Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
The annual trip to Ouessant, this year with my parents instead of the good lady's. With my dad being a birder this would give us a little more birding time, but on the whole, this was a relaxed affair with perhaps only half of the time set aside to look for birds. For some info on logistics see the below links, I've probably covered most things in one or all of the linked reports for my other trips.
October 2007
October 2008
October 2009
October 2010
October 2011
Sept 30th crossing from Brest to Ouessant
Nothing out of the ordinary on this crossing apart from the numbers of Balearic shearwaters. I see small numbers most times I make this trip but I've never come anywhere near the 177 that I counted this time, including a flock of 41 birds, and almost all between Brest and le Conquet, the first stop. Also seen were a couple of sooties and a Manx shearwater, a few med gulls, a peregrine looking menacing as it sat on rocks at Molene (the second stop) and at least 10 bottlenose dolphins.*
The afternoon was spent eating lunch (where we watched a ringtail hen harrier coming in-off) and pottering about the island looking for migrants. It was clear that things were a bit quiet. Apart from chiffchaffs, robins and meadow pipits, common migrants were thin on the ground and it all felt a wee bit like hard work! Over the afternoon we picked up a couple of serin (not particularly common here at all) black redstart, firecrest, goldcrest, whinchat and pied flycatcher, among the more glamorous residents, namely marsh harrier, Chough and Dartford warbler.
October 1st
A horrible drizzly and windy day, on which it was never going to be easy to see anything. Much of today was spent indoors because of the weather. The only migrant of note was a lesser whitethroat, but we did get excellent views of hen harrier and Dartford warbler again.*
October 2nd
A trip out to the south western corner of the island in the morning delivered a few migrants, such as grey wagtail (there were good numbers of these around all week) tree pipit, whimbrel, and a flyover breeding plumage great northern diver, pretty uncommon and early by Ouessant standards. Further stops around lampaul, the islands only town, produced a blackcap and a couple of pied (i.e. yarrellii) wagtails. Perhaps the fact that I was reduced to separating alba wagtails gives an indication of how quiet it was! Later in the day we headed out to plage yusin, a great little seaweed covered beach that can be good for both waders and passerine migrants. Needless to say there were neither on offer apart from a flock of about 30 house martins that went through the wind and the drizzle. I was beginning to get a little demoralised at this stage but things were about to take a turn for the better...
October 3rd
Another rainy day. We headed out first thing to some ploughed fields that had been dripping with meadow pipits and linnets a few days before. There were not half as many birds around but as we were leaving a flock of swallows zipped over. I checked them for red rumped as I thought one had been seen the day before, and was astonished to see that all 9 birds were red rumped swallows! (it turned out that the pervious days sighting had involved the same flock of nine, but I was not aware of these birds so it was all terribly exciting)
At the next stop an incredible acredula type willow warbler gave great views, and we also picked up merlin, whinchat, yellow wag and a med gull.
It was around lunchtime when my phone started going berserk. News of a cliff swallow on the island had reached a lot of my friends back in the uk before it had got to me. Try as I might I couldn't even find the twitch! I gave the hunt a couple of hours during which time I tried the obs (no-one knew what I was talking about - probably a reflection on my French...) and I saw birders going about their business in a manner that in no way suggested a mega was on offer! I never managed to speak to anyone though, and just assumed that the report was a flyby or a single observer report that no one else had seen. Putting it down to bad luck and having restricted access to info, I wrote it off and went out again, picking up very few migrants, including peregrine, firecrest, blackcap and a spotted fly.
October 4th
With thoughts of cliff swallow firmly behind me, we went out on another largely frustrating morning jaunt, picking up nothing more interesting than a couple of Lapland bunting flying over, as well as yellow wagtail, firecrest, another lesser whitethroat, and a kingfisher. The excitement of the red rumps had worn off and it was going to take a lot more than a couple of Lapland buntings to perk me up. Almost everything was either a robin, a meadow pipit or a chiffchaff, and it was beginning to occur to me that this might turn out to be a pretty unsuccessful trip. In the evening we took the long walk round to town as we headed out for our evening meal, and just as we got into town I became aware of a couple of swallows drifting overhead. I looked up and there, no more than 15 metres above me was a small, square tailed and broad winged swallow. It banked round to reveal a pale rump before disappearing over a house not to be seen again that evening. I knew exactly what I'd seen but found it all a bit difficult to believe as I thought the cliff swallow had departed the day before, but after chatting to a birder we bumped into we learned it had been seen on and off over the last couple of days. What an incredible little bird it was, so distinctive in its rather bat like jizz...I just wish we'd had slightly better views. Needless to say I had a couple of drinks with my dinner...
