Butterflies showing well in the sunshine.

Tuesday 3rd March 2026.

This Peacock butterfly showed well basking in Highland Road Cemetery.

This week's fine, dry weather continued today and though a tad cool first thing, the afternoon’s temperature climbed up to around 16 degrees and I certainly am not complaining. I am keeping an eye out for migrants flying over as good numbers of Sand Martins have been seen at various locations on the south coast and also plenty of Blackcaps heard singing. I have yet to hear a Chiffchaff singing, but I bet it will not be too long.

I learnt today that Car Parking charges will be taking place at the end of April within the car parks within the New Forest. True, it has angered a lot of people and has raised the question: is it just the Council fleecing the public yet again? How they are going to check the vehicles in all those Car Parks sounds interesting, but on the other side of the coin, hopefully, some of the money will go towards fixing the terrible pot-holes and idiots fly-tipping here. I, for one, will probably buy a ‘Years Pass’ for it would be far cheaper for the amount of times I do go to the New Forest.

Today, I did my usual two shifts at Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth and also, between the shifts, I took my dogs for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A stunning cloud formation over Pembroke Road early this morning.

The weather was just perfect here at Pembroke Road this morning as I notched up a total of 15 species today. All the usual suspects showed well today and plenty of the passerines were in full song close to where I stood. Three species of Gull: Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed, all showed well. It will not be long for the first Mediterranean Gulls to be flying over. I shall look forward to that. The Jay reappeared after about a week's absence and showed well as I pointed it out to a friend of mine that was on her way to work.

Just before I started my second shift at Pembroke Road, a Peacock butterfly fluttered around my parked car and flew off southbound over the houses. Yesterday, a total of 17 species were recorded here and the pick of the bunch was a Meadow Pipit that was heard flying over and heading off southbound; the first I have seen here this year.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

Always warming to see the Cherry trees in blossom here in the Cemy.

It certainly felt so Spring-like here in the Cemetery as I slowly walked my dogs along the main footpath. There were a variety of birds seen here today and I was really pleased to find a male Blackcap here in song over on the east side of the Cemetery. The bird wasn't easy to photograph and showed only briefly in one of the tall bushes before flying off into another bush. A small flock of four Long-tailed Tits were also unexpected as they flew north into the bushes in the southern end of the Cemy. Sadly, they never showed again and I can only assume they flew off east.

Common Field-speedwell was abundant on the graves. Below, looking north from the south-west corner.

Above, this singing male Blackcap was a nice surprise and below, my first Red Admiral butterfly of the year.

Plenty of birds were singing including a Dunnock, which are scarce here, but I could not get a sighting of the bird. I had more luck with the Blackbirds and Robins proclaiming their respective territories. A Jay showed very well above my head in trees close to the Mausoleum.

Above, Leaf buds are starting to appear on the Horse Chestnut trees and below, several Blackbirds were seen today searching for food in the long grass.

Above, this was one of several Common Furrow Bee's seen today and below, a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee enjoying the flowering Heather. 

There were plenty of insects on the wing today, making the most of the gorgeous sunshine, that included two species of butterfly. My second Peacock of the year was sitting on a gravestone and basking in the sunshine and a little later, I found my first Red Admiral of the year that was nectaring on the Cherry blossom.

Above, another of the Cherry trees in full blossom and below, a Drone Fly nectaring on the same tree.

Bees and Hoverflies were abundant too with so much blossom on show and other flowering plants that included Buff-tailed Bumblebees, Drone Flies and also a lot of Common Furrow Bees (a species of Solitary Bee). I was sure I also saw my first male Hairy-footed Flower Bee, but it was too quick for me to grab a photo.

Above, this Jay was just above my head near the Mausoleum and below, a Starling is searching for food in the grass close by.

As I have always said about my ‘local patch’, it's not just the birds I like to find and look at, but also the wealth of nature here at this quiet and beautiful place. Yes, there are a lot of dog-walkers at times, but most are very chatty and it is nice to chat about the various types of wildlife within my favourite location.

