May 2025. Black Tern, Hanningfield Res. 1st May

From a rarity viewpoint, May was a bit of a disappointment. A Red-Footed Falcon at Abberton the only really notable sighting. But a month that brings summer to us will have some moments and the 1st was for me one such. We started at West Canvey Marsh with great views of Cuckoos, summer plumaged Black-Necked Grebe, Corn Bunting, and Marsh Frogs hoping around, then popped into Hanningfield on the way back to catch up with the flock of Black Terns. We counted ten of these, constantly working their way back and forth. An individual summer bird is a revelation but a flock is just something else. As with the post about Little Gulls there is a joy to their flight. Its obviously not scientific to anthropomorphise bird behaviour, and if a Black Tern could speak it may curse the need to constantly swoop and duck back, but I think as casual observers we are entitled to find the appearance and behaviour of birds something that lifts our spirits.

Lea Valley- Fishers Green

We went for Bitterns, but alas saw none. We had to make do with 51 White-Fronted Geese in a field. At a distance. 

Little Gull at Cogden Beach/Burton Bradstock 28th Jan

When the weather is suitable we often go to Cogden Beach. It is a half hour drive away, has a decent choice of walks by the sea, has a cafe at one end and as we are NT members has free parking. I suspect there may be a few posts from here incoming monhs.

Last year saw a few visits, with a brief sighting of Cirl Bunting (which is becoming established all the way along the Dorset coast at currently low density), Dartford Warbler, Wheatears, Marsh Harrier, and offshore some Balearic Shearwaters. Fortunately this area is regularly watched and an excellent report is available on-line representing for me the best of amateur natural history.

Wednesday saw a break in the gales and rain that have lashed the Dorset coast recently, so we weaved our way from the car park down to the beach and marched west toward Hive Beach at Burton Bradstock. It was very wet underfoot with few birds around, just the ever-present Stonechat of note. Offshore there were gulls going back and forth along the foaming tide-line, with Common Gulls particularly of note. Little Gulls have been seen at various points along the coast in the last few days, so it wasn't a great surprise when at Hive Beach I found four tiny gulls sat just off the tide area. More scanning produced a couple of birds flying around including a gorgeous adult. They conveniently flew back and forth just beyond the surf line, but after lengthy scanning from a beachside table, cappuccino in hand, I settled on a total of 6 1st winters and 2 adults. 

At this point I was going to eulogise about Little Gulls, the playful puppies of the Gull world, but Steve Waite over at Axe Birding has said all that needs to be said and has some smashing photos as well from the seafront at Seaton. So have a look here instead.

April 2025. Pied Flycatcher, Spurn April 13th

I was hoping to post an upate from Weymouth. But it rained, the wind blew, it rained some more, it blew a gale. So here's April 2025.

April saw some decent birds but ultimately nothing outstanding. Distant Little Gulls at Abberton ("I think that's one. A darkish underwing. Its flying like one ... does it have a hood? Maybe. not sure really") Lesser Scaup, now so regular in winter its just a bird you get ticked and move on, and a Redstart at Portland.

But my bird of the month award goes to a Pied Flycatcher at Spurn Head. I did an overnight 13-14, staying in a camper van at Kew Villas. It was fairly quiet for Spurn with the long staying Greater Scaup and Black Brant, a Short-Eared Owl, and Whimbrel and Wheatears. I'd given up on finding the male Pied Flycatcher round Kew Villas, but it appeared just over our heads and performed for a wonderful ten minute spell. Magic.

2025 March. Reap Lane Wagtails

As always a bit of a scruffy month. The winter specialities are on their way to their summer residences and our summer birds are just starting to arrive. We had the traditional visit to Cockley Cley on 15th for distant Goshawks plus Woodlark, had a bonus Green-Winged Teal a short drive away at Hatfield Broad-Oak, on 17th, but pride of place goes to a quick visit to Reap Lane on Portland on 24th. Lots of Wheatears, at least 4 White Wagtails, and a cracking Blue -Headed Wagtail. I had some fleeting views up the field and thought that would have to do, but then it reappeared in front of me to give fantastic views (see here for a sample). Surely the start of a cracking spring on Portland!

12 Jan Lemsford

A cheeky midday trip to Lemsford Springs. Well known for the ringing work on Green Sandpipers it has been in the local birding news recently because of up to six Jack Snipes on show, so a visit was in order. 

I hadn't been before  - what a fantastic little reserve! Just a short stretch of stream which used to be watercress beds and is now maintained. The shrimps that associate with the watercress bring in the birds, and we had 7 Common Snipe, 4 Green Sandpipers, 2 Little Egrets, and a support cast of Grey Wagtail, Moorhen, Red Kite, Heron, and a flock of Redwings. Splendid.

One of the Green Sandpipers was yellow,yellow/blue ringed. This individual is an old stager now well into his teens!

A single Jack Snipe on show, tucked into a gap in a plank. It bobbed, it had a look around, but mainly it just slept. Decent views though. 

There are many good photos of birds from Lemsford Springs around. Here are some less good ones.

2025 February. Valentine's Day Twite at Musselborough

D#1 was a young girl just started senior school when I started this blog. She's now married with a child and lives in Edinburgh. I snuck out on a visit to Musselborough and marvelled again at the avian riches of the Forth estuary. Ducks we chase after in the south were here in abundance. Spectacularly plumaged Long-Tailed Ducks, Eiders, and Velvet Scoters. A Red-Necked Grebe swam in and then flew around. And to cap it all a small flock of Twite loafing around on the path. Always a treat for a south England birder to visit Edinburgh.

