The Calm Before The Storm

The title of this post reflects my hopes for my four day Shetland trip that’s starting tomorrow evening. Despite an obvious highlight, birding locally has been quite quiet, so I’m hoping that Shetland will provide a selection of decent birds. RBA or Birdguides will show that Shetland has had a wail of a time in the last week or so. Hopefully the high quality birding will continue there through till the end of the month, and at a long shot hopefully its annual late September PG Tips (Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler) will appear on the mainland rather than on Fair Isle! A trip report will appear on here when I’m back.

I haven’t had a chance to benefit from the current strong easterlies locally due to being busy. Thus, this month’s local birding has continued on a Nearctic wader theme. After the Pec episode at Slains, I was vaguely hoping Rigifa Pool might come up with the goods and conjure up a Nearctic wader. As expected, this wasn’t to be on two checks of the pool on 15th and 16th September, but the local patch mentality made up for that. In other words, I perfectly enjoyed connecting with two site firsts in the form of 2 Black-tailed Godwits and 4 Common Snipes on 16th. Other waders that were about included a juvenile Dunlin and up to 40 Curlews on both days. Up to 20 Teal and 4 Pink-footed Geese were about on 15th. The main pool is too high at the moment to attract any Calidrids,  but the two smaller pools surrounding it had some muddy edges which looked great for something decent. The Dunlin was on here, but I can imagine a Pec dropping in if the levels stay the same. Will be popping back in at the nearest opportunity.

***

Last Friday (21st) I toddled up to Strathbeg in the hope of connecting with a long overdue lifer of mine; Buff-breasted Sandpiper. There had been two earlier in the week, but since it had decreased to one. However I headed first to the Ythan due to low tide. Plans for a careful check of the estuary from Inches up to Logie Buchan were for the most part scuppered by rain, but I did manage to check from Inches before it set in. The highlight was a fresh juv Curlew Sandpiper amongst a posse of 15 Dunlin and a flock of 100+ Redshanks towards the new houses, as well as 2 Bar-tailed Godwits. From what I could tell during my brief stint before the rain set in, the estuary didn’t seem to be as lively with waders as it had been earlier in the month, with Lapwing numbers seeming quite low and no Golden Plovers seen. Aside from waders 10 Red-breasted Mergansers, increased numbers of Common Gulls and sizeable Pinkfeet flocks were all singns that winter was on its way. Before moving on to Strathbeg, I couldn’t resist a check of the Slains’ Pools, including the tiny one which held the Pecs. There was nothing on the pool apart from a Curlew, but for the second time running I flushed a Snipe from the stubble field. It will be interesting to see if this short trudge produces Snipe again.

the stubble field by the Pec pool with Bennachie in the distance, taken on 8th September.

On arrival at Strathbeg I had a brief check of the Visitor Centre before making my way over to the Low Ground. There wasn’t much on the pools save 2 Greenshanks, but three White Wagtails (adult and two juvs) were of interest here. Once at Tower Pool it became evident there were plenty of Pinkfeets on the Low Ground. I set up the scope randomly at the right end of the flock, which proved to be a slice of luck as I immediately connected with the juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper in amongst them at quite close distance, albeit slightly obscured. Relief and happiness set in; it felt great to have at last connected with a Nearctic bogey bird of mine. The bird in question quickly moved away from the flock and into full view, feeding busily with erratic bursts of speed as it scuttled along the Low Ground. It soon joined a Ruff, providing perfect structural and plumage comparisons. The Buff breast was positively dwarfed by the Ruff (even though the Ruff was a female), and it appeared far daintier than the latter overall despite having a noticeabley long primary projection, with the comparatively short and delicate bill adding to this impression. It had uniformly sandy/pale buff uppers concolorous with its unders, unlike the Ruff which showed much darker uppers and centres to the wing coverts contrasting with more orangey unders which became clean white towards the vent. The large eyes of the Buff breast were also striking when compared with the Ruff/ The latter seemed almost squint eyed due to the dark marks around the periphery of this area.

