Biking Birder I Swanage, Peveril Point and the WW2 Watchpoint

 

Swanage views, February 21st 2010

Biking Birder takes the ferry from Sandbanks over to Studland.

Near to where the ferry lands on the Studland side of the entrance to the immense Poole Harbour, is a famous site . . .

Monty Python intro

And so to Swanage, a view towards the main pier . . .

... and the view to the north, towards Ballard Down.

The Coastguard station at Peveril Point

I used to fish from these rocks when I lived here, occasionally catching mackerel, pollock, bass and garfish.

The most beautiful fish I ever caught here was a large cuckoo wrasse.

Gordon's bench - dedicated to the wonderful man.

Peveril Point looking towards Durslton

Looking towards the Isle of Wight from Peveril Point

View towards Ballard Down and Bournemouth

The blocked off WW2 watchpoint, now completely gone.

When we moved to Swanage and I started exploring the area, I was told by the wardens at Durlston Country Park that I should meet Gordon Barnes and that he was always to be found at Peveril Point in the WW2 watchpoint.

Indeed Gordon was there, crouched over a Leica telescope birdwatching.

A Brummie like me, born yards away from my beloved Aston Villa FC with a phenomenal knowledge of all thing nature, especially birds; Gordon Barnes became the closest of friends.

The large stone in the photograph I had placed here back in 2003 when the council wouldn't allow birdwatchers to enter the WW2 shelter. Instead Gordon, Peter, Vic and myself; the Last of the Summer Wine-like quartet, used to sit on this ledge to chat and birdwatch. Magic days.

Biking Birder I Swanage and My late wife, Karen

 On the 21st of February 2010 I arrived back at Swanage, Dorset.

Back at the beginning of the millennium I had lived here with my now late wife, Karen and our children.

Being back in the town where my wife was soon to die and where my best friend Gordon Barnes had already died a couple of years before was tough.

Seeing great friends, Peter Barnes and Perry Barnes, Gordon's wife, was wonderful but walking around the town was of course tinged with sadness.

 

Here is a photo of Karen back in 2002 sitting with Gordon and my oldest daughter, Rebecca . . .

. . .  a broken ankle, Karen by now was suffering from a number of debilitating conditions and in great pain most of the time.

My memory of her though will always be one of her laughing, of her cuddling into me and of our always holding hands when out, fingers intertwined. 

Our last moment together was when we held each other, Karen by now just over three stones in weight and she reached up to give one last kiss.

Karen died August 7th, 2012.

Biking Birder I February ALEX BARTER and The Birding Clams Also Arne RSPB Reserve

 

Alex Barter & Richard Southall, Lizard Orchid Appreciation, Sandwich Bay, Kent

22^nd February 2010

Happy Birthday to You

Stevie Wonder

      

An incredibly special birthday today would have been the birthday of Alex Barter whom everyone knew as the Bear! Alex arrived as a young eleven year old at the school where I was a science teacher; arrived may I add twice the size of anyone else in the class. 

Twice as high was Alex and extraordinarily strong with not an ounce of fat. His class photograph has Alex towering amongst his eleven year old peers, who all look puny in comparison. I am only glad that his form teacher was not on the photograph. I wonder where I was.

Alex fell in love with birds and it just so happened that at that time I was running a YOC, The Young Ornithologist's Club, the young persons' branch of the RSPB, so he started coming to that. Years went by and his love turned into an obsession to try and see every British bird. 

Alex, Jason and Richard, enjoying the ice near Frampton, Gloucestershire, mid-80s

One week Alex did not turn up for school. I knew where he was for we had talked about it before he left. At the age of fifteen, Alex had caught a train to Aberdeen, took the Ferry to Shetland and hitch-hiked his way to the isle of Unst, where he walked to the far northern cliffs of Hermaness. So a long staying Black-browed Albatross, famously known as Albert, was added to his list. An immensely popular lad, Alex became one of the most well-liked birders on the Midlands' birding scene and my memories of him as he grew from boy to man mostly involved birds. Legendary still, Alex died too young from an undiagnosed heart condition at the age of twenty nine. His funeral was so well attended at St Thomas' Church in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton that, with every pew packed, the aisles were necessarily full of people standing. One noted at the funeral that there was a marked contrast between the birders and the powerlifters! Powerlifting being Alex's other passion, their huge bodies were of a slightly different build to the birders present. Alex was buried besides trees so that he could continue to see the birds that he loved.    

Nowadays only one of the boys from this crew go regularly birding, the previously lapsed due to me, Jason Oliver. 

Jason Oliver & Adam Archer, two fabulous birders

He, I and other ex-Coppice birders have started a group on Facebook called The Birding Clams [stands for Clear Lunacy And Madness Society] and our continued birding exploits, together with current birding and environmental issues and fabulous photographs can be accessed by all who have an interest in birds. It would be a pleasure to meet you all there.

THE BIRDING CLAMS Facebook Group

As for other Clams, it is fabulous to see in the 2024 photo above, Alex's wonderful brother, Tony, who has taken up his late brother's binoculars and is not only a great birder but also one of the most friendly, funny and gentle people I know.

