My projected second half of the year

Migration came to an abrupt end, but not before I added Greenshank on the 14th, then a Nightingale 17th, back on the 'picnic island' and I'm glad I went same day because it did not sing 18th, nor since, so we assume it moved on and I doubt we'll ever see one on DP again, unless we get very lucky with a random bird.

Nothing much has happened since, I carried on early mornings most of May, the Oystercatchers appear to have finally reared a chick beyond the danger period and it must be due to fly off any day. Mute Swans have done okay, the BSL pair had 10 cygnets, but this quickly fell to 5, Lavell's have 4, the Lodden pair had 5, but that is now 3. I haven't checked the other lakes.

The Great Crested Grebes on Lavell's had 2 young, but both are gone as of this morning, the Coots at Lea Farm are always in grave danger from Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, or other predators, the Terns seems to have 11-12 pairs, this could be growing, 3 or more pairs Sandford, but yesterday's rain and unsettled weather does not give me faith the latter has much chance.

If we have flooding, then the last raft only has 1 pair of Black-headed Gulls, so with a bit of luck they'll re-camp there. The Sand Martins are doing just fine some say 40 holes occupied.

Lots of Garden Warbler all around, an amazing spring of Lesser Whitethroat could mean we have 2 or more pairs? If you see Willow Warbler anywhere let me know, Sedge Warbler may be around I'm only aware of 2 singing birds in May.

Redshank and LRP still about, little sign of an attempt at breeding, this is likely to be due to Jackdaw, I hope we can have a massive cull in the future for when we've done all the habitat creation in the NE bay of Lea Farm Lake.

Cuckoo still calling this morning and finally, I picked up a Green Sandpiper, no doubt yesterday's LFL individual, but now happy on Tern scrape bund....we must strim the vegetation.

Green Sandpiper June records;

7th : 1992 & 2019
8th : 1993
11th : 2009, 2016
12th : 2004, 2006,
14th : 1994
18th : 2000, 2012
19th : 2005
23rd : 2002, 2018
24th : 2013
25th 1997
26th : 1995,1999
27th : 2010, 2015

That was a fun first half of the year, so what will happen for the second half? 14 good candidates to potentially add, plus we seem to see great surprises every autumn, but what occurs the most are the following, and I have attempted to put it the order we've seen past records;

Black-tailed Godwit - from last day of June all thru July
Linnet - Any warm day, but if not peak passage is mid Oct
Dunlin - A total guess
Ruff - August, but any month really
Little Owl - A night visit required, but October has produced in the past
Yellow-legged Gull - Late July and Aug, good chance if loafing gulls pattern continues
Pintail - August is a good time
Marsh Harrier - early Aug onwards
Stonechat - Sept onwards
Osprey - Sept to Oct
Merlin - Oct
Jack Snipe - Oct
Lesser Redpoll - Late Oct and Nov
Med Gulls - Nov and Dec

I've done a little checking and since 2012, we have averaged at least 2 mega's in the last 3 months of the year, 4 last year alone.

Whilst it has no bearing on the future, it reminds us to look darn hard until the 31st of December, because at the moment so if we can get the 8 in bold above and just a few of medium rare species we have had in the last 7 years, plus long awaited repeats and overdue firsts and we are on track for a new park record, so anything out of this list (bold red are new for park);

