Our full day in Somerset.

Saturday 22nd February 2025.

Buddy is taking a good look at his domain for the next few days.

I didn't get the greatest of sleep last night and so I was awake around 5 am where I laid there for the next hour listening to the chimes of nearby St. Mary’s Church quietly ring out. When I heard the 6 o’clock bells chime, I decided to get up and make a coffee and let the dogs out to do their business. Already, the likes of Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Robins were in full song as dawn arose and I was happy to drink a nice cup of coffee while listening to the dawn chorus.

Dawn chorus by our Cottage this morning.

I had to drive into Oldmixen village to pick up some breakfast items a mile away and after breakfast, we made our way to Brean Sands. I was hoping to drive onto Brean Down, but due to roadworks leading to the place, we had to settle for Brean Sands. Beforehand, I took the dogs for their first walk of the day. There was a bridle path heading east over the countryside past the stables and across a few empty sheep fields; but it was very muddy in places. From here, I saw a male Great Spotted Woodpecker calling high up in a bare tree and at least two Common Buzzards soared overhead. Three Redwings also flew over and headed to the nearby woodland, which was alive with the songs of Song Thrushes and a Nuthatch. Both Blue and Great Tits were abundant as we made our way back down to our accommodation. 

Above, Ivy-leaved Toadflax growing on the walls of our Cottage.

Above and below, a Common Buzzard flew overhead while on the bridle path.

Above, this male Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling in a nearby garden.

The day turned out bright and sunny; still a bit cold, but pleasant enough for my wife and I and the dogs to take a long walk over the beach and by Brean Down itself. From here, there were plenty of Jackdaws around; in fact, probably into three figures, but all were spooked by a passing male Peregrine passing over and heading inland over the fields, which was my second sighting of this species this year. At least two Rock Pipits were on the edge of the Down including one bird doing its display flight. I did check out the sea for anything of note, but all I could find were Herring Gulls loafing on the sea or flying out to sea.

Above, one of the Common Buzzards flying overhead and below, the muddy bridle path we took this morning on our first walk of the day.

Above, one of three Redwings flying over the fields to the woods.

Above and below, Ravens on Brean Down.

Above, a male House Sparrow near the Car Park and below, one of two Rock Pipits on the cliff face by Brean Down.

Above, a male Pied Wagtail searching for crumbs while Becky and I had an ice cream and below, our two dogs, Buddy and Ted enjoying a good walk on Brean Sands.

We rounded off our day at Burnham-on-sea for a bite to eat and found a nearby cafe overlooking the sea to the west. From here, earlier today, the wintering German-ringed Kentish Plover was spending another winter here (Matt, Emma and myself saw it last year here) and was seen this morning though it had flown off towards Stert Island to the west. I had a good scan with my binoculars, but there was no sign of any waders at all. After filling our faces, we went back to Hutton for a relaxing afternoon. I got news today that birding pal Andy Fisher saw a male Hen-Harrier in the New Forest (well done mate).

Our two night stay in Hutton, Somerset.

Friday 21st February 2025.

A nice sunset over our Cottage for the next couple of nights in Hutton.

Earlier this year, we booked a few days away to get my wife away for a short break from her work and boost her health mentally. So we booked a short stay holiday to Somerset, in the tiny village of Hutton, which is near Weston Super Mare. Though it was roughly three hours away, it seemed to take a long time to get there, mostly due to heavy traffic, poor weather conditions and country roads. Though on the way there, I saw at least four Red Kites and two Common Buzzards; the latter were two birds in the same field searching for worms in a field.

Leaving around 2.30pm, we eventually arrived around 5.30pm and were greeted warmly by the Manager of the Cider Barns accommodation. We treated ourselves with a Chinese Meal and on my way to the ‘Golden Palace’, a Tawny Owl was heard to hoot in the woods some distance away. I am not sure of the name of the woods, but they dominate the scenery to the north of our accommodation.

A couple of hours birding on the coast.

Tuesday 18th February 2025.

This Common Gull was flying along the shoreline by Eastney Beach.

I visited three areas this morning in pursuit of anything of avian interest and what with a freezing easterly wind blowing, it most certainly a good reminder we are still in Winter despite sunny conditions. Thankfully, I was well wrapped up against the cold and therefore, I decided to take a trip to Southsea Castle, Fort Cumberland and the harbour entrance at Eastney. There were mixed fortunes regarding the birds, though there were some notable sightings today.