October 5th
A morning walk around lampaul produced a flyover snow bunting and yellow wag, along with whinchat, firecrest, blackcap, and another great northern diver flying over, this time a juv bird. After another long lunch we headed back to the house to get kitted up for a bit of birding, to find that a small group of swallows and red rumped swallows were in the area...and the cliff swallow was among them! This time it gave much more satisfying views and we enjoyed it for half an hour or so, as it drew an increasing crowd of admirers. One of the guys then quite casually asked if we knew about the Pechora pipit! Naturally this news had us on our bikes and although being elusive, and hiding in long grass for long periods, after a couple of hours it gave close up and prolonged views as it fed under some bushes. What a cracking little bird it was, all pale and streaky, pink legged, and something like only the second or third in France. *Things had definitely taken a turn for the better, and among the French birders (of which about 10 were present) congratulations were exchanged and I bet there were a few sore heeds in the morning. I have to say that it's been a long time since I enjoyed a twitched bird as much as I enjoyed that Pechora pipit.
October 6th
The last day dawned most unpleasantly, with yet more strong wind and heavy rain. We gave it a go in the morning but it was hard work, so we retired early to pack and clean up, passing lots of wet and unhappy looking weekend twitchers, and hoping for a weather window later in the day. That window arrived after lunch and as soon as we set out it became clear that a few things had come in. Song thrushes were everywhere and chaffinches appeared to have arrived too. In the half hour we had we couldn't cover much ground as we had to get to a bar near the ferry port, so we were quite lucky to bump into a yellow-browed warbler, possibly a bird new in and one of the only ones so far this year. Not much of a find but better than nothing. After taking a taxi to the port and having a quick farewell cidre, I thought I'd have one last look around and promptly bumped into the cliff swallow again! I texted it out, and it seems that this had been the first time it had been reported all day, and as we chugged out of the port on the ferry, a line of 25 or so very relieved looking cliff swallow twitchers lined the cliff top. Unfortunately for them the Pechora had done a runner but I should imagine they were pleased enough with the swallow.
I should end it there really, but perhaps the most intriguing bird of the week put in a brief appearance while I was watching the swallow. Among the hirundines were a couple of house martin, one of which appeared to have a complete breast band, was quite dingy underneath, and, looked to have dark underwing coverts....I didn't see it well but it got the pulse racing and I sent a message suggesting others could keep an eye out for it...
The return journey was a quiet affair, with a few distant Balearics and sooties, a flock of 6 common scoter, and no show by the hoped for bow riding bottlenose dolphin that's put in an appearance on every other Ouessant - Brest crossing I've been on. Can't have everything I suppose!
So all in all a pretty successful week, despite the low numbers of migrants! That's the 6th year in a row I've done Ouessant now. Year 7 will hopefully be a 2 week trip...
October 2007
October 2008
October 2009
October 2010
October 2011
Sept 30th crossing from Brest to Ouessant
Nothing out of the ordinary on this crossing apart from the numbers of Balearic shearwaters. I see small numbers most times I make this trip but I've never come anywhere near the 177 that I counted this time, including a flock of 41 birds, and almost all between Brest and le Conquet, the first stop. Also seen were a couple of sooties and a Manx shearwater, a few med gulls, a peregrine looking menacing as it sat on rocks at Molene (the second stop) and at least 10 bottlenose dolphins.*
The afternoon was spent eating lunch (where we watched a ringtail hen harrier coming in-off) and pottering about the island looking for migrants. It was clear that things were a bit quiet. Apart from chiffchaffs, robins and meadow pipits, common migrants were thin on the ground and it all felt a wee bit like hard work! Over the afternoon we picked up a couple of serin (not particularly common here at all) black redstart, firecrest, goldcrest, whinchat and pied flycatcher, among the more glamorous residents, namely marsh harrier, Chough and Dartford warbler.
October 1st
A horrible drizzly and windy day, on which it was never going to be easy to see anything. Much of today was spent indoors because of the weather. The only migrant of note was a lesser whitethroat, but we did get excellent views of hen harrier and Dartford warbler again.*
October 2nd
A trip out to the south western corner of the island in the morning delivered a few migrants, such as grey wagtail (there were good numbers of these around all week) tree pipit, whimbrel, and a flyover breeding plumage great northern diver, pretty uncommon and early by Ouessant standards. Further stops around lampaul, the islands only town, produced a blackcap and a couple of pied (i.e. yarrellii) wagtails. Perhaps the fact that I was reduced to separating alba wagtails gives an indication of how quiet it was! Later in the day we headed out to plage yusin, a great little seaweed covered beach that can be good for both waders and passerine migrants. Needless to say there were neither on offer apart from a flock of about 30 house martins that went through the wind and the drizzle. I was beginning to get a little demoralised at this stage but things were about to take a turn for the better...
