The French Passenger Ship 'The Guillaume de Normande' sailing out of Portsmouth Harbour and passing Governor's Green early this morning.
An unexpected icy start to the day with a heavy frost here on the south coast and seeing how wet it was yesterday, it certainly took me by surprise. It was near freezing when I took my dogs for their early morning walk at 6.45am, but I could see the ice on the windscreens as I walked past and the cloudless dawn sky held a bright crescent moon over in the south east as I strolled past Highland Road Cemetery. There was a good movement of Redwing passing overhead, unseen in the dark sky, with at least 16 birds heard calling. I have heard them every morning this week, but this morning there were a lot more than usual.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
There were no Peregrine sightings this morning, but I did notch up 14 bird species on my first shift in Pembroke Road today. Both Governor’s Green and the Bowling Green had a heavy frost upon them, while overhead, I saw a lot of Brent Geese flying over Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent from where I stood; all passing eastbound. All the usual suspects were present, which included both Blue Tits and a Great Tit all singing from the tops of the Holm Oaks.
Two male Blackbirds were fighting over who was to feed on the Yucca Plant berries close by, until one flew off back over the road looking a bit peeved! In the afternoon, the weather had changed completely. Cloud had rolled in around midday and by 3pm, light rain was falling. The only other bird species of note to be seen was a singing Wren that was somewhere deep within the hedgerow by the Bowling Green.
My Garden:
The female Black Redstart by my garden yet again.
Both the female Black Redstart and the male Blackcap showed relatively well today in my back garden. The former was seen briefly up in the tall bare tree in my neighbours garden again although it didn't hang around long, but long enough to grab a few photos of the bird before it flew off over the gardens.
Another photo of the female Black Redstart in her fourth week by my garden.
The male Blackcap also popped into the same tree briefly, but would not hang around long enough for a photo as it flew back and forth to the same tree and then headed off south. Later in the afternoon, I heard the Blackcap singing in my neighbours Bay Tree, but the rain came in and the chance of a photo was lost; though it was deep within cover and out of view. A couple of male Blackbirds were much more obliging as they seemed to chase each other around the gardens and the tall tree.
One of the Blackbirds at the back of my garden.
In Hampshire today:
A very large flock of 22 Tundra Bean Geese were seen to fly down the Beaulieu Estuary towards the Isle of Wight this morning; one of the largest flocks of this species ever in Hampshire. From Hayling Oysterbeds, a Red-necked Grebe, Black-necked Grebe and a Slavonian Grebe were seen this morning along with the regular male Scaup and Long-tailed Duck. Up to four Little Gulls were off Sandy Point, Hayling Island this morning and over at Woolmer Pond, up to four Woodlarks were seen including a singing bird.
A horrible wet day here at Pembroke Road, but a Peregrine two days running despite the weather was encouraging.
It was back to Pembroke Road in Pod in Old Portsmouth again this week and there was an all change with the weather conditions. Gone are the freezing cold mornings and a lukewarm welcome to the much milder weather although it has brought along the rain with it. A breezy south south-westerly wind was still blowing off the Solent, but at least it wasn't finger numbing cold.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
I found this Drone Fly last week, despite the cold weather, perched on someone's wall in Southsea. Whether there were any plants flowering in the area for it to nectar on is anyone's guess. Still, a very early record for January.
Yesterday, I managed to notch up 14 species of birds for the day during both shifts at Pembroke Road. Easily, the pick of the birds was a male Peregrine flying at speed eastbound and it looked as though it was stooping for one of the Pigeons within the Holm Oaks. However, when it reappeared again, it looked as though it failed in its attempt to catch something and was seen heading off east towards Southsea.
Other birds of note included a Cormorant flying over my head and was then seen heading off towards Portsmouth Harbour during my afternoon shift. Several small flocks of Brent Geese were flying high over Curtain Moat and heading off eastbound to Southsea Common. The House Sparrows were very vocal again in the hedgerow by the Bowling Green and a Great Tit was in full song in the gardens behind me.
Today, there was a repeat performance from the male Peregrine and this time, it flew, again at great speed, westbound towards Portsmouth Harbour. Who would have guessed seeing the same bird again two days running and at exactly the same time of day? Unfortunately, the weather was very poor this morning as the rain beat down and a very dark overcast sky throughout the morning. Just 10 bird species were recorded this morning and if it wasn't for the Peregrine, it would have been very uneventful.