Great Northern Diver (most overdue species as a tick for the park)
Black-necked Grebe
Storm Petrel (Random in storm conditions)
Spoonbill (I can't believe we haven't had another since 2007)
Brent Goose
White-fronted Goose (none since 2002)
American Wigeon (If LFLis safe from disturbance 2010 highs of 1,000 might occur, so who knows)
Green-winged Teal (Our Teal numbers have tripled since 2006, it's just a matter of time)
Scaup (easily overlooked)
Ring-necked Duck (long time overdue species, our Athya record is good so one will occur soon)
Long-tailed Duck (not a sniff since the only 1983 bird)
Smew
Honey Buzzard (2016 dark morph bird seen by FJC & TAG was almost certainly one)
Red-footed Falcon (Sure I saw one briefly 2012, only confirmed was 1989)
Spotted Crake (none since 2002)
Red-necked Phalarope (why not)
Sanderling (with LFL East shore improved, chances must improve)
Curlew Sandpiper (only record 2nd Oct 1988)
Bar-tailed Godwit
Spotted Redshank
Wood Sandpiper (last was 2 in 2011)
Turnstone (last was 2012)
White-winged Black Tern (I believe)
Arctic Tern (rare in autumn, but last were Aug 2015 & 2016)
Red-rumped Swallow (one in Oxon this spring)
European Bee-Eater (can occur anywhere)
Waxwing (a fly over)
Redstart (none in car park field since 2016)
Dartford Warbler (do get into all sorts of scrub outside breeding season)
Firecrest (must come thru most years)
Bearded Tit (we've got the reeds, come on!)
Red-backed Shrike (early Sept, perched near the scrape)
Snow Bunting (no reason one couldn't put down on the gravel lake edge)
Little Bunting (often seen at feeding stations)
Yellowhammer ((one must fly over now and again)

I dare to dream and never stop looking, have fun folks

Mind blowing Spring

I'm busy at the best of times these days, but this spring will stand out as one of the best and I want to just pause and present a list of good birds;

2019
female Goosander - 16th March (last date)
Adult winter Little Gull - 20th March
Red-legged Partridge - 22nd March
Common Scoter - 23rd March
male Wheatear - 23rd March
Jack Snipe - 30th March
2 Mediterranean Gull - 5th & 6th April
female Goldeneye - 8th to 10th April
Curlew - 9th April
2 Wheatear - 9th April
2 male Yellow Wagtail - 9th April
3 White Wagtail - 9th April
Rock Pipit (Scandinavian) - 9th April
Whimbrel - 9th April
Tree Pipit - 11th April
female Wheatear 12th April LFL
Avocet - 13th April
Whinchat - 21st April
2 Great White Egret - Over BSL 23rd April
Curlew - 25th April
Whimbrel - 26th to 28th April
Adult Kittiwake - 28th April
1st winter Little Gull - 28th
male Garganey Sandford - 30th April to 8th May
2 female Wheatear Mortimer's Meadow - 30th April
Wood Warbler - 1st May
Black Tern - 8th May
Ringed Plover - 8th May

The only other spring that comes close to this was all the way back to 2003, but in my opinion this year was better, although I confess due to poor data recording on my part I am missing data on a Dunlin and a Whimbrel record which may have been in May.

2003
Spotted Redshank - 15th March (BTB et al)
2 Garganey - BSL 8th to 11th April
Male Redstart - Lavell's 12th
4 Little Egret - Over 12th April
Little Tern - BSL 15th April (Adam Bassett et al)
Pair Red Crested Pochard - WSL 16th April
2 Arctic Tern - over 16th
Oystercatcher - 17th April (rare then)
12 Little Gull 17th April, 4/18th
Caspian Gull 21st April (FJC only)
Eider 21st April ((K Tubb et al)
Wood Warbler - 25th April (Kev Creed, but not believed by me)
Spotted Flycatcher - 29th April (D Rimes)
Turnstone - Tern Scrape 20th May

I'd like to add that a good number of uncommon waders have occurred in mid and late May, so we can still at least hope more good stuff could happen.

And to close today's post here are some record shots of the three rarest birds this spring

Life is good!

Correction

I'd been wondering about the brief Linnet call I'd had a few days ago and it was bugging me I'd heard one so early in such cold conditions, not at all typical for our sightings of them.

knowing what I needed to check I spent 10 minutes on Xeno, it confirms my hunch that it was actually Brambling flight call not Linnet I heard.

Linnet is so hard to get over DP now, but they do drop in and fly over, so I'll be keeping my ears open to add another new species.

I'm only 9 behind the park now and most are still likely, except Crossbill and Red-legged Partridge, though I only got 1 Linnet last year.

Cool start, hot finish

I woke early yesterday and was parking in the lay-by at 05:36, by 05:36 and 5 seconds I could hear the first Cuckoo, sounding like it was in the 'usual spot' - behind Teal scrape. It was freezing, only minus 2-3, but felt very cold.

