The long-staying Lesser Yellowlegs at Lodmoor was our target this morning. After nearly three hours and 160 miles, we were parked up in the car park. A short walk and we were scanning it's preferred feeding area, the West scrape. We found it resting at the back of a raised grass bank, not the views we had been hoping for. The scrape itself held impressive numbers of Med Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls. A walk along the footpath added Sand Martin and Swallow to the year list. Forty to Fifty Sand Martins were seen with only 2-3 Swallows found among them. The trees bordering the scrape produced our first calling Chiffchaffs of the year. A Willow Warbler was heard calling but remained elusive among the foliage. With the sun out and hardly any wind the Bearded Tits were heard "pinging" regularly. As we headed back towards the car park the Lesser Yellowlegs was relocated on an island. Still distant but we enjoyed close views with the aid of the scope.
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| Lesser Yellowlegs |
We left Lodmoor and dropped in at Radipole Lake. A Ring-necked Duck had been on site since the 4th November and after parking in the small car park by the tennis courts we quickly located the duck in the channel with a small group of Tufted Ducks
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| Ring-necked Duck |
At Portland, we failed to locate the Little Owl in the quarry, but a Black Redstart and several Wheatears and Stonechats were found around Lloyds Cottages.
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| Portland Bird Observatory |
Before heading for home we made another visit to Lodmoor and after initially finding the Yellowlegs in the same place we had left it this morning, it decided to make a short flight and landed in the shallows by the grass bank.
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