In Hampshire today:

Though I have not heard any singing Chiffchaffs as yet, up to 6 singing birds were on Lower Test Marshes today and a Common Sandpiper on the reserve too. Up to 5 Purple Sandpipers were in front of Southsea Castle this morning and a Light-bellied Brent Goose was with the more common Dark-bellied Brent Geese in the closed off area on Southsea Common this morning. A singing male Black Redstart was in Fratton today, though my female bird in my garden seems to have gone now and has not been seen since last week. Someone spent 90 minutes waiting for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker to show up in its usual tree at Acres Down today and never showed up (sounds familiar!), though two Crossbills put in an appearance. 

This Rock Pipit was seen by the River Hamble at Bunny Meadows last Saturday.

A trio of 'year-ticks' in southern Hampshire.

Saturday 28th February 2026.

The Spotted Redshank at Bunny Meadows was our third 'year-tick' of the day.

Andy did the driving today as he, Geoff and myself toured the southern half of Hampshire by frequenting three different areas. There was no way Andy wanted to drive up to Fleet Pond for the Ring-necked Duck (though there were no reported sightings of the bird today) and so I suggested Sandy Point first for possible seabirds. The Ruddy Shelduck was reported again today at Ranvilles Lane and I found out yesterday that a Spotted Redshank was overwintering for the second year running at a place called Bunny Meadows, near Warsash.

A breezy westerly wind was blowing, but it was dry and mostly sunny today as we made our way to our first destination. I had my Moth Box on overnight, despite the light rain overnight, and thankfully, there were some Moths to check out.

My Moth Box:

The micro moth, Varied Tortrix, was my first for the year.

Despite the poor weather overnight, my Moth Box was blessed with three Moths this morning that included two that were new for the year: Beautiful Plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla) and a Varied Tortrix (Acleris hastiana). The other moth was a Light Brown Apple Moth, my first for the garden this year. Sadly, no ‘macro’ moths yet for my garden this year, but it is only a matter of time.

Though a very common moth in my garden, this Beautiful Plume was my first for the year.

Sandy Point, Hayling Island:

A male Stonechat by the Sandy Point Nature Reserve. This was one of a pair seen here by the perimeter fence.

There was a strong, cold breeze blowing from the west and so the idea was to get down by the rocks and view the sea and harbour entrance  from there. It paid off at first with an adult Kittiwake passing by heading east with a couple of Herring Gulls; but that was all we saw bar several Cormorants flying low over the sea. Nearby, we heard a Stonechat calling and so checking behind us by the perimeter wooden fence, we found a pair of Stonechats perched on the Gorse bushes. A possible Dartford Warbler was seen with the birds very briefly, but Andy couldn't be 100% sure if it was one and so did not add the species to his Hampshire Year List.

Above, the sea from Sandy Point was very quiet bar a few Gulls and Cormorants flying over. Below, a Meadow Pipit flew up and landed on the perimeter fence.

A Meadow Pipit flew up from the restricted area and perched on the perimeter fence briefly, but little else of note here.

This adult Shag was fishing in the harbour entrance.

After checking out the sea, we made our way to the Lifeboat Station and as I got out my coffee from my flask, I set about, along with Geoff, to check the harbour and harbour entrance with our scopes. An adult Shag was fishing in the harbour entrance and a possible second was nearby, while out in the harbour, we found at least two Great Crested Grebes swimming on the water. 

There was a lot of boat activity going on in the northern half of the harbour, but I soon picked out a distant Diver fishing just south of Thorney Island. The light was now excellent and once the Diver came up again, I could clearly see it was the Black-throated Diver that was seen earlier this week! A very good ‘year-tick’ for our Year List, but I had to wait nearly 15 minutes for another good view as the bird simply disappeared. On refinding the bird, I quickly got Andy onto the bird through the scope and a very happy man he was too! Several flocks of Sanderling flew over the harbour and several more were seen along the tideline over at East Head.

We even took a look further up the shoreline towards the Sailing Club, just in case the Snow Bunting might be there, but it was a ‘no show’ and so we made our way back to the car and got some lunch at Greggs!