Southsea Castle and the Solent:

I can safely say that what a waste of time and effort it was there today! There was no sign of any Purple Sandpipers, even though I gave the rocks below several scans in the bright sunshine, but to no avail. Absolutely nothing on the sea either and the only bird I saw there was a very distant Cormorant perched on one of the tall posts. Even the Castle itself was near birdless  apart from a couple of Feral Pigeons. I assume the Black Redstarts have one or simply I was unlucky in not finding them. Though disappointing, I then made my way to Fort Cumberland. At least there was a bit more to see there.

Fort Cumberland and the Solent, Eastney:

The view of Eastney Beach looking west. Will there be a Wheatear here at the end of the month?

I have heard no reports of any Owls roosting in the holes on the southside of Fort Cumberland this winter, but I thought I would try my luck anyway. Making my way along the shingle up to the ruined buildings to the north, I kept a sharp eye out for any Black Redstarts among the buildings (normally a good site here in late Winter and early Spring), but none were to be found. Just Feral Pigeons around the buildings, though a pair of Meadow Pipits did fly over.

Above and below, up to 13 Stock Doves were counted near the Owl roosting site.

Above, an adult Common Gull along the shoreline.

Above and below, Sanderling on Eastney Beach.

I got up to the end of the promenade here and scanned north to the holes in the building wall, but all that were there were both Stock Doves and Feral Pigeons. I counted 13 of the former along the stretch of wall, though I am sure there were more around. As I made my way back, I was wondering where all the Sanderlings were and I saw them some distance away and sure they were to be disturbed by all the dog walkers, I waited for them to make their way towards me. There was one single bird searching for food close to where I was, but as I slowly made my way to the shoreline, the Sanderling simply walked close by and showed very well scurrying fast to avoid getting a soaking. A few Common Gulls flew along nearby above the surf, but little else of note.

Sanderling on Eastney Beach this morning.

Harbour entrance & Langstone Harbour, Eastney:

A male Red-breasted Merganser flanked by Herring Gulls at Lock Lake, Eastney.

Fully expecting a cold easterly blast once I stepped out of my car on the spit opposite the Hayling Ferry Terminal, I made my way west along the spit to view the harbour overlooking Lock Lake and Milton Lakes in the distance. The tide was out and the exposed mud held small numbers of Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew. A scan over the harbour revealed at least three Red-breasted Mergansers and at least two distant Great Crested Grebes. Though there were a good number of Black-headed and Herring Gulls present resting on the mudflats, I could not find anything interesting among them.

A feeding Redshank on the mudflats at Lock Lake, Eastney.

As I drove back down Ferry Road, a dog Fox was standing right by the roadside and as I slowed down to get a better look, I could clearly see its eyes clearly as it stared up at me and then walked back through the hedgerow and out of sight. A nice end to a cold trip here.

Back over the Cemetery again.

Sunday 16th February 2025.

Wood Pigeons on the main footpath as you walk south from the main entrance. It is hard to believe that this species is on the Amber list of birds in the UK.

The weather was much better than yesterday, with hazy sunshine and just a bit of cloud; but it was still very cold with temperatures hovering around just 5 degrees fahrenheit. The dogs had not had their walk today due to lots of household chores and after I had a text from Matt Parkes that he ‘year-ticked’ a Brambling earlier today at the West Sussex site of Warnham NR; I decided to walk the dogs back over Highland Road Cemetery.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

One of the Starlings on the heavily pruned tree this afternoon.

Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were actually seen this afternoon, although I was a tad lucky to see the former. I saw something fly off south and land up in a tree in the distance, but wasn't quite sure what it was. I therefore took a photo and later checked it on my laptop, I could then see it was a Green Woodpecker. Earlier, a female Great Spotted Woodpecker was much easier to see as it was seen calling high up in a tree in the north-east corner and showed very well.

Above, the distant Green Woodpecker and below, the female Great Spotted Woodpecker within the Cemetery.