Year Listing at Abberton 8th Jan

Like many (most?) birdwatchers I keep a year list, and there is a particular excitement about the first couple of weeks in January building that list. It's nice to get lots of ticks but there is a particular joy in ticking birds that may prove tricky later in the year.

And so with Mike and Dave to Abberton, and specifically the Layer-De-La-Haye Causeway, and two Bewick's Swans with their heads deep in the muddy fringes are the first signficant year-ticks of the day. There are lots of other ticks to be had; Wigeon, Goosander, Goldeneye for me, along with lots of other waterbirds, and the fringes have Dunlin, Ruff, Redshank and Black-Tailed Godwit. There are three Red-Crested Pochards, which can be tricky to get on the year list, but neither of the smaller grebes, nor Scaup, nor Little Stint which have been seen here recently.

We go to Layer Breton Causeway and immediately Dave picks up a male Smew loafing about near the dam. There are masses of wildfowl on the ice-free side of the dam, and Dave's Smew-Whispering skills are put to use again as he detects a Redhead at the other end of the Dam. 

Birdguides has some winter geese from the Permissive path so we head back along the road and through the gate, and immediately we have a field with 80 Egyptian Geese and at the back 3 Tundra Bean Geese keeping themselves to themselves and looking somewhat nervous. We head on and a few fields down find the main flock of Greylags and Canadas and dispersed amongst them are 14 Russian White-Fronted Geese. Possibly my favourite Goose, their small delicate shape amongst the brutish Greylags stands out. 

We head to Billets and join the crowd. Lots of ducks, including about 20 Pintail on the far bank and some Shelduck. A fellow birder calls out a Mediterranean Gull on the far bank, and we have Golden Plover fly over. However we are just a few minutes too late for the Long-Tailed Duck which has drifted out of sight.

The mist is closing in now so we do the hides, more in hope than in expectation, and bring our Bewick's total to three but fail to add anything of note, then its back to the centre for a coffee. We give LDLH Causeway one more go and have the male Smew in front of us again. A great way to end a successful start to the year.

Here's a crap photo of a male Smew. David has much better on his blog.

2025. A year in twelve birds.

Now I'm back I thought I might as well give a review of the year just gone. A flavour of what you missed. 

January 2025 - Long Eared Owl - Eldernell 16th Jan

As is by now traditional, a month of intensive year listing. Abberton provided Slavonian and Black-Necked Grebes, Bewicks's Swan, Smew, White-Fronted Goose, Canvasback, Red-Crested Pochard as well as a host of other decent birds, and Copt Hall provided a magical half hour from the car park with both Great Grey Shrike and Short-Eared Owl, a welcome break after a few less-magical visit there. On one trip I had fleeing glimpses of Hen Harrier and Merlin, both too brief and distant to tick, but not to worry, I was sure to get those later in the year. Mrs D and I had a  'dog walk' at Cudmore Grove country park on Mersea Island on 3rd and by sheer fluke Shore Lark, Snow Bunting and Purple Sandpiper found their way onto the year list.

The highlight was Mike and mine's annual visit to the Nene Washes at Eldernell. We got four Cranes, fields full of Whooper Swans, some Pink-footed Geese and a Cattle Egret but the undoubted star was a Long-Eared Owl in a hedge. It is a well known site and there were records for the last few weeks. It took a bit of finding but once located give excellent view although it was obscured by some foliage. The ultimate bird is surely one that combines scarcity with visual attractiveness and LEO wins on both counts.

New Year's birding.

1 Jan. A short detour on a trip to Cogden Beach. A narrow road below Maiden Castle. A pull in with a car already there and a lady looking through a telescope. Pop out the car with binoculars already in hand. Directions to the corner of the field and boom 7 Tundra Bean Geese. Much better views than I had feared. 2026 we are off and running!

So, here we are again!

It's been a while. 

I first started this blogging stuff back in 2007 when Blogging was new and exciting. I set up a blog called Dorset Dipper, and wrote entertaining (humour me) posts about my attempts to watch birds in Dorset and Hertfordshire whilst being a busy working Dad to four small children. Time passed, they grew up, I retired, and in 2024 I posted what turned out to be my last entry on the old Dorset Dipper site. 

Sufficient has happened since then to warrant a return to Blogging. Part of the reason for stopping was the feeling that the years were repeating themselves, so whilst they were enjoyable for me they were getting less interesting for you. However, changing circumstances mean there are new stories to tell, stories you may find of interest, and the passage of time gives different perspectives.

So why not just continue on the original DorsetDipper? Well, ahem, technical issues. The blog was on an account which I 'shared' with D#4, and now that he is no longer an easily persuadable five-year old but a confident young man that route isn't really appropriate. And I could never remember the password.

Anyhow, the Dorset Dipper is back in the saddle, has packed his sandwiches, and is attempting to get out of the gate. 

If you haven't been either here or to DorsetDipper before, welcome! And if you have found your way here from old links or personal contacts, welcome back. Put your slippers on, pour yourself a drink, sit back, and let's get back into this weird and wonderful thing that is birdwatching. 

DD Rides Again!

We dropped D#3 off at Gatwick and with the sun setting in a deep red sky have battled our way round the 25 and down the 3. Finally after a few hours, some roundabouts and winding A roads we crest the hill, turn a corner, and there below us are the lights of Weymouth with the arc of the sea front clearly visible, and beyond the constellation of lights of Fortuneswell on the north side of the Isle of Portland. Dorset, we are back!