I Sika Here, I Sika There, I Sika Deer Everywhere!

I Sika Here, I Sika There, I Sika Deer Everywhere!

We arrived at RSPB Arne at around 9:00am, getting a lift there by Carl, and being accompanied by Kristian. We immediately made our way to Shipstal Point. As soon as we arrived at Shipstal Point, we scanned through the passing Sandwich Terns. Suddenly, Kris and Carl both called out saying they had a pale-headed tern. It was the Forster's Tern. I desperately tried to get on it but was unsuccessful, and soon enough all the terns flew out to sea. We waited for the Forster's Tern a bit longer, before deciding to come back at low tide for it. We then made our way to Shipstal Hide. Once we arrived at Shipstal Hide, I immediately noticed a lot of flying insects around the branches in front of the hide. I took a photo of them and asked an expert who identified them as Green Longhorns. A species of day-flying micro moth that normally flies in May.

We also spotted two beautiful Sandwich Terns in front of the hide, as well as a few Black-headed Gulls and Redshanks.

We then made our way through Big Wood, when Kris suddenly spotted a Sika Deer staring right at us in the distance. Two Jackdaws then flew onto the Sika Deer's back and start grooming it, collecting its fur in their beak to be used as nesting material. 

Kris also spotted another Sika Deer in the forest. I didn't realise it at the time, but as I was editing the photos I spotted a Grey Squirrel in the foreground, partially obscured by the sticks and branches. This was the last British deer I needed to see to complete my goal of seeing all six British deer species, so I was ecstatic to see them. 

We then continued through Farm Fields, spotting a few Red Admirals and a resting Peacock Butterfly, both year ticks for me. 

We then made our way back to Shipstal Point, spotting a herd of Sika Deer on the saltmarsh along the way, including my first Sika Deer stag!

Image by Kristian Wade

We soon arrived at Shipstal Point and I immediately started scanning through the gulls and terns. We spotted a few Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls, when suddenly I spotted a gull with a darker head, white wingtips and a blood-red beak. It was a Mediterranean Gull. Two of them were flying past, followed by two more. We waited for a bit longer, yet to no avail. We then set off to see yet another rare American bird. 

We arrived in Gillingham at around 1:30pm and immediately went to the garden where our target bird, the Dark-eyed Junco, was residing. As soon as we arrived, someone pointed out the Dark-eyed Junco in a conifer tree in the back of the garden. I watched it, until it flew into another garden out of sight. We waited for a while, spotting some familiar faces as we did. Suddenly, the Dark-eyed Junco flew back into the garden and landed in a tree with no leaves, allowing me to get some decent record shots. 

This bird was my 6th American rarity this year, and my 3rd American passerine this year. Its pink bill and white belly stood out, and was a very nice consolation bird after dipping the Forster's Tern. Satisfied with our views, and with Carl having to be home for 7:00pm, we called it a day and headed home.

Overall, a great day with 1 new bird (Dark-eyed Junco), 1 new mammal (Sika Deer) and a new moth (Green Longhorn)!