3 Oct 24 - That Thursday Morning Feeling

We have all felt that Thursday morning feeling when the alarm goes off & we realise it's only Thursday and there are still at least two working days left in the week. Well it looks like Grey Squirrels also suffer from this problem.

Grey Squirrel: Showing the Thursday morning feeling

Grey Squirrel: This Grey Squirrel is more awake

7 Oct 24 - Breakfast In Roscoff With ORCA

In early evening on the previous day, I met up with the Team Leader Neil Best, Judith Brown & Chloe Figueroa Ashworth at the Brittany Ferry terminal in Plymouth for an ORCA survey on the ferry Armorique to Roscoff. As the ferry left Plymouth in the dark, I ran through the survey briefing and then we headed off to get some sleep.

Judith Brown, Chloe Figueroa Ashworth, Neil Best & myself

There was a wakeup call at 06:00 UK time to let the passengers know we would be docking in an hour. It was only a few minutes before the cabin alarm was due to go off anyway. Time for a quick cuppa of tea, before Neil & I met up with Judith & Chloe. We were quickly off the ship & through customs with plenty of time to explore Roscoff.

The Armorique in the early morning Roscoff light

Roscoff is my favourite of the Brittany ferry destinations as it's a lovely-looking town. It took us about twenty-five minutes to walk into the centre: slowed down a bit by a few photographs.

The Roscoff Lighthouse: Building started in 1914 & it was finished three years later

The Eglise Notre-Dame de Croaz-Batz: This impressive looking church was built between 1515 & 1549, with the bell tower added twenty-six years later

We took the coastal footpath to the town centre which took us past the delightful Chapelle Sainte-Barbe.

Chapelle Sainte-Barbe: This chapel was built at the start of the 17th Century to Saint Barbe to protect departing sailors

Chapelle Sainte-Barbe

The old town has lots of nice-looking houses in the distinctive local architecture: This house was next to the Chapelle Sainte-Barbe

Speckled Wood: We saw good numbers along the coastal footpath

I was pleased to see the Cafe Ty Pierre, that I had visited on my previous visit in May 23, was open. Time for a leisurely French breakfast of fresh baguettes, a croissant, orange juice & a large coffee.

The Cafe Ty Pierre

The Cafe Ty Pierre has a great ceiling with a fishing map and local fishing boats stuck to the ceiling

Another local fishing boat: This would have made a great ceiling when I was a small kid

Having had a filling breakfast, it was time to have a walk around the old town and some of the beaches.

The town isn't very large

The road next to the cafe

The old road to the Eglise Notre-Dame de Croaz-Batz

A closer view of the Eglise Notre-Dame de Croaz-Batz

The Ile de Batz lies just offshore of the town and must help to protect the harbour.

A panoramic view of the Ile de Batz

The Eastern end of the Ile de Batz: It would be interesting to visit this island on a future trip. It looks like one of the outer islands in the Scillies

The Ile de Batz's lighthouse

A control tower on the Ile de Batz

We were expecting it to be cloudy & perhaps wet, so sunny conditions with clear skies and no wind were a bonus. Albeit given the time of year, I knew this nice weather wouldn't last. Sadly, I was proved right as clouds had drifted in on a Northerly breeze by late morning.

Looking across to the Perharidi Peninsula: We saw eight Dark-bellied Brent Geese, as well as, four Pale-bellied Brent Geese in this bay.

As we walked back we bumped into the Station Biologique de Roscoff. It is a marine biology & oceanography research teaching centre, which was founded in 1872. It is part of the Sorbonne University & is affiliated to the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

The Station Biologique de Roscoff

A newer wing of the Station Biologique de Roscoff

We were soon back in the square by the Eglise Notre-Dame de Croaz-Batz: There was time to have an final coffee at one of the other cafes by the port, before we had to walk back to the port

We arrived back at the ferry terminal with plenty of time before we were called to reboard the ferry. It was time to get ready to start the surveying. It proved to be a good survey. I saw over one hundred and twenty-five Short-beaked Common Dolphins out of over one hundred and fifty-four individuals. After crossing to the UK side of the Channel, I saw the singles of Cory's Shearwater and Great Shearwater, as well as, a couple of Bonxies, but there were no more Dolphins. Unfortunately, it was dark around an hour before we reached the Plymouth South breakwater. This last hour is usually good for Cetaceans, but without luminous markings, it was time to leave the bridge.