Whilst appreciating the differences between the two species, I noticed both of them suddenly standing alert. The next minute both of them had flown, the Low Ground descending into madness as a Buzzard flew through. I managed to keep on the Buff Breast in the scope until it disappeared from view, briefly noticing plain uppertail coverts (white sides to these on Ruff) and a gleaming white underwing. It  headed east, and did not return once out of view. That was my lot, having only watched it for a few minutes. I thanked my lucky stars that I’d arrived at that point in time and got onto it quickly, otherwise I could have missed it. A lovely little thing though which was much enjoyed during that brief spell; a valuable NE Scottish lifer, as well as a much needed British lifer. Apart the dominant 800+ Pinkfeets, it was otherwise quiet on the Low Ground, with the best of it being 3 Black-tailed Godwits and a Snipe. Distantly on the loch, however, no less than 40 Whooper Swan were counted, another sign of winter. Despite it being quiet and the Buff-breast experience being short lived, I headed home glad with a successful day.

Finally, I’ve made a couple of brief trips to Girdle Ness in the last couple of weeks. The 16th yielded 5 Purple Sandpipers and a Barwit at Greyhope Bay, whilst a wander as far as the Battery on Sunday was disappointing for migrants, only producing a Wheatear by the allotments. There’s probably far more going on out there as I’m writing this, but with Shetland imminent in the next 24 hours I should hopefully have my passerine desires catered for. Until I’m back…

Thanks for reading,

Joseph

Feeling Pec-ish

Metaphorically. Not literally. I wouldn’t be here right now if that was reality. Many apologies for that impetuous piece of genius the blood-curdlingly cheesy post title. Yes. I know. Even The Sun ain’t matchin’ that  The phrase has been done to death by birders the world over. Nonetheless, it’s relevant to today’s post.

I realise its important to enlighten those confounded non-birders who are currently reading and wondering what the hell I’m on about. In birding jargon, a ‘Pec’ refers to Pectoral Sandpiper, an American species of wader that is a scarce but annual autumn (and occasionally spring) visitor in good numbers to British shores. Therein lies the significance of today’s ingenious   derivative post title.

My first day of local birding officially as an adult on 1st September saw me partake in a half-hearted search for this Nearctic species up at Scotland’s Pec Sand central – Strathbeg. We arrived on site at a respectable hour in the morning, to find the pools and the entire place pretty much empty. Strathbeg? Empty? You must be taking the piss. There was literally just 3 Greenshank and a small posse of dingy Teal on the pools in front of Starnafin, and a wander round to Tower Pool Hide revealed no water on the pools there and thus held no waders nor anything else apart from the commonest of the common resident species. That said, several hundred Curlews were in the Mosstown Fields beyond the pools, whilst a green wing tagged male Marsh Harrier was definitely the most interesting bird seen.We wandered round to the lagoon with hopes at an all time low.  It was equally devoid of birds. All activity seemed to be happening offshore from the reserve though, with 20 Knots seen heading north and plenty of Gannets feeding quite close in.

Seawatching seemed like the wisest option after that demoralizing experience, so we headed to Battery Park in Peterhead for a look offshore. Finally, things started to improve a bit. A curious sight as we parked up was a group of 200 Golden Plovers on the rocks in front of us, adding some atmosphere to our seawatch. Amongst them were 2 Knot. Things were reasonably lively offshore over half an hour, with a single Sooty Shearwater heading north far out, accompanied later by 4 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Bonxies and a single pale phase Arctic Skua all heading this way as well, Most curious though was 2 Great Northern Divers which were picked up heading south at close range before landing on the sea, both birds having completed their moult into winter plumage. Just as things were getting better it started to chuck down with rain, and did not stop for hours. With this weather and the tide being high everywhere, we headed home.

***

I was feeling more Pec-ish for some good birding after 1st September’s disheartening experience. Last weekend (Saturday 8th) we covered the Ythan and its environs. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the day before that two Pecs were on a pool at a very obscure location near the estuary, but with no knowledge of where this pool was and the likelihood of the birds having disappeared I was not too fussed in trying to search for it.  However, as we were getting set up at the Snub one of the local birders pulled up and offered to show us where this mystery pool was. We obliged, and were whisked along the main Slains’ back road, where we eventually parked up by a small reservoir by a stubble field. Climbing over a fence, we entered the stubble field and walked past the reservoir, flushing 2 Snipe in the process. We continued to walk down the stubble field until eventually a tiny pool appeared in view to our left.

