TRANSFER FROM SOMERSET TO DORSET WITH STOPS AT CATCOTT LOWS - GREYLAKE - SWELL WOODS - YEOVIL NINE SPRINGS COUNTRY PARK - DORCHESTER WATER MEADOWS - MAIDEN CASTLE - LODMOOR RSPB IN WEYMOUTH
WEATHER: another frosty start to the day, plenty of sunshine, cloudy later, light winds. Top temp 6C
We departed from the Farmhouse at 8:30am after saying goodbye to our host Anne. We drove the short distance to Catcott Lows nature reserve, we saw Cattle Egrets along the way and both Redwing and Fieldfare in the car park area at Catcott.
Our target bird was the GLOSSY IBIS which had eluded us for the last tree days. However, today it was present and sitting not too far from the blinds next to the hide. The Ibis was fast asleep for most of the time we were there but it did wake up for a while. Other birds milling about in the small unfrozen part of the reserve were Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Mute Swan and Canada Geese.
Glossy Ibis seen at Catcott Lows this morning
Greylake was next on the list and we were hoping to see Bearded Reedlings in the large reedbeds on the reserve. We walked the tracks and trails through the reeds but we never found our target bird, we did see Reed Bunting, Moorhen, Wren, Robin, Blue and Great Tits.
From Greylake we drove to Swell Woods via Langport it was around 10:30am when we got there. All our targets species were found pretty quickly, in the car coming down to copious amounts of sunflower hearts that we put down. We watched Marsh, Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, Eurasian Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, and a Robin, they all came down to the free breakfast that we provided. Ther Marsh Tit was our most wanted species, there was about three of them.
Eurasian Nutatch
Marsh Tit
Barbara hadn't seen a Treecreeper and when Vanessa found one we couldn't get Barbara onto it. So we set off in prusuit of the creeper and within five minutes we all had good views of one, including Barbara. We said goodbye to Vanessa, she was driving home from Swell Woods but the rest of us got back onto the bus and drove back into Langport where we stopped to buy lunch and to look for Greenfinces in the main car park. We did find a male Blackcap but no finches.
Coal Tit
We then drove to Yeovil in preparation for the conclusion of the Somerset part of the trip, but before we parted company with Barbara and Judy we visited Nine Springs Country Park in the centre of Yeovil. The main pool was allmost completely frozen over but the stream running through next it was ice-free. It was there that we had incredible close vioews of a Kingfisher! Despite being watced by a dozen or so people the Kingfisher just carried fishing as we were not there, what a show-off!
On the far side of the main pool we saw at least four Mandarin Ducks and some Mallards, we left after that in to get Barbara and Judy to the station on time for thier train back to London. Lorna, Mike and Rob continued on into Dorset with me to complete the Tour.
We stopped at the water meradows just North of Dorchester, we hope to see a Tundra Bean Goose if one was still present. Unfortunately there wasn't one, it would have to wait for another day. We did see Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Canada Geese and our first Great Black-backed Gull of the trip.
Maiden Castle was a bit of a damp squid, not many species were out in the fields, mind you, it was very cold with an ice-cold wind. We watched dozens of Golden Plover, Lapwings, Rooks, Jackdaws and Crows. We found a single Kestrel, two Buzzards and a distant flock of Linnets, another first for the trip.
Golden Plover in the late afternoon sunlght at Maiden Castle
Finally we arrived in Weymouth and for the last hour of daylight we walked the West Track at Lodmoor. Once again the whole marsh was frozen over with very few birds in situ. We added Mediterranean Gull to the list and listed Little Egret, Lapwing, Commn Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull and Grey Heron.
In the bushes along the track we searched for a Firecrest but found only Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs. As the light was fading we decided to head to our Guest House in central Weymouth and one street back from the sea-front.