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose was feeding in the distance on Inchmery.

I had more luck with my second check of De L’Orne scrape, this time viewing from the south, from the Sluice Gate. It’s further away but you don’t have to look into the morning sun from this angle.

On De L’Orne scrape a large gull caused some confusion. Structure is quite difficult to judge in a siting bird and light can make a big difference to your perception of mantle colour. This, I think, is an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with a paler than normal mantle colour.

Also on the scrape were 34 Golden Plover, 18 Avocet, one of the wintering Greenshank, five Black-tailed Godwit and at least 58 Shelduck (quite a few were hidden). One of the Mediterranean Gulls on the scrape was wearing a yellow ring but it was too distant to read. Also on the scrape was a pale beige-coloured Lapwing. I’ve seen it two or three times before, each time on the scrape.

Another butterfly today, a Red Admiral settled on the path near the Cottage Pines and nearby a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee flew passed me but didn’t stop for a photo. She will be carrying last summer’s eggs and may be looking for an abandoned mouse hole in which to build a nest.

At high tide I walked back to the Cottages to check the wader roost which is directly opposite over the saltmarsh on Warren Shore. This is the closest place to watch a high tide wader roost on the reserve. Conditions weren’t perfect as it was windy and I was looking in to the sun. The wintering Purple Sandpiper was asleep and there were also seven Bar-tailed Godwit, 45 Knot, a single Golden Plover and three Snipe. In the background 11 Eider headed west.

Later on at Park Farm I picked out a Pale-bellied Brent Goose. I’m pretty sure that this is a second individual as it seems less well marked than this morning’s Inchmery bird.

As I drove to park at the bottom of Park Lane the Cattle Egrets flew over the car and settled in the field on the east side of the road.

It was nice to be able to photograph them a bit closer and down at ground level to let the grass blur nicely.

A Chiffchaff was calling from the hedge near Rye Errish Copse. Park Shore was a little bleak and desolate with storm Eunice starting to build, winds are forecast to gust to 90mph tomorrow. A 2^nd winter Mediterranean Gull with extensive black primaries headed into the wind, probably the blackest primaries I’ve seen on a 2^nd winter bird.

A very cold morning made even more uncomfortable by a strong breeze. I headed to the Sailing Club to start with a bit of shelter.

The Spoonbills were on this side of the river, on Sluice Gate Saltmarsh. While I was in the car I got some photos and they were settled but as soon as I opened the door they took off and headed to Venner, all 12 of them. At the same time the wintering Spotted Redshank was in the air somewhere, calling, but I didn’t see it.

I tend to watch the sea from three or four different locations. The large bush near Mary Monts which can provide some shelter in the wind, the Sailing Club which also provides shelter from the prevailing westerly winds but it is slightly further away from the water. I also sea watch from Gravelly Beach when I’m patrolling the private areas and Park Shore is also worth watching.

Today I watched the sea from the Sailing Club and I was pleased to see a diver heading west. The large protruding feet, slowish flight action and half collar all indicated Great Northern Diver, my first of the year.

A large Herring Gull passed close to shore, the heavily streaked head in mid February and the lack of any black mark on P5 made me wonder about the nominate Scandinavian race argentatus. However, you’d expect the P10 wing tip to be extensively white and so this is no doubt just a late moulting British argenteus.

Soon afterwards I was pleased to watch a male Common Scoter also heading west. Common Scoter seem to have a slightly strange way of holding their head in flight, held high, rather stretched out exaggerating a bulbous head shape. Common Scoter was another year tick.

Looking backing up the river, in the distance and level with the Yacht Club, I could just about make out a small group of Golden Plover resting with the Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits.

Having met up with Dimitri we later caught up with the full Golden Plover flock on De L’Orne Scrape, there were 120, the largest count at Needs Ore for five years.

While we watched from the screen a Great White Egret flew over. The first one I’ve seen for three months.

Although female-type Marsh Harriers are a familiar sight an adult or near adult male Marsh Harrier is more unusual. This male showed really nicely heading over Venner Wigeon Fields while we were in Venner Hide. It’s not a full adult, I’d say it’s probably three years old.