Ranvilles Lane, Fareham:

The Ruddy Shelduck near Ranvilles Lane today. Film footage by Dolly Hawkes.

We had got the heads up that the Ruddy Shelduck had returned to its usual field off Ranvilles Lane, Fareham and so that was our next ‘port of call’;  but the bird took some finding at first. When we parked up in Ranvilles Lane, a good scan over the field produced absolutely nothing. I knew the bird was with two Egyptian Geese and so I took a walk south down the road and eventually, I picked up the Egyptian Geese, but no sign of the Ruddy Shelduck.

I thought I would walk further down the road. Andy then gave the shout that the bird was present and so after watching the bird for around 5 minutes, I walked back to the car to grab my camera but on return, the bird had disappeared again behind a dip in the field. I couldn't be asked to walk all the way around the field and so we got back into the car and headed off to Bunny Meadows for, hopefully, our third ‘year-tick’ of the day. As we passed the same field along the new Daedalis Way road, we had a brief sighting of the bird again with the Egyptian Geese, but not long enough for a photo. Fume!

Bunny Meadows, Warsash:

This Grey Heron flew in and landed in the creek by the main entrance to Bunny Meadows.

Bunny Meadows was a ‘Reserve’ tick for us and with the power of Google Maps, we managed to find our way to the Car Park at Holly Hill Woodland Park. From here, we had to walk some distance through some slippery, muddy woodland to get to the reserve that was adjacent to the River Hamble. The whole area was packed with dog-walkers and people out for a walk, but it was a decent looking site to do some birding though, with plenty of wildfowl and waders to sift through on our walk around the Reserve. I was hoping to come across the Spotshank almost immediately as there was a good number of birds present by the main entrance, but it turned out we had to do a lot of walking before we finally saw the bird. We nearly gave up and started to make our way back and it was by the main entrance that Andy gave the shout that he had found the bird.

This Little Grebe, now in summer plumage, was on the large lake within Holly Hill Woodland Park. Below, Bunny Meadows was at low tide when we arrived.

There were a variety of waders out on the shoreline of the River, with Grey Plover, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Dunlin all showing well and a reasonable number of Wigeon and Teal in one of the creeks. The Spotshank could have been hiding in any of the small creeks, but it wasn't till we arrived back at the same site where we first started, that the Spotshank was found and it certainly showed very well for us too.

Above, Wigeon and a female Teal in the creek by the main entrance and below, one of several Oystercatchers present here.

Above, a few Grey Plover were also around along with several Dunlin by the edge of the River Hamble.

Above, the Spotted Redshank in the creek and one of many Redshank present.

Other sightings here included a Common Buzzard and a male Kestrel by the woodland and a very confiding Rock Pipit on the shoreline close to the entrance to the Reserve. So with three more ‘year-ticks’ under our belts, we then made our way through the woodland back to the car park. I think we certainly got our ‘Steps’ in today as we certainly put on a sweat by the time we got back into the car. The Woodland held a number of singing birds that included at least three Firecrests, a couple of Goldcrests and also Nuthatches, Treecreepers and a variety of other woodland birds. There was a large lake within the woodland that held several Mallard, Moorhens and a lone Little Grebe. It could be one site for the future during the Spring time here; possibly a Pied Flycatcher or Wood Warbler perhaps?

The Spotted Redshank at Bunny Meadows today.

Another new moth for the year.

Friday 27th March 2026.

It certainly brightened up considerably this afternoon, though still a tad breezy.

A rather quiet day for birds though the weather did not help with that due to the drizzle this morning and breezy southerly winds. However, it did brighten up this afternoon and remained that way into the evening, though more rain is expected overnight. I didn't put the Moth Box on last night due to the rain overnight, but I shall risk it tonight as it is supposed to be very light rain. We shall see.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I only managed 13 bird species from my two shifts at Pembroke Road today and just all the usual species too. The Blue Tits were  busy chasing one another again in the treetops and even landed by the tall Yucca plant close to where I stood. A Great Black-backed Gull flew low over the road and over Governor’s Green and all the usual passerines were present, including the House Sparrows by the Bowling Green. On the afternoon shift, a singing Great Tit was added to my day total here, singing loudly from the garden in Pembroke Close.

