30 Aug 24 - A Good Ending To August For The Historic Isle Of Purbeck Year List

I'm two-thirds through the year on my Historic Isle of Purbeck Year List challenge for 2024. The target is to comfortably pass the two hundred species barrier, following BOU taxonomy with no reintroduction species or feral pigeons. I was on 175 at the end of Jul 24, which was relatively disappointing compared to my previous Poole Harbour Year Lists attempts. However, I had been abroad for a month from mid-Jan to mid-Feb and consequentially I missed a good chunk of the first Winter and four expected Winter species: Merlin, Woodcock, Jack Snipe & Brambling. However, Jack Snipe can be tricky to locate at the best of times and Brambling is most easily seen as a Vis Mig species in late Oct - early Nov.

The size of the two areas are broadly similar. Poole Harbour adds in the good & well-watched Lytchett Bay & Swineham patches: which allow a few easy Year Ticks that are very hard to unlikely to see in the Isle of Purbeck such as Bittern, Pochard, Garganey, bonus Waders, Water Pipit etc. But the latter patch includes the Jurassic coastline with easy bonuses such as Red-legged and Grey Partridges, Puffins, Corn Buntings, much better migrant Passerines & seawatching. But a lot fewer Birders watch this coastline and lack of coverage is a downside.

My best ever Poole Harbour Year List is 206 in 2011, with the record of 209 being achieved by Nick Hopper in 2008. In comparison in 2022, I reached 195 by 24 Oct in the Isle of Purbeck and would have finished the year on about 205. But instead, I headed out for two back to back tours to very remote parts of Indonesia with Bird Tour Asia for seven weeks, followed by an eight day bout of Salmonella picked up in Bali or on the plane home. This meant I didn't see any additional species. The Isle of Purbeck Year List record is 202 achieved by James Leaver in 2023.

Wood Sandpiper: This was a species I reckon I only had a slim chance of seeing in the Isle of Purbeck. So, I quickly headed over to Brownsea to see it. I didn't have my camera with me, but I just managed to squeeze it onto the DWT Brownsea TV screen whilst showing it to visitors (3 Aug 24)

Fortunately, Aug 24 has provided a good start to the Autumn, with my first Yellow Wagtails and the bonus Wood Sandpiper on Brownsea at the start of the month. It was the best part of three weeks before I saw another new species, despite getting out every Birding locally nearly every day. The weather cracked up on 22 Aug when Storm Ernesto battered the UK and produced some nice seawatching at Durlston. The highlight was a couple of bonus Sooty Shearwaters, with another on the following morning. That afternoon I finally bumped into a Ring-necked Parakeet. Up to a couple of years ago, this was an easy species to see around Studland and I often bumped into them elsewhere locally. However, I'm only aware of a handful of sightings this year, thanks to a decision by the Studland Golf Course to employ a pest controller to shoot them over the last couple of years.

Ring-necked Parakeet: A few years ago, I started seeing them around my Swanage house. However, thanks to some Parakeet-hating golfers, the small Purbeck population that has probably never reached twenty individuals might well disappear completely (29 Aug 18)

Things picked up when I went to Brownsea on 24 Aug after a Little Stint was found there by local Birder & Brownsea volunteer Graham Armstrong. I then found an eclipse Male Garganey & Graham upped my Year List again with a Curlew Sandpiper. I didn't dare to dream of a three Tick day at this stage of the year.

Garganey: Eclipse Male on the DWT Brownsea TV screen (24 Aug 24)

I thought a Grasshopper Warbler on 29 Aug would be the last Year Tick of the month. However, after a wonderful day spotting on the Birds of Poole Harbour Bird Boat, I was heading home, when local Purbeck Birder James Leaver rang about a Wryneck he had just found on his evening walk patch at Knowle Hill. The car was rapidly spun around in Corfe Castle and a few minutes later, I met up with James. It was a nerve-racking ten minute wait as the sun slowly lowered, but then James saw it pop up again. Another bonus Year Tick that I wasn't banking on, left me on 184 at the end of the month.

