Dorset birding (1 Viewer)

[pooleparrot]

Thrushes

On a playing field in Oakdale a mixed flock of Fieldfare , Redwing and Starling, probably 200 birds mainly Fieldfare.

 

[Wendy Morris]

Coincidence or what? Took the car for a brief run after three days of it sitting on the drive, only went about two miles, but managed to see 'our' Red Kite! Bottom of Dancing Hill in Sherborne.

 

[timsg80]

We found the whooper swan and pink-footed goose both from Holme Bridge today, before the whooper flew east. Also two woodcock, dozens of snipe and hundreds of fieldare and redwing there. We then had three waxwings in a tree near the roundabout on the A351 near Sandford and two sandwich terns in Lytchett Bay.

 

[Trevyhols]

Studland beach

Hi All - I'm new to bird watching but my son has shown an interest and I am getting the bug while watching with him. I can identify most birds I see but today in the dunes and heath behind studland beach we kept seeing a little nondescript brown bird flying low and really fast from gorse bush to gorse bush. Is it a cetti warbler?

 

[MSA]

Hi All - I'm new to bird watching but my son has shown an interest and I am getting the bug while watching with him. I can identify most birds I see but today in the dunes and heath behind studland beach we kept seeing a little nondescript brown bird flying low and really fast from gorse bush to gorse bush. Is it a cetti warbler?

Hi and welcome Trevyhols!

Two possibilities spring to mind for your bird - Wren, or Dartford Warbler. Did you see a long tail? Cettis is relatively unlikely in the habitat you describe, though not impossible.

 

[bren-escape]

Similar numbers as yesterday, also present were a single Greenshank and 4 Pintail. Walked under the bridge along side the outflow ditch , the Common sandpiper was feeding along the side with good numbers of Chiffchaff , also a Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher

Keep meaning to pop down to Holes Bay, only thing putting me off is crossing that road and metal barrier with a double pushchair. How close are the spoonbill?

Thanks.

 

[Trevyhols]

Thanks Mark - I'm sure it wasn't a wren as too big it was more robin sized perhaps it was a dartford warbler

 

[pooleparrot]

Keep meaning to pop down to Holes Bay, only thing putting me off is crossing that road and metal barrier with a double pushchair. How close are the spoonbill?

Thanks.

If you catch it on the right tide(Just starting to go out) they can be very close, sometimes as little as 10metres away. If you dont want to cross the road you could park in Upton CP and take the longer walk through the park and round the shoreline. The paths and gates are wide enough for a double buggy and the birds are plentiful in the park. Or if you cross the smaller road by Mcdonalds (that leads to Trading Estate entrance road) and go to the town centre side of the little roundabout you can cross easier here(down Kerbs etc) and no barriers only takes a couple of minutes from the Mcdonalds car park( assuming you park in Mcdonalds). Saying all that still be careful as always a busy road.

PP

 

[pooleparrot]

Holes Bay /UCP

Absolutely stacked with birds this morning, recorded 70 species in 3 hours by far my biggest total at this site. The 2 Ruff were still in the field by the wooden bridge with Lapwing, Fieldfare, Redwing, Canada Geese and a couple of Woodlark. 15 Spoonbill, 3 Spotted Redshank, Avocet ,Goldeneye, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail and Bullfinch also recorded. The spoonbill were regularly catching Flat Fish and kept getting hassled by the Black backed gulls.

 

[pooleparrot]

Colour Ringed Avocet

pic of a colour ringed Avocet at Holes Bay this morning, anybody know how to find out more about this bird?

 

[m o bell]

American Oystercatcher?

Today at Holes Bay near the drain i saw a very brown oystercatcher with black head,the contrast between brown back and black head was striking! I have never seen a juv/1st winter oyster looking like this,it cant be an American can it?! Im going back down there tomorrow with a camera now that i have done abit of homework on them.Im not saying it is one,but i wanted other birders to know what i saw and for it to be on their radar just in case it is one. Regards

 

[pooleparrot]

Black Redstart

The Black Redstart was still in the Upton CP Car park at lunchtime today, it favoured the green in the middle of the Car park.

 

[scary-canary]

Today at Holes Bay near the drain i saw a very brown oystercatcher with black head,the contrast between brown back and black head was striking! I have never seen a juv/1st winter oyster looking like this,it cant be an American can it?! Im going back down there tomorrow with a camera now that i have done abit of homework on them.Im not saying it is one,but i wanted other birders to know what i saw and for it to be on their radar just in case it is one. Regards

Interesting. You'll need to see it fly to satisfy your curiosity.
Good luck
Chris

 

[KFC]

Interesting. You'll need to see it fly to satisfy your curiosity.
Good luck
Chris

I think seeing whether it has a yellow eye or not would do it.

Ken

 

[m o bell]

American Oystercatcher

Did not see the the wing pattern as did not see said bird fly! Checked out Sibley and Collins and googled 1st winter photos of euro oystercatcher and still came back feeling strong about what i saw. Eye ring colour something to check out,but as i said brown Oystercatcher with black head is very American!

 

[DorsetDude]

Morning all,

Can I ask a slightly lame question?

Do any of you subscribe to this thread for email notification?

If you do, when you get the email through, when a certain person on this thread posts, in the email I get the same message repeated up to 5 times, I just wondered if it was only me seeing this or not? Most odd.

Cheers all.

Oh, and good luck with the unusual oystercatcher at holes bay, hope its still around.

 

[Paul Corfield]

Morning all,

Can I ask a slightly lame question?

Do any of you subscribe to this thread for email notification?

If you do, when you get the email through, when a certain person on this thread posts, in the email I get the same message repeated up to 5 times, I just wondered if it was only me seeing this or not? Most odd.

Cheers all.

Been subscribed for a couple of years and it works fine for me. Maybe try unsubscribing and then subscribing again.

Paul.

 

[Paul Corfield]

Couple of Fieldfare I photographed yesterday in my neighbours trees.

Paul.

 

[pooleparrot]

Baiter

A bit of bird watching from the car in this mornings rain. The field at Baiter had the normal Brent Geese, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Turnstone and Pied Wagtail. It also had 7 Golden Plover, Fieldfare, Redwing and Skylark scattered around.

 

[pooleparrot]

Shore Road

Continuing the theme, at Shore Road the tide was just starting to go out so the birds were near the road. There were good numbers of Bar-Tailed Godwits, Sanderling, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and a couple of Ringed Plover.