This afternoon, on my second shift at Pembroke Road, yes, it was wet yet again and though not heavy with rain, it was bearable and the only bird species added this afternoon was a small flock of three Great Black-backed Gulls flying over Governor’s Green and a Pied Wagtail, that was heard only flying over.
My Garden:
Yesterday, the female Black Redstart was sighted in my neighbours garden for the 4th week. The bird flew up into the tall bare tree and stayed there for a few seconds before flying off north. I could not find it this morning, but the male Blackcap put in a brief appearance again, picking off berries, but too quick for me to grab a photo, despite rushing back into my living room to grab my camera. It was heard again this afternoon, singing deep within my neighbours Bay Tree despite the poor weather and a few Blackbirds were around, gorging themselves on the berries from my Cotoneaster plant.
In Hampshire today:
One of the Tundra Bean Geese at Pennington Marshes recently. Photo by Andy Tew.
In the harbour entrance at Sandy Point, up to 9 Little Gulls were counted this afternoon along with a Razorbill and a Shag. Yesterday, the Tundra Bean Geese were still at Pennington Marshes and though I gave it a good search on Sunday at Southsea Castle with next to nothing being seen there; yesterday, one lucky birder incredibly saw a Red-necked Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Guillemot and 10 Purple Sandpipers at the same site.
Slavonian Grebes off Pennington Marshes. Photos by Andy Tew.
My lovely dog, Scruff who passed away a few years ago now. Though I love my current dogs, I still miss him terribly. He was a great companion on many of my birding trips including here at The Burgh, West Sussex.
A lone Great Black-backed Gull flying over the rocks in front of Southsea Castle. Despite a difficult search for the Purple Sandpipers, they were not to be seen today.
The weather this morning did not look that great, but I was determined to take my dogs for a good walk this morning and so after filling the car up with petrol, I took a drive down to Southsea Castle to see if I could find anything of note. A strong southerly wind was coming in off the Solent and rain was forecast this afternoon. I was well wrapped up against the cold as the temperature was hovering around the 8 degree centigrade mark, but it felt a lot colder in the wind.
Southsea Castle, Southsea:
One of two Oystercatchers were seen on the rocks below the promenade.
The strong onshore wind did not help viewing the rocks below from the new promenade as I searched in vain for the Purple Sandpipers. True, there has only been a handful on show this week, but a good long walk from in front of the Castle up to the old Blue Reef Aquarium building produced only a couple of Oystercatchers, several Black-headed Gulls and a single Great Black-backed Gull, with nothing whatsoever on the choppy sea. A Razorbill and Great Northern Diver had been seen off here recently this week, but nothing like that today.
A strong onshore wind was crashing the waves against the rocks on a dull overcast morning.
I was annoyed to see a lot of dog mess on the new promenade and with a lot of dog owners not having their dogs on leads was quite shocking. OK, they all behaved, but there is always the danger of one rogue dog that could turn nasty. Surely, there should be a law against dogs off leads here? Never mind, the dogs had a good walk and so I decided to try my luck by the harbour entrance at Eastney.
Harbour Entrance, Eastney:
Black-headed Gulls huddled up against the strong southerly wind in Lock Lake.
Sadly, though the sea in Langstone Harbour and the Harbour entrance looked less choppy, the only bird on the water was a distant Cormorant when I got out of the car to check the area. The tide was out within Lock Lake off the spit and waders present were distant Oystercatchers and a few Redshank on the mudflats. I checked the nearest Gulls for a possible Med Gull, but all I could find were Black-headed and Common Gulls on the mudflats. So that was the sole content of my birding this morning and so I headed off home.
A lone Redshank searching for food on the mudflats.
My Garden:
Incredibly, despite the grim weather with drizzly rain now falling and the wind howling, both the female Black Redstart and male Blackcap were present again; the former was perched in the tree behind my garden and the latter was still singing deep within my neighbours tree!
