Two Ornithological Gems

Two locations, the Somerset Levels, and Portland Harbour in Dorset feature high on any birdwatcher's list of places which must be visited during the winter. Both are within relatively easy reach and both have much to offer. Modern methods of communication are now so effective that one can know, sometimes within minutes, what birds have been seen. Both locations may lead to hope and expectation of what one might find and can provide sheer enjoyment from the experience and often surprise as well. So it was that when I learnt that Ian Waite planned to visit both within a couple of weeks of each other I was keen to join him.

On 28th January we met at the small RSPB reserve at Greylake, well known for its breeding Yellow Wagtails in the summer. A short boardwalk led to an excellent modern hide which provides good views of wildfowl and waders; the latter included Golden Plover which had been identified earlier in the air from their 'jizz' but here on the ground the golden flecks which adorn their plumage could at last be seen! 

Having been assured that the distant small raptor perched on a pylon was a Merlin, it was a relief to see it move closer and settle on a gate post, where we could all have excellent views of a female, and find that the plumage details matched exactly an illustration on the cover of one of the field guides being used!

During a lunch break at Catcott we enjoyed the spectacle of several hundred Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shoveler, just one male Tufted Duck and, surprisingly, hardly a Mallard to be seen. Small groups of Shoveler gave wonderful aerial displays suddenly reminiscent of those Peter Scott or Vernon Ward paintings which used to adorn chocolate boxes and postcards. A tantalisingly distant flight of 30-40 swans flew past with Glastonbury Tor as a backdrop making a striking picture.

Moving on to Ashcott Corner we walked out to Meare Hide, finding evidence of Otter in the form of a well marked track up from the drain with spraints and, on the bank, plenty of discarded freshwater mussel shells. The hide provided a rest but few birds and no otter sightings. Some walked out to Noah's Hide and found a flock of Siskins and Redpolls with two Goldcrests on the way; a quick phone call alerted them to the fact that Ian had found a male and two female Goldeneye.

The next port of call was Ham Wall for the Starling roost. As a result of local information we walked further along the track than usual and duly waited. The roost was very much as described by David Cox in his article in Newsletter No.64, the gradual build up of numbers, darkening of the sky, weaving of patterns and the settling in large numbers on bushes, trees and finally the reed beds. We saw this and could appreciate it but it was very distant. A Marsh Harrier appeared among the Starlings, as well as a Peregrine, although neither was seen to take one. We thought of returning to the car but then from behind us there appeared a wave of starlings which had decided to settle in the reeds just in front of us. Soon more appeared until there were several thousand birds and as they settled in the reeds one could understand the origin of the word 'Murmuration' for a group of starlings.

The Portland visit was scheduled for the 11th February. My visits usually fall on cold and windy days, but this one was bright with light winds which, coupled with high tide, should provide optimum conditions at Ferry Bridge for finding the star of this particular show, the Mediterranean Gull. The birds were close and soon we were picking out the white primaries and rich red beaks of the adult birds which still showed the dark masks of the winter plumage, and the alternating black and white spots in the closed wing of 2nd winter birds. Comparisons could be made with Black-headed and Common Gulls which were also present,. We then realised that 1st winter birds, although superficially similar to 1st winter Black-headed Gulls, could also be identified once the 'eye was in'. I tentatively estimated a total of at least 30 (I was overcautious; the count given on the Portland website two days later was 70, and ten days later 150!).

Across the road we began our search for birds in Portland Harbour.  The east wind had created choppy conditions making it difficult to pick out birds, but a distant Great Northern Diver was found as were Red-breasted Mergansers and a Razorbill.

A stop at Portland Castle provided views of three Long-tailed Ducks, a Guillemot and, with the tide still well up, five Turnstones almost at our feet. Another visit to Ferry Bridge enabled us to enjoy close views of Brent Geese although the single Black Brant could not be picked out with confidence. Waders were now arriving, particularly Dunlin and Ringed Plover, and we counted nearly 50 Red-breasted Mergansers.

The northern part of the harbour can be seen from near the yacht club and Sandsfoot Castle. Here we combined lunch with the search for the Portland 'Big Four' — the winter plumage grebes which provide a fascinating annual 'ID' challenge. This causes much confusion and frustration as we wrestle with such things as relative size, shape of body, whether it has a 'fluffy back end' or not, the extent and brightness of the white of its head and neck, the extent of the black cap (above the eye, level with it or below it, difficult to judge at a distance), size, shape and colour of the beak (yellow is diagnostic of one species). First the bird has to be found; it may be distant, disappearing in the troughs of waves or it may have dived by the time you work out where to position your telescope. Markers such as colour and size of buoys suddenly become important!  We did find our four: two Black-necked at the yacht club which also obligingly gave us flight views, two Slavonian close to several Great Crested from Sandsfoot, where we also found a rather distant and very challenging Red-necked. Now we needed to go to Radipole to find Little Grebe and thus complete the set of UK grebes.

At Radipole we could relax, enjoying close views of so many species of duck. Those nearest the visitor centre included the inevitable variations on the theme of Mallard including the Rouen breed which are nearly twice the size of the wild bird. At the Buddleia Loop we found two male Ruddy Ducks with their strikingly bright blue beaks along with several Pochard and a very close Great Crested Grebe and, close by, several Gadwall and the hoped-for Little Grebe.

At the North Hide we settled down, waiting and hoping for a sight of the Bittern which had been reported in recent days.  Almost at once a Spoonbill dropped out of the sky and landed just in front of us only to be just as quickly chased off by a Little Egret, while eight Herons stood on a small island apparently unconcerned by the fuss. It flew back towards the visitor centre but soon returned and seemed to settle, this time unmolested. Just then we were distracted by the appearance of a female Marsh Harrier over the reed bed which unfortunately soon settled somewhere out of sight, and when we turned back to the Spoonbill we found it had gone, possibly off to Lodmoor this time.

Soon it was time to head back to the car. Thirty Snipe resting almost unseen against a line of reeds provided interest near the visitor centre but inside I was greeted with "You should have been here a couple of minutes ago when a male Bearded Tit flew over the centre." And then a message came through on the radio "The Bittern is showing well at North Hide." Too late, two hoped for birds not found.  Such is birding!

These two trips were well supported and justified Ian's plans to make last minute arrangements rather than fixing the date a year ahead. Our thanks are due to Ian; we all enjoyed and gained a great deal from the experience and look forward to summer visits to the same locations!