A couple of Redwing over Pembroke Road.

Friday 6th February 2026.

The female Black Redstart showed relatively well up in the bare tree. 

More and more rain this morning threatened to dampen the whole day and a lot more is set to come over the next 6 days (according to the Met Office)! Though it was damp throughout the morning with some very heavy showers at times, this afternoon was much drier and with hardly any wind, it was rather mild with midday temperatures around 10 degrees.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The view from my Office window in Pembroke Road!

A good total of 15 bird species were seen today, though all were seen on my first shift despite being rather sunny this afternoon. Pick of the bunch went to the pair of Redwing flying over and heading east low over the road. I had heard them earlier before I actually saw them, so I can only assume they were in the neighbouring trees?

The very wet weather overnight produced big puddles on the Bowling Green, but a pair of Pied Wagtails found the place to its liking and remained there for at least 20 minutes or so. Good numbers of Herring Gulls were seen today and a few Great Black-backed Gulls, but no Black-headed Gulls whatsoever! Again, no Brent Geese flew in from the harbour, though at least 50 birds were seen on Southsea Common later in the morning and many more over at Eastney during midday. A small group of 5 Blue Tits were high up in the trees before flying off north over the houses.

Yesterday, a Goldcrest was calling within the Holm Oaks here and a Jay was seen briefly flying south over the road  and into the Holm Oaks.

My Garden:

Another photo of the female Black Redstart. The bird has now spent nearly 3 months in and around my garden.

Once again, the female Black Redstart was seen perched high up in the bare tree at the back of my garden and I managed to grab a few photos of the bird despite the poor weather this morning. This afternoon, the male Blackcap was singing its heart out deep within my neighbours Bay Tree, but I failed to get any sighting of the bird.

Above, up to three Blue Tits were in my garden and enjoying the Fat Balls and below, a pair of Blackbirds were also present including this female bird.

In Hampshire today:

Virtually, all the news came from Weston Shore, Southampton, today where the Black-necked Grebe was still showing well offshore along with two Great Northern Divers and up to 44 Great Crested Grebes. Three Russian White-fronted Geese were still on Farlington Marshes as well as a Water Pipit. Five Purple Sandpipers were on the rocks at Southsea Castle and both Long-tailed Duck and Red-necked Grebe were off Hayling Oyster Beds within Langstone Harbour. It looks as though the Snow Bunting that was at Black Point earlier this week had returned to East Head, on the opposite side of the harbour near West Wittering.

Finally, a dry day on the south coast!

Wednesday 4th February 2026.

Dawn over Highland Road Cemetery this morning. Good to hear the birds singing now at this time of day.

Finally, a day without rain at last. It was bright and sunny throughout the day here on the south coast, with a breezy south-easterly that got stronger as the evening wore on. Temperatures were a bit chilly first thing, but it warmed up into double-figures in the afternoon sunshine. My day kicked off by walking the dogs at 6.45am on their usual walk that took me past Highland Road Cemetery and as dawn came, I could hear both Robin and Blackbird singing within Cemy. Herring Gulls screamed overhead as I made my way back home to get ready for another busy day. When I got home, a check in the garden revealed both the male Blackcaps high up in the bare tree at the back of my garden, just sitting there preening.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Fourteen bird species were seen or heard today here in Old Portsmouth and though nothing ‘out of the blue’ was noted among the usual birds, the pick of the bunch was my first Pied Wagtails on the Bowling Green for this year; a pair were chasing insects on the short grass and totally ignoring the fake plastic falcon perched on the building and the two raptor kites flying overhead!!Yes, I have seen a few fly over in January, but none have actually been seen by me on the Bowling Green. Up to FIVE Blue Tits were in a group high up in one of the bare trees adjacent to the Bowling Green and I was sure I heard a Jackdaw (rare here) calling somewhere behind the Bowling Green, but I failed to locate the bird. 

Above, Wigeon and Canada Geese were seen grazing from the Canal Path and below, a Common Buzzard keeping an eye out for an easy meal along the Canal Path.

Above, Andy's first Blackcap of the year seen near the first bridge from the Car Park at Titchfield and below, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker seen up in the trees beside the footpath.

The usual passerines were present and correct, which included the noisy House Sparrows, Blackbird, singing Dunnock, Great Tit and Wren. I didn't see any Brent Geese today flying in from the harbour, but when I drove past Southsea Common, at least a 100+ birds were present in the fenced off area for the birds. I also saw large numbers of them on the Cricket Green at Eastney, easily around 200+ grazing on the Green and more seen flying over Eastney around midday. Again, I have added some more photos from last Saturday on this blog entry.