October 3rd
Another rainy day. We headed out first thing to some ploughed fields that had been dripping with meadow pipits and linnets a few days before. There were not half as many birds around but as we were leaving a flock of swallows zipped over. I checked them for red rumped as I thought one had been seen the day before, and was astonished to see that all 9 birds were red rumped swallows! (it turned out that the pervious days sighting had involved the same flock of nine, but I was not aware of these birds so it was all terribly exciting)
At the next stop an incredible acredula type willow warbler gave great views, and we also picked up merlin, whinchat, yellow wag and a med gull.
It was around lunchtime when my phone started going berserk. News of a cliff swallow on the island had reached a lot of my friends back in the uk before it had got to me. Try as I might I couldn't even find the twitch! I gave the hunt a couple of hours during which time I tried the obs (no-one knew what I was talking about - probably a reflection on my French...) and I saw birders going about their business in a manner that in no way suggested a mega was on offer! I never managed to speak to anyone though, and just assumed that the report was a flyby or a single observer report that no one else had seen. Putting it down to bad luck and having restricted access to info, I wrote it off and went out again, picking up very few migrants, including peregrine, firecrest, blackcap and a spotted fly.
October 4th
With thoughts of cliff swallow firmly behind me, we went out on another largely frustrating morning jaunt, picking up nothing more interesting than a couple of Lapland bunting flying over, as well as yellow wagtail, firecrest, another lesser whitethroat, and a kingfisher. The excitement of the red rumps had worn off and it was going to take a lot more than a couple of Lapland buntings to perk me up. Almost everything was either a robin, a meadow pipit or a chiffchaff, and it was beginning to occur to me that this might turn out to be a pretty unsuccessful trip. In the evening we took the long walk round to town as we headed out for our evening meal, and just as we got into town I became aware of a couple of swallows drifting overhead. I looked up and there, no more than 15 metres above me was a small, square tailed and broad winged swallow. It banked round to reveal a pale rump before disappearing over a house not to be seen again that evening. I knew exactly what I'd seen but found it all a bit difficult to believe as I thought the cliff swallow had departed the day before, but after chatting to a birder we bumped into we learned it had been seen on and off over the last couple of days. What an incredible little bird it was, so distinctive in its rather bat like jizz...I just wish we'd had slightly better views. Needless to say I had a couple of drinks with my dinner...
October 5th
A morning walk around lampaul produced a flyover snow bunting and yellow wag, along with whinchat, firecrest, blackcap, and another great northern diver flying over, this time a juv bird. After another long lunch we headed back to the house to get kitted up for a bit of birding, to find that a small group of swallows and red rumped swallows were in the area...and the cliff swallow was among them! This time it gave much more satisfying views and we enjoyed it for half an hour or so, as it drew an increasing crowd of admirers. One of the guys then quite casually asked if we knew about the Pechora pipit! Naturally this news had us on our bikes and although being elusive, and hiding in long grass for long periods, after a couple of hours it gave close up and prolonged views as it fed under some bushes. What a cracking little bird it was, all pale and streaky, pink legged, and something like only the second or third in France. *Things had definitely taken a turn for the better, and among the French birders (of which about 10 were present) congratulations were exchanged and I bet there were a few sore heeds in the morning. I have to say that it's been a long time since I enjoyed a twitched bird as much as I enjoyed that Pechora pipit.
October 6th
The last day dawned most unpleasantly, with yet more strong wind and heavy rain. We gave it a go in the morning but it was hard work, so we retired early to pack and clean up, passing lots of wet and unhappy looking weekend twitchers, and hoping for a weather window later in the day. That window arrived after lunch and as soon as we set out it became clear that a few things had come in. Song thrushes were everywhere and chaffinches appeared to have arrived too. In the half hour we had we couldn't cover much ground as we had to get to a bar near the ferry port, so we were quite lucky to bump into a yellow-browed warbler, possibly a bird new in and one of the only ones so far this year. Not much of a find but better than nothing. After taking a taxi to the port and having a quick farewell cidre, I thought I'd have one last look around and promptly bumped into the cliff swallow again! I texted it out, and it seems that this had been the first time it had been reported all day, and as we chugged out of the port on the ferry, a line of 25 or so very relieved looking cliff swallow twitchers lined the cliff top. Unfortunately for them the Pechora had done a runner but I should imagine they were pleased enough with the swallow.
I should end it there really, but perhaps the most intriguing bird of the week put in a brief appearance while I was watching the swallow. Among the hirundines were a couple of house martin, one of which appeared to have a complete breast band, was quite dingy underneath, and, looked to have dark underwing coverts....I didn't see it well but it got the pulse racing and I sent a message suggesting others could keep an eye out for it...
The return journey was a quiet affair, with a few distant Balearics and sooties, a flock of 6 common scoter, and no show by the hoped for bow riding bottlenose dolphin that's put in an appearance on every other Ouessant - Brest crossing I've been on. Can't have everything I suppose!
So all in all a pretty successful week, despite the low numbers of migrants! That's the 6th year in a row I've done Ouessant now. Year 7 will hopefully be a 2 week trip...
