Category: October 2021

I spent a week on Scilly in mid-October and we enjoyed some very warm unseasonal weather. Highlights were Serin, Rustic Bunting, Wryneck, Bluethroat and Red-rumped Swallow.

Back at Needs Ore, Thursday 19^th was a blustery but mild day. The male White-tailed Eagle flew level with the Sluice as I was driving to the Sailing Club, the closest I’ve been so far. I do seem to be bumping into at least one of the eagles each time I visit at the moment.   

Both Peregrines were present, one flew across the river to Inchmery while the second bird rested underneath the sign on the shingle beach. A little further west along the shingle the Merlin hunched up against the wind.

On the far side at high tide a Bar-tailed Godwit and several Grey Plover were roosting with a handful of Black-tailed Godwit feeding further up the river. A lovely pale rufous juvenile Buzzard was being mobbed by crows over the Weather Station Field.

Seven Swallows headed west through the Wedge Field while seven Mediterranean Gulls flew overhead. On De L’Orne Scrape there were building numbers of Lapwing, at least 100 together with 100 Dunlin and 55 Ringed Plover. Three Spotted Redshank were slightly out of view on the Roosting Stones. Last year, by early November, only one Spotted Redshank remained and only two subsequent winter records suggests that they didn’t spend the winter here. A Green Sandpiper showed really nicely on the Islands in front of NFOC hide.

A brief sea watch produced a Gannet and a Kittiwake with Siskins overhead. A handful of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were still on the wing but no butterflies.

A cold start had me debating whether gloves and a woolly hat were required. I pulled over at the Reedy Ditch and noticed both White-tailed Eagles in the tree tops in the Venner and Black Water area. As I got to the end of the Main Hedge, one of the Eagles was in view flying low over Venner South.

At the Viewing Gate 25 Goldfinches flew up from the ground to chatter on the top of the brambles, good to see that there were at least 10 juveniles amongst them.

One of the highlights of the day was hearing the mournful plaintiff call of the first returning Golden Plover. I saw it distantly heading over Three Fields South. They no longer winter at Needs Ore in large numbers like they used to, my peak count last winter was 65 in the Exbury Fields on the 17^th December.

More evidence of birds on the move were Skylarks and Siskins overhead and an amazing number of Jays, the good numbers here may be due to a failed acorn crop elsewhere. A Dunnock posed nicely along Pullen Walk.

Nearby a confiding Starling showed how far advanced their post juvenile moult is with the brown feathers around the face being the only remaining juvenile feathers.

A Herring Gull was not particularly keen to fly, perhaps not surprising given the heavy primary moult.

Brent Geese numbers were up slightly with 28 feeding alongside Gull Island at high tide and a flock of 24 Pintail circling over the Cottages was my highest site count. At the Sailing Club a fairly late Wheatear approached fairly close as I sat in the car.

Adam and I removed the two smaller end rafts from De L’Orne Lagoon so that the Black-headed Gulls could not reserve them early in the spring. In April we will position the rafts back out in the lagoon again as the Common Terns are returning and with a lure tape playing so that we can hopefully attract them to breed again. As I was helping Adam two Spoonbill flew over our heads.

Sandwich Terns are regular over winterers and the three birds towards Inchmery look likely to be doing the same again this year. I had counts of up to three birds throughout the winter last year. One of the birds came closer and landed on one of the nearer buoys.

After seeing very few butterflies all day I checked the sheltered western edge of Thrift Corner where the Sea Aster was in full sun. Lots of activity here with 4 Clouded Yellows including a pair in cop, 10 Red Admiral, 5 Peacock, 3 Common Blue, a Comma, a Small White and a Large White.

A single Green Sandpiper was feeding on De L’Orne Flood and a group of 2 Wheatear, 5 Meadow Pipits and 10 Pied Wagtails were busy catching insects on the edge of the flood where it meanders towards the boardwalk bridge. 

After Adam’s work on De L’Orne it was nice to see a Spotted Redshank and 7 Greenshank feeding in the bay that has been enlarged on the right had side of the lagoon. A pair of Wigeon rested close to the Greenshank, you can tell the male by the white wing flash and also by the newly appearing grey scapulars. October is the month when wildfowl start heading back out of eclipse.

In the distance the White-tailed Eagle flew up the river from the Sailing Club and landed on the Saltmarsh 800 yards to the east. A Merlin first seen on a distant fence post came much closer and settled on one of the posts directly out from the hide, perhaps my best ever views.

A Kestrel also landed close by with a kill. Voles are by far the most important food although they regularly take other small mammals and also small birds as shown here.

A male Marsh Harrier showing his black wing tips drifted over the reeds along the edge of the river.

10 Yellow Wagtails were with the cattle and horses on Venner Wigeon Fields. Often out of view but occasionally flicking up into the air in ones and twos.

The Great White Egret flew up from the saltmarsh in front of Shore Hide and allowed a few photos as it headed over Three Fields towards De L’Orne.

Ian rang to say that he had a Glossy Ibis in flight from the Sailing Club heading towards Lepe. I managed to scope it from Shore Hide although my view wasn’t as good as Ian’s photo.

Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were the only dragonflies on the wing with Small Copper, Red Admiral and Small White the only butterflies.

There were lots of Stonechats today. Graham recently trapped 14 in one session, his highest ever total. He commented that they showed a huge range of wing lengths suggesting that some may have been from Scotland or beyond and likely to be 1^st year migrants on their way further south for the winter.

The White-tailed Eagle appeared again and flew up from Gull Island in front of us at the Sailing Club passing pretty closely before joining the second eagle over Exbury.

2 fairly late Hobbies were also feeding in that direction, their white cheeks visible even at this range.

A great day for raptors with White-tailed Eagle, Osprey, Peregrine, Kestrel, Hobby, Merlin, Marsh Harrier & Sparrowhawk.