Short-beaked Common Dolphin: Showing the characteristic inverted black triangle below the dorsal fin

Short-beaked Common Dolphin: Not the sharpest of photos, but the thick bridge glass can make any photography tricky

I would like to thank to Brittany Ferries for allowing the ORCA survey team onboard the Armorique and to the bridge crew for making us welcome. Also, thanks to Neil, Judith and Chloe for making it a memorable survey.

Unfortunately, we didn't find any gold treasure on this survey

3 Oct 24 - Catching The Rays

I was pleased to see this Hummingbird Hawk Moth sitting on the side of Durlston Castle catching the rays this morning. This is only my third Hummingbird Hawk Moth that I've seen at rest, despite seeing quite a few locally each year.

Hummingbird Hawk Moth

2 Oct 24 - Not Forgiven, Not Forgotten

On 23 Oct 12, I was Birding on Portland after a Daurian Shrike had been found at the Bill. After seeing it, I was generally Birding when I was told the previous day, there had been a suppressed Arctic Warbler in a garden at Southwell. A group of mainly, but not exclusively, locals were invited in to see it, after being told that if they let the news out, they would never be allowed to see anything else that the householders decided to suppress. That first afternoon, Brett Spencer managed to get uninvited access & I understood he rang the Obs that evening & told them, it wasn't an Arctic Warbler. The suggestion after that was perhaps it was an Eastern Crowned Warbler: so an even bigger suppression. Fast-forward another day, and there was an announcement that evening, that either a Pale-legged Warbler or Sakhalin Warbler was involved, but it had gone. Four years later, a DNA confirmed Pale-legged Warbler turned up in the UK. The only problem was it was found dead under a window on St Agnes.

On 25 Sep, an Arctic Warbler turned up at Bempton. Replicating the Portland individual, it became a probable Eastern Crowned Warbler later that day. It was relocated on 27 Sep and finally identified as the UK's first alive Pale-legged Warbler. It was reported to be very skulky. I knew it would chaos the following day and decided not to head up. Unfortunately, I was committed to a WeBS count on 29 Sep, with strong winds and rain forecast for the next day. I had an early morning dental appointment on 1 Oct, but I was free after that. The weather still looked windy with the risk of rain, but dried than the previous day. I arrived just after 16:15, to find after forty Birders looking. Most had seen or glimpsed it during the afternoon as it skulked in a patch of low trees. Occasionally, an individual would see it. But by the time they started giving precise directions of "see the big branches", it was already long gone. Suffice to say I didn't see it. I headed into Bridlington for some food, before finding somewhere to park & sleep over in the Ford Focus hotel.

I was pleased that it rained for a couple of hours from dusk, albeit, it had stopped by 20:00. I fell asleep soon after, so I had no idea of whether there was further rain that evening. I had a good night's sleep and was ready for a full day of searching. The following morning was still windy, but dry and with the prospect of better light. This was essential as it spent long periods deep in cover. I spent the first forty-five minutes of the morning watching the trees it was last seen in. However, there had been no sightings in the final hour of light & I suspected it had left those trees before dusk. But it was as good an area to try as anywhere. Fortunately, after about forty-five minutes, somebody relocated it on the other side of that section of the car park: about twenty metres from where it had been last seen. There were about seventy people present: a mixture of Birders & clueless idiots with bins. Every now and then, a small group of Birders a few metres from me were seeing it. It was a case of holding my nerve and hoping it would finally show from where I was standing. Finally, I saw it after a thirty minute wait. I immediately saw why it had been so difficult to see. It would sit still for maybe fifteen or more seconds, before moving to a nearby position and staying still again. It remained deep in cover and generally three to five feet above the ground.

