MAIDEN CASTLE, DORCHESTER - RSPB LODMOOR - RSPB RADIPOLE LAKE - FERRYBRIDGE MUDFLATS - THOMAS HARDY MONUME
WEATHER; all day sunshine, some clouds later on. A moderate breeze. Temp 20+C
I had a smashing day out with my new friends Trudy & Peter who are visiting the UK from Maine, USA. They were eager and very enthusiastic to see British birds no matter how rare or common they were.
I collected them from their holiday accommodation in Dorchester and we drove straight to the ancient Hill-Fort called Maiden Castle which is found on the outskirts of the town, We never left the car park and listed a dozen or so species which included the ‘lovely’ Corn Bunting, along with Skylark, Stonechat, Linnet, Rook, Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, Common Buzzard and a few common species. Our best sighting was that of a Northern Wheatear which came very close to us at one stage and thrilled Trudy who had her camera at the ready.
this is Trudy sneaking up on the Wheatear
A pair of Linnets
Our next stop was Lodmoor, we parked at the northern entrance accessed from Weymouth Bay Avenue and in lovely sunshine with a nice cool breeze we spent two/three hours walking the entire perimeter of the main marsh area. Birds came thick and fast, in the scrub and bushes along the embankment leading to the reedbeds we found Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, Robin, Wren, Blakcbird, Great Tit and we heard Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and Blackcap.
a Mediterranean Gull stretching with Common Shelduck and Black-headed Gull
Along the west track we had panoramic views of the marsh with large areas of open water and small patches of reeds. There we saw another 20 species or so! The best of which was Marsh Harrier, two Grey Plover in summer plumage, Redshank, Oystercatchers and a variety of gulls. Common Terns were very active and noisy as they paired-up and jostled for nesting space in the fenced off island-areas. Black-headed gulls seemed to have taken most places.
a Raven - take at Radipole Lake
The walk around the marsh did not produce many more species but it was very enjoyable in the beautiful weather. We saw Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler, more Chiffchaffs, Reed Bunting and a few butterflies. Great and Little Egrets, Grey Heron, Cormorant and a few more Gadwall were seen in the pools from the north track.
Looking over the meadows up towards Teddy Bear’s Woods we saw a distant Common Whitethroat and a Linnet which was perched even further away. A couple of Common Buzzards circled over the hillside.
many Chiffcaffs were singing at Lodmoor
In the scrub on the way back to the car we had a brief view of s Lesser Whitethroat, although I am not sure if my two companions got enough on the bird to tick it!
Radipole Lake was next on the list, we made a quick stop at the Tennis Courts in Radipole Lake Lane to view the main lagoon. There we found a male Garganey, it was quite distant but we cold see people viewing this beautiful little duck from the Band Stand in the reserve. At the visitor’s centre it was confirmed that the Garganey was still present, so we had a nice cup of coffee and ate our picnic lunch.
the star bird of the day - a male Garganey
We watched the gulls on the resting posts, Greater and Lesser Black-backed Gulls were added to the list. We also saw Great Crested Grebe, but not much else. Our walk around the Buddleia Loop brought into much closer proximity to the Garganey which excited all three of us. We also had better encounters with Cetti’s Warblers but not full-on views.
Quite a few waders were seen at Ferrybridge mudflats, the tide was out and a vast area of mud was exposed. Plenty of Little Terns were flying around and sometimes perching on the Buoys around the Oyster Beds. We saw 6 Wimbrels, they were feeding on the far side of the mudflats and an equal number of bar-tailed Godwits fed on the shoreline.
A little further away we saw a flock of about 20 Dunlin and with them was a solitary Little Stint, another good bird for our day list. Further scanning with the scope produced a single Ruddy Turnstone, this bird fascinated my American friends as they had never seen this bird ‘turning’ stones and sea-weed looking for insects. Other species seen was a single Common Tern, a Common Ringed Plover and all the usual gulls.
It was approaching 4pm when we set off back towards Dorchester, we took the scenic route and ended up at Hardy’s Monument west of Dorchester. There we found a male Yellowhammer, it was singing, as was another Chiffchaff. We found Stonechats, Linnets and we saw a distant Pheasant and a Brown Hare. The Tree Pipit we were hoping for did not materialise.
I dropped Trudy and Peter off back in Dorchester, it had been a lovely day out, they were really good company and keen birders.