I went straight on through to Lea Farm Lake and it carried on calling, but went by left at 05:59.

The Sedge Warbler was calling, the 30 or so Sand Martin whirling, a Redwing called, but to be frank it was dead quiet. About 12 Teal still lingering, 3-4 Shoveler.

I went home 08:00 due to family commitments. by 13:20 Geoff was calling to say a couple had just walked into Ron's hide and asked "how long has the Avocet been on the bund at Tern scrape?"

At Bittern hide by 13:28 and there was the Avocet, half obscured by the bund, I quickly put the news out as still present, quite quickly it moved and headed nearer the hide, then over the bund into the scrape.

I can't believe the last record was 2008!

A day to remember

The 9th did not look like much of a day at 07:00, 3 Common Gull were nice, 3 Redwing over may be the last of this winter period, but it's fair to say nothing much was happening in he misty drizzle coming from the East.

So when Geoff texted to say Curlew and 2 Wheatear, it was time to shift on down to LFL and I arrived around 12:35, picking up the Curlew and one of the Wheatear relatively quickly. Whilst searching for the Wheatear, I found 3 White Wagtail, then 2 male Yellow Wagtail, but that wasn't the whole story either, while tracking one of the Yellow Wagtail a small brown bird was moving under the lush water's edge vegetation and as it was staying so low, my heart was racing at the prospect of something good.

When it did appear, it was a confusing few minutes, a pipit for sure, but rather dull, a bit olive, but strong malar, or moustacial stripe, but views were obscured by the vegetation and distance. It eventually flew into deeper stuff and I decided to dismiss it as never likely to show well enough. But 15 minutes later and it was out again, better for a few moments and showed white outer tail feathers and Trevor noted the facial markings again.

That was the best of the views and Trev and I did our own 'research' after, I found a nice blog from a Seaton birder on Water and Rock Pipit, including Scandinavian and my conclusion is that we were looking at a winter plumage Scandinavian Rock.

I left but others then found a Whimbrel which was gone by the time I got back at 16:30.

I will not be submitting any description to the rarities committee of the Rock Pipit

Two days later on the 11th I was out with my good friend John, on arrival I heard Linnet go over, nice start, A Sedge Warbler jumped around in front for a few moments too, then as we left Bittern hide later a very pale Pipit came over just above tree level, lightly streaked and looking only like a Tree Pipit would, it went over the new wet meadow and landed in the trees behind the Oaks, but out of view and was lost.

I'm still only on 105!

Enjoying the light

While the slow plod adding things to the year list continues, I have been tinkering with the mobile pics again, having no adapter currently makes it real hard to get a decent shot but here are some okay ones

Sunday morning I did catch up with Swallow, one over Lea Farm Lake another heading North over Sandford. Shoveler numbers remain high for this time of year, I've checked all records and 80-90 is an insanely high number for late March, but so wonderful they are choosing here to gather before departing...who knows a pair might like to think about having a stab at breeding? If that happened it would be incredibly rare for Berkshire and not something we'd advertise.

Catching up

A catch up on things, 10th March I had my earliest ever Sand Martins, 2 over Lea Farm Lake, the female Goosander was still gracing our waters 16th and my first Redshank that morning, 3 distant Fieldfare might be it for this winter, 1 more Sand Martin and a Pochard.

March 20th I had been out early that morning, but we'll never know if I just missed finding it, but happily it didn't matter because Jo did and I always love a Little Gull;

Sadly I did miss the Red-legged Partridge Geoff found perched on the hand rail of the new bridge at Teal scrape ditch outlet. Blackcap singing 22nd, 6 Little Egret over, 83 Shoveler, 1 Pochard.

23rd I was away all day and luckily again for me, Lea Farm's first Common Scoter stuck around til when I got there at 18:00.

I'm on a pitiful 93, the park hit 100 23rd March with Common Scoter, the first Wheatear dropping in later that day.

27th 30 Redwing SE of all directions, 7 Sand Martin prospecting the wall, 94 Shoveler Lavell's.

