Brownsea Island NT Urban Rangers Day 2 - Lifers galore! 3rd February 2018

The weather was crap.

I had been regularly checking the forecast, praying the all day wet and windy weather would magically disappear, but it didn't - though it wasn't nearly as bad as expected. 

Part 1:

After an 8am wake-up and a satisfying breakfast by Urban Ranger leader Hattie, we had our briefing for the day, which was to start with orienteering of the island, and following markers to find a way around the island. Unfortunately it was made into another competition of girls vs boys - basically another chance for me to lose. So we set off, my scope and camera ready, from our base. The first 10 minutes were slow, with only a few woodpeckers making an appearance as we headed towards the North side of the island. As we reached the lakes, a quick look through the scope revealed 3 Scaup - first for a few years - and the usual waterfowl. A Grey Wagtail was the only other bird of note. 

We carried on walking, and for half an hour all was quiet, barring a very vocal Lesser-spotted Woodpecker near the Natural Play Area (NNW on the island.) It wasn't seen, as I had very little time to stop while competing! All 3 woodpeckers were heard, and both Lesser and Greater were very vocal. Sign of spring?

Very soon after, a fairly large group of Sika Deer were found, mostly stags - they had evidently spotted us before we saw them, since they were moving off into the distance while watching us closely. I managed a few pictures, but for nearly the whole day the camera was hidden as I wanted to avoid getting it wet. 

The walking continued, amidst the damp. And the first red squirrel was sighted, hurriedly scampering across the path in front of us. Ironically, the only person who had an aim/wish to see a Red Squirrel, and was the only one to not see it. As it was a fleeting glimpse it really was nothing special.

We didn't get much further however, as when we reached a higher point overlooking the NW part of the harbour my scope came out again, although everyone else had moved on. But to my delight I found a group 7 Red-Breasted Merganser feeding in the channel, a lifer for me. Though miles away, I was able to get some good views through the scope, as did everyone else in the group. I had a quick scan around with the scope, before we set off again, and I wast treated with a quick view of a Black-throated Diver on the surface, which promptly disappeared. So 2 lifers in a 2 minutes. Great!

We continued walking, and things died down again for a while except another 2 doe that dashed across the path. Some fascinating history of the island, more specifically the old town, came from Richard as we walked.  

Just as I thought the best of the birds had passed, I managed to find 2 Red-necked Grebe through the scope - another lifer for me - from a viewing area. They hung around about 200m from the Island nearly due W with a group of Herring Gull. A further 5 Merganser were noted, as were 4 Goldeneye.  

3 lifers in half an hour! Bloody hell Brownsea, what more?!

As we had been delayed due to my inability to walk and not observe every single creature that moves or makes sound, we headed on at a faster rate. The Southern edge of the island was much quieter, with fewer birds and mammals seen or heard. The water was quiet too. Another diver sp. flew along the coast, but too fast for identification. So far so good - the weather hadn't been horrendous!

The girls played a nice prank on us, making us believe that we had won the race. My senses had let me down once again. Another competition lost; but I can't say that I was disappointed!

Remember for the future: never go in my team for an outdoor competition NOT depending on nature.                                           It will cost you!

Red-breasted Mergansers. I risked a shot through the rain.

Part 2:

The afternoon was focused on some conservation work arranged by a National Trust worker.

It started with me, Thomas and Ellie piling logs into a truck, which was carried to the main workplace near the cadets camping place. The wood was then sorted into piles, so the trust could use the biomass for electricity. As there is so much wood on the island, it was a fairly green way of using resources, without damaging the environment. 

The weather had calmed down for the time being. I got my only sighting of a Spoonbill, as one flew along the coastline in the afternoon. 

Afterwards, we swapped over and did some raking and cleaning up of the area around the bunkhouse. The large clumps of leaves and other bits of pieces made the area look a lot less tidy. Some more piles of wood were made - these proved to be important on Sunday!

Part 3:

The afternoon/early evening was also made up of another 2 parts. A long, interesting discussion about the upcoming GAP project at Morden Hall kept us busy for a good hour or so. I'm looking forward to this project, which will definitely improve the biodiversity across the park. However, I'll say no more about it for now.

Finally, an hour before sundown, we had a coastal walk along the south-south west side of the island. Before we'd even set off, 11 Red-breasted Mergansers could be seen fishing through the scope, in the drizzle. c.15 Med gulls as well a further 100 gulls or so were present along the shoreline, and waders were in high numbers. I must confess - when I saw a small, grey-ish wader fly in, on its own, with its greenish legs and white rump, it took literally a few seconds for Stilt Sand. to come into my mind. 

We walked around the beach, and while some people managed to get stuck in some sandy/boggy areas, some of us spent time watching the waders - with large groups of Curlew, Greenshank, Redshank, GCGs and Brent Goose additionally seen. 

This hour was pretty awesome - spending time with this group of people and seeing such great wildlife was a highlight. With darkness descending pretty quickly, I took very few pictures of any quality, but here they are. 

Mergansers and gulls

pro. Greenshank

pro. Greenshank - it's crazy what one accidental click can do to a picture

The south coastline

gulling etc. 

Curlew

spooked

What a cracking first day on the island! 3 lifers in great company. And what better way to celebrate freedom from school and being surrounded by nature than a BBQ! Oh yes!