Left to right . . . 

Left - back, Phil Andrews, an incredibly intense and brilliant birder, soon to become instrumental during other Biking Birder adventures by providing up to the minute birding gen. Called The Oracle, Phil would send news of rare birds as I cycled around the UK in 2015, 2016 and 2022; his information being invaluable. Thanks Phil.

 Left- front, Adam Archer, a brilliant, witty and knowledgeable birder with the most amazing pin badge collection! Fabulous company when out birding.

Back row with the black beard, the amazing Tony Barter. The best of company when birding, always positive and fun. A truly wonderful man, dedicated to family and friends.

Front, Jason Oliver, memories of the decades of knowing Jason from an eleven year old pupil to the fifty-something year old obsessed birder. Brilliant would be a fair description with phenomenal knowledge of birds and a driven personality to see birds anywhere in the UK and abroad; also shows a deep love for his son, Jack.

Finally right hand side of the photo; Rob Gilbert, maybe the quietest birder of this group but exceptionally good at finding those special birds. Quick to laugh and always on the search, a superb birder and companion.

 

OK, back to the story, I had returned to Poole and cycled to Swanage via the Sandbanks ferry. It was great to see Perry, wife of the late Gordon Barnes of Fair Isle and Great Bustard fame. I told her about the previous week's events with Gordon's Fair Isle bird. Perry was thrilled that the bird was still around, albeit stuffed, maybe not in the way that Giles had predicted. Also I saw a fabulous friend, Pete Barrett, who put me up in his caravan that night. The slideshow of the bird photographs that he had taken on Lesvos in 2009, shown to us all in the evening, contained some great images, especially of flying Squacco Herons.

       An early morning cycle to Middlebeare via the back road to Corfe castle from Swanage on Monday. Arriving at Middlebeare, a group of young Sika Deer came close, being very curious of a man on a bike. From the hide the tide was coming in well and eight Spoonbills and hundreds of waders were on view. Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Knot and Dunlin were the most profuse with a few Redshank and Curlew. The best birds seen however, were ten Bar-tailed Godwits, including a bird in full summer plumage. When I used to bird frequently at Middlebeare back in the early 2000s, Bar-tailed were exceedingly rare here.

              To Arne RSPB Reserve next, where I met Mark the warden and various other workers, brilliant enthusiastic sunshine people all. 

I cycled down to Shipstall Point and just could not make the very distant duck, out in Poole Harbour, into the Long-tailed Duck that had been reported. A closer Black-necked Grebe was easier to see, as were six Red-breasted Mergansers. Up on the viewpoint, a close male Hen Harrier became what was the best birding moment of the year so far. Fabulous bird. A Dartford Warbler buzzed and came close too. 

Down towards Shipstall hide a group of Sika were feeding out on the marsh and the Shelduck, Wigeon, Pintail etc. settled down after the harrier flyover. 

Back towards the centre, a large group of sikas jumped the barbed wire fence, around forty animals and yet another larger group of them were mostly static in a field adjacent to the main path.

              Puncture! I will not embarrass myself by going into all of the details on how I eventually fixed it but let us just say it took two hours!

              Now Arne RSPB reserve had a few smaller RSPB reserves nearby which were not listed on their website. 

              The rest of the day was spent going to these ones; Stoborough and Wareham Meadows, Holton Heath and Grange Heath before heading off towards Weymouth.

A lovely ride on the rejuvenated bike to Weymouth to the easily found WILTON GUEST HOUSE, where Craig and Claire had offered accommodation for the next two nights. A beautiful B & B in the centre of Weymouth and Craig's chilli con carne that evening was also gratefully received. Craig had heard my radio interview on BBC Solent and being a fellow Aston Villa fan, he had offered comfort and food. Thanks Craig and Claire. 

45.58 miles

1843 feet elevation up    1877 feet down      

                                                              

 

Biking Birder I February 19th to the 21st Goody Awaits me at Home. Thanks Bill.

 

19^th to 21^st February 

Soliloquy from Carousel                                       Rodgers & Hammerstein 

Another rest period so a train back home to Warwick. The rest included the celebration of my super Son, Joshua's birthday. Happy birthday Son.

There was also a letter from Bill Oddie; a lovely letter saying that he was off for a holiday to Guatemala and that he would be keeping up with my blog. He wished me success and he said that he would be sponsoring me so much a bird. He also said how much he loved birding at Upton Warren in the Sixties; "rarely saw another birder!" Upton Warren has been my patch on and off for the years from when I was a teenager. A wonderful saltwater nature reserve in Worcestershire, salt laid down when The Midlands was an ocean millions of years ago, percolates up to form briny scrapes. Avocets breed there in good numbers every year and their successful rearing of their youngsters to fledging age makes Upton Warren one of the country's highest productivity per pair.

I should say here that one of the big motivations for what I was doing was to find my own birds and Bill's philosophy, mentioned so often in his autobiographies, on doing so helped formulate the idea. Thanks, Bill, for the letter. It meant a lot to me. Still does.