Laughable progress

I'm still getting out most mornings at, or near dawn. I was about 10 minutes too late for the Red-breasted Merganser on Saturday morning. The female Goosander remained until near 07:30, but slipped away almost unseen. She did the same this morning, but whilst the Peregrine was causing havoc.

The park year list has been totting up, mine has done next to nothing, only adding 4 since the sawbill fest began, Skylark, Grey Wagtail and Coal Tit 17th Feb, but only Kestrel since.

Meanwhile I've missed a Stonechat after a work party, but with a broken phone I didn't even hear about it, then a Linnet, then a Redshank, another Green Sandpiper and yesterday the earliest ever Sand Martin by 8 days.

Hmmm...

A drizzly morning as we wait for the storm to roll in tonight, but good views of Peregrine, 40 winter thrushes, most likely Fieldfare, 3 Goldeneye, 60+ Shoveler, 40+ Teal, 4 Little Egret, 2-3 Cetti's heard, c40 Snipe on Sandford and to cap things off 3 separate vews of Stoat in and out of the hedgerow of Sandford near the double pylon, even flushing it out for John at the end....... A lifer would you believe!

Love...Love....Love

I didn't need to convince myself of what I saw yesterday morning, I'd said it all in my previous post, but when Geoff called to say RB Merg back at Lea Farm, I couldn't help dashing back to try for a record shot.

This time the little beauty again brought his female companion - a Goosander and a male Goosander too, but clearly felt she was his.

Here are the best of my record shots as they happened.

When they all left at 12:02, they went over towards DP, but as I'd expected they came back moments later, veered over of Lodge Wood and looked to be heading and dropping towards Hurst Green pit, Andy T proved my theory correct and I heard many Berks birders got to enjoy it/them and maybe a few learned a little about identifying female Goosander!

The 80's get backs continue

My rather intermittent year listing efforts have continued, but I have made a few successful attempts to keep seeing pre dawn Woodcock at Teal scrape, two again this morning 06:49. I say two, but one went past, looked to be dropping, then 20 seconds later what may well have been a second bird did the same, coming in so low it was unlikely to have been the first bird doing a complete circle of the inner island - I also feel that when the Jackdaws are 'inbound' it tends to mark the end of Woodcock flight.

So Cetti's and Water Rail call, the latter failing to do so by my late arrival and it's "where to next?" knowing I was still missing getable year ticks like Kestrel, Coal Tit, Skylark and surely Grey Wagtail by now?

I decided on Lea Farm, perhaps a Jack Snipe, or...what?

A few more ducks now the sheep farming has moved to the back landfill, 96 Wigeon, 45+ Teal, 4 Shoveler, 6 Gadwall, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Snipe and despite the murky'ish start making it not so easy to see, I felt I'd covered it by 07:30.

Now it's fair to say I like to be thorough and scoping is the only way be so, but when you are peering through your scope counting ducks etc. it is fair to say anything can fly over and you'd be oblivious, but it can't be helped when you are on your own.

So, it was just like that this morning and as I often do I like to do a final 'bins scan' to check nothing obvious has dropped in while I've been going metre by metre along the edge.

And then 'boooooom'..."sawbills in the NE corner" straight to scope, a pause while the brain catches up with the eyes on what you hadn't expected. I'm looking at a male Red-breasted Merganser just right of the North spit...."wow, wow, wow...unbelievable" to quote my dear Kate Bush.

It dived immediately and I went back to bins as I tried to confirm that in my head I'd seen two birds thru bins "yes there is a bird to the right, a redhead", scope again "yep there she is it's a pair, but there is the male again, wow" She dived and both went behind the North spit.

In those moments when you think "blimey another lifer form the 80's I've been waiting for for over 30 years" the subconscious brain is saying other things. Mine was saying "the line between the head and neck was very clean, the bill didn't turn up" but my conscious brain had gone into "must call friends and WhatsApp this mega news".

Call I did, but no farther than the second call and they had reappeared and were lifting off the NE corner, clockwise towards me, then away North and gone.