I struggled to imagine how someone was aware of this tiny pool’s existence and how it could attract two Pecs out of the blue, so I set up the scope somewhat incredulously, expecting nothing. Much to my surprise I immediately alighted on the 2 juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers at the left hand end of the pool, crouching low and feeding amongst the grass encompassing it. I got the others onto the birds, and what followed was one of the most enjoyable birding experiences I’ve had this year. Keeping low and creeping slowly, I was able to approach the pool and the Pecs down to a 15ft range (the closest I’ve ever been to this species). The light conditions were idyllic, so I took the opportunity to get some photos for the ensuing half hour. Being so close, I expected the birds to move away from me, but instead they came closer! They were fearless, seemingly unfazed by my presence. Towards the end, one of the birds ventured over to the end of the pool closest to me, coming within about 10ft and posing perfectly for the camera.

This was magical, one of those intense moments when nature is at extremely close quarters and what you are seeing is as alive and tangible as it can possibly feel. The fact that what I was within several feet of was a Nearctic vagrant made the whole experience more intense. Seeing these Pec Sands at such close quarters allowed me to appreciate their finer features such as the yellowish colouration at the base of the bill, the dark lores and white supercilium. What particularly struck me  however was the contrast of the rufous fringes to the otherwise blackish scapulars and tertials, combined with the white Little Stint-esque scapular ‘V’s’, which gave the birds a defined, almost ‘tiger striped’ look to the upperparts as a whole. The pics of the bird which came the closest really emphasise this upperpart appearance; without being so close I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate such intricate features. The second bird was not quite so sharply defined in this respect. A truly fantastic experience, and one which will hopefully stick with me for a while.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Slains’ Pools (8/9/12). The most fearless bird, which came within 10ft. This is the more rufousy individual: note the distinct contrast between the rufous fringes to the otherwise blackish scapulars and the same contrast around the tertials, creating an almost tiger striped upperpart appearance.

the same individual as above, a nice contrast of the rufousy upperparts with the demarcation between the pectoral chest band and the unstreaked milk white underparts

the two Pecs together

the second bird, doesn’t quite have the rufousy upperparts of the first bird

the first bird ‘looking at the camera’

the second bird looking skyward

the first bird crawling through the grass

After this very welcome distraction we continued working the Ythan, heading round to Waulkmill Hide.  The highlight here was at least 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, picked out amongst a group of 100+ Dunlin, my first in the region this year. The Dunlin total was a vast improvement on the numbers there through August, so was particularly refreshing to see. Numbers of all other waders were also high, sitting at 400+ Redshank, 300 Lapwing, 150+ Golden Plover, 70+ Knot, 50 Ringed Plover, 20+ Sanderling, 17 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Greenshank and 5 Barwits. This eclectic mix of waders were a nice wrap-round selection to the Pecs nearby and provided us with lasting entertainment. Much of them were flighty, partly due to raptor disturbances with Peregrine and Sparrowhawk both flying through. Also of interest was the reappearance of the Pink-footed Geese, with 100+ spread throughout the wider area. Winter, here we come…

So in the end I did to satiate my desire for a Pec and good birding, and thus was no longer peckish. At the moment however, my stomach would probably appreciate some dinner, so on that note…

Thanks for reading,

Joseph

Goodbye Birding Childhood

Sunday 26th August not only marked a day on the North Norfolk coast, but also my last day of birding before adulthood. The next day I turned 18, so I was hoping that my last day of birding as a child would be a memorable one. It didn’t produce any rares as such, but was still a very enjoyable day’s birding.

No prizes go to those who have already guessed our first port of call. Arriving at 11, a brisk NW welcomed us as we walked along to the three hides overlooking the scrapes and pools at Cley. We stationed ourselves overlooking Pat’s Pool, and it immediately hit me in the face that there was a comparative dearth of birds to my last visit. There were plenty of waders widely spread across the pool, but the species range was thin. This included around 60 Black-tailed Godwits, 20 Ruffs, 2 Common Sandpipers and a brief Greenshank amongst the commoner waders, but that was more or less your lot.