In Hampshire today:
The rough seas in the Solent produced a Gannet, Kittiwake, 2 Common Scoters and a couple of Shags of Barton on Sea this morning. Up to 6 Glossy Ibis were still on the Bridge Street Floods this morning and a flock of 20 Fieldfare were over the Meadows further south. A female type Scaup was on Sinah Warren, Hayling Island, today. Could it have been the bird Andy Fisher and I saw on New Years Day off Budds Farm?
One of the Glossy Ibis at the Bridge Street Floods yesterday. Photo by Emma Parkes.
The Great Grey Shrike posed nicely on the heath near Bishop's Dyke.
My goal this weekend was to hopefully see the wintering Great Grey Shrike back at the Beaulieu Road area in the New Forest as well as what else this fabulous place has to offer. The weather played its part by being simply glorious. OK, it was very cold with a heavy frost on the heath and most of the large puddles were frozen over, but an unbroken clear blue sky overhead was what winter birding is all about. The large iced over puddles brought back memories of walking my two boys here many, many years ago. A melancholy moment.
After this location, we were to finish off the day around Blashford Lakes, which also produced a good variety of birds. A total of 8 new bird species for the year were added to my year list today, though it did include a few ‘heards’, of which no doubt I will actually see later in the year.
Cowplain Marsh:
On arrival at Andy Fisher’s house, as I stepped out of the car, my first Siskin of the year flew over my head and headed off westbound. A good start to the day (a Common Buzzard flew over the A3 on the drive up) and a Redwing was calling in nearby woodland. I had already bought a coffee from the local Tesco and some grub for the day before I arrived at Andy’s house and armed with a pile of bird Magazines and leftover Gousto veg, I made my way into Andy’s house to pick up both himself and Geoff.
Shatterford, Beaulieu Road, Bishops Dyke and Denny Wood, New Forest:
A frosty and icy footpath awaited us on our way to view the Shrike.
The long drive to the New Forest was pleasant enough as we arrived at a near empty car park around 9.20am. Some passing birders making their way back to the car park kindly told us that they had seen the Great Grey Shrike earlier and pointed out from where the bird was last located. Making our way to the first Railway Bridge so we could view from both sides of the heath, on our way there, we heard a Crossbill flying over and on reaching the Bridge itself, two superb Crossbills landed in tree nearby, but I could not get a clear photo of the birds with all the branches in the way. I was to get better luck later in the day. A Bullfinch was heard and eventually seen flying over the railway line, which gave Andy another ‘year-tick’.
It was very scenic but perfect birding weather here at Bealieu Road this morning and below, the Conifers that held several Crossbills at Shatterford car park.
Also, a Raven, possibly two birds, was seen high up in one of the Conifers by the Railway Line and quietly ‘cronking’. Nice to see such a showy bird too. Once on the bridge, we looked over the heath looking towards the Pigs Bush area and then Andy found the Great Grey Shrike perched on a tall Alder tree, sitting nicely for us as I set up my scope to get a better view. The bird sat there for some time as another couple of birders joined us to view the bird. It then flew further south to perch on another Alder and then totally disappeared. However, we found the bird again as we walked south into Bishops Dyke, also perched on a small tree, but this time a lot closer than our first views of this gorgeous bird.
Above and below, the Raven was seen 'cronking' by the railway line.
Geoff mentioned the stark fact that there were hardly any passerines on the heath (though I did hear a Meadow Pipit call nearby) and was probably due to the fact that the Shrike had probably eaten them all! It was seen eating a Dunnock earlier in the week and what with the ground so hard and frozen, I should imagine that its only food source would be small birds?
Above, another photo of the showy Raven and below, our first sighting of the Great Grey Shrike of the morning.
Above, we were lucky as the Shrike was getting closer and closer.
Walking west through Bishop’s Dyke, all was very quiet at first, Though the distinctive calls of Crossbills overhead had us searching the sky and we found at least two birds perched up in one of the Conifers. Only a female bird showed well and the other was deep within cover, but this allowed me to grab a few photos of this delightful finch. A Marsh Tit was heard briefly deep within the woodland and a Common Buzzard was seen perched near the big pond which was now obviously frozen over.
Above and below, this female Crossbill showed nicely on top of a tall conifer in Bishop's Dyke.