Other birds noted on my walk here today were the Jay, that was only seen briefly flying in and out of the Cemetery and also the Starlings; all perched up in the heavily pruned tree in the southern half of the Cemetery. Just the one pair of Collared Doves were sleeping in the Chestnut trees and I counted at least 5 Greenfinches perching high up in the trees. Not one Robin was heard or seen this afternoon! There were just a few dog-walkers here this afternoon, leaving me to enjoy the birds more easily without the birds being flushed.

Above, this Jay was seen in a garden at the southern end of the Cemetery, but preferred to be partly hidden while I was there. Below, a view of the Cemetery towards the Mausoleum.

Above, the pair of Collared Doves high up in a Horse Chestnut Tree. Below, after the Beech Tree was chopped down and removed, the Council had replaced it with this tree. What species it is, is anyone's guess! 

The birds noted this afternoon within the Cemetery included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Carrion Crow
• Jay
• Magpie
• Pied Wagtail
• Greenfinch 
• Blackbird
• Blue Tit
• House Sparrow
• Starling
• Wren
• Collared Dove
• Feral Pigeon
• Wood Pigeon

Earlier today, making our way back from shopping, we were stationary within Goldsmith Avenue, Portsmouth; when a female Sparrowhawk flew low over the road and headed off north over the houses and seconds later, a Mediterranean Gull was to be seen flying east. 

It was rather quiet in Hampshire today though a Long-tailed Duck was seen off Hamble Point and a Red-necked Grebe was seen off Weston Shore and also another off Hayling Island.  A Barn Owl was seen at Farlington Marshes late afternoon and another at Tichborne.

Martin Down & Blashford Lakes.

Saturday 15th February 2025.

There was a glorious sunrise over Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea, this morning. However, it soon gave way to rain! 

I fancied somewhere different today and with my ever growing year list, I thought I would take a gamble and meet up with both Emma & Matt Parkes at Martin Down; a cracking area on the Hampshire / Wiltshire border. The weather was going to play a strong part today for there was a 30% chance of rain in that particular area and sure enough, it virtually rained all the way there after I had picked up both Geoff and Andy.

Andy’s Moth Box had attracted just the one moth again and yet another Acleris notana / ferrugana micro moth for the third week running. Surely, something must turn out different from this species? Enjoying a cup of coffee in Andy's garden, we were treated to good views of Goldfinches, Chaffinches and even a Coal Tit popped in too. 

The micro moth, Acleris notana / ferrugana. These have to be dissected to ascertain their true ID.

Martin Down, Hants / Wiltshire border:

Skylarks were abundant in the area including this singing bird on the ground! 

The rain was still coming down when we arrived at the car park, but was slowly easing up by the time both Matt & Emma arrived. On our way here, we saw at least two Common Buzzards perched by the roadside on Telegraph poles and also two Little Egrets near a stream as we passed through the village of Martin.

Above, this was the best I could do when trying to photograph the Stonechats. Below, this Common Buzzard was quite showy. One of around four birds seen here today.

Once we got all togged up against the weather, we made our way onto the Down and it didn't take long to pick up my first ‘year-tick’ of the day when I heard the distinctive noise of very fast whirring wings. Quickly looking north, a pair of Grey Partridge flew low and fast heading north across the scrubby grass and then quickly disappeared too! A very good start to our trip here. All was eerily quiet at first, with hardly any birds calling bar a few Meadow Pipits going over.

Above, Andy, Geoff and Emma on the main footpath and a lovely view of the fields over Martin Down. Below, we finally caught up with a Corn Bunting.

As we passed the large Blackthorn bushes heading east, we caught sight of a Kestrel perched up distantly on one of the small trees. As we moved further along, we caught sight of a small passerine perched on a bush and it was our first male Yellowhammer of the day and was joined by a female bird (Andy’s second ‘year-tick’ of the day!). Up to three male Stonechats then were seen and though they all posed well for those with a fast focusing camera, my efforts were in vain. Bugger! Eventually, the sound of Skylarks filled the air as we saw at least 20 birds in the area, including some that were actually singing on the ground! But where were the Corn Buntings?

Above, this Corn Bunting was giving Emma the runaround and below, five Roe Deer ran across a neighbouring field to the south of Martin Down.

Above, the colourful Brown-lipped Snail near the Blackthorn bushes and below, a map of the area within the car park. Most useful. 

