Wednesday 27 August 2014

Portland Bill and friends

Spent about a week on the Dorset coast in the Bongo with the family. A good passage of Tree Pipits was noted during the week, with their 'speezz' call regularly heard overhead. There was a good westerly flow of Swallows too during the week and plenty of warblers in the bushes. Not a lot of birding done, though an hour at Brownsea Island Lagoon was enjoyable for plenty of waders including a Spotted Redshank and ten Greenshank, plus an army of Little Egrets. A pair of Common Terns were still feeding young which seemed rather late and nearby I jammed a stonking Firecrest just outside the public hide. Two Red Squirrels were playing about nearby, which delighted (me and) the kids. Elsewhere, we saw Osprey, Sika Deer, Wasp Spider and Raft Spider at Arne, Balearic Shearwaters and many Manxies off Portland Bill and most frustratingly, a probably Citrine Wagtail that flew past me calling on the clifftop at Osmington Mills. I didn't get anything on it apart from it looked grey and white and the call was spot on. Sadly, it kept going until I lost it to the west.


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