Pale-legged Warbler: Finally, I got a chance to get some photos. It was skulking deep into the trees and usually three to five feet above the ground. It could go missing for five to ten minutes, before popping back into view on the same branches. It is amazing that it was relocated given how skulky it was

After a number of good views, but no photos, it moved about ten metres right and the people to my left couldn't see it. At this point, these idiots thought that the best plan was for a group of them to walk within between the Birders and the Pale-legged Warbler, as close as a couple of metres away from it. Not surprisingly, it disappeared deeper into cover. They seemed surprised to be getting blunt & completely justified comments about their lack of field craft: but not one of them bothered to apologise. Eventually, it popped out again, but I'm glad the idiots weren't in a position to see it, as that group were now all standing right next to the bushes further to my right. They should have been taken away for some basic fieldcraft lessons. Soon after that, it flicked over our heads & was back in the trees were it had been seen the previous evening. Time to relocate and I knew where I needed to be standing to get a good chance of seeing it.

Pale-legged Warbler: On a few occasions, I heard it call. To my ears, I would describe it as reminiscent of a Dunnock call, but higher pitched. Apparently, it was calling well earlier in its stay and that probably helped many Birders locate it

The Pale-legged Warbler showed on and off in these trees, always low down & keeping well back. Fortunately, the RSPB had roped off the trees, which stopped anybody from trying to get into the trees. With the poor fieldcraft on display that morning, I wouldn't have been surprised by more poor behaviour. I managed to get a few photos, but most of the time, when it showed the camera was struggling to focus on the right branch, given how far it was into the trees. Unfortunately, it was still dark under these trees and the camera was on about 10,000 ISO. I watched it on and off for about three hours, before I was happy I wasn't likely to get any better views.

Pale-legged Warbler: Soon after this, I decided I had had enough and decided it was time to head home

Normally, I spend a few minutes photographing the Tree Sparrows when I visit this part of the Yorkshire coast. However on this occasion, they were pretty much ignored, given how much focus was needed to look for the Pale-legged Warbler. Consequently, this was the only Tree Sparrow photo taken on the day.

Tree Sparrow: I only spent a minute on this occasion taking these photos on the feeders at a distance

Checking RBA, the highlights on the East Coast at that moment, were an Icterine Warbler at Flamborough and an Arctic Warbler at Spurn. I wasn't bothered enough to want to figure out more details and I was happy to start the long journey back to Dorset. Halfway home, I stopped at a motorway services and the latest news was a Two-barred Greenish Warbler and an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler had been found in Yorkshire. Fortunately, I've seen both species in Dorset, so I was happy I didn't have to consider turning around.

This trip finally took some of the pain out of Dorset’s Pale-legged Warbler or Sakhalin Warbler suppression. However, after a day of suppression, when thoughts were heading in the direction of Dorset's first Eastern Crowned Warbler, it remained suppressed. This garden had previously held a Collared Flycatcher and on that occasion, access was requested to allow Birders to stand in the field adjacent to the house to view the Collared Flycatcher. Given the interest in an Eastern Crowned Warbler this would have been a good thing to try organising. Instead a plan of catch it, identify it and release elsewhere was being considered. The Obs & co did a good job in figuring out a likely identification. It's a pity the same effort wasn't made into working out how more people might have been given the chance to see this interesting Phyllos.

Back in 1995, The Corrs released their excellent debut album "Forgiven, not Forgotten". They were only half-right with this title. I think "Not Forgiven, not Forgotten" would be more appropriate, as that's how I still feel about this suppression.

28 Sep 24 - Garden Comma

I was pleased to see this Comma in the garden today when I had the chance to get a decent underwing & upperwing shot. They are my favourite UK Butterfly.