Above, a Common Buzzard was by the large frozen pool in Bishop's Dyke. Below, we came across many Robins and this one managed to catch a sizable Caterpiller.
Above, this obliging Wren was close by within Denny Wood.
It was fairly quiet walking from Bishop’s Dyke to Denny Wood as we negotiated the wet and soggy footpath to the woodland. More Crossbills were heard and a few Siskins too, but viewing them proved difficult in the bright sunshine. We had a coffee break at the edge of the woodland where we heard both Treecreeper and Nuthatch (first of the year) and another Marsh Tit called briefly (also another first for the year). After a nice break, we headed around the perimeter of the woodland taking in sightings of Stock Doves, Redwings, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest and a pair of Mistle Thrushes. There were a lot of thrushes on the woodland floor, searching the fallen leaves for a possible worm or two, but sadly, no finches were seen among them.
This male Crossbill was picking out seeds from this pine cone in Shatterford car park.
The walk back to Shatterford car park was near birdless, but we did see a male Kestrel flying low over the heath heading towards the Bishop’s Dyke area. On reaching the car park, there were a lot of birders and ‘toggers’ looking up into the Conifers and sure enough, we kind of knew they were looking at Crossbills. I found a gorgeous male bird sitting out in the open in one of the conifers, picking off seeds from the pine cones in the bright sunshine (see photos) that got a lot of attention from the ‘toggers’.
Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes:
This was the closest Goldeneye that was in front of the Tern Hide during our stay there.
After grabbing some more food from the local garage, we then drove to the Tern Hide to consume our well earned lunch and check out what Ibsley Water had to offer. We were pleased to find the White-fronted Geese grazing on the embankment near the Lapwing Hide. A total of 8 birds were present, though some were hidden by vegetation and it wasn't till something spooked them that a total count was made.
Above, a Grey Wagtail passing the Tern Hide and below, a male Peregrine soaring over Ibsley Water.
A big section of the lake was frozen in front of the Tern Hide and so most of the wildfowl were at the northern end of the lake as expected. A Black-necked Grebe was seen earlier this morning in front of the Goosander Hide, but despite a lengthy search throughout my stay here, we did not see the bird. However, at least ten Goosanders were present among the many other wildfowl and also at least the same number of Goldeneye too. I found at least two Green Sandpipers at the northern end of the lake, searching for food along the shoreline and a Grey Wagtail obligingly was searching for food along the shoreline in front of the Tern Hide.
Above, the hundreds of Gulls scattered when the Peregrine flew over and below, some of the 8 Russian White-fronted Geese over on the embankment.
Above, a pair of Mallard swam close to the ice in front of the Tern Hide.
Raptors were abundant today here from the Tern Hide. A male Marsh Harrier was seen flying over the lake several times and even perched up in one of the Willows to the north of the lake. Both Red Kite and Common Buzzard flew over and a male Peregrine scattered all the Geese and many Gulls as it sailed high overhead. All very entertaining, however, there was a very cold breeze coming into the hide from the open windows (it was too cold for Andy who went outside to sit in the warm sunshine!) and so, Geoff and I made our way out to join him. Andy was talking to fellow Hampshire birder, Gary Fennemore, who kindly told us that he saw the female Red-crested Pochard on nearby Rockford Lake this morning and gave us directions on where to look.
Rockford Lake, Blashford:
Our first Great White Egret of the year flying over Rockford Lake.
Gary had said that it took at least half an hour to find the bird as a lot of Rockford Lake had frozen over and all the wildfowl were gathered together on the remaining free water that was available. Sadly, despite many sweeps through the scope through the hundreds of various ducks present, I could not find the female Red-crested Pochard, but among the many ducks present that included Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Wigeon; there were at least 25 Goosanders among them! Up to 6 Great Crested Grebes swam among them and on the ice itself, a large gathering of Gulls (Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls) were packed together.
This male Goldcrest was searching for insects among the vegetation by Rockford Lake.
While I was busy searching through the wildfowl, the guys were keeping an eye out for any other interesting birds and that included our first Great White Egret of the year. Apparently, a Grey Heron took a dislike to it and chased it off from probably a good fishing spot. A Kingfisher landed close by, but for one reason or another, my camera would not focus on the bird properly on it and so a poor record photo of the bird was the best I could do. I saw probably the same bird on the other side of the lake perched up over the water several times. A Water Rail was a nice surprise as it flew from one small clump of reeds to another right in front of us and a male Goldcrest was searching for food along the perimeter fence some 6 feet away from both Andy and myself.
