Off to Upton Country Park again

18th May 2014 a bright sunny and very warm morning saw me head off to Upton CP to look for and hopefully find some Whimbrel. I made my way to the look out point were the stone bench is as this give a good view of part of Holes Bay and give you somewhere to sit and have some lunch or a drink as the other good view point was where the hide was this hide got burnt down a year or so and to my knowledge  as not been rebuilt now there an excuse to got back one day to see if it as been rebuilt.

Shelducks record shot

So while I was at the bench look out I scanned the bay and mud flats looking for a Whimbrel, but at the time I could not find any though they might of been there as it would of been the first time I had seen one but all the birds that I thought might be Whimbrel were actually Curlew when I looked them up in my Collins field guide book.

I still had a wonderful morning and was learning a lot about Curlew and the difference between the Whimbrel. And besides I had a wonderful view through the scope of a Sandwich Tern washing and preening.

Record digiscoped shot of a Sandwich Tern

the birds seen were, Curlew, Shelduck, Mute Swan, Mallards, Stock Dove, Great Black-backed Gull,

Reed Warbler, Moorhen, Oystercatchers and a Sandwich Tern.

After having a bite to eat and a drink I decided as there were no Whimbrel about to go over to Sunny Side Farm and go up on to the heath to see if I could find any Woodlarks. Having walked down the old tram way listening to Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers calling and managing to see them flit about along the scrub that line the tram way I made my way up on to the heath. This is a lovely place to be with a nice view over Wareham channel. But silly me left the camera back at the car which I kicked myself later because on the way back down the heath I heard a Cuckoo calling and as I made my way back to the tram way there it was sitting on the gate post. I set the scope up and had a brilliant view of the this cuckoo calling away I could see its upper blue grey upper part its wings dropped, undertail covert barring and as it calling it was moving its tail from side to side a great way to end a wonderful days birdwatching.

The birds seen at this place were- House Sparrows, House Martins, Swallows, Starlings, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Stonechat, Buzzard, Cuckoo.