Skip to main content

Fourth time lucky

The early days of summer can be a time of surprises. The local Swifts arrived a while back, yet a few days ago almost ninety appeared by the river, feeding for an hour above the water meadows before moving on, presumably to points much further north.

 It’s a time not only of surprises but also of uncertainty. Waders appear in summer plumage, but whether they are laggards journeying to the arctic or the first returning birds isn’t clear. The absence of bird song may indicate not an absence of birds but a frenzy of nesting. And it is a time when a Hobby scything past may be a very late migrant, or an undiscovered local breeder.

 Then there are the things that are simply perplexing, like the Black Guillemot seen occasionally between Climping Beach and Elmer Rocks since December 2017. Sightings in early May were late enough, but its continued presence on June 11 is unaccountable. The bird also called tystie or doveky should be well north of here by now, in Scotland, Ireland or beyond.

 Perplexing, but a happy circumstance since I’ve missed the same bird three times before and it’s a rare species in these parts. This could be the last chance to see this bird, possibly even to see the species in the area – it is that uncommon. A fourth visit can’t be avoided, especially since the bird was seen just hours ago by Bola, the local expert.

 But seeing it is far from guaranteed, as my previous visits bear witness. This bird has a habit of disappearing. Very small and mobile, haunting a large stretch of coast, it can be almost impossible to see at distance in a heavy sea or harsh light. And it is now after noon, the tide is going out, the wind freshening, and the sun getting stronger.

 In the event the bird takes a couple of hours to find and is distant, but fortunately the swell isn’t too bad and the sun goes behind clouds at just the right time. So there is no uncertainty about the identification, or for that matter surprise that it’s in the area after this morning’s sighting. And the fact that it is still lingering on this crumbling stretch of coast may be perplexing, but it is also my good fortune.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Of rings and records: Med Gulls again

A large number of Mediterranean Gulls are still present at the gull roost on the eastern bank of the River Arun just to the south of Arundel. This updates the previous post. Numbers rose from between one and five birds at the start of the month to 42 on 11 July, peaking the next day at 97 before falling back markedly. The influx appeared to have ended, but numbers jumped again on 17 July. By 18 July there were at least 84 birds by the river and adjacent water meadows at high tide, when birds otherwise spread out along the lower reaches of the river become concentrated at the site. Twelve of the Mediterranean Gulls have carried plastic colour rings on their legs that could be read with a telescope. Few European gulls have received the amount of attention from ringers that Med Gulls have, but even so the occurrence of 12 ringed birds within a week is notable. Ringed Mediterranean Gulls by the Arun on 11-18 July Ring colour Code Site Date bird ringed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 4: Arun South

It’s already hot in spite of the easterly breeze, and the river is sluggish after days without rain. The grass is parched yellow, even the reeds in the ditches wilting. The gull loaf is building up on the stone-lined sections of the river bank and 55 Herring Gulls and 78 Black-headed Gulls have been joined by two Great Black-backed Gulls and single Mediterranean, Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. All of them are inactive. Even the Great Black-backs make only occasional forays, scolded when they do so by a pair of vigilant Oystercatchers. A dozen Lapwings dot the muddy stretches of the river’s edge, standing stock still before indulging in seemingly inconsequential runs. Much more active are the seven Common Sandpipers, their numbers up from only three a few days ago, while a single Little Ringed Plover and a calling Greenshank may be harbingers of other less common passage waders in the weeks ahead. There are probably no passage passerines yet. Sedge Warblers and Reed Warbl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hawfinches, again

A quarter of an hour into the morning dog walk and today’s Hawfinch show begins. A scan of ivy-covered trees along the Klondike yields a single bird eating berries. I look down to check the dog isn’t up to mischief, look up again, and… no Hawfinch. The bird has melted away. Still time for more sightings of them, though the eye is caught first by the flittingly arabesque passage of Long-tailed Tits along a hedgerow, and further down the path by a Marsh Harrier quartering the water meadows. By the river 16 Lapwings fly high to the south while below them three Oystercatchers hug the river as they fly noisily north. Winter taking hold again or ending; the signals are mixed. Moving onto the Millstream eight finches feeding in thick cover turn out to be Bullfinches, while a Song Thrush allows ludicrously close approach rather than yield territory to rivals bellowing contention. Chaffinches are singing along the path and Goldfinches moving constantly. But that is it for Hawfinches today,...
Post a Comment
Read more