Wryneck: We didn't try to get close to get better photos as we didn't want to disturb it, in case other local Birders wanted to look for it the following morning. In the end, nobody did look for it & it could still be around

Wryneck: It seemed happy to take in the last of the evening sun

In addition to the four Winter species, still have a few fairly easy species to see: Storm-petrel, Bonxie, Short-eared Owl, Pied Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warbler & Ring Ouzel. Then I will be reliant on some scarce & rare Autumn & Winter species to push me over the two hundred barrier. At this point, it seems possible and the challenge will help me get out Birding daily over the next few months.

3 Aug 24 - A Bonus Historic Isle Of Purbeck Year Tick

I'm currently having another attempt at cracking the 200 barrier on the Historic Isle of Purbeck Year List. I tried in 2022 and reached 195 with several easy late Autumn species left. However, I headed off to Indonesia in late Oct for seven weeks on two back-to-back Bird Tour Asia trips and a few extra days Birding on my own. Had I stayed, I would have easily passed the 200 target. This year I'm having another attempt at the 200 barrier.

When I prepare for a local Year List challenge, I work out a list of potential species, which get categorised as Definitely Will See, Probably Will See & Might See. This helps me to ensure I don't overlook a potentially easy to see species. The reality is the Might See could be realistically categorised as Unlikely To See. So, it is always nice when a Might See species turns up in the Historic Isle of Purbeck. This happened when a news broke that there was a Wood Sandpiper on the Brownsea lagoon. Unfortunately, it wasn't found to mid-afternoon & the news didn't get out till after the island closed. But realistically there wouldn't have been time to get on & see it that afternoon, had news broken within minutes of it being found.

I was up early in case there was some early news and one of DWT wardens, Nicki, posted some nice video on twitter about eight that morning. Soon after I was heading off for the ferry. As I got out of the car at Studland, I realised I had left the camera in the house. Annoying, but not the end of the world as it isn't a Photo Year List. I met Graham Armstrong on the quayside for the Brownsea volunteers boat. The Wood Sandpiper was showing well right in front of the hide as Graham & I reached the Avocet hide: job done.

Wood Sandpiper: It was right outside the Avocet hide when I took this picture & I could only just get a picture with all of it in on the vidscope TV screen. This is only the second Wood Sandpiper in about the last fifteen years on the Brownsea Lagoon, so it wasn't a species I expected to see there. This took me to 177 & Ring-necked Parakeet heard for the year & keeps me on track to reach 200

Wood Sandpipers are a species that should be easy to see in Poole Harbour, with individuals occurring at both Swineham & Lytchett Bay annually. But the Historic Isle of Purbeck boundary stops at the River Frome & Swineham is on the wrong side of the boundary. The only chance of seeing a Wood Sandpiper in this area is if you are on a Birds of Poole Harbour Bird boat & one flies off from Swineham and circles over the Arne Marshes. This happened in 2022, resulting in only my fourth Isle of Purbeck record.

The Drinker: Time for a celebratory drink: well not this type. This was photographed in the hide, before being relocated to a more sensible location outside

As it turned out, a couple of the regular volunteers had other commitments & were not available to come over to Brownsea. So, it was useful that I could stick around for the rest of the day to help the other volunteers out.

29 Jul 23 - An Isle Of Purbeck Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpipers are a very hard species to see in the Historic Isle of Purbeck. There are only five records for Studland of this species which prefers freshwater fields, rather than coastal mudflats. With little freshwater in the rest of the Isle of Purbeck, there is little suitable habitat. Around 2008 or 2009, a stream was partially dammed at Sunnyside Farm on the edge of Stoborough Heath and this created a nice freshwater area which has attracted the occasional Wood Sandpiper.

Wood Sandpiper

There are a few records from the pools on the RSPB Arne Moors. However, there is no public access to this area, which will also mean the best area in the Isle of Purbeck is under-recorded given it adjoins Swineham: where they occur just outside of the Isle of Purbeck border. As a result, Wood Sandpipers have remained a scarce & tricky species to see in the Isle of Purbeck. So, it was good to hear that local patch stalwart, Jol Mitchell, had found one at Sunnyside. A few others managed to beat my quick response to get to the viewing screen overlooking the flooded pools. It was a nice local social event, as well as, a chance to see my fourth Isle of Purbeck Wood Sandpiper.

