Succumbing to temptation…
Those who know me well, and regular readers, will probably be aware that I don’t, as a general rule go twitching (aka bird chasing). There are, however, odd occasions when the bird in question is worth seeing and more specifically, local (as much as I’d like to see the long-staying Harlequin duck(s) in Scotland at present, there are limits…). Recently I had cause to go on one such twitch, and it was also a chance to dust off Bob for another two-lifers-in-a-day trip…
First Yank, something of a Skunkhead…
and I don’t mean you Bob… Two winters ago, a juvenile Skunkhead turned up fairly nearby, in Poole Harbour, Dorset – about an hours’ drive away. Unfortunately juveniles of this species are not the most colourful birds, being brownish and black, and Poole Harbour is a big place where it could easily be ‘lost’. It was also rather cold that winter too and I didn’t fancy standing around in the cold not seeing it! Fast forward to February 25th this year and an adult male, apparently the first really twitchable one for the county, turned up off the Gosport coast, Hampshire. And all the way from North America or Canada. That’s more like it. Also about an hours’ drive away, it was tempting, but not massively so. For some reason I had a hang-up about going on my own for it, no idea why. A phone call to Bob later in the week and we agreed if it was still reported on Monday morning, we’d go for it. It was reported all weekend, but often flighty and headed out into the Solent on a couple of occasions, would it still wait for us lazy twitchers? Monday morning it was still reported, so just after lunch, I picked Bob up and off we headed. Like the Dark-eyed Junco in 2012 it was one of the easiest twitches imaginable. We were able to see it offshore within a minute or two of arriving. The wind was a bit against us so the sea was a bit choppy, but we could clearly see the distinctive head markings and the weirdly coloured orange, black, and white, somewhat swollen bill as it bobbed offshore in the company of a single male Common Scoter (nice to get the size and shape comparison alongside this more commonly encountered sea-duck). Still, at least we got away without needing to pay in the car park…
I didn’t try to get any photos – it was quite a way offshore and the conditions were not brilliant, but as bonus, I’ve had my paints out recently, and while waiting for layers to dry on one picture, I’ve had time to rustle up this:
Male Surf Scoter – head, watercolour, 9x5cm
Male Surf Scoter, the black and white head markings are what give this bird the American name ‘Skunkhead‘, that bill is just something else…In winter they spend their time on the sea either in the Pacific or North Atlantic, in summer they breed in North America and Canada. A number reach British and Irish waters each winter. They feed on marine molluscs and waterborne invertebrates.
A missed Yank
After thirty minutes or so, we headed in to Gosport to look for the long staying Ring-billed Gull, which was a no-show, despite our best efforts with the Common Gulls on offer, and trying to see through a rather unexpected sleet/snow storm that piled up on the windscreen, penance for another car park freebie?. A shame, because although I’ve seen a number over the years, including one in January this year, Bob still hasn’t seen one…
Yanking success – getting Wood with a Squealer
So, homeward bound with a few quick stops in the New Forest en route. First stop, for our second Yank of the afternoon, and another duck, what are the chances? A species I’ve looked before but never seen, and had never even seen in a wildfowl collection, so when I read two had been seen on the Saturday prior to our trip, it had to be tried….
Female (left) male (right) Woodie, New Forest, Hampshire
Amongst the now well established population of Mandarins from China, were these two fabulous Wood Duck, and what a cracking bird that male is:
Male Wood Duck, Look at those colours in the winter sunshine – a fabulous bird
Also known in North America as the Squealer because of their call, Woodie, and the Acorn Duck because of…well, do you want to guess what they eat?…While I doubt they made it all the way here under their own steam – like the Skunkhead did – I’m counting them, so there (and it brings me up to 31 species of duck now seen). A bird which has been doing rather well in America recently after a significant decline, thanks to the simple provision of nest boxes for them. Like their Asiatic sort-of-cousins the Mandarin, they are more at home sitting in trees than on the water and will nest high up in tree holes.
A couple of other stops on the way home were rewarded with displaying/soaring Goshawk and Raven almost together, and a couple of Brambling.
Three times lucky
Bizarrely, this is the third time I’ve been twitching/birding with Bob when he’s got two lifers on the same day, each within an hour or so of the other. What are the chances? and I hope that by the time I reach his age (only another seventeen years to go!), I can still be achieving the same. It’s the second time for me with Bob to get two in quick succession on the same day.
An Old Squaw for good measure
Sticking with the ducks, a trip to Blashford Lakes Hampshire Wildlife Trust reserve on a rather overcast and chilly 9th March was rewarded with summer and winter all rolled in to one. We were watching our first Sand Martin of the year, all way from wintering south of the Sahara, when the first winter male Old Squaw that has been wintering on site, flew in and landed in front of the hide. Pausing just long enough for a couple of pictures before flying out of sight again. Another one that summers/breeds in Canada, North America and around the Arctic. Always good to see in relative close-up.
Old Squaw – Long-tailed Duck to you and I, typically to be found offshore in winter, this first winter male had been around on the inland lakes at Blashford since November.
A Conclusion
As teenagers, we are warned that too many yanks stunt our growth and damage our eyesight (although if that’s the case, why are the ‘adult art magazines’ – supposedly responsible – put on the top shelf where they’re both too hard to see properly and out of reach?). I guess it all depends on what kind of yanks we’re talking about, in this case, they were both good for the eyes. Oh, and for the record I inherited my poor eyesight from my father and my lack of height from my dumpy mother…
Filth.
Until the next time…
shoutingatseahorses 