My first Zebra Jumping Spider of the year.

The warmish weather this afternoon on my second shift brought out a few insects of note and that included what I believe was a Glimmer Hoverfly (Riponnensia splendens). Though I never actually got a photo of it (not for the want of trying with my mobile camera!), judging by its size and colour, I cannot see it being anything else. The insect landed on the flowers present briefly, but would not linger long enough for me to grab a photo. However, I had more luck with my first Zebra Jumping Spider of the year, which was seen today walking up and down the white-washed wall by where I stood.

In Hampshire today:

Hayling Oyster Beds and Langstone Harbour were still hosting a good variety of birds this morning that included the Black-necked and Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, the drake Scaup and two Great Northern Divers. Staying with Hayling, a huge count of 101 Med Gulls were in fields off West Lane and over at Northney, the Black Brant was with around 80 Brent Geese. Two Great Northern Divers were off Black Point, but no reports of the Snow Bunting today.

Three Little Gulls were off Weston Shore, Southampton and a Water Pipit was on the Drayton Farm Cress Beds at Alresford. Five Glossy Ibis were on the Bridge Street Floods, Titchfield; I wonder if the limping bird has succumbed? The female Red-crested Pochard that we failed to see in January was seen again on Rockford Lake, Blashford and a White-tailed Eagle made an appearance on Ivy Lake. Finally, up to 13 White-fronted Geese were still at Pennington Marshes today. Sadly, there was no sign of the Cirl Bunting at Wicor Mill today or this week so far. I wonder if it will return again?

Above, a bit of a 'blast from the past'. I took this photo exactly 6 years ago today in Highland Road Cemetery of this pair of Foxes. They looked amazing in the strong early morning sunshine.

A very wet day here on the south coast.

Tuesday 3rd February 2026.

This Robin was wading in the flooded footpath near the Canal Path, Titchfield.

Today was a complete washout with persistent rain all day here in the south, but on a positive side, I still had a reasonable total of bird species in Pembroke Road. I think everyone now is getting a bit fed up with this rain, but like previous recent Winters, we should now expect more and more rain although judging by some of the flooding in areas, especially in the likes of the west country, they seemed to really have suffered.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Despite the poor weather all day, I did manage to see up to 14 bird species here in Pembroke Road within both of my shifts. Two flocks of Brent Geese came in off Portsmouth Harbour and headed eastbound and a Cormorant flew north over my head, circled and then flew back south towards Curtain Moat. The usual three species of Gull were seen again (Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed) and on arrival for my first shift, the wet grass on Governors Green attracted around 20+ Herring Gulls searching for worms.

The usual passerines were seen and heard and included a singing Great Tit and Robin and the House Sparrows were yet again very vocal in the Bowling Green hedgerow. It was much quieter on my second shift, but a pair of Black-headed Gulls were seen flying low north over my head to add to the day total.

Back in my garden, while having lunch I had a quick look at the large tree at the back of my garden and saw the female Black Redstart briefly perched high up, quivering her tail against the overcast sky. It surely will not be long before she departs and tries to find a mate? Today, I have added some photos I took from last Saturday that I have not put on my blog yet. Enjoy.

Above, a showy Grey Wagtail at Brownwich Pond and below, a Long-tailed Tit in mid-flight along the Canal Path.

Above, a Common Buzzard on the look out near the Bridge Street Floods and below, resting Cormorants and Gulls in the same area.

In Hampshire today:

Unsurprisingly, there were few records on the Going Birding website though a good count of 97 Great Crested Grebes off Lee-on-Solent was exceptional and an additional 45 off Weston Shore, Southampton was impressive too. A Razorbill was off Lee-on Solent as well. A Black-throated Diver was seen distantly in the harbour from Hayling Oyster Beds. 

A male Stonechat along the Canal Path, Titchfield.

Some good birds in Hampshire today.

Monday 2nd February 2026.

It doesn't look good with the weather this week with more heavy rain coming in again, but today, it mostly remained dry though a strong easterly wind got up in the afternoon at Pembroke Road. There was a bit of drizzle early on today, but it did clear up and there was some sunshine in the afternoon. There were some interesting birds around in Hampshire today, but it was the start of the working week and it was back to the birds of Pembroke Road.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

It was lovely to see a carpet of Crocuses in bloom below the Holm Oaks in Pembroke Road this morning.

