Tundra Bean Goose, a 'Hampshire' first.

Saturday 3rd January 2026.

The four Tundra Bean Geese at Pennington Marshes with Brent and Grey Lags.

It was back to birding with Geoff and Andy today and also meeting up with both Matt and Emma Parkes. Our destinations for today were going to be Pennington Marshes, Blashford Lakes and to round the day off, Blackgutter Bottom in the New Forest. The weather today was near perfect, with unbroken sunshine all day, though very cold, but mostly little wind. Another 15 species were added to my year list and best of all, I saw my first ‘Hampshire’ Tundra Bean Geese!

Pennington Marshes and the surrounding area, nr Lymington:

Oystercatchers flying over the Reserve.

Geoff was doing the driving today and picked me up around 8.15am, it was a smooth ride all the way down to Lower Drayton Lane in Pennington. Even the new part of the motorway was completed a day early between Fareham and Whiteley, which was incredible. On the way there, we took the Ashurst route to get to Lyndhurst and from the front passenger seat, I saw a Mistle Thrush flying over to begin my first ‘year-tick’ of the day. I also had a possible Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flying over, but I wasn’t totally sure and so did not add the bird to my year list.

At least 6 White-fronts among the Canada Geese in this photo.

We arrived around 9am and saw both Matt and Emma walking to the bend in the road where to view the Tundra Bean Geese. After parking in the small car park, we eventually joined them, but not before picking out more new birds for our year list that included around 100+ Golden Plover, a couple of Egyptian Geese and several Grey Lag Geese. Most of the pools were frozen over and a heavy frost was on the grass. Close to the road, a Common Snipe was seen along with several Lapwing and Geoff had a brief view of a Raven passing behind the sea wall of which the rest of us had missed. We then met fellow ‘Lazee Birder’ Andy Tew and he told us the Bean Geese had not been seen and said he was going to try an area in fields behind the Balancing Ponds of which we all followed later.

Two of the White-fronted Geese in fields near the Balancing Ponds.

While scanning the fields, we saw a flock of four 'Grey' geese flying in and landing in the field behind where the Golden Plovers were and though they could of potentially been the Bean Geese and were most likely the birds, we decided to walk the very long footpath to where a flock of White-fronted Geese were supposed to be as the Tundra Bean Geese liked to associate with them.

The lone Barnacle Goose within the same flock of Geese.

The long walk had us making our way through some woodland adjacent to the footpath and within her, there were two Treecreepers on show (another ‘year-tick’) and Emma saw a Bullfinch land in some tall trees beside the footpath. No-one else saw the bird but we did hear it and as I can count ‘heards’ on my year list, it was another addition as was the Fieldfare we all heard and only Andy saw it!

Three of the White-fronts among the Canada Geese.

On exiting the small wood, we walked the long path to where the Geese had been seen. On our way there, at least two Marsh Harriers and a Common Buzzard were seen and a large flock of Meadow Pipits arose from the neighboring field as we passed. Over in the fields to the east, there was a large skein of Brent, Canada and Grey Lag Geese grazing on the short grass, but no sign of the Tundra Bean Geese among them. When we reached an area where the Geese were on the opposite side of the footpath, a good scan among them produced 12 White-fronted Geese and a Barnacle Goose among the many Canada and Brent Geese and in this perfect light, I managed to grab a nice array of photos and film footage of the White-fronts.

The White-fronted Geese among many other Geese this morning.

Happy with the ‘Goose chase’ we decided to walk back and this time, we headed to the sea wall and walked back east. Matt told us that Birdguides had informed him that the Tundra Bean Geese had been found and were in fields near the Jetty back at Pennington Marshes. So the very long walk had begun again, but not before seeing a superb array of birds and many more ‘year-ticks’! A small group of Turnstone were below the seawall, foraging among the flotsam and jetsam washed up by the tide and in the distance, resting on one of the islands, I found a nice group of around 8 Spoonbills roosting among around 20+ Curlew. That saved us a trip to Normandy Marshes for sure! 

