July and August Update - Post 7 - Somerset and the Polgigga Bonelli's

After the fantastic weekend on Scillies it was back to normality, work down at the Lands End RSPB Wildlife Discovery centre has been incredibly busy, with school kids galore running amock during their holidays. Unfortunately there hasn't been that much to show them, although we have had a few Basking Sharks, Common Dolphin and the ever-present Grey Seals (at low tide that is). 

I'd arranged to go back home to Somerset the following weekend giving me the chance to see my girlfriend and have a bit of a walk around with Persie (aka 'howwible'.... Vicki's dog), but after arriving on the friday, I received a text from Kester, my ringing trainer, that there was a Western Bonelli's Warbler just down the lane by the ringing site..... typical! I hoped that it would hang around for when I got back, but these little warblers have a habit of only spending a day or two before moving on (not always as was the case with the Derbyshire bird that stayed throughout the summer holding territory). No sooner had I put that out of my mind, a couple of hours later another text came through, this time from John Hansford, a fellow Somerset birder, letting me know that he'd been watching an Alpine Swift hanging around over Bruton.... no more than 10 minutes away. Unfortunately, the light was fading and I wasn't going to have the chance to get out the next day either as I'd made plans with Vicki, so I thought that I'd miss out on this one too... these are even more notorious for being very quick passage birds, sometimes only spending 10 minutes at a site before heading off. 

 

Persie showing why he's an idiot. "Where shall I lie down.... I know.... the puddle." Howwible.

I text John to ask him to keep me posted on it's movements and if it was still there in the morning and amazingly enough it was! Having made the decision that if it hung around for another day I'd go, I kept my fingers crossed and got on with the day. The next morning there was no sign early a.m so it wasn't looking good, but I thought I might as well give it a go and on arriving at the dovecote on the outskirts of Bruton, a quick scan, I found the bird zooming through a large flock of hirundines over a farm. It was very distant, so photos weren't possible, but great views all the same. I couldn't believe it was still there for a 3rd day! After watching it for a while it drfted high and out of view, so it was back to base to get packed ready to set off for Cornwall at 3am (I was ringing the next day so I had to be back for 6am!).

The reports on my pager told me that the Bonelli's was still present up until dusk, but there were clear skies forecast overnight so I felt there would be a good chance it would get on it's way south. I hoped otherwise, but I'd just have to wait for the morning and see for myself.

I pulled up at Polgigga at 6am, wandered down the lane and waited under the pines where the bird had been hanging around. Nothing. Not a single bird to be seen, nor any calls emminating from the trees.... it wasn't looking good. I stayed around for 20 minutes before starting to walk off to the ringing site round the corner when I heard a soft 'hu-it'....... it was a warbler and not one I'd heard before..... searching through the thick canopy I picked out a tiny movement near the very top of probably the most heavily foliaged Scots Pine I'd ever seen...... for a frustrating 10 minutes I scoured that patch, seeing glimpses of something moving from branch to branch before finally the bird emerged in clear view. A cracking Western Bonelli's Warbler.... snowy-white underneath, pale grey-green head, neck and back with a faint pale supercillium (eyestripe) and lovely bright yellow-green feather edges to the wing. I managed to get a few shots as it skipped through the branches catching insects, but it was pretty tricky, they spend most of their time high up in and out of view, constantly moving, so quite a challenge but I was pretty happy with the results.

Western Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)

Western Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli)