After about 17 years (oh, alright.... 3 weeks ish) trapped inside (oh alright, not fancying going out into wind and dull skies) the big ball of fire in the sky burned brightly on my day off, and an impromptu decision to head to reliable birding grounds was made.
From Chesil car park I wandered to The Fleet, passing the cafe (before it opened) and onto the mudflats... Which is bigger.... Herring Gull, or Little Egret?
Decide for yourself
And the Egret, solo..
There were half a dozen or so Crows on the mudflats, only occasionally annoying the gulls and waders
It was mainly Black Headed Gulls, in various stages of plumage transition (one fully dark headed, but I didn't get a picture unfortunately)
There were a dozen or so Ringed Plovers
And five or six Bar Tailed Godwit, that have been present most of the winter
As well as another 10 or so Sanderling
I heard some whistling behind me, and shot randomly into the sun, picking up what I think is a Pied Wagtail?
One of the Plovers kept a wary eye, as I trudged over the mud
And despite spending most of the time paddling at the waters edge, the Sanderlings still occasionally took a bath
I left the mudflats, and crossed the road, to look out over the harbour, for any errant Grebes (Slavonian, Red Necked and Black Necked have all been seen recently, but probably through scopes) Needless to say, none were forthcoming, but a lovely male Stonechat perched atop a post, and stayed there as I made my way cautiously around it to see it in favourable light
A definite Pied Wagtail landed about 15 yards in front of me, jolly kind of him I thought!
And a lone Brent Goose was in the shallows. Not sure if he'd been ostracised, or what, but there were 20 or more on the Fleet, and this was the only one in the harbour. Also, can't tell 100% but does he looked damaged on the neck and top of the head?
As this was literally within yards of where I took about a million pictures of the Kestrel last time I was here, I wondered if lightening would strike twice...... It did...amd then some..... I turned and saw this....
And that was the only shot I got before it dived down...... the next thing I know, talons fully loaded... he sped away
Something I've never seen before, Kestrel feeding
YOU MAY WANT TO SCROLL THROUGH A LITTLE WAY TO AVOID THE KESTRELS BREAKFAST!
At this point, a couple were walking their dog, and the Kestrel proved that a "take away" is not a new thing!!
I wandered back toward the car park, and spied the Little Egret again
And another Black Headed Gull cruised by
Not sure, but a Meadow Pipit(?) in the car park
And there were two groups of three Red Breasted Merganser
A fine start to the trip, I decided to head for Portland Bill.
Arriving at the car park a crow looked down upon a party of screeching school children, potentially picking a subject for target practise!
I headed round passing the lighthouse, to Pulpit Rock, and went to the cliff edge, looking towards the naval area, and flying in and out from around the edge of the cliff were a series of auks, I think a Razorbill and a Guillemot
And a Guillemot
Heading back to the lighthouse, a flock of Starlings decided it was time to try and block the light
Moving along the cliff top, movement caught my eye amongst the boulders, Rock Pipit (?)
I moved thirty or forty yards further on on the seaward side of the top of the cliffs, and got a right surprise...Meadow Pipit about 10 feet away
A juvenile Herring Gull sailed effortlessly by
Whilst on the grass of the cliff top, another Meadow Pipit found brunch
I headed inland towards the Observatory lighthouse, and was struck by how stunning this Dunnock looked in the sunlight
A jackdaw flapped lazily to land on a cable going to the Observatory
I headed to the Obs quarry, hopeful of seeing the Little Owl (for the first time). Again, not this trip....but on the top blocks....
He then took great delight in projectile poo-ing, but I missed the excremental arc, capturing the moment after.... Never has one sleek, streamlined bird looked quite so ruffled!!
I started to head back, when a strange bird like shape appeared on the top of a twiggy plant.... Mrs Stonechat, wearing her bangle
And then the Kestrel took off..... I could have posted about 50 shots, but I've refrained lol
Imagine the view as it circled the the Obs Tower if you happened to be looking out!
Back by the quarry.... I think it's a Chaffinch, but considering how far away I was it seemed far too big
A Starling started "clicking" above me... that beak certainly looks like it could do some damage!!
And a flock of a dozen or more House Sparrows twittered and flapped....all bar one, who was too busy stuffing his gob!
Owl-less, but with a pair of Kestrels, and numerous other delights, I decided to head to Radipole Lake in Weymouth, for a quick lunch and an hour wandering round before the forecasted cloud came over....
An unusual duck, loitering with Mallards and Teal
A Moorhen with a bright flashy bill
One of the infamous Yoga Tufties... an almost transcendental state of calm is needed to bend your neck that far back!
One of the aforementioned Teal
Walking round Buddlea Loop to see if the Great Crested Grebes were about, I encountered firstly a very busy Mrs Blackbird, proudly showing her grain of mud!
And a pair of Robins, one of whom flew into the scrub
There were a pair of Swans, one giving a reminder of their gnashers!
A group of Cormorants sat atop a platform, showing different plumages
And a Shoveller managed to catch a hint of sun
Whilst Mrs S just got on with business
Some of the Dinosaurmorants decided a change of scenery was required so flew off to pastures new...
Whilst Mrs T and Mr Different-T just mooched about
At the viewing screens, something put all the birds up, including two Herons
Another Mrs BB was "hiding" in a tree
And a white duck was amongst the reeds (I've seen two, together, on previous visits, but only saw one this time)
And finally, a very regal looking Heron, like he is the elder statesman of the reserve (no idea if he is, but that's what he looked like to me!!)
And so came to an end another fabulous day out.
I hope it wasn't too long as I didn't provide a warning lol
Thanks in advance for any ID corrections/confirmations, and thanks for reading.
Stay Safe All
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.