Above, Turnstone were scurrying around below the seawall and below, a showy Rock Pipit also below the seawall.

Above, a pair of Reed Buntings below the seawall and below, the eight Spoonbills among the Curlew on one of the small islands.

The tide was slowly going out and on the shoreline, we found a pair of Reed Buntings searching for seeds and an obliging Rock Pipit was also searching for food very close to where we stood. As we neared the jetty, a small party of four Great Crested Grebes swam on the sea close by and another was a little further east. A very kind chap told us that the Tundra Bean Geese were still present with other Geese and it didn't take long to find the four Tundra Bean Geese grazing in a field with Canada, Brent and Greylags. My very first ‘Hampshire’ birds. The last time I saw this species was at Welney WWT, in Cambridgeshire several years ago with my wife. Behind us, out on the sea, we found the lone Slavonian Grebe swimming some distance out, but showing well through the scope.

Above, Brent Geese arriving on Keyhaven Marshes and below, a selection of birds including Brent Goose, Teal, Redshank, Shoveler, Pintail and Black-headed Gulls.

Above, Teal, Pintail, Shoveler and a Redshank on Keyhaven Marshes. Below, a pair of Teal in the bright sunshine.

Above, this Redshank was very close to the seawall and totally unconcerned about our presence and below, the Needles over on the Isle of Wight.

Above and below, Great Crested Grebes on the sea.

Above, my first Raven of the year, and was joined by a Magpie.

Very happy we finally found the bird we were after, we made our way back to the car park, but not before some kind lady pointed out a Raven for us! The ‘icing on the cake’ here for another ‘year-tick’ added to my ever growing year list. Next stop, Blashford Lakes.

The four Tundra Bean Geese behind the main flock of Geese on Pennington Marshes.

Blashford Lakes, nr Ringwood:

A female Goosander flanked by a Lesser Black-backed Gull and Herring Gulls on the west side of Ibsley Water.

We had roughly two hours of daylight left by the time we reached the car park by the Tern Hide and so we were surprised to see only a few birders left in the Hide and therefore plenty of seats to sit and scan Ibsley Water. Most of the birds were some distance away and mostly at the northern end of the lake and along the eastern edge. Earlier, on arrival at the car park, I saw a pair of Red Kites and quickly pointed them out to Andy for yet another ‘year-tick’ for him. He was now getting very close to 100 species in Hampshire for the year and once  I had found both a Green Sandpiper and Goosander, he had finally reached the magic 100. Those two species were also new for the year for me too and when both Matt and Emma finally arrived in the Tern Hide, they were quickly onto the birds too.

Above, a Common Snipe roosting on one of the spits with a diving female Tufted Duck. Below, a Fox was seen over on the west bank in search of something tasty. 

Above, few things actually swam close to the Tern Hide as usual, but this female Tufted Duck did and below, one of the three Grey Wagtails near the Hide.

Above, this redhead Goosander was preening with Coots nearby.

Other notable birds seen were a small group of three Grey Wagtails of which one of them, a presumed male bird, was singing to its mate as it flew past! I heard this scenario a few weeks back by my house in Southsea. At least four Goldeneye were seen that included three drakes and a female bird and a pair of Common Buzzards were feeding on a carcass over on the west bank. At least 10 Goosanders were counted on Ibsley Water with most resting on the islands on the west bank. Gulls were now pouring onto the lake and with a very large raft of Lesser Black-backed Gulls now on the water, I had to have a good scan through them in case there was something rarer. Sadly not, but it was worth a try. As the sun was now starting to drop, it was certainly getting a lot colder and with the light breeze coming in through the window, it really was getting very cold. So we made the decision to head off to Blackgutter Bottom for Hen-harriers.

Blackgutter Bottom, New Forest:

A distant male Hen-harrier gliding over the ridge as dusk approached.