Above and below, Geoff had found a few Redpolls in the Alders nearby.
Geoff had gone on walkabout, mostly to keep warm as by now, even my toes were getting extremely cold! He came back to tell us that he had found a small flock of Redpolls in a nearby tree. So we all went off to view the birds that were feeding on seeds in a Silver Birch tree to add another species to our year list. Excellent stuff. Sadly, no sighting of the Red-crested Pochard, but a good variety of birds here at Rockford Lake.
The Great Grey Shrike near Bishop's Dyke this morning.
On the way back home, a female Sparrowhawk flew over the motorway to make it our 6th raptor of the day to round off a good day's birding.
The female Black Redstart in the neighbours garden, spending its third week here.
There was a good total of species in Pembroke Road today and thankfully, the rain had not arrived on my first shift there this morning which helped to locate a lot of species either flying over or around the Holm Oaks or the Sycamore trees. However, on my second shift this afternoon, it all changed as wind and rain came in from the oncoming Storm Goretti (named by the French, apparently) and apart from the usual Pigeons, Gulls and Crows, both Cormorant and a Great Black-backed Gull were added to my day total. On a positive note, the female Black Redstart was back in the gardens by my house again today.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
Up to 15 species were recorded today, or should I say this morning, which the pick of the best included a brief view of a Redwing that quickly flew into a nearby garden and out of sight. Small flocks of Brent Geese were flying eastbound towards Southsea Common (at least a 100+ there when I drove past) and I really must pull over and check them out. There was a ‘light-belled’ Brent Goose last winter among the ‘dark-bellied’.
Once again, the House Sparrows were in good voice in the hedgerow by the Bowling Green and a Great Tit was in full song somewhere in the Holm Oaks. A male Blackbird was seen picking off the berries of the Yucca Tree closeby when I parked up and a Greenfinch passed by overhead and headed off south.
My Garden:
The female Black Redstart showing well in my neighbours tree from the back of my garden.
When I got back from my first shift, I let my dogs out into the back garden and when I saw the male Blackcap again picking off some of the berries on my Cotoneaster plant, I rushed back indoors to grab my camera. Unfortunately, the bird never showed up again, though I could hear it singing in a nearby garden. One day, I just might get lucky and get a photo of the bird!
Another rear view of the female Black Redstart and to add a splash of colour to a dull day, this Blue Tit was in the same tree.
While checking out the other birds in the area that included a couple of Blue Tits and a male Blackbird, out popped the female Black Redstart again. This time, she was high up in the tall tree in my neighbours garden and then seen again in a tree further north in someone's garden of which she posed nicely for me. Happy with grabbing a few decent photos of the bird, I went back indoors to make a cup of coffee. I did have another look in the rain later in the afternoon after my second shift and saw the bird again flitting about in my neighbours garden.
In Hampshire today:
Water Pipit. Photo by Pete Appleton.
There were three Tundra Bean Geese still at Keyhaven Marshes this morning along with 15 Russian White-fronted Geese; probably all the same birds we saw last Saturday. At Eastoke, on Hayling Island, there was a female Black Redstart on the roof of a house and two Great Northern Divers and 9 Common Scoter on the sea. Southsea Castle held some interesting species that included 3 Purple Sandpipers, Guillemot, Black Redstart, Great Northern Diver, Shag and a Peregrine, while up to 6 Glossy Ibis were at the Bridge Street Floods, Titchfield and the drake Ferruginous Duck was in Duck Bay on the Reserve. Once again, the Great Grey Shrike was reported in the Shatterford area in the New Forest as well as a male Hen-Harrier.
On the subject of that Hen-Harrier sighting, I remember when in my teens and 'twenties', I used to see this species here on a regular basis at this site and even the Great Grey Shrike used to regularly winter here too and to see a Common Buzzard was extra special too! I remember getting two trains to get to Beaulieu Road Station to spend the day exploring this part of the New Forest, even if it was pouring with rain and saw next to nothing! The good old days?
