Another cracking trip to Dorset. En route to the Portland Bird Observatory we stopped off at Maiden Castle to try for Corn Bunting. We struggled at first but eventually one popped up on a barbed wire fence. Next stop was RSPB Lodmoor, where we soon found a Spoonbill amongst the Canada Geese. A fly-over Marsh Harrier put a lot of birds up, amongst which were both Little and Great White Egrets. Walking round to the north of the site we were delighted to see plenty of waders, including Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff, Black–tailed Godwit, Snipe, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin. John Wilson also glimpsed a Green Sandpiper – a great selection of waders. Several Yellow Wagtails were present too. The number of Mediterranean Gulls there is incredible. We then heard that the Red–backed Shrike that had been there for a week was still on the old tip. What a bird! The scalloped juvenile plumage was stunning [see pix below]. Off to Ferrybridge next, where we had misjudged the tide. The water was almost up to the viewing platform, meaning few waders were visible. There were a few Dunlin, a Sanderling and a Little Stint there. In the harbour was a lone Brent Goose.
Saturday dawned bright and we spent the first few hours around the Obs. Sea-watching wasn’t easy as the winds were northerly, pushing birds off-shore. An oddity was a Whitethroat that was perched on a rock right next to the obelisk. We saw plenty of Gannets, a few auks, Scoter plus Cormorant and Shag. A Rock Pipit was seen in this area too. After lunch we walked to Culverwell and up to the top fields. There were plenty of hirundines passing through with some other passerine movement. The Wheatears in the fields were great to see. Kestrels seemed to be everywhere. Some of the group also got on to a Merlin and a Lesser Redpoll was heard calling as it flew overhead. Following a visit to Radipole, where we saw a Hobby and a Kingfisher, we then decided to re- visit Ferrybridge for a second chance of watching waders on a rising tide. We weren’t able to add many new species but there were greater numbers of waders present, including several Ringed Plovers and Turnstones. An immature Common Gull caused some discussion. We were up early on the Sunday and were delighted to see the Little Owl in the Obs Quarry. Martin Rich also saw a Barn Owl go in to roost in the quarry. There were several passerines in the quarry with at least four Spotted Flycatchers and a Blackcap seen. Back in the Obs building, there was a quick shout and we were delighted to get on to a Turtle Dove on the wire. More
sea-watching brought some decent but distant views of Balearic Shearwaters and there was a light passage of Kittiwakes. We were privileged to see a Firecrest in the hand at Culverwell. The ringer had also caught a Spotted Flycatcher but had released it prior to our arrival. He told us that a Wryneck had been seen in a nearby quarry. We scoured the area but had no success unfortunately. We decided to re-visit Lodmoor on the way home, where both Water Rail and Bearded Tit were new for the trip. Cetti’s Warblers were loudly calling from waterside bushes and there were also several Chiffchaffs present. Some of us went for a second viewing of the Red–backed Shrike. Not a bad way to finish off a great weekend’s birding. Once again thanks to John Wilson for organising the trip and to the fellow GBC members who made it a great experience.

Red-backed Shrike by John Wilson

There were only seven participants- perhaps some were put off by the poor weather forecast. We had prepared a contingency plan of dashing to Penclacwydd WWT in the event of heavy rain. We needn’t have worried however as the weather was glorious. We met in the car park at Pembrey Old Harbour and ambled up to the old dock wall. The tide was on the turn, so we hoping that the terns present would be pushed up towards us. As it happens the tide was fairly low, meaning telescopes were the order of the day.
Scanning the tide line we saw hundreds of Sandwich Terns fishing off-shore. Amongst them were several smaller terns. After a bit of searching we picked out Little, Common and Arctic Terns amongst them. A quick shout got us all on to a juv Black Tern that had landed in the tern flock. It was surprising how much smaller it was than the other terns. There was a smart Bar-tailed Godwit, loafing amongst the Oystercatchers. Other waders there included Ringed Plover, Sanderling and Dunlin. (A Curlew Sandpiper was reported after we had moved on to Kidwelly). Several Mediterranean Gulls and a couple of Gannets were also seen.
On the mud by the railway bridge at Kidwelly Quay we saw several Greenshank, Redshank, Dunlin plus a couple of Common Sandpipers. Also present were two Whimbrel, fifteen Curlew, a Kingfisher and a very fleeting Wood Sandpiper. Elsewhere we saw several Little Egrets, a Red Kite, two Buzzards, Swallows, Stonechats and good numbers of gulls. A very sharp shower brought a close to a very successful trip.