Treecreeper

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A very quiet morning's ringing last Tuesday, which almost started well with a sparrowhawk managing to avoid the net. Apart from a few blue and great tits, the highlight was two treecreepers Certhia familiaris which hit the net at the same time - probably a pair. I took the opportunity to get a few images of the adaptations that allow them to forage successfully in tree bark - long curved bill, strengthened tail feather shafts and long claws.

White tailed sea eagle 0, Lapland bunting 4

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Last Sunday was predominantly spent in the freezing wind, staring at a field in Hampshire. The light was terrible, rain constantly threatened, and the juvenile white-tailed sea eagle that's been lurking at the wrong end of the UK wasn't seen all day. The odd raven and buzzard passed by, but no barn door sized eagles.

I took a quick lunch break to visit Milford-on-Sea, which was only a few miles away. The wind was driving large breakers onto the shore, and the brent geese Branta bernicla were sensibly keeping their heads down.



Lapland buntings Calcarius lapponicus are pretty scarce on the south coast, and a group of at least four were showing well at the edge of a stubble field, gleaning seeds.






Nearby the edge of Keyhaven Marshes had greenshank Tringa nebularia, black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus, rock pipit Anthus petrosus and turnstone Arenaria interpres foraging close enough for a few images in the gloom and wind.

Glossy ibis and water vole

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Taking a risk with the weather, and not missing the opportunity of a rare quiet afternoon, the current triumvirate of scarce west Berkshire birds was the target for the day - dipper, great white egret and glossy ibis. All were within a few miles of each other, and started with the great white egret being seen flying over and landing in a tree as we drove down a country lane - very unexpected but welcome. Our first stop was for the overwintering dipper at the weir in Welford. The bird showed quickly, but views were poor in the rain, and I regretted not taking a scope as views were distant. Given the short afternoon light and the rain, we headed to Great Shalford for the great white egret, where there were a few little egrets, but no sign of the GWE. We made this a brief stop, but were happy that we'd at least caught sight of it.

The highlight of the day was the glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus (click any image for larger) at Freeman's Marsh. The weather cleared, and on occasion there was even a little winter sunshine. The first view of the ibis was as it flew over disturbed by a dog walker, landing in a tree to preen. Little egret foraged in a stream while a kestrel waited on the overhead cables. After a while the ibis headed back to its preferred foraging place, where we were initially over cautious in approaching - the ibis was unconcerned about people passing by. It provided great views as it hunted among the cress beds, catching a miller's thumb as we watched, and illustrating just how appropriate its name is.

Glossy ibis

It wasn't only glossy ibis that caught our attention in this corner of the brook; a foraging water rail skulked among the bankside vegetation, while this water vole Arvicola amphibius fed, ignoring the audience. It's not every day that you have such success is such a short period of time - an afternoon full of highlights!

Kingfisher in the hand

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A very chilly ringing session this morning, with some interesting species in the hand, including lesser redpoll and goldcrest. The highlight was this first winter male kingfisher Alcedo atthis (click any image for larger), which was completely unexpected, and very relaxed in the hand...

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Gulls and others at Dungeness

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Today was the last day of my Christmas break, and it saw an early morning drive down to Kent and East Sussex, for a day at Dungeness and Pett Level. The day started exceptionally well, with a gentle sunrise over the Channel, and good numbers of red throated divers and many great crested grebes out to sea, as well as auks, gannets and many cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo passing by (click any image for larger). The patch was heaving with herring, lesser black backed, greater black back, black headed and common gulls, along with a little gull and a smattering of Meditteranean gulls Larus melanocephalus, as well as a couple of passing kittiwakes.

Cormorants at dawn

The patch at Dungeness power station

Mediterranean gull

The highlight of the early morning on the shore was this superb first winter glaucous gull Larus hyperboreus which allowed a close approach.

Glaucous gull

Next stop was the RSPB reserve, for good numbers of smew Mergellus albellus, a few goosander, black-necked grebe and bittern Botauris stellaris fly-bys.

Smew

Bittern in flight

This gull (on the right first image), on the left in the following, caused a stir, being picked out as a Caspian gull Larus cachinnans. From a distance it was very distinctive, with the posture, clean colouration and beady eye of a Caspian, and those in the know were unanimous in their identification. Not being much of a laurophile, I'm not so convinced, and I'm nervous about the eye colour, but apparently around 25% of Caspian's don't have dark eyes. The contrast with the herring gull Larus argentatus is interesting, and there were some dissenting voices.

Possible Caspian gull on right?

Possible Caspian gull (on left)?

Possible Caspian gull (on left)? 

The final stop was Pett Level, for three subspecies of brent goose Branta bernicula (pale bellied, dark bellied and the vagrant black brant all visible at once; there's an excellent video here), as well as barnacle, bean and Canada geese, and a wide range of waders including lapwing Vanellus vanellus, dunlin, turnstone, golden and grey plover, redshank and snipe. In the distance a rough-legged buzzard was watching the scene from a dead branch - not a bad end to a superb day's birding.

Barnacle and brent geese

Lapwing