We were well togged up with warm weather gear and I even got my hand warmers on within my gloves to help combat the cold as we made our way to the viewpoint overlooking the ridge to the south. A few small birds passed over including both Linnet and Meadow Pipit and a probable Mistle Thrush was seen heading high over the heath heading east. There were some other birders present further to the west by the Gorse Bushes and then Andy gave the shout there was a large raptor on show.

Above, as the last rays of the sun departed, the 'Supermoon' came out over the heath (below). 

To the south-east, we soon were onto our first Hen-harrier for the year and a superb male bird too. Then out of the blue, a female Merlin flew up and gave chase to the bird before flying back down and landing on a small bush. The Hen-harrier then flew back from where it came from and shortly afterwards, another male Hen-harrier was seen further to the west over the ridge in the distance. The bird was seen a couple of times afterwards drifting slowly along the top of the ridge in the distance to round off a superb day's birding. 

The 'Supermoon' rising over the heath.

On our way back to the car, the ‘Supermoon’ rose low over the heath and it really did look amazing as we got back into the car and headed off home, but not before having a chap with fellow birder Pete Appleton, who was also watching the Harriers this afternoon. Even the planet Jupiter could be seen below the moon when we were driving along the motorway.

I will retain the Fly / Pye Cup for another year.

Friday 2nd January 2026.

Spending its 8th day by my garden, the female Black Redstart was showing well at times and favouring the tall tree in my neighbours garden.

I was just 7 more ‘year-ticks’ away from the magic 100 Hampshire species for 2026 and with the Blackcap showing well in my garden this morning, the hunt was on to win the Fly / Pye Cup! I did have work to do around 10.30am this morning, but still had plenty of time to take my dogs for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery. Though very cold again here in the south, it was dry and cloudy first thing this morning and very little wind too.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

A cloudy but bright start to my walk around the Cemy. When I left, the clouds departed and a bright blue sky was overhead. But temperatures were still around 5 degrees.

Jay was my target species within the Cemetery this morning and thankfully, this colourful Crow eventually was seen in the tall trees by the Mausoleum when I walked around the perimeter footpath. This was my 95th species for the year and I was more than happy with that, but when I heard a Coal Tit calling from one of the tall Bushes by the footpath, it didn't take too long to get a very brief view of the bird, though it was very elusive and preferred to stay deep within cover. Still, a sighting of the bird was confirmed as my 96th species for the year. The Coal Tit has been a regular here for the last few months and trust me, it is a very scarce species within the Cemetery, with only a handful of sightings over the years here in my local patch.

Above, the 'Old Dear' with her dog brought along another bag full of bread for the many Herring Gulls and Feral Pigeons. Below, a Wren posed nicely for a few seconds in the south-west corner by the footpath.

Above, one of a pair of Collared Doves high up in one of the Horse Chestnut trees and below, this Redwing sat nicely for me in one of the smaller trees over on the east side of the Cemetery.

I was pleased to find a couple of Redwing within the Cemetery this morning. As Andy said, the snowy conditions in the north of the UK, could push a lot of birds down to our ‘neck of the woods’ which could be very interesting. The weather forecasters believe that this cold snap from Scandinavia could last well into next week and possibly with snow on the way. A flock of 6 Redwing were seen a little later flying over the trees and headed off northbound. At least two Goldcrests were heard calling, but no sightings today and there seemed to be a good number of Blackbirds around today.

Above, another photo of the Wren in the south-west corner.

Above and below, the Jay showed well and a second bird was seen a little later.

Above, a male Blackbird was one of several seen this morning and below, this Carrion Crow made me look twice! It was carrying some large item in its bill as it flew off high north.

Above, another photo of one of the Redwings. 

Above, Winter Heliotrope growing below the Holm Oaks and below, I found this clump of Common Ragwort flowering by a grave.

Both Greenfinch and a Pied Wagtail flew high over the Cemy, but apart from the usual birds, I was very pleased with today's sightings here. The Winter Heliotrope was flowering in its usual spot below the Holm Oak trees and I even found a flowering clump of Common Ragwort growing beside a grave, which I thought was most unusual for this time of year.

