When a bird that I haven't seen before in the UK turns up in the south-eastern quarter of England I start to take an interest in it. When it is a raptor, and a mega-rarity, I feel the urge to see it, if at all possible. Fortunately, the long-staying Eleonora's falcon at Worth Marsh (near Sandwich) in Kent stayed for over a week and, at the first opportunity, I drove down to Kent on the 1st. This falcon is larger than a hobby, but otherwise quite similar in its appearance and habits. I was lucky to visit on a day when it spent long periods in the air and was able to compare its behaviour to that of the local hobbies, which were often in the air at the same time. Although the Eleonora's falcon is not a slouch, its actions were slower and more deliberate than those of the dashing hobbies. This bird had a notched tail, which made it relatively easy to pick out, but the other differences could only be teased out by photographing the bird in flight and comparing it with a hobby in flight when its longer tail, yellowish breast 'wash' and darker wing coverts could be clearly seen. The Eleonora's falcon lacks the red 'trousers' of the hobby, but the facial markings of the birds were rather more similar than appears to be the case according to the field guides - see the composite image below. Whilst I was at Worth Marsh I was able to catch up with a female red-footed falcon nearby. Presumably this bird arrived at the same time as the Eleonora's falcon and it appears that they left together, a couple of days after my visit.
Eleonora's Falcon in Flight, Worth Marsh, Kent, 1 June
Comparison of Hobby (left) and Eleonora's Falcon (right) at Worth Marsh on 1 June. Note the longer tail, yellowish 'wash' on the Breast and dark Wing Coverts of the Eleonora's Falcon. The birds were photographed within a few minutes of each other.
On the 4th my partner and I visited Wells in North Norfolk, walking along the beach to Holkham and then back, inland of the pines. I was surprised to see a couple of juvenile crossbills on the beach alongside linnets - they flew away into the pines, vocalising with their characteristic "chip chip" calls. On the 9th I made my annual visit to Glapthorn Meadowss to view and photograph black hairstreak butterflies. I had intended to combine this with a trip to Fineshade Wood (Rockingham Forest) to get my first view of chequered skipper butterflies in the UK, at their recent introduction site. Normally, the first half of June is the best time to see this species in Scotland, where the only other UK colonies can be found. However, as I learnt to my cost, the flight season in England is very different and had finished by early June - something that I must remember if I want to see this species next year!
Black Hairstreak Butterfly, Glapthorn Meadows, 9 June
I had hoped to see the black-browed albatross when I made a photographic journey up to RSPB Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire on the 14th. However, as luck would have it, he was away on one of his fishing trips (in this case for nearly a week), so I had to content myself with photographing the 'regulars', in particular the gannets, during my stay.
Young Gannet Encroaching too close to a Nest Site, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 14 June
Gannet Greeting, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 14 June
Puffin, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 14 June
In preparation for an RSPB trip that I was leading on the 19th I visited RSPB Strumpshaw Fen (Norfolk) on the 16th. Swallowtail butterflies were hard to find on both trips, although I did eventually see one in flight on the later date. A white admiral butterfly, seen in woodland on the reserve on the 19th, was my first of the year. A good selection of dragonflies was on the wing on both occasions, with scarce chasers and Norfolk (green-eyed) hawkers particularly prominent. All the expected reed bed birds were present, with the exception of bittern, which was neither seen nor heard.
Male Marsh Harrier, RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, 19 June
Male (above) and Female Scarce Chaser Dragonflies, RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, 19 June
A particularly gruelling season of RSPB field trips came to a conclusion on the 20th, when I led a walk around RSPB Lakenheath Fen. We recorded 60 species, with multiple sightings of marsh harrier, cuckoo and hobby, but for myself the most exciting moment was the sight of ten (or possibly eleven) common cranes in the air together just off the reserve.
Eight Common Cranes in Flight near RSPB Lakenheath Fen, 20 June
A day before our holiday (see below) I nipped up to Cottenham (north of Cambridge) to see the white stork that had taken up residence there. Wood sandpiper had also been reported from the site, but I was only able to find green sandpipers (seven in all) there.
White Stork, near Cottenham, 21 June
Scotland, 22-29 June
Dumfries and Galloway in South West Scotland is one of the most beautiful parts of Britain, with sandy beaches, rocky coasts, mountains and valleys - beauty in every direction that you look. My partner and I have been on holiday here in the past and on this occasion we were joined by my brother and sister-in-law for a couple of days. We were based in the village of Kippford. Our hotel had a wonderful view over the estuary, which harboured a good variety of water birds and waders, whilst I soon discovered that the woodland behind the hotel had common crossbills, ravens and tawny owls amongst many other species. On the first couple of nights we were serenaded by the sound of curlews and oystercatchers on the estuary. Unfortunately, there is one problem with SW Scotland - the weather! We were often subjected to gale force winds and driving rain for the remainder of the holiday and had to close our window due to the noise of the wind whistling through the rigging of the boats at the nearby sailing club. However, we did manage a full day out to the far west, where black guillemots were seen in Portpatrick Harbour (probably the best place in Britain to photograph this species) and a good variety of sea birds was seen on the Mull of Galloway. Rock pipits were nesting in a garden a couple of doors away from the hotel, apparently feeding their young on shrimps (see image)! They disappeared a couple of days before we left - hopefully the young had fledged successfully. I managed to see 80 species (including a common scoter, perhaps blown into the estuary by the wind) during the week - not bad, considering the poor weather and the fact that this was not a bird watching holiday (despite what my partner might have thought)!
Black Guillemot with Lunch, Portpatrick Harbour, 24 June
Rock Pipit with Food (Shrimps?), Kippford, 26 June
Instead of sorting myself out and doing all the things that you are supposed to do when you get back from holiday I decided to go to see the bee-eaters, which had taken up residence in Trimingham, south of Cromer, on the 30th. The weather deteriorated on the way and it was raining heavily on arrival. The car park attendant waived the £5 parking fee, saying that the birds hadn't been seen for a while and were unlikely to appear in the rain. However, for once my luck was in and four birds appeared after about 20 minutes during a brief respite from the rain, posing on (distant) telegraph wires and on bushes. I managed a few 'record shots' before leaving for what turned out to be an interminable journey home. If the birds nest successfully they could be present until August and I may go to see them again, hopefully in better weather!
Bee-eaters on Telegraph Wires, Trimingham, 30 June
No comments:
Post a Comment