There wasn’t very much else doing on any of the pools bird-wise, but a mixed gull group on Simmonds’ Scrape merited a grilling. We quickly picked out a juvenile gull which no one else in the hide had seemed to have noticed at the right hand end of the flock ,with an oustandingly pale head and underparts, along with a nice chunky dark bill and pronounced gony’s. Direct comparison with larger and more brutish Great-Black Backed juvs surrounding it strengthened initial convinctions that this was a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, but for complete confirmation we needed to see the diagnostic black tail band in flight. After 20 minutes the bird it obliged, showing the aforementioned feature in contrast with a nice pale rump and pretty dark underwing coverts. It milled around with a few LBBs before heading westwards. This was my first juv Yellow-legged and was nice to have found as it made the ID an educational experience; better than being just shown the bird by someone else.

We headed to the coastguards and Swarovski Hide with a spring in our step. Whilst I knew that these NWs would potentially produce scarcer skuas and shearwaters from Cley and Sheringham, neither of us were up for spending very long seawatching so we gave it 15 minutes or so. I was able to connect with two Norfolk ticks here – Red-throated Diver and Common Scoter heading north – but we’d arrived during a quieter spell, with no skuas or shearwaters passing during our stint. We wandered down to Swarovski Hide, and on arrival were greeted by a group of 50 Dunlin on North Scrape. Amongst them were no less than 4 Little Stints at close range, which kept us entertained for a while. Whilst this was perfectly enjoyable, there wasn’t much else going on. We were about to leave when Dad got onto 8 Spoonbills flying in distantly from the east. Largely juveniles, we tracked them as they came closer until they touched down on Pat’s Pool and disappeared from view. Such majestic birds, always enough to lighten up my day. Whilst actually being quiet by its own standards, Cley had once again produced the goods.

I’ve taken to Stiffkey Fen and its environs since I’ve been birding the north coast more regularly. We gave the whole area a good look, starting on the private roadside pool. It was very low on this occasion, with muddy edges predominating, but as the pool is Green Sandpiper central  it wasn’t a surprise that 6 were present; lovely to see and more than you ever see together up in NE Scotland. 5 Ruff were amongst them for good measure. I have really taken to this pool; there must be some cracking waders passing through there.

Stiffkey Fen itself impressed us even more. On arrival a single adult Spoonbill was roosting (what else?) amongst a large congregation of Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks.  It quickly became clear that the fen had trumped Cley on wader totals, as amongst 50 of the former and 100+ of the latter there was also 2 Common Sandpipers, 23 Greenshank roosting nearby and no less than 10 Green Sandpipers dotted throughout the Fen (16 in the whole area, including the birds on the pool) ; easily the highest totals I’ve ever had of the latter two species in one place. We got great views of the Spoonbill from the sea wall, but only on two occasions did it snap out of  its somnolent state. On the saltmarsh here at least 3 Little Egrets were feeding and another 2 Common Sandpipers were in the creek. This was delightful stuff, and we were the only people there to witness it at that moment so reveled in the serenity of this lovely, wader filled fenland scene.

Spoonbill, Stiffkey Fen (26/8/12)

Spoonbills don’t really make much of an effort to snap out of their semi-narcotic sleeping habits, but personally I’ve been trying to snap out of doing Cley and Titchwell in one day unless the birding is really good at both places, even though I really enjoy birding at both reserves. Dad was here with me this time though, and as he hadn’t been to Titchwell for over a year this was our last port of call. Needless to say, the birding was greatly enjoyable, with a lovely array of waders present on the freshmarsh. 2 Little Stints were amongst a group of 30 Dunlin, which all flew off after about 20 minutes but were enjoyed at close quarters whilst still present. 5 Spotted Redshanks were at the very back of the freshmarsh, each adults in their pale grey winter plumage, whilst there was also 2 stunning summer plumaged Grey Plovers amongst 6 roosting Golden Plovers, a single Green Sandpiper, plenty of Blackwits and Ruff and three Whimbrel. Lets not also forget another slumberous but splendid juvenile Spoonbill amongst a couple of Little Egrets. Whilst this Spoony was definitely slumberous, it was able to snap out of it quite regularly and have a walk around in the beautiful evening light at similar quarters to the Stiffkey bird; a lovely way to end the day.

And so my childhood birding had its swan song, with 10 Spoonbills, 18 wader species and an educational self-found first juvenile Yellow-legged Gull; another display of Norfolk’s timeless quality. Here’s to a productive adulthood of birding ahead.

Thanks for reading,

Joseph