Eastney Beach, Southsea:

This stunning photo of Southsea beach was taken by Ollie Crabbe.

After work, around 12.30pm, I took a drive down to Eastney Beach and so parking up at the Fort Cumberland Car Park, I walked down the footpath to the beach and made my way right to the shoreline. I had packed my spare pair of binoculars in the car and then scanned the shoreline and found a small group of four Sanderlings scurrying close to the edge of the waves. This was my 98th species for the year and a good scan over the calm sea produced virtually nothing apart from a few distant Gulls and so I made my way back to the car with a big smile on my face.

Pigeon House Lane, Portsdown Hill:

The gorgeous countryside looking north viewed from Pigeon House Lane.

Now I needed just two more species to retain the Cup and so I parked up in a layby within Pigeon House Lane and scanned the fields for my target species: Red-legged Partridge and Red Kite. A female Kestrel was hovering around 30 feet away from me in the adjacent field and I also picked out a distant Common Buzzard soaring high over the countryside below. Yes, it was very cold, especially due to the fact I did not have a coat, but undeterred, I waited patiently and was eventually rewarded with a pair of distant Red Kites with a Common Buzzard soaring together to the west. Just one more species to go and within minutes, I found a small covey of Red-legged Partridges! Bingo! The Cup was mine again for another year and low and behold, while watching the ‘Red-legs’, a Red Kite drifted low over the birds.

The Red-legged Partridges were seen by the edge of the field close to the Bushes behind the pylon. Then a Red Kite drifted low over them seconds later after sighting the birds.

Now I can relax and hopefully get Andy onto 100 species tomorrow. Pigeon House Lane rarely disappoints, though Geoff tells me that the area of trees where the Mandarin Ducks used to be at the bottom of the road has now all disappeared as the local landowner had the trees all grubbed up! What a shame. A lot of green belt areas are now under threat due to the Government's drive for new housing, but I will not get into politics. If I haven't done so already, I would like to wish all the readers of my blog a very Happy New Year. Keep the superb photos coming guys for it is most appreciated to put them on my blog.

New Years Day birding race.

Thursday 1st January 2025.

A gorgeous, but very cold start to the day here at Southsea Castle. 

So the race for the Fly / Pye Cup was on as both Andy Fisher and myself aim for the first one to see 100 bird species in Hampshire. It was birding from dawn to dusk and as Andy did the driving today, we kicked off at Southsea Castle in search of the Purple Sandpipers and finished off looking for the Little Owls at South Boarhunt. The weather was very kind to us with mostly sunshine throughout the day, though it was bitterly cold with temperatures barely above freezing, especially in that wind by the sea and harbour. Nevertheless, I think I achieved my highest total for a New Years Day birding with a very impressive 93 species (which also included a few ‘heard’ species.

Our race is on!

I was supposed to be picked up at around 7.45am, but I got a text from Andy that he was running late. So I checked my back garden before he arrived and kicked off the New Year with my first Herring Gulls, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Wood Pigeon and Pied Wagtail of the year. I am so hoping that the long-staying Black Redstart and Blackcap are around tomorrow to add to my year list. Fingers crossed.

Southsea Castle and the Solent:

The three Purple Sandpipers at Southsea Castle.

Once I paid for the Car Parking fee by using Ringo, we made our way to the new Promenade in front of Southsea Castle and began walking west, keeping a sharp eye out on the rocks below for the Purple Sandpipers. Though the sea was a bit choppy, we did find at least two Shags (both adults) on the water until they flew off west. We walked right up to the Blue Reef Aquarium building, but no sign whatsoever of the Purple Sandpipers, however we did pick up the following species: Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Brent Goose, Black-headed Gull, Oystercatcher, Magpie, Mute Swan and Cormorant.

Above and below, Shags were a welcome addition to our year list.

Above, Brent Geese quickly were added and below, another photo of the Purple Sandpipers.