Wood Sandpiper: It was nice that it stretched out its wing while I was taking some photos

3 Nov 22 - Indonesia - Banda Sea Cruise Day 8 - Birding On Damar

We had a pre-dawn landing in the Muslim village on Damar to allow us to walk through the village & meet our guides at the far end of the long village at first light. It was about a two & a half miles of walking along a steadily ascending track until we reached the better forest around 300m. This was our site for the main target species: Damar Flycatcher. This is a single island endemic species. We saw a few birds along the walk in the early morning light, but we didn't linger for too long as everybody was keen to push on to look for the Damar Flycatcher, before it got too hot.

The rising track passed through a lot of secondary edge

Little Bronze-cuckoo in the early morning light: This is the rufomerus subspecies that occurs on the Romang, Kisar, Leti, Moa, Sermata and Damar Islands in the Lesser Sundas

Northern Fantail: This is the hoedti subspecies of Northern Fantail that occurs on the Romang, Leti, Moa, Sermata and Damar Islands in the Lesser Sundas. It has been proposed to be split as a monotypic species, Banda Sea Fantail, by the Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago due to pronounced vocal & plumage differences within the Northern Fantail complex. Currently, Clements & IOC haven't split the Northern Fantail complex

The forest looked better by the time we reached an elevation of around 300m. Fairly soon we were watching our first Damar Flycatchers. The males were very active & didn't stay for long in any perch. It was another endemic species with a very limited range for the trip.

Finally, the forest improved

Damar Flycatcher: Male. We saw three Damar Flycatchers in the morning

Damar Flycatcher: Male

Damar Flycatcher: Female

Damar Flycatcher: Female

We also saw a few other forest species on Damar.

Yellow-throated Golden Whistler: This is the dammeriana subspecies which is another potential future split that has been proposed by The Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago field guide, from the Yellow-throated Golden Whistler complex. Currently, Clements and IOC treat it as a subspecies of Yellow-throated Golden Whistler. There is further work required in this group before the taxonomy becomes finalised

Spectacled Monarch: This is the trivirgatus subspecies that occurs in the Lesser Sundas. Other subspecies occur in the Moluccas & Australia

It was time to slowly wander back to the village.

These locals raced past us on the track down the hill carrying heavy-looking sacks of nuts

We took the walk down the hill at a more leisurely pace

As we reached the edge of the village, a damp grassy patch held a Wood Sandpiper & four Eastern Yellow Wagtails.

Wood Sandpiper: Wood Sandpipers breed across Eurasia & winter from South Africa to South Asia & Australia

Eastern Yellow Wagtail: Wilbur confirmed this is the tschutschensis subspecies

Spider sp.: There is a small brown Spider just behind the large Spider's head & I'm assuming this is a male as many species of Spiders have very large females and very small males. The males take their lives into the hands when trying to mate & too often become the next meal for the female

I hadn't expected to see paintings of Father Christmas on a police station wall

We returned to the Lady Denok for lunch. I skipped the early afternoon PADI diving & snorkelling session in favour of catching up with lost sleep. I wanted to be awake for the seawatching in the late afternoon when we left Damar & headed for Leti Island. In hindsight, this was probably a bad decision, as it was a quiet crossing with a Wilson's Storm-petrel, some Brown & Red-footed Boobies and a reasonable numbers of Common Noddies.

Some of the local kids getting used to a local fishing canoe

Brown Boobies

Common Noddy

Raja, our birding Mr Fixit, seawatching

One of the inter-island ferries

We finished the evening with some stunning sunsets.

This was one of the best sunsets I saw in Indonesia

The sunset looking forward

The sunset continued to impress us

19 Sep 14 - Ageing A Close Green Sandpiper

It's not uncommon to hear or see Green Sandpipers at Middlebere from July to the following Spring. But normally they are either flying over the marsh or flying rapidly in front of the hide before landing one out of view. So it was a real bonus when one dropped in on the small pool in front of the hide for 2 or 3 minutes. Not long enough to really enjoy it, but long enough to get some photos. But I'm not going to complain, given it's only about the second time I've seen one on this pool. This is a first Winter Green Sandpiper. Now I just need to photograph an adult Green Sandpiper.