OK, nothing really exciting was seen today; though I thought I had a pair of Ravens flying south-west over Governors Green, but I did not see enough of the birds as they flew off strongly towards the Garrison Church. A total of 14 bird species were seen from both shifts at Pembroke Road today and on arrival first thing this morning, the House Sparrows were really making a noise in the Bowling Green hedgerow and probably getting excited with Spring on the way.

Three species of Gull were seen again with Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull all seen well. But what was noticeable was the amount of birds actually singing that included Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Wren and Great Tit. The Jay was heard calling  deep within the Holm Oaks, but no sighting today.

In Hampshire today:

The Snow Bunting at Black Point, Hayling Island, today. Photo by Andy Friend.

The Snow Bunting that had been frequenting East Head, near West Witterings finally made it into Hampshire and was found this morning at Black Point, Hayling Island. It eventually moved further south along the beach, saving a lot of admirers a long walk. Farlington Marshes birder, Jason Crook, found TWO Caspian Gulls in the middle of the reserve and earlier, he watched a juvenile Black-throated Diver fishing off Broadmarsh within Langstone Harbour. Nearby, he also saw the Great Northern Divers, Long-tailed Duck, Scaup and two Black-necked Grebes. A Little Gull was seen briefly off Southsea Castle this morning along with a Shag. Two Slavonian Grebes and a Red-necked Grebe were on the sea off Brownwich this morning. 

A drake Eider off Hill Head recently. Photo by Emma Parkes.

Yesterday, birding pal Geoff Farwell took a drive to Preshaw Down, near Beacon Hill, yesterday and saw the following species: 2+ Corn Buntings, 50+ Redwing, 30 Fieldfare, 4 Firecrests, 2 Ravens, 3 Red Kites and 4 Common Buzzards. A Firecrest has been singing at Cowplain Marsh (Andy’s house)  for the 4th day in a row!

TWO male Blackcaps today!

Sunday 1st February 2026.

It was still very damp over the Cemetery on arrival.

The dogs got their daily walk this morning over Highland Road Cemetery and after a lot more rain early this morning, it was dry enough to take a pleasant walk around my favourite part of Portsmouth. By the time I finished my walk here, a bright blue sky was heading our way from the south followed by bright sunshine. It was all the usual birds seen here this morning with the added bonus of a female Sparrowhawk over and a pair of Jays showing very well by the main footpath.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

A pair of Jays showed incredibly well for me this morning.

A good count of 18 bird species were present here this morning, although a lot were heard only, but what did show had shown very well indeed. A large scattering of Wood Pigeons overhead and the distant Herring Gulls screaming had me searching the sky for the cause of all this commotion and as expected, a Sparrowhawk flew low over the rooftops heading south-east; a large female bird too.

Above, a trio of Great Black-backed Gulls flying high south over the Cemetery and below, this well soaked Collared Dove was busy preening itself high up in one of the Chestnut trees.

Above, the pair of Jays near the footpath and below, the female Sparrowhawk flying over the rooftops nearby.

The Jays were heard as soon as I arrived in the Cemetery, but it wasn't till I got over onto the east side that a pair of birds were seen close to the main footpath and probably looking for the acorns they had buried late last year? A notable sighting included a small flock of three Great Black-backed Gulls flying very high towards the coast and thankfully, using my camera on its highest zoom, I could identify what the distant birds were. Most handy. No Crests or Warblers in the Cemy today, but it will not be long before we get our first singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap here.

Above, Crocuses are starting to bloom in the Cemetery and below, a fine male Blackbird perched in one of the smaller trees.

Above, a rather pale female Blackbird and below, one of the Jays perched on a gravestone.

It was good to see and hear the House Sparrows again today within the Cemetery, though staying deep within cover over on the east side. As mentioned yesterday on my blog, they really are getting scarcer and this small flock is one of the few places I have found them recently in Portsmouth. A good number of Blackbirds are still present, though I wonder how many of these are immigrants from Scandinavia? Sadly, nothing out of the ordinary, but always good to see some of our common birds close up and doing well.

Above, my first flowering Germander Speedwell of the year.

My Garden:

The female Black Redstart was getting a soaking this afternoon.

The female Black Redstart was again showing well in the back of my garden and neighbouring gardens both in the morning and in the afternoon and she was joined by TWO male Blackcaps that were showing well in the tall bare tree. Along with a couple of Blackbirds, a pair of Great Tits and three Blue Tits, it was a good showing of birds despite the rain falling again this afternoon.

Above, another shot of the female Black Redstart and below, the male Blackcap was sharing the same tree.

Above, a record photo of both the male Blackcaps.

BUNTINGS BOO!

Saturday 31st January 2026.

The Grey Wagtail posing nicely for me by the Sluice at Brownwich Pond today.