So we double-backed and made our way east along the promenade, again keeping an eye out on the rocks below (they can be very elusive if they are not searching for food). We had a quick pit stop by buying a couple of hot drinks from the van parked conveniently nearby and carried on along the promenade in front of the Castle. Then I found the birds. Three Purple Sandpipers were huddled together on the rocks asleep, but we had got our first target species of the New Year. Happy days. Next stop, Farlington Marshes.

Farlington Marshes & Langstone Harbour:

A partly frozen lake on Farlington Marshes.

On the way there, we were driving northbound up the Eastern Road, when something huge passed overhead. I pointed it out to Andy who also managed to see the bird and I realised that it was actually a White-tailed Eagle!!!! Andy had gone all through 2025 without seeing the species and now he has one on New Years Day! How mad is that? The same bird had been reported being seen earlier over Posbrook Floods, putting up all the birdlife below it in doing so. Sadly, that was the only sighting of it for us, but a superb addition to our day list.

Above, Greenfinches in the Brambles by the Bushes area and below, Goldfinches were present too.

Above, a small group of Pintail in Langstone Harbour and below, a large raft of Brent Geese also in the harbour.

When we arrived, we knew we were going to see the majority of our sightings today from this superb location and had to stop frequently to record our sightings on our respective devices ( I was using my note page on my mobile and Andy was writing his down). Sightings came thick and fast and while walking through the Bushes area up to the Viewing Platform, we saw the following: Dunnock, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Mallard, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Pintail, Common Gull, Marsh Harrier (female), Great Black-backed Gull, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Robin, Peregrine, Red-breasted Merganser (female), Teal, Meadow Pipit, Water Rail (two birds heard), Wren, Long-tailed tit (flock of around 6 birds), Wigeon and Little Egret. Phew!

Above, a lone Avocet was on the Lake among the wildfowl and below, three Herring Gulls on the ice.

Above, a variety of wildfowl on the Lake and below, one of two White-fronted Geese out in the fields.

From the Viewing Platform, we had a hot drink to keep the cold out. The tide was up within Langstone Harbour and that cold wind nearly went right through you! The lake itself was partly frozen over with a few Herring Gulls perched on it, but the southern half of the lake remained ice free and that was where the majority of the birds were. Andy picked out our first and only Avocet in front of all the wildfowl present and during our 20 minutes or so there, we picked out the following birds: Lapwing, Redshank, Common Buzzard and the two juvenile White-fronted Geese among the Canada Geese out in the fields. The White-fronts were a good ‘year-tick’, though there were still quite a few in Hampshire today.

Above and below, large numbers of Brent Geese were in the fields.

Above, this Grey Heron was one of several seen on the Reserve.

As we walked up to the Point Field, we picked up Moorhen, Skylark (heard, but later seen in the morning), Grey Heron, Curlew and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Oyster Island was packed with waders and so using my scope, we added Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Turnstone and Grey Plover on the small island.

Large numbers of both Wigeon and Brent Geese behind the Deeps and below, Shoveler and Pintail on the man-made islands on the Deeps.

The Deeps area was packed with Brent Geese and wildfowl of which Shovelers were added to our day total. A female Stonechat was added as we watched her sitting on one of the many humps out in the fields near the Deeps and out in the harbour, near the islands. I picked out our first Great Crested Grebes of the year. From the Blockhouse, finally, our first Starlings of the year were seen and while Andy had gone ‘to the Gents’, I heard a Chiffchaff which then flew out of the brambles and back into some further north and that was the last we saw or heard of it! So poor Andy had ‘dipped’ on that! As we headed towards the Information Building, I found the long stay (or should I say, resident?) Barnacle Goose and of course, we added that to our list. Among a group of Teal behind the Info Building, Andy found a Common Snipe near the birds.

Above, the long-staying Barnacle Goose grazing in fields near the Info Centre and below, a male Stonechat by the Stream area.

Our final new species for the day were the Coots. By the seats overlooking the pool by the reedbed, it was near empty of birds. Where were all the Coots and Black-tailed Godwits? So we carried on and decided to follow the path which led us by the Bushes. Turning around, all the Coots were altogether in one large flock of around 60+ birds! On leaving this superb Reserve, we were now on 65 species for the year.