In short I don't leave my patch much nowadays, so don't see many Red-breasted Mergansers, a few more Goosander and in the panic of seeing a lifer, things got a little fuzzy, but I've played back in my head what I saw and I know that it was not a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers, but a male and a redhead Goosander....a life and a nice year tick.

Not to regret it, but today of all days I decided not to bring my busted tripod, so much as I would have loved to have got even the worst record shot in the world, both the practicalities and my endeavour to get the news out meant the opportunity passed and was missed....I do try to my best to help others see good birds.

Once more for the record, it really does help if you get out nice and early!

I feel compelled to summarize the ticks I've had in the last 10 years, that I only dreamed would occur again and in some cases waited 30 years or more to see;

Whooper Swan - 7/10th Nov 2013 - Previous confirmed record 1/20th March 1982
Bewick's Swan - 3/28th Dec 2014 - Previous confirmed record 18/22nd March 1996
Red-breasted Merganser - 1/16th Feb 2019  - Previous confirmed record 4/5th March 1986
Little Stint - 1/8th Sept 2016 - Previous confirmed record 1/22nd Sept 1993
Grey Phalarope - 1/1st Nov 2018 - Only other record 2/16th Oct 1987 (Hurricane)
Nightjar - 1/30th Aug 2016 - Previous confirmed record 2/11th Aug 1984
Wryneck - 1/29th Aug 2012 - Previous confirmed record 1/24th & 25th Aug 1997

Not ticks but long time between records

Ring Ouzel - 1/13th April 2016 - Previous confirmed record 1/15th April 1988
Ferruginous Duck - 1/2nd Dec 2009 - Previous confirmed record 1/18th Feb to 11th March 1988

Still waiting on the next

Red Throated Diver
Shag
Spoonbill
Long-tailed Duck
Red-footed Falcon
Hen Harrier
Wilson's Phalarope

Curlew Sandpiper

Iceland Gull
Arctic Skua
Marsh Warbler
Marsh Tit

Slow January?

Into February already and the park is on 88 and for those who don't know, it's pretty good, take a look at the January tables I keep track of;

90 in 2016

88 in 2019

87 in 2011

86 in 2012, 17 & 18

84 in 2015 

83 in 2005, 06 & 13

81 in 2004 & 14

79 in 2007

76 in 2009

75 in 2003 & 2008

A new second place and that is without Goosander, Green Sandpiper, Stonechat and of course Hawfinch, to just compare 2018. What we are ahead with is Great White Egret, Mandarin, Red Crested Pochard, Golden Plover, Chiffchaff & Crossbill.

I've been hoping with the snow over the last 2 days we might get a Goosander, or a Pintail, but there's plenty of time.

So what the heck has happened to my year list? 7 off par, dreadful. Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Grey Wagtail, Coal Tit, Brambling, Crossbill, Lesser Redpoll. The worst is Crossbill, they are very rare and always only fly overs.

Speaking of fly overs, there was an obvious movement of finches this morning, Chaffinch sized, 4-5 groups all heading West, to North West, between 25 and 40 birds in each with the best views at the sailing club, where despite not one calling 2+ had deeply forked tails, which for me makes them Brambling.

Not much else was happening today, lots of crunchy, slippery ice, cold breeze, but nothing notable. I even popped back hoping for something...a Little Owl, Golden Plover, Raven...nothing, but notably a Barn Owl out at 15:30 testified that they are finding it tough right now.

Gems few and far

January 1st was okay, my day list was 64, 5 behind 2018 but at least Marek found the bird of the day in the form of a Red Crested Pochard on Sandford. Although I'm still the only one to see Golden Plover, with about 10 moving distantly beyond the big Poplar mid am.

Woodock and Peregrine were added 2nd, plus 3 others, then Shelduck, Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Sparrowhawk, brought me up to 74. Bittern and Raven next day, Mandarin 6th, Siskin and Great Black-backed Gull, Meadow Pipit 13th, finally adding Great White Egret 20th.

So these 2 Great White Egret(s) have been passing over South at dawn, then back at dusk for at least 10 days and if it were not for Geoff photographing them, we'd never have known.