Dungeness, Kent

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Arriving at Dungeness at dawn proved quiet - there was little moving of interest at the patch, and a wander towards the observatory produced nothing of note, apart from a late flock of swallows feeding over the power station. Stopping off at the ARC pit produced a range of common wildfowl (including pintail) and a solitary ruddy duck, lapwing, golden plover and a little stint. A chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita; click for larger) foraged in a nearby sycamore.



Stopping at the main entrance to Dungeness RSPB reserve produced a small flock of tree sparrows, which nest in the adjacent farm, and a covy of red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa; click for larger).



Wandering through the reserve produced little of note; the heat built up quickly, reflected back from the shingle, and by mid-day felt very un-Autumnal. There was little evidence of movement through, apart from recently arrived ducks, and the stonechats (Saxicola torquata; click for larger) were the most visible small passerines.



Overhead, marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus), kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and a mobbed sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus; click any for larger) hunted in the heat haze.







I headed back to the car, resigned to a long drive back, when I got word that a cattle egret and a pair of glossy ibis had been seen from Denge marsh. I headed back, to hear that they had disappeared, but I then found a superb bittern (Botaurus stellaris; click for larger) far in the distance, climbing the reeds in classic bittern pose. Through the scope this looked great - just doesn't quite work through a 500mm lens!



That was the start of a round of ardeids, with grey herons and little egret (Egretta garzetta; click for larger) already seen in small numbers.



The great white egret (Ardea alba; click for larger - here hidden from the view of Denge hide) was playing hide-and-seek in the reeds to many people's chagrin.



And then after a long wait, the cattle egret (Bulbulcus ibis; click for larger) flew in to forage among the sheep in the late afternoon sun.





A long wait for the glossy ibis failed to produce yet another wanderer from the Mediterranean, but as a real unexpected bonus, a stone curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus; click for larger) flew in from the sea. These are fantastic - much more impressive than these primped egrets - real birds! The stone curlew bathed in a small pool, and provided a final highlight to a day that started poorly, but ended on a high.

Lavell's Lake, Berkshire

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A 10 minute visit on the way home produced evidence of more movement - increased numbers of duck, including pochard, redwings passing over in number, and a surprising Cetti's warbler in the reedbeds.

Lavell's Lake, Berkshire

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After yesterday's excitement, back to more prosaic local patch watching. Dropped into Lavell's Lake on the way home from work. Autumn is definitely here, with the first redwings of the winter feeding on hedgerow berries. Duck numbers (mainly wigeon and gadwall, but also teal, tufted duck and shoveler) continue to build. Apart from snipe and a sparrowhawk, there was little unusual around. Most attention was given to the little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis; click for larger), with half a dozen in front of the hide. I suspect that they were a recent brood, as a couple were testing their wings and chasing over the water. The great crested grebes (Podiceps cristatus; click for larger) were still feeding their well-grown offspring.

Brown Shrike at Staines Moor

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A reported red-backed shrike was transformed in interest by its later re-identification as a brown shrike (Lanius cristatus). This is only the fifth or sixth UK record of this Asian species, which at this moment should be somewhere mid-migration from Siberia to south-eastern China, and instead finds itself just inside the M25 and next door to Heathrow. The news came in too late to dash down yesterday, so a 6am departure ensured that I was at the last reported spot well before dawn.

It was a cold morning, with ice scraped off the windscreen a hint (that I failed to take) that warm clothing would be wise. A thick low-lying mist didn't burn off until the sun was well up, and the side of the River Colne already had at least 50 people who probably should have been in work waiting for the shrike, with many bemoaning the clear skies and suggesting that it wouldn't be seen. But seen it was, and the shrike showed well for the couple of hours I spent there. Never close (all images are fairly substantial crops, with a 1.4X converter), but in good light and a scope the views were excellent as it foraged after insects.







Compared to the juvenile red-backed shrike seen at Dungeness last month, this had a stronger mask, lacked the scalloping on the mantle, and to me at least appeared longer-tailed, giving a different silhouette. Very pleased to have seen this one - and this makes three UK shrikes (great grey earlier in the year) for me this year. Then after getting into work the messages come through - both red-backed and great grey shrikes also seen in other parts of the moor - surely that cannot be beaten?!

Skylarks, kingfishers and kestrels added to the trip, and as I reached the car, a stoat dashed across the lane, stopped, looked at me and ran on - a great way to end the morning, and I still managed to be in work by 11!

Bullswater Common, Surrey

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It was a fairly dismal afternoon - drizzle and poor light - but in spite of this, optimism got hold and I took a quick dash out to Bullswater Common, a local heath which has seen better days. Local conservation efforts include the use of grazing highland cattle (click for larger), but some more serious work is needed to combat the birch trees.



My reason for choosing Bullswater was the hope of finding a fly agaric in good condition, and they're fairly common here. I managed to find a few, but none were worth photographing, and the drizzle made any photography difficult. I did get a couple of mushroom images, but nothing like I was hoping for (click either for larger; the first I think is a Boletus sp. and I'm not sure about the second - an Inocybe sp.? I still need to learn my fungi!).





There was little else around; few insects or birds were moving. I found this jawbone and in desperation at the lack of worthwhile subjects took a couple of images to convert to black and white later(click for larger).

More grebes at Staines Reservoirs

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I have to admit that I really don't like Staines Reservoirs; they're open, featureless, noisy, there's the constant suspicion that the sat nav will have been nicked by the time you get back to the car, and worst of all, anything interesting is bound to be miles away. And that's the frustration - interesting things frequently turn up, and as I can reach it within 25 minutes or so (give or take roadworks and the state of the M25) it provides that concentrated burst of worthy species when life conspires to prevent a decent day out, as has been my problem recently.

I spent all of 30 minutes there today - attracted out by the promise of a juvenile red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena; click for larger). As usual, the bird was miles away, so the image was taken with the 500, a 1.4X converter, and has been heavily cropped, so to call it a record shot is being generous. Worth the trip though - not such a common sight, and through the scope decent views were had.



All was forgiven, as this black-necked grebe (Podiceps nigricollis; click either for larger) swam alongside the causeway. This is the closest view I've had of a black-necked grebe - albeit in terrible light.



As with elsewhere, duck numbers are building up, and the terns have departed. My powers of foresight predict some freezing days over the winter on the causeway...