Hayling Oysterbeds and Langstone Harbour:

A Curlew on the Oysterbeds.

Our next stop was to be Hayling Oysterbeds for some of the ‘scarcer’ birds and thankfully, we did catch up with some of them. But it was so very cold here. Parking was a big issue here too and seeing there were no parking spaces in the small Car Park here, we had to park up in Victoria Road, which was opposite the entrance to the Reserve. It paid off as we got our first House Sparrows of the day. The walk to the Beds produced a Kestrel and a Kingfisher and from the end of the spit overlooking Langstone Harbour, we added Sandwich Tern, Goldeneye (at least 5 birds including 4 drakes), Little Grebe and Slavonian Grebe (single bird by the islands). There were good numbers of both Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebes in the harbour, but no sign of the Black-necked or Red-necked Grebe and Great Northern Diver. 

Above, this Curlew was sporting a number of rings and below, our first Greenshank of the year in the northern half of the Oysterbeds.

A walk around the Beds and keeping an eye out in the harbour also, we picked out a Rock Pipit, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Gadwall and two further species were heard only: Whimbrel and Green Woodpecker to finish our trip here with 75 species for the day so far.

Budds Farm & Mound, Bedhampton:

The pools at Budds Farm held our first Tufted Duck and Pochard for the year.

It was now around 1.45pm and our next stop was to be Budds Farm where we got both Tufted Duck and Pochard.  There were a good number of wildfowl and Gulls present, but we couldn't find anything else to add to our total, so we decided to check out Langstone Harbour. A Cetti’s Warbler was heard briefly and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over our heads. A Kestrel was hovering by the edge of the mound as we made our way to view the harbour and using my scope, we picked up both the Long-tailed Duck and Scaup swimming on the water among many Mergansers, Great Crested Grebes and more wildfowl on the water. Sadly, no sign of any other Grebe species or the Divers and so we decided to make our way to Warblington for the Cattle Egrets.

Above, the female Kestrel by Budds Mound and below, a Common Buzzard near the Water Treatment Works.

Above, a huge number of Brent Geese took flight over Langstone Bridge in the distance.

Warblington area:

A large number of Black-headed Gulls made for an interesting photo as they perched on the Church at Warblington.

As we drove down Church Lane, I checked the fields for the Cattle Egrets, but drew a blank and even when we parked up in the Church car park, there was no sign of the birds. So we decided to make our way to the new Cemetery where we picked out more birds that were added to our year list that included: Collared Dove, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Stock Dove and Grey Wagtail. It was when we got back in the car and started driving back up Church Lane, I then saw a group of Cattle Egrets out of Andy’s side window! He reversed the car as I took a few photos of the birds out in a field. A good ‘year tick’. Phew! I was now on 87 species for the year.

Above, one of several Cattle Egrets were in a roadside field.

Above and below, a brief stop in Pook Lane produced our second Great Spotted Woodpecker today.

South Boarhunt:

The light was fading fast as we made our way along Portsdown Hill to South Boarhunt.

Our final stop was to see if we could get the Little Owl at South Boarhunt to round off the day in style. On our way there, we took the Portsdown Hill route and Rook was added to our day total with several perched on the wires by the edge of the road. On arrival, James Cutting was in his car within the car park with his family close by and after a chat, we joined his son overlooking the fields where we picked up three more species: Pheasant, Sparrowhawk (male) and a flock of Redwing.

Our first Redwing for the year was seen in trees west of the Farm.

The light was fading fast and though there was sadly no sighting of the Little Owl, I did hear one bird calling behind the buildings, which gave us hope, but it did not show at all. I can count ‘heard’ birds and so along with the Little Owl, we also heard a Tawny Owl nearby too to round off the day with 93 species in all. A very cold, but a cracking day's birding and thanks to Andy for doing the driving today in his very old car!