29th March 2015

We went on a 10-hour birding trip along the south coast today. An early start got us to Dunsford NR, just west of Exeter by about 0815 hrs. Our target birds were dippers and lesser-spotted woodpeckers, but saw neither. I think the poor weather probably put off the woodpeckers, but not really sure how we didn't manage a single dipper. Only other birds of note here was a female Goosander on the river, plenty of marsh tits and at least 1 calling willow tit.

Our next stop was Branscombe Sewage Works to look for a yellow-browed warbler and a firecrest. There were a few chiffchaffs as we arrived, and gradually more started to appear along with goldcrests and a single treecreeper. Things started to quiet down, and I was begining to lose hope, when another goldcrest-sized bird flew in. Just as I was about to get it under the bins, it called and flew further back. I went over and refound the Yellow-Browed Warbler, and got a good but brief look at the long supercilium and double wing-bar. About 30 seconds later, it took off again in the direction it came from. It must have been hanging around in the conifers next to the entrance gate.

Next stop was Seaton Hole, and then the Esturary, where we dipped on the summer plumaged slavonian grebe and caspian gull. As we had more time than we really needed, we headed over to Weymouth. A short watch off Chesil Cove produced little in the stormy conditions, except for a very small black bird flying very quickly along near the shore low over the waves. I didn't get it under my bins quickly enough, but may have been a storm petrel. Portland Castle produced little more than the usual Red-Breasted Mergansers.

We stopped for a quick look at Radipole Lake, which produced the resident hooded merganser as well as some mediterranean gulls. We prolonged our visit when we heard that the 1st winter BONAPARTE'S GULL was still present, so we went up to the end of the buddleia loop, where I quickly picked the bird up, our second one already this year, and certainly easier to photograph than the Dawlish bird:

I'm particularly happy with this last shot, as it show all the key ID features for a 1st winter bony - White underwing with black trailing edge, jet black bill, neat rounded black spot behind the eye, grey nape area and rather pink legs.

The controversial Hooded Merganser. Wild or not, a very pretty bird.

 Last stop of the day was Maiden Castle, Dorchester, where we had 4 Corn Buntings and a flock of Golden Plover.