18th-24th July

Things continue to be pretty quiet on patch, though the sometimes notable northerly winds, rain and heavy cloud of late have created an autumnal feel, and with that should come some bird movement. This morning, certainly, this was evident via a mixed feeding flock of hirundines over Mill Pond, including at least 4 Sand Martins. This species is very hard to catch up with here - it's only the second sighting of 2017, and 2 is roughly the annual average for records of these birds.

Sand Martin (above) & Swallow, Mill Pond, 24/7/2017

Attempts to get a decent photo proved impossible (as you can see here), but nevertheless, they were by far my most prolonged and enjoyable views of Sand Martin on the patch. After work, a circuit of lower Winkworth continued the autumn vibe. My first proper mixed Tit/Warbler flock of the season was roving through the scrub in Furze Field, and at least 2 vocal Willow Warblers were among the Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and 3 species of Tits.

Another sign of autumn is the post-breeding gatherings of corvids around Thorncombe Park, and during the last week some exceptional counts have been made. The numbers peaked on the 20th, when a site record 250+ Jackdaws were feeding on churned up ground within the estate. With them were at least 100 Rooks, 3 Ravens and an impressive 60+ Carrion Crows.

The warm weather during the early part of last week saw plenty of butterfly action, with Small Coppers and Common Blues notable by their numbers, and the first Painted Ladies of 2017 were observed. The best record came on the 19th, when a Clouded Yellow was seen over Rowe's Flashe Meadow, at Winkworth. It's highly likely this species has been present on the patch before, but it's the first documented sighting.

Keeping away from birds, an intriguing mammalian record came via Matt P on the 18th, from just outside the recording area. A dead Polecat/Ferret was on the A281 just south of Palmer's Cross, and should it have been the former, it would keep in trend with the southern expansion of this species. There is certainly suitable habitat on the patch, and an eye will be firmly kept out in the future.

Elsewhere, I couldn't fight the urge to put one of my remaining 'tarts ticks' to bed yesterday afternoon, when news of a Great Shearwater sitting on the sea at Portland Bill broke. The bird was reported as showing well for a few hours, and despite the 5 hour round trip I couldn't resist, particularly given the fact this species is effectively impossible to twitch in the UK. Alas, I missed it by about 40 minutes, a brutal dip on a Sunday evening.

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, Weymouth, 23/7/2017

However, solace came via a supermarket in Weymouth, which provided not only a winning scratchcard but also 3 beautiful juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls in its car park. The individual in the photo took kindly to my offerings of bread, allowing a good look at the dark 'mask' on the white head, the heavy dark bill and straight (ish) pale edges to the tertial tips. In this bird the wear to the scapulars can be seen, and indeed there is a new lower scapular growing.