Way in the distance to the north, I caught sight of a very large flock of thrushes which I can only assume were Redwing, with at least 60+ birds spread out over a big distance and then they flew off into the gloom. Yes, it was still spitting with rain and visibility wasn't all that good on the horizon. We decided to eventually circle back to the car park, but on the way there, more good birds arrived. At least four Common Buzzards were in the area and also a Red Kite sailing over the fields to the north. While watching a Buzzard, probably looking for earthworms in a neighbouring field, I found another small flock of 8 Redwings searching for food near the Buzzard. But they all seemed to get along nicely. Another large flock of birds flew up to the north and these were much larger than the last big flock we had seen earlier. They were in fact Golden Plovers, with at least 150+ birds circling high over the fields and yet another ‘year-tick’ for Andy! It got better when I distinctly heard a Corn Bunting singing somewhere and it didn't take too long to pick out the bird sitting on top of a small bush some distance away. My second ‘year-tick’ of the day! In fact, a little later, we went on to see two more birds, both together perched on a tall bramble.

This Red Kite sailed over our heads near the Blackthorn Bushes.

A couple of Ravens were seen over the fields and near back where the Blackthorn bushes were, there was a good number of thrushes to be seen that included a Mistle Thrush, two singing Song Thrushes, several Redwing and at least 6 Blackbirds. Another pair of Grey Partridge was flushed and flew off over the tussocky grass and this time, Geoff managed to see the birds having ‘dipped’ on them earlier in the day here. Pleased with our sightings, we slowly made our way back to the car but not before a pair of ladies within the car park told us that a Chicken had ran and hid in the brambles here. I personally didn't see it, but it was calling frequently!

Blashford Lakes, Blashford:

A pair of Goldeneye in front of the Tern Hide.

After Martin Down, we tried unsuccessfully to park somewhere near Wyke Down, which isn't too far away for possible Short-eared Owl and Hen-harriers, but we simply couldn't find a decent location to park. Maybe next time. Instead, we took the country route down many one-track roads to Blashford Lakes instead.

Above and below, this was the nearest the Black-necked Grebe was seen in front of the Tern Hide.

Above, a pair of Oystercatchers joined a flock of Wigeon on a small island in front of the Hide. Below, we found lots of Scarlet Elf Cap fungi growing throughout the woods.

The weather was much brighter now as we made our way to the Tern Hide. One of the wintering Black-necked Grebes was still showing very well and among the many Pintail, Teal and Tufted Ducks present, I counted up to 10 Goldeneye still present here, that included four drakes. A lone Egyptian Goose was seen over on the east bank and a Common Buzzard was seen plucking feathers off a dead Gull also on the east bank. After 45 minutes or so, we took a walk to the Ivy North Hide where we had sightings of Andy’s first Green Sandpiper of the year and also a Kingfisher perched near the Sandpiper where the screen was opposite. A few Cetti’s Warblers were playing hide and seek within the reedbed in front of us and large numbers of Teal on the water also contained a Little Grebe that was in near summer plumage and also a Great Crested Grebe that was in full summer plumage! A Little Egret popped by briefly and a pair of Common Buzzards drifted over the trees in the distance. Yet another winter when no Bitterns were seen in front of the Hide, sadly, but maybe we might get lucky at Fishlake Meadows in the coming months?

Can you spot the Kingfisher and Green Sandpiper in this photo? Below, this Robin was enjoying the sunflower hearts by the Woodland Hide.

Above, good numbers of Siskin were by the Woodland Hide and below, a close up of a Jay on the feeders.

From the Woodland Hide, though there were no Bramblings or Redpolls on show, we did have good views of the Siskins and other birds including a showy Jay on the feeders. Coal and Blue Tits were showing well as per usual here and it's nice to see the male Chaffinches looking smart in the spring plumage. The surrounding woodland was smothered in Scarlet Elf Cap fungi and looked so colourful against the leaf litter. It was now nearing 4pm and we still had to get back to the Tern Hide car park before they shut the gates at 4.30pm. Despite the weather, it was a good day where I picked up two more species to add to my year list and Andy finished the day with EIGHT more that included a male Bullfinch when we made our way to the car! Jammy sod!   

This male Merlin was seen by Matt & Emma on their way back through the New Forest at Telegraph Hill. Photo by Emma Parkes.