Not the sharpest photo in the world, but this Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee was quite a size when she whizzed past my head!

It was the insects that grabbed my attention today. While driving about Southsea, I found my first Light Brown Apple Moth of the year perched on someone's front door and so managed to grab a few photos on my mobile phone. On this afternoon’s shift at Pembroke Road, a Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee flew in and landed under the window cill of a nearby house (see photo). OK, a quiet day today, which finished off with a singing Blackcap hidden in my neighbours Bay Tree.

I found this Light Brown Apple Moth on someone's front door today.

In Hampshire today:

Migrants are arriving now and this morning, a male Wheatear was found at Normandy Marshes and up at Fleet Pond, the drake Ring-necked Duck was still present and a Sand Martin was seen flying over. An oiled Kittiwake was seen this afternoon sitting on the Pumphrett Hide at Titchfield Haven. 

Back to cold weather but three Moths this morning in my garden.

Thursday 26th February 2026.

The Double-striped Pug on my Kitchen Door.

It was back to wintry weather again this morning with an overcast sky and a breezy south-westerly blowing down Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth. Thankfully, I had my gloves this morning, though rain was threatening as the morning wore on. Temperatures were around 10 degrees, but it felt a lot colder in the wind. I had the Moth Box on overnight and was rewarded with a few moths.

My Moth Box:

One of two Common Plume moths this morning. My first of the year.

A total of three Moths were present this morning: a Double-striped Pug that was sat on the glass panel of the Kitchen Back Door and two Common Plume moths (my first of the year) that were sat together on the Garden Box which my Moth Box sat on. A good search in and around the Moth Box revealed no other moths, but the usual Winter Gnats. 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Yes, it was breezy this morning on my first shift and a grey sky overhead did not bode well for more rain on the way later today. In fact, there was a bit of drizzle as I drove home after my shift. A total of 12 bird species were noted this morning, though nothing to get too excited about. A couple of Wood Pigeons were not paying attention to the road traffic and one bird actually got hit by a passing car, but somehow lived to tell the tale! Up to four Blue Tits were chasing each other again and nearby, TWO Dunnocks were in full song, though some distance apart. Already, Sand Martins have been reported at various locations recently, so I am keeping my eyes peeled overhead for any migrants passing through.

No more bird species were added this afternoon in the strong wind and overcast conditions. In fact, I was rather glad my second shift went quite quickly as the wind was getting a bit of a pain! There were a lot of Herring Gulls flying over this afternoon and the Squirrel population by the Holm Oaks seems to be increasing. I saw 6 individuals at one time!

St. Augustine LNR (My Garden):

Birding pal, Matt Parkes, came up with the above name and so I have adopted St. Augustine Local Nature Reserve for my Garden! While checking the Moth Box, apart from the noisy squabbling Magpies in the bare tree at the back of the garden, one of the male Blackcaps was in full song in the Bay Tree and overhead, a calling Meadow Pipit flew high over heading east.

In Hampshire today:

The drake Ring-necked Duck on Fleet Pond today. Photo by Steve Laycock.

Yesterday’s reported drake Ring-necked Duck was still on Fleet Pond and was also seen by two of Hampshire’s leading ‘Listers’ this morning. Also, the Ruddy Shelduck was still by Ranvilles Lane, Fareham.  There were a few Great Northern Divers around today including birds seen off Southsea beach and over at Weston Shore, Southampton. Spotted Redshanks are not an easy bird to see in Hampshire over the past few years, but the long staying birds at both Normandy Marshes and Bunny Meadows at Warsash were seen today. Three Spoonbills were on Titchfield Haven today along with 9 Avocets. The Bittern was seen again today from the Woodland Hide, Blashford Lakes. Up to 7 Purple Sandpipers were west of the Castle, but in the closed off area by the rocks. Finally, a Water Pipit was on the Watercress Beds at New Alresford.