Comma: They get their name from the white comma on the underwing

25 Sep 24 - A Bonus ORCA Survey To St Mary's

Having just got back from the ORCA Sea Safari from Plymouth to Santander, I thought that I was done for surveying for ORCA for the month. However, on the 23rd, I saw an email asking for a last minute backfill ORCA Team Leader for the day trip crossing from Penzance to Scillies. I was free that day and generally I need little encouragement to go surveying on that route. The only problem is formally I haven't finished my Team Leader training with ORCA. However, I did lead a survey on the Scillonian back in July and I had been on my second survey of the year on the Scillonian III in mid-Sep. So, I felt confident I could step up to the Team Leader role. Fortunately, Ellie in the ORCA office agreed with that & I was offered the role. Cue emails that evening to the other surveyors, Gemma Rae and Sharon Scurlock, who were on their second and first ORCA surveys, respectively.

The forecast was for a blustery crossing with the prospects of rain as a front was arriving in West Cornwall that morning. However, it should be dry & sunny by the time we reached Hugh Town and the forecast looked better for the way back in the afternoon. During my journey from Dorset that morning, I had driven down through showers, some of which were heavy. It was difficult to figure out how much bad weather lay in our path, but there were still short showers in Penzance. As I walked along the promenade towards our meeting point by the aptly named Dolphin Travern by the quay, it was clear from the flags that there was still a noticeable wind blowing.

Short-beaked Common Dolphin Flag on the Penzance promenade: It was certainly very blustery. This was as near as I got to photographing a Short-beaked Common Dolphin during the day, despite seeing nine individuals in four groups

We sailed on time. I completed the pre-survey briefing just before we were invited onto the bridge and we greeted by the ever friendly Skipper Dave Redgrave and his colleagues. Within a few minutes we started surveying. The surveying takes place from the open bridge wings and so the weather can play a significant impact in the surveying. Obviously, the wind and seas impact the sea state and swell and there was a sea of white caps and a swell of over two metres. More significantly, there was a Force 4-5 SSW wind and that left the port wing very exposed, with a bit of shelter on the starboard wing. This route can be lively at times, given the combination of the Scillonian III's flat-bottomed and the choppy seas off the Cornish coast.

Just checking we were boarding the right ship

After checking Gemma was OK on the more sheltered starboard wing for our first half hour of surveying, I experimented with a few positions on the port bridge wing. I quickly found a position right next to the side of the bridge wing, which was surprisingly more sheltered that being next to the cabin. The only problem was spray was being thrown up & the best you could do was to turn away at the last moment. But I was hit by three waves of spray in the first half hour. Fortunately, the ship changes course after leaving West Cornwall and that problem soon abated. These days, I tend to measure the observing conditions and compare them to the Southern Oceans, but then the Plancius is a bigger and more stable Expedition Ship. While I felt OK, I did worry for my two colleagues who were doing their first crossing on the Scillonian III. Fortunately, they survived OK, but I think they were glad once we reached the lee of the islands.

A distant rainbow: The sea conditions were more challenging than they look in this photo

When we are surveying we typically spend eighty percent of the time scanning with naked eyes for close Dolphins, Porpoises and Seals with the final twenty percent of the time scanning the distant sea with the ORCA bins. While I was scanning with my eyes, I was keeping an eye on close Seabirds. On the crossing over I saw two pods of Short-beaked Common Dolphins, totally five and two individuals, respectively. I also saw twenty-seven Cory's Shearwaters, three Great Shearwaters, over thirty Manx Shearwaters and a close light phase Arctic Skua. I'm sure I missed more Seabirds that I would have seen with greater scanning with the bins, but I was there to survey for Cetaceans and not Seabirds, and any Seabirds on an ORCA survey are a nice bonus.

Cory's Shearwater: I saw twenty-seven on the crossing to St Mary's

An ORCA team photo with Sharon Scurlock (left), Gemma Rae, Skipper Dave Redgrave & myself

It was good to get ashore on St Mary's for about three hours. Time to have a wander down to the Old Town Church area and then loop through Lower Moors. There wasn't a lot being seen on St Mary's, but the interesting species were on other islands with a Western Bonelli's Warbler & Dotterel on Tresco and an Ortolan on St Agnes. So, I guess there weren't a lot of Birders looking on St Mary's.

