Caspian Tern just flown over the Swannery grounds, quite purposefully north @swannerysteve.bsky.social

Juv. Yellow-legged Gull briefly in Swannery Embayment then flew west. @joestockwell.bsky.social @bexbirder.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Roseate Tern at the Swannery this morning @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Honey-buzzard north over the Swannery around 12.30pm. Found by Kev Butler confirmed by @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Two Roseate Terns at the Swannery this morning. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

A Roseate Tern at the Swannery this afternoon @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Roseate Tern at the Swannery this evening. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

No further sign of the Roseate Terns. 8 Whimbrel again, 5 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit & a Ringed Plover the only migrant waders. Nothing else of much note. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Two Roseate Terns on rail by tern island this lunch time. Abbotsbury Swannery. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

No sign of ‘the’ tern today, not even in this evening’s pre-roost gathering (it was present the last 2 evenings). 8 Whimbrel & a single Dunlin the only migrant waders. 2 Cattle Egrets the first since April. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Common Tern ‘showing characters of one of the eastern forms’ was present briefly again this evening but before I could get any pics, HeliOps promptly flushed all the terns out over the beach & into Lyme Bay 🤨 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The ‘Eastern type’ Common Tern at Abbotsbury this evening. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @therockinbirder.bsky.social

I haven’t been on site today bar a quick trip down this evening & there was no sign of the Bonaparte’s Gull. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Heavily cropped images of @luvaducksbutt.bsky.social Bonaparte’s at Lynch Cove & mine at the Swannery. Hard to tell regarding the rear head markings as his is alert & mine relaxed but the markings around the bill do look like a pretty good match 🤔 Hope you don’t mind me pinching your pic Brett.

The Bonaparte's Gull did the decent thing this afternoon and showed up at the 4pm feed, sumptuous views of a mighty fine looking gull. It was only a matter of time before myself or @swannerysteve.bsky.social turned one up, a much deserved find for a dedicated patch watcher!

Slightly better pic of the Bonaparte’s Gull at Abbotsbury yesterday. It turned up earlier this evening & @joestockwell.bsky.social was able to connect & no doubt has better pics. @luvaducksbutt.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

No sign all day then this evening bingo! Bonaparte’s Gull (2cy) at Abbotsbury again. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

At last, perseverance has paid off! Bonaparte’s Gull (2cy) this evening way out in the Swannery embayment. A nice addition to the Swannery list 😊 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Mareca type duck still present this morning. Clearly got either/&/or Gadwall/Falcated/Wigeon sp in it. Can’t personally see any Mallard influence but duck hybrids can be tricky. Call sounds identical to Falcated to my ear. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Possible female Falcated Duck or hybrid for 2nd day at the Swannery this morning. Relatively tame however and largely with Mallard 🤔 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Today along with Curlew Sand were 3 Barwits, singles of Dunlin, Common Sand, Greenshank & Whimbrel. Still good numbers of terns including 2 Little again. Osprey late afternoon. 100s of small gulls roosting this evening but as for the target for the last 2 weeks it was again… Not tonight Josephine! 🫤

Nice red Curlew Sandpiper at the Swannery this morning. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Grasshopper Warbler reeling in my Abbotsbury garden this morning… which is nice 😊

70+ Common Terns today, 80+ Sandwich Terns (120+ yesterday) & 2 Little Terns. 5 Common Sandpipers, 5 Whimbrel, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits & a Greenshank. A Wheatear & a Whinchat best of the passerines though 2 new in Coal Tits may have been ater. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Abbotsbury Swannery WeBS: lovely morning with highlights being a flock of 14 Common Sands (+1 singleton), 7 Red Kites heading west and 3 Whimbrel. @swannerysteve.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

My wife’s Merlin app suggested a Western Subalpine Warbler singing along New Barn Road, Abbotsbury this morning., just west of the Elworth turning… roughly what3words ///grinning.generals.hides Nothing but Whitethroat when I briefly checked in my coffee break 😅