It was back over Wicor Mill, Portchester this morning for this elusive Cirl Bunting followed by a trip over to the Canal Path at Titchfield. The weather didn't look too bad today, though a few showers were supposed to be coming in around midday that, apart from one heavy shower, never really materialised. We also took a trip over to Brownwich Pond for yesterday's drake Ferruginous Duck and then back over Wicor Mill for another attempt for the Cirl Bunting. Sadly, Geoff didn't join Andy Fisher and myself today for he had made other arrangements. Before Andy arrived to pick me up from my house, I watched the male Blackcap feeding on the Cotoneaster berries in my back garden to kick the day off with a good start.

Wicor Mill, Portchester:

The female Stonechat at Wicor Mill. It was soon joined by a Meadow Pipit until both birds flew off.

It was to be another failed attempt to get the Cirl Bunting this morning despite spending a good couple of hours here along with around a dozen or so Birders present including both birding pals Graeme Loader and John Goodall in attendance. It was first reported on the ‘Lazee’s Whatsapp’ site around 8.20am this morning, which was good news and even Graeme managed to see the bird before it flew off towards the Horse Paddocks and that was the last anyone saw of it! Sob! 

One of many Redwings here at this site and below, a Fox came out and walked across the Horse Paddocks. It or another were seen on the nearby housing estate.

Nevertheless, talking to both John and Graeme was most enjoyable and a good catch up too as we had a few birds of note to enjoy. The area was very good for Redwing with many birds seen flying over and some landing nicely in the bushes and especially around the Horse Paddocks. A female Stonechat put on an appearance, first perching on the row of brambles in front of us and then flying over the small pond nearby. A Meadow Pipit joined it and a few more of this species were seen during our time here. A Rock Pipit was heard a little later and Andy saw it flying along the nearby shoreline. 

Above, another photo of the Fox sunning itself briefly in the Horse Paddocks. Below, a Redwing in the same area.

It was high tide within Portsmouth Harbour this morning, but apart from a few distant Brent Geese, I could not see anything of note on the water. Also notable were the number of Greenfinches here. This species has taken a huge nosedive in numbers of late, so it was good to see so many here today at this site. Also House Sparrows. There was a large number, possibly 20+ in the nearby bushes; another species that seemed to have taken a big hit of late, especially around where I live. Having no luck with this particular area, Andy and I took a stroll over to the Horse Paddocks and that's where we bumped into Graeme. From here, again there were good numbers of both Redwing and Greenfinch, but no sign of the Cirl Bunting. A dog Fox casually strolled across the Paddocks and enjoyed a brief spell in the sunshine and posed nicely for us. Eventually, we decided to make our way from this site and try our luck down the Canal Path at Titchfield.

Canal Path, Titchfield:

We listened to the beautiful song of a Song Thrush while having a coffee by the first bridge along the Canal Path.

Despite a heavy rain shower on the way there, the rest of the day turned out sunny and bright. On arrival in the small car park at the top of the Canal Path, we noticed that Bridge Street had a 'Road Closed' notice due to the flooding just west of the car park; however, there were a few idiot drivers risking all by driving through the flooded road! Unbelievable! We then crossed the road and took a walk north to check the flooded fields, but most of the fields around the Horse Paddocks were flooded. Maybe good news for the ducks present that included around a dozen Teal enjoying the conditions, but the hopeful Water Pipit was what it was, just hopeful. The footpath became impassable due to the flooding and so we turned back and made our way south on the opposite side of the road.

Above, the flooded fields north of Bridge Street. Below, a drake Teal on the fields here. I liked the way it was hiding behind the vegetation in the sunshine.

As expected, the fields between the Bridge Street Floods and Posbrook Floods were saturated due to the recent heavy rain of late, but there was a wealth of birds seen along the footpath. From the Bridge, around 400 yards down the Canal Path, where we had a nice cup of coffee, we could check out the birdlife from here. A male Blackcap flew in and showed well of which Andy jumped for joy, for his first of the year. A flock of Long-tailed Tits came in and showed well and also a gorgeous male Goldcrest that simply would not sit still to be photographed! A Song Thrush was nearby and sang sweetly within the small branches of the hedge close by.

Above, this male Blackcap seen by the bridge was Andy's first of the year and below, a small number of Long-tailed Tits were seen here while we had a coffee.

Out on the Bridge Street Floods, there was a mixture of Cormorants, Lapwing and a variety of ducks that included Pintail, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall and Teal. A Reed Bunting flew high overhead and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen climbing one of the small trees before flying off into nearby trees. Eventually, the pathway soon became impassable due to the Canal overflowing the main footpath and my footwear was not waterproof enough and so we made our way back to the car. 