Green Sandpiper: The fine spotting on the dark upperparts, clean cut white underparts, short eye stripe, strongly barred tail & dark green legs separates this from a Wood Sandpiper. Hearing the distinctive call as it flew in & seeing its black underwings & clear white rump also sorted the identification out before it landed

 Green Sandpiper: The broad spotting on the edges of the tertials indicates this is a juvenile/1st Winter. An adult would have much finer spotting

Green Sandpiper: The relatively unstreaked head and lightly streaked breast indicates this is a 1st Winter bird. There are some great photos of aging of Green Sandpipers available in the excellent ringing PDF download Green Sandpiper from the Identification Atlas of the Birds of Aragon. It certainly is a lot more useful than my ancient Guide to the Identification and Ageing of Holarctic Waders

Wood Sandpiper: A winter Wood Sandpiper to compare. Note, the more scaly edgings to the golden brown upperparts, the less defined breast which runs more into the white belly. Also the stronger pale supercilium and the more yellowish-green legs. Desert Coursers, Gujarat, India (18 Jan 14)

11 April 14 - A Morning At Yotvata

Another early start saw us heading to an early breakfast, so we didn't have to raise back to Eilat mid am for a late breakkie. Then it was back North to Yotvata. The sewerage works were the main location with another attempt to photograph a Little Crake. There were also a number of other species present at the sewerage works, as well as in the nearby kibbutz. We also had a look at the dunes next to one of the circular fields, but making sure that we didn't stray across the border. 

Looks like there was a formal border crossing at one point

The dunes nearby: Apparently the border is just a low fence in the dunes

Garganey: Male. My favourite Western Palearctic dabbling Duck

Osprey: Adult. Just in case you have forgotten what they look like since the photos a few posts ago

Marsh Harrier: Male of the nominate aeruginosus subspecies

Marsh Harrier: Male. Sand dunes aren't the normal habitat!

Little Crake: Female. The grey face of the males extends down to the breast

Spur-winged Plover

Wood Sandpiper

Little Green Bee-eater

Pied Wagtail: The White Wagtail alba subspecies

Yellow Wagtail: The Black-headed subspecies feldegg

Citrine Wagtail: Male. This looks like the werae subspecies which has a greyer mantle (whereas the nominate citreola has an olive or brown tinge to the grey mantle). Also werae has a less extensive black nape (which doesn't extent onto the sides of the breast)

Citrine Wagtail: Male. The werae subspecies is the commoner subspecies in Winter & on migration, but the nominate citreola does occur on migration

Rufous Bushchat

Masked Shrike: Female. Males would have black, rather than grey upperparts & would be deeper orange on the flanks 

Masked Shrike: Female. She finally moved to a natural background

Ortolan

Ortolan: Another photo of the same bird. The streaks on the breast indicates this is a 1st year bird which still retains some of the 1st Winter plumage

The next stop was the Caspian Plover area at the start of the Ovda Road, but very close to the start of the turnoff this time. We had met some Swedish birders the previous evening, who had seen a party of Scrub Warblers in the bushes in this area. A quick look & we located the birds, which remained quite skulky.

Scrub Warbler: This is the inquieta subspecies. Not a great photo, but it shows the prominent streaking on the crown, whitish supercilium, dark line through eye & dark eye. The Moroccan birds we saw earlier in the year had fine streaking on the crown, an indistinct buffy supercilium & weaker eye stripe

Whinchat: They will soon be passing through Dorset again

We returned to Eilat along the Ovda road that goes via the Eilat Mountains. This gave us another chance to have a look for the Hooded Wheatear, but this time we saw it. With the border fence in the background & being right next to the army checkpoint, I decided it would be better to leave the camera in the car: especially as it would have been a poor photo as it wasn't close.

Desert Lark: The birds found in the Southern Israeli deserts & the Sinai are intermediate between the deserti subspecies we saw in the Dead Sea area & the isabellinus subspecies of North & West Eqypt & SW Saudi Arabia

Desert Lark

Crested Lark: This is the brachyura subspecies which occurs in the Southern Deserts of Israel as well as North Libya to coastal Egypt, North Sinai, North Saudi Arabia & South Iraq. Other subspecies occur further North in Israel

Dorcas Gazelle: Mum & youngster. When they saw us they headed off into the desert, which we couldn't consider following as this is all firing ranges

A lot of the desert on both sides of the road was off limits during the week due to the firing range