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

The Fleet from Buller’s Cliff, Abbotsbury this morning. 12 Golden Plover with the Lapwings over the Swannery meadows but still no geese!😏

A rather unseasonal Garganey with the Teal in the Swannery embayment this lunchtime 🙂 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Apparent 4cy Yellow-legged Gull on the beach opposite the Swannery this lunchtime. Actually darker mantled than it looks in this phone-scoped pic. Pretty quiet again otherwise. No Baikal Teal since the 4th & no Scaup since the 11th. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

My best ever views of an Otter at the Swannery today. It’s mum was around too.

1cy drake Scaup back in the Pochard flock this morning but still no Baikal Teal. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Cattle Egret pre-roost, 166 in this image and at least 15 that weren't! So a minimum of 181 currently roosting at the Swannery tonight @swannerysteve.bsky.social

No sign of today’s reported Slavonian & Black-necked Grebes either despite being on site most of the day 🤔

Portland Harbour North is now a vacant Wetland Bird Survey site. If there are any local birders willing to take it on, a couple of hours one Sunday morning a month. Then please let me know. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @webs-gsmp.bsky.social

There’s been no sign of the Baikal Teal since the 4th apart from an apparent erroneous report on the 5th. Really impressed with visiting birders re no access beyond tank teeth… until today 😡 Seems like some people feel they can just do what they like. Complete flush of duck and gulls along shore! 🤬

Baikal Teal in the Swannery Western Embayment this morning so pretty close to the tank teeth. Please note there’s no right of way SE along the beach beyond the fence there. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social Digiscoped pic…

The (1cy ♂) Baikal Teal & (1cy ♂) Scaup still present this afternoon at the Swannery. The former out in the embayment with 300+ Teal, though mobile, the latter with the Pochard flock. View only from rights of way. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Here I go again! Re the ‘Wyke Regis’ Desert Wheatear… Just a reminder that ‘Wyke Regis’ Bridging Camp is not in Wyke Regis it’s in the Civil Parish of Chickerell. So it’s the Chickerell Desert Wheatear… And don’t even get me started on ‘Littlesea’! 🤨😂

Baikal Teal showing really well out in the eastern side of the bay with Eurasian Teal. Would be visible from New Barn Road @swannerysteve.bsky.social

Baikal Teal again this afternoon, I've only seen it twice this week. These photos were from the 17th, on calm afternoons the teal seem to be gathering in the eastern side of the bay. @swannerysteve.bsky.social

Baikal Teal still present this morning out in the Swannery Embayment. Swannery closed. View only from public rights of way. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Only a phone-scoped shot but you can see what it is 😅 It doesn’t show in the pic but head plumage has advanced a lot in a week so now pretty convinced that there has only been the one bird all along. So the female ‘type’ was the same 1cy drake. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Having a brill day on patch! @joestockwell.bsky.social picked up a Yellow-browed Warbler (1st this year) & then he found a Pallas’s Warbler! First site record! Also 2 Siberian Chiffchaff & a late Garden Warbler present. Then I refound the drake Baikal Teal! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Siberian Chiffchaff in the Swannery withybed today & 150+ Cattle Egrets in to roost this evening. No sign of Baikal Teal since Friday. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

It was the WeBS this morning & a thorough search of the Swannery embayment for Baikal Teal (or Baikal Teals?) with @nickurch.bsky.social & Al Barrett drew a blank. I did find a rather dinky Yellow-legged Gull though, no doubt last Sunday’s bird. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Drake Baikal Teal at Abbotsbury Swannery this am, I last saw ♀ last Friday so clearly not moulted in a week! Currently on Fleet/Chesil shore opposite Swannery. No access SE of tank traps. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Couldn’t find the Baikal Teal or yesterday’s reported Scaup this afternoon but light abysmal. Ad. Yellow-legged (or Caspian) Gull on the beach but very distant.

Baikal Teal present again this morning on Chesil/Fleet shoreline in between constant raptor flushes. Possibly viewable from tank traps but note there is strictly no access along the beach beyond the fence. Swannery Grounds now closed for winter. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

I couldn’t find the Baikal Teal today & I wasn’t on site yesterday. Flock very flighty though & a good number of Teal flew off down The Fleet late morning so maybe at Rodden Hive. No Scaup either. A (redhead) Goosander was the best I could do. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Baikal Teal still present today on Chesil/Fleet shoreline. 3 Scaup in embayment. Probably all viewable from tank traps but note there is strictly no access along the beach beyond the fence there. Swannery Grounds now closed for winter. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Baikal Teal still present today in western Swannery embayment per Charlie Wheeler. Probably viewable from tank traps but please note there is strictly no access along the beach beyond the fence there. Swannery Grounds now closed for winter. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Baikal Teal still today but please note the Swannery Grounds are now closed for the winter (a little earlier than planned). The Swannery embayment now only viewable from usual rights of way. Probably best viewed from tank traps but note there is no access along the beach beyond the fence there…

Pinkfoot/Bean flew north at 8am. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Two freshly arrived trans-Atlantic vagrant Wood Ducks this morning 😉 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Baikal Teal Abbotsbury Swannery this am in western embayment from Helen Hide. Doubtfully viewable from rights of way other than grounds. There is no right of way SE of tank traps on beach. If you walk beyond fence there everything will flush! @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Baikal Teal again on the back of Chesil opposite the Swannery, showing well but relatively distantly from Helen Hide. First chance I’ve had to look today! 🙄 @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

I can’t find the Baikal Teal in the western embayment this morning, where the bulk (500+) of the Teal are. Eastern embayment completely burnt out by strong sun light currently. Our first Scaup of the autumn however. 1cy ♂. @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Baikal Teal Abbotsbury Swannery this pm in western embayment from Helen Hide. Doubtfully viewable from rights of way other than grounds. There is no right of way SE of tank traps on beach. If you walk beyond fence there everything will flush! @joestockwell.bsky.social @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social