Above, a male Kestrel was seen by the Canal Path and at least four Stonechats were also seen including this fine male bird.

More notable birds were picked up along the way that included a fine pair of Stonechats out in the fields and while watching the male bird flying over the tussocks, another bird followed it and was probably the long-staying Dartford Warbler, but I couldn't be 100% certain as it dived into cover before we could get a better look at it. Raptors seen along the way included at least two Common Buzzards and a male Kestrel, but, surprisingly, no Marsh Harriers at all on our visit here. We bumped into a chap who had seen a Peregrine hunting over the reserve, though we never saw the bird. A pair of Common Snipe were seen briefly landing on the reserve, but very few waders were seen here this morning. While walking through the wooded area along the Canal Path, a pair of calling Nuthatches flew over our heads and a Treecreeper was heard calling out of sight within the trees. A pair of Egyptian Geese flew up the Reserve and appeared to land around the Bridge Street Floods to round off a pleasant walk here this morning.

Above, this Common Buzzard flew in towards us and then hovered over the field adjacent to us close to where we stood. Magical.

Brownwich Pond, Hook:

Nine of the eleven Tufties on Brownwich Pond with a Coot in the background.

Our target bird next was to be for the drake Ferruginous Duck on Brownwich Pond. Though there had been no reports of the duck this morning, we decided to give it a try anyway and was not surprised when there was no sight of the bird upon the Pond. Parking in the grotty little car park that had more pot holes than a World War One ‘No Man's Land’, by Chilling Barn, we made our way along the long track through the countryside to the Pond. To be honest, it was virtually birdless on the way there, but once we arrived, we picked out a tidy flock of 11 Tufted Ducks on the water…..but no ‘Fudge’ Duck!

Above, no sign of the 'Fudge' Duck, but a couple of Cormorants and below, a Grey Heron were present.

For compensation, there was also a Grey Heron fishing on the edge of the Pond, a drake Mallard at the northern end of the Pond and a couple of Cormorants fishing on the water. Best of all, was a Grey Wagtail that flew over the Pond and landed just 20 feet away from us by the Sluice from where we stood. There it stood for some time as I took some lovely close photos of the bird. Andy then told me that the Cirl Bunting had been seen singing in a hedge by the Horse Paddocks and so back we went.

Wicor Mill, Portchester:

Out in Portsmouth Harbour, there were a good number of waders including this large flock of Dunlin flying over the mudflats. Shelduck was on the foreshore.

Sadly, the sighting was seen around 1.20pm and no sign since, but we were convinced the bird was roosting at this site and so we waited up to 4.45pm for the bird to reappear. As the sun was disappearing in the west, it got colder and colder and I have to admit, though we stuck it out for around an hour plus here, my enthusiasm was waning. I was only pleased that Pompey were winning 3-0 at the time! However, a few birds were noted including a lot of Redwing passing over and some landing in the nearby trees. Again, Greenfinches were passing over in good numbers and both Linnets and Goldfinches were around too. The odd Meadow Pipit passed overhead as I scanned Portsmouth Harbour, which was now at low tide. 

Above, sunset over Portsmouth Harbour and below, I think I knew every damn branch of that row of small trees and shrubs here!

There were a lot of waders on the mudflats with a large flock of Dunlin swirling low over the mud and smaller numbers of both Curlew and Oystercatcher. Out in the distant channel, a silhouetted pair of Red-breasted Mergansers landed in the channel and flocks of Gulls were flying into the harbour to roost. As the sky's clouds turned orange due to the setting sun, we called it a day and made our way home. OK, we failed to see two rare birds in Hampshire, but still a good variety of birds today to write about on my blog.

This 'Silver' Moon rose behind the Bushes and Shrubs at Wicor Mill to round off another enjoyable day s birding.

In Hampshire today:

The Black Brant was again seen off Northney, Hayling Island on the falling tide. Nearby, Hayling Oyster Beds held both the Black-necked, Slavonian and Red-necked Grebe along with 2 Great Northern Divers, the Long-tailed Duck and the Scaup. A Jack Snipe was flushed by a Marsh Harrier on Titchfield Haven in front of the Knights Bank Hide. Birding pal Geoff Farwell went to the Hoe Cross area near Hambledon and recorded the following bird sightings: a male Merlin, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Ravens, Woodlark, 90 Skylarks, 6 Stonechats, 100+ Fieldfare, 35 Redwings and 200 Linnets.