🦫 Dead Beaver photographed at Butterstreet Cove on the Fleet yesterday! 🤯

Not on duty at the Swannery today but popped down for an hour or so… not a lot to show for it though, with 6 Whimbrel & a couple of Wheatears the highlights. No sign of the Little Gull. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Not the hoped for Bonaparte’s Gull at the Swannery today but a 3cy Little Gull was a nice surprise during my lunch break. Much pinker than the pic implies. No further sign of the Spoonbill. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Spoonbill over earlier but busy so didn’t see which way it went 😏

No show re the Blue-winged Teal nor the pair of Shoveler it was with so far… Rodden Hive? @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @joestockwell.bsky.social

Shocking distant pic but drake Blue-winged Teal at the Swannery this evening off Shipmoor Point. Swannery closed view only from rights of way. New Barn Road? Swannery opens 10am tomorrow. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @joestockwell.bsky.social

A lovely spring morning for WeBS count at Abbotsbury Swannery; nothing too unusual but GW Egret, Red Kite and Common Sand were the highlights. @swannerysteve.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Two year firsts for the Swannery today… Little Ringed Plover & Wheatear. The 1st Sandwich Terns arrived Monday & there’s been a few daily since. Not much else to report, a few of the usual wintering waterfowl & waders hanging on. No further Sand Martins since February’s! @joestockwell.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe still present at the Swannery this afternoon & now back in the western embayment by the tank teeth. But I couldn’t find the Garganey, Scaup or Long-tailed Duck. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe still present today in the Swannery embayment but the furthest east I have yet seen it, so not so close to the tank teeth. No sign of the Garganey, Long-tailed Duck or Scaup since the 4th but a pic of the latter from then. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Well, so much for that theory 😂… we had the 2cy ♂ Scaup and the 2cy♀ Long-tailed Duck together in the Pochard flock this morning. The ♀ Garganey is with the Teal still & the Red-necked Grebe is still near the tank teeth. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Red-necked Grebe,♀ Garganey & the Long-tailed Duck all present in the Swannery embayment today but no Scaup. It seems the latter 2 are on a timeshare. Alternating between the east & west Fleet but never together here! Ringtail Hen Harrier too. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe, the ♀ Garganey & the 2cy ♂ Scaup all present in the Swannery embayment today. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe was still present at the Swannery this morning,near the tank teeth; whilst the 2cy drake Scaup was back in the Pochard flock. I couldn’t find the over-wintering ♀ Garganey though that was with the Teal again on Friday. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Long-tailed Duck with the Pochard flock again today, it was last seen a week ago. The Red-necked Grebe is still present too but it’s a little more camera shy. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe is still present in the western Swannery embayment near the tank teeth this pm & @joestockwell.bsky.social picked out a 2cy Long-tailed Duck with the Pochard this am. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe still present this morning but no Scaup & not a great deal else, the two lingering White-tailed Eagles not helping matters! 😏 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

The Red-necked Grebe still in the western Swannery embayment late morning. Viewable from the tank teeth or distantly from Chapel Hill. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Not a bad day at the Swannery! First a 2cy drake Scaup. Then we heard, & @joestockwell.bsky.social eventually saw, a Spotted Redshank. Then lunchtime I found a Red-necked Grebe. Both the latter not annual here & the way it’s going, the former may soon go that way too! 🙁 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Drake Scaup (seemingly an ad.) with the Pochard flock mid-day today but virtually all the teal disappeared down the Fleet as I arrived. Presumably due to the W-t Eagle relentlessly bothering the Coot again 🙄 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

@swannerysteve.bsky.social Green-winged Teal from this lunchtime.

I couldn’t find the female Garganey this lunchtime but I did find a drake American Green-winged Teal! In the western embayment near the tank teeth. Couldn’t get even a half decent pic but @joestockwell.bsky.social has. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Female Garganey again in the western Swannery embayment this lunchtime, having been elusive for a couple of weeks. Probably regretting its decision to overwinter 🥶😰 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Not much to report from the Swannery this morning, largely down to constant flushes (I wonder why?) & dreadful light 🙄 A lot of Teal & Shoveler but impossible to check through them all. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social