I wonder if I my household insurance will give me a discount if I get one of these burglar deterrents

The Old & New: The Old Town Church with the heliport in the background

The island's War Memorial: There were nearly twice as many islanders killed in the First World War, compared to the Second World War, despite the longer length of the latter war

The Old Town Church

Old Town Bay looking from the entrance track from the church

Belladonna Lily: The Scillies & the Channel Isles are about the only parts of the UK where these cracking looking flowers grow without needing special care to get them through the winter. They are native to Cape Province in South Africa

I bumped into a Cornish based Birder, Dave, as I reached the Lower Moors hide. He was the RSPB Wildlife Officer for the day on the back deck of the Scillonian, so he had enjoyed a more sheltered position on the starboard side of the ship. I believe the RSPB put local birders on as Wildlife Officers on a weekly basis on the Scillonian for public engagement purposes. Sounds good, but sadly I'm a bit too far away to see if I could get involved in that. Dave had been looking for a Bluethroat which had been seen from the hide on previous days. Neither of us saw it. It was only seen once during the day according to RBA around 18:00. I gave it around twenty minutes before moving on. The Birding was very slow and I ended up photographing Butterflies. However, the first species was the endemic subspecies of Speckled Wood that is restricted to the Scillies.

Speckled Wood: This is the insula subspecies which is restricted to the Scillies. Compared to the tircis subspecies which occurs across the South of England, the ground colour of the Scillies insula subspecies is a deeper yellowish orange & it is more similar to the nominate aegeria subspecies of Southern Europe

Speckled Wood: For comparison, this is the regular tircis subspecies which occurs across the South of England that I recently photographed in my Dorset garden (17 Aug 24)

Peacock: Perhaps this had just emerged, as the last brood tend to go into hibernation as soon as they emerge

Finally, at the far end of Lower Moors, I ran into a party of Chiffchaffs and a Spotted Flycatcher. They were the only migrants Passerines I saw on St Mary's, ignoring Swallows: but early afternoon isn't perhaps the best time of day for Birding. After leaving Lower Moors, I headed back to grab a coffee, meet up with Sharon & Gemma, before we returned to reboard the Scillonian III. The crossing back was good with two more singles of Short-beaked Common Dolphins, as well as, eleven Cory's Shearwaters, three Great Shearwaters, six Sooty Shearwaters and sixteen Balearic Shearwaters. Again, I would have probably seen more Seabirds if I had been scanning more with the bins.

Cory's Shearwater: All the Cory's Shearwaters I saw were definite Cory's Shearwaters, rather than Scopoli's Shearwater candidates

Great Shearwater: I occasionally take Bird photographs on ORCA surveys with the technique to lifting the camera, grabbing a few photos & looking at them about a week later to see if any were OK. The result is I only lose a few seconds of survey time when the camera is in front of my eye. If I've got the camera set up OK, then this technique produces some OK photos, but I can't afford the time to look at the photos, before adjust settings to get some better photos

Despite the challenging conditions on the way over, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable ORCA survey, with some nice, if brief, views of a number of Short-beaked Common Dolphins, as well as, views of a nice selection of Seabirds that flew by as I was surveying for Cetaceans. Plus, it was good to encourage two budding surveyors who I'm sure will both be applying for further surveys in the future.

Humpback Whale Flag: Perhaps I should have photographed this before the ORCA survey, as maybe it would have resulted in us seeing a Humpback Whale. Photographing the Short-beaked Common Dolphin flag appeared to have worked OK

I would like to thank the ORCA team to offering me my first unofficial Team Leader role on this survey and to the Scillonian III's crew for making us welcome. It's a shame that the Fin Whale that Skipper Dave videoed a couple of days before didn't put in a sighting during our ORCA survey.