It was good to see that Brent Geese were grazing along the Main Hedge Fields again, this time 190 of them with Canada Geese on Droveway East.  

I finished the day with a brief visit to the top of Park Lane. The geese flock were mainly obscured but suddenly took to the air and a Peregrine soon appeared. It settled in the field looking bemused that the field was now empty. It was an adult bird, the first adult Peregrine I’ve seen since 5^th December. Fingers crossed that it is one our breeding pair and that they still have plans to breed at Needs Ore.

A telescope view of the two Cattle Egrets down on Park Farm made it a three egret day.

A very brief morning only visit. I first headed to the Inchmery side to see if there were any large gulls around high tide, there were just a few Herring Gulls.  

Herring Gulls in late winter often look pristine and white-headed like Yellow-legged Gulls but the paler mantle shade of Herring Gull is usually straightforward to judge. If in doubt the orbital eye ring of Yellow-legged Gull is red and the red spot on the lower mandible bleeds into the upper mandible. The primary pattern in flight is also diagnostic.   

I did get slightly closer views than normal of at least five Bar-tailed Godwit. and there were now 17 Spoonbill out on the saltmarsh.

I then headed to Park Lane to look for an unusual pair of Greylags with Bean Geese-like bill patterns seen by Philip F on Tuesday. Unfortunately no sign today, just the standard Greylags.

The two Cattle Egrets were still present around Park Farm.

Back at Needs Ore on the sea a single male Eider drifted on the tide. The only other birds on the water were six Great Crested Grebes.

On Wigeon Fields 43 Black-tailed Godwit fed with the Curlew and the five Pochard on Venner were newly arrived. A female Wigeon with a partially leucistic head pattern was on Venner, this is the second time I’ve noticed her here and I also saw the same or a similar bird on Warren Saltmarsh last week.  

Highlight of the day was the wintering Spotted Redshank showing nicely (apart from the barbed wire) in the small bay on the right hand side of De L’Orne Lagoon.

Lots of Mistle Thrushes today, there were two birds at the pines near the cottages, at least two or three moving between Rye Errish and Bergerie Farm and one or two between Park Farm and Park Shore.  Mistle Thrush populations are largely sedentary in the UK unlike Blackbirds which are heavily augmented by huge influxes of birds from Scandinavia. You can see the round spots on the belly, dark vertical lines (black and white) below the eye and the pale edgings to the median and greater coverts which help separate it from Song Thrush, the rattling calls also grab the attention.

A Common Seal was resting on the river bank south of the Yacht Club. Despite its name it’s not as common or widespread as the more familiar Grey Seal. Another name for them is the Harbour Seal which is perhaps more appropriate. They are well known for hauling up on beaches and sandbanks in tidal estuaries.

30 Black-tailed Godwit were with around 50 Curlew feeding on the Wigeon Fields. 14 of the Spoonbill picked up from the river and flew past me over to the flooded fields before landing on Venner. Tufted Duck numbers were up again to 32 with a single male Pochard.

A Coal Tit proved frustrating to photograph as it moved down the tree line at Black Water with a mobile tit flock. Eventually it showed nicely near Black Water hide.

The 1^st winter Redshank was seen again on Sluice Gate Saltmarsh. Lizzie ringed this bird as a chick in the Avon Valley last summer. I’ve now seen it three times (23^rd Oct, 28^th Nov and 7^th Feb) all within a hundred yards of the Sluice Gate. Great to see that it is wintering here. It will be interesting to see if this bird returns to the Avon Valley this spring.

Avocet numbers were up again, to 20 with the new arrivals including one of Graham’s yellow flagged birds although they were too far away for me to read it. There were around 50 Redwing across the reserve including groups on Droveway South, Spring Meadow and Park Shore.

From the top of Park Lane I scanned down across Park Farm and picked out the Pale-bellied Brent Goose amongst the 500 or so Dark-bellied Brents. The male Kestrel landed on the wires nearby as I sat, apparently well hidden, on the edge of the boot of my car.

The two Cattle Egrets remained at Park Farm. It was quiet again on the sea with an apparent clear out of auks, divers and mergansers. Two Slavonian Grebes remained however.

Some, but not many, of the Mediterranean Gulls are now starting to acquire summer plumage.