Another very warm day with plenty to look at.

Wednesday 25th February 2026.

A bright and sunny day over Old Portsmouth.

Today was a near repeat of yesterday with temperatures nearly up to 16 degrees with a light southerly wind and again, near wall to wall sunshine! The warm weather has most certainly brought out the butterflies and the small birds are chasing one another as part of their mating rituals. There were a plethora of sightings today from all sorts of nature, which kept me entertained throughout the day and right up till dusk!

My Moth Box:

I was rewarded with two moths this morning that included (above) Duirnea fagella and (below) Double-striped Pug.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to get my Moth Box out of the attic and after giving it a good clean (damn spider webs!), I set it up with the white sheet behind, hoping for my first Moths of the year. I was in luck this morning as I managed to get two Moths: a Double-striped Pug and the micro moth, Duirnea fagella (or its vernacular name, Early Reveller) along with a few small flies. I was very pleased with getting any this early in the year and so I shall have the Moth Box on again tonight.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Some of the flowers that attracted an Early Bumblebee yesterday. Hopefully, they will bring in a lot more insects.

I managed to grab 14 bird species which were either seen or heard today. The bright sunshine encouraged the local passerines to sing, which included both Dunnock and Wren which both showed well this morning. In fact, all of the birds were seen this morning due to the fact that it was so bright from where I stood this afternoon, I hardly noticed any birds at all during my second shift.

Of interest, probably the bird of the day here in Old Portsmouth, was a lone Long-tailed Tit. It was first heard opposite where I stood then seen flying up into one of the Sycamore trees, calling loudly. I got the impression that it had lost its friends and was calling out to be heard by its fellow species? Most of the bird species were seen when I virtually arrived and that included several small flocks of Brent Geese flying eastbound over Governor’s Green. I expect them to be on the move shortly back to their breeding grounds. Roughly 50 birds were seen on Southsea Common within the fenced off area as I drove by on the way home.

Between my shifts, I saw my first Peacock butterfly of the year, which literally passed my head over around the Eastney area. Birding pal, Matt Parkes, had a couple of Brimstone butterflies at his worksite today.

My Garden:

Early this morning, while walking the dogs, I was nearing my house when I heard the distinctive call of Mediterranean Gulls overhead. Looking up, I counted at least 29 birds all flying southbound towards the seafront. The female Black Redstart was seen singing in the tall tree at the back of my garden and close by, one of the male Blackcaps was in full song, but was only seen briefly flying from the Bay tree to the Holly tree.

This afternoon, I was trimming back the Ivy from one of the fence panels and noticed at least three Hoverflies zipping around the garden. I didn't have my camera to hand and so their identity will remain unknown. Though I never saw them, both Grey and Pied Wagtail flew over my house, which I identified by their call.

While switching my Moth Box this evening, my first Pipistrelle Bat of the year was flying up and down the gardens and showed so well, but it was very hard to get film footage of the Bat using my mobile! There is the possibility that it could have been a Soprano Bat, which are nearly identical from one another and only really told apart by their calls. I might be tempted to get a Bat detector!

The probable Pipistrelle Bat over my garden early evening.

In Hampshire today:

The Black-throated Diver off Black Point, Hayling Island, today. Photo by Steve Laycock.

A good variety of birds were seen in Hampshire today with a Black-throated Diver seen off Black Point, Hayling Island and a pair of Bramblings seen by the Woodland Hide at Blashford Lakes. Up to four White-tailed Eagles were seen in the air over Acres Down from the viewpoint along with a Goshawk. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen ‘drumming’ again on its usual tree there. The 6 Glossy Ibis were still present on the Bridge Street Floods along with the adult winter Little Gull and nearby, the Ruddy Shelduck was found again, this time with 6 Egyptian Geese by Ranvilles Lane. A drake Ring-necked Duck was found on Fleet Pond this afternoon and to round things off, an amazing count of 2,136 Mediterranean Gulls were counted leaving their roost at Hayling Oyster Beds!