Wednesday
10th February Light NW Mostly Sunny
Goodbye
to Kerry and Dominik, with a new addition to the Biking Birder
family, an otter who fits in well with Sid the Frog.
Through
Lyndhurst once more and along the A35, turning down a small road
heading south. The road goes through a superb forest if tall redwoods
and pines before I reach the entrance to the Blackwater Arboretum. A
Hampshire birder had emailed me over this being a place where I could
add lesser spotted woodpecker to the year list. Through the
park and out the back to access a long bridleway, I walk slowly
searching the tree tops after having hidden the bike in thick
undergrowth.
There
are only a very few birds; nuthatch and titmice. Then I hear it; the
sound of a lesser spot' drumming. It is a short burst so much higher
in tone than a great spotted woodpecker and unmistakable. I turn
around to look in the direction of where I think the bird may be and
find a tree to sit against and scan. With my thick waterproof
trousers coming in handy, I sit on the leaf litter and wait. It drums
again; three bursts in quick succession and now I can see it high in
the canopy of an oak tree with some dead branches pointing skywards.
I try to photograph it but can only get out of focus branches in
shot. Two buzzards circle over and the diminutive woodpecker has
gone. I sit for around another half hour in the hope that it would
return.
Two stock doves much in love flutter around the treetops,
flying like slow butterflies in a display flight, a sight I hadn't
seen too often before. Three treecreepers come close as do a couple
of nuthatches but I have no more sightings of the lesser spotted
woodpecker. I am thrilled to have seen it though as in 2010 I missed
it altogether. Last year I only saw one, at Ynhs Hir RSPB reserve in
Wales and now both times I have failed to get a photograph.
I
go in search of another, walking the bridleways and through the
forest along a large stream hoping that my luck will bring the bird.
More treecreepers; they really are showing well today, and the
occasional titmouse, particularly long-tailed but no more woodpeckers
of any kind.
Back
at the Arboretum, I sit for a spot of lunch, hot cross buns, bit of
brie and an orange. Then I cycle along the lanes and byways to
Keyhaven, past the high tower at Sway.
There
has been a long-tailed duck reported here and I walk the bike along
the sea wall to try and find it. The tide is as high as it can be be
and the first road is flooded and blocked off. I meet an artist,
Lesley Banks of Knightwood Photoart, who is sat photographing a
nearby flock of brent geese. We chat for a while about her work
before I head off once more eastwards along the sea wall.
Through
Keyhaven harbour where little grebes and red-breasted mergansers are
diving amongst the boats. I meet a couple of birds and put a report
of a long-billed dowitcher into the back of my mind as they don't
seem that hot on birds despite being friendly and eager to tell me
what they do now. If such a rare American wader was in the area my
good friend and taskmaster, Phil Andrews would surely have told me
about it, wouldn't he?
Along
the wall beside Keyhaven Lagoon dartford warblers occasionally show
themselves in the dense vegetation and a superb short-eared owl
quarters the grassland, dives and catches a vole and flies further
away after eating it.
Now
the couple at Keyhaven had told me that the long-tailed duck
was very elusive and hadn't been seen today so my opinion of their
knowledge is a little diminished when I find the bird. It is a
beautiful male too, swimming not too far away in a saltmarsh channel
with two goldeneye. I show the bird to a couple of passing lady
birders. It's great to share their enthusiasm at seeing such a
beautiful bird.
I
try to phone my Mum and Dad; I always report a good bird for the year
list but have no signal. Neither can I text Phil, Steve, Jason or
Bart, my birding pals.
With
two birds on the year list today my mood is high and I bird along the
seawall enjoying views of geese and ducks, waders and egrets. A flock
of a few hundred waders includes knot, dunlin and bar-tailed godwits.
Grey plovers and redhank, curlew and oystercatchers are on the grassy
knolls and the mud. Six spotted redshank are close by and a single
greenshank flies past.
The
weather is gorgeous and the views over and along The Solent are
tranquil and lovely. When the pathway is empty of walkers, I cycle
along enjoying it all. I pass the area where the Keyhaven couple had
said they saw the dowitcher and give it a cursory glance and scan. I
am all alone, no other people yet alone birders are here.
Into
Lymington at around 4:00pm, I sit beside the yacht marina and my
mobile quickly receives two text messages.
“long-billed
dowitcher at Pennington at Fishtail Lagoon.”
“LTD
off Keyhaven Marsh. Did you get my dowitcher message?”
Rude
words! I cycle back to where I think Fishtail Lagoon is just as the
only dark cloud on view comes over. A short shower ensues. It gets
dark. It gets too dark. No dowitcher.
Lesson
learnt. Don't let birding arrogance dismiss the words of a couple of
'dudes.'
The
year list stands at 160. This is twenty one ahead of where I was this
time last year.
32.17
miles 1121 feet elevation up 1087 elevation down
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