The drake Ferruginous Duck (left) with a Gadwall on Posbrook Floods.
Andy and myself went off back into the New Forest this morning, while Geoff had volunteered to take part in the WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) at Farlington Marshes. The weather was always going to be an issue today and though it looked promising first thing as we made our way into the Forest, it clouded over and drizzle was occasionally coming down and this afternoon, the low cloud and most likely fog over the Solent made birding that little bit more challenging. However, both Andy and myself grabbed four more ‘year-ticks’ today
Cowplain Marsh, Andy’s House & Garden:
My second moth of the year, a fine Hebrew Character in the egg trays by Andy's Moth Box.
Though Geoff was off to Farlington Marshes today, he was present this morning for a good chat about the local wildlife here. Andy's pond held a lot of ‘croaking’ Frogs last night and so I had to take a look and saw at least two Frogs swimming under the Duck Weed and even more Frog Spawn than last Saturday.
More Frog Spawn in Andy's garden pond.
The Moth Box held just the one moth, my first Hebrew Character of the year, which encouraged me to get my Moth Box out of the attic. The only thing that puts me off is the consistent rain here on the south coast, but a fellow ‘Moth-enthusiast’ from Waterlooville had over a 100 moths in his box!!! Though he did say that he lives right by a woodland.
There has been no sight or sound of any Firecrests by Andy’s house this week, though a pair of Tawny Owls were calling from the trees nearby last night. This morning, a Siskin flew high over the garden and a pair of Goldfinches dropped in to check out the bird feeders.
Acres Down, New Forest:
This Treecreeper showed very well along the main footpath within the woods at Acres Down.
Sadly, we got down to the Acres Down car park too late for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker this morning. The car park was rammed with cars, but we did find one spot that we could park. As soon as I stepped out of the car, my first Hawfinch of the year flew over. Andy missed the bird, but a second bird flying over was a bit more obliging and so he could claim his first of the year. Then seconds later, a third bird then flew over to kick the trip here very nicely indeed.
Above, one of many Stock Doves at Acres Down and below, a Redpoll landed in the same tree.
Earlier, as we made our way across the small Ford before entering the car park, I saw a Grey Wagtail fluttering about on a large rock within the Ford and so reversed the car so Andy could see the bird. After parking, we made our way to the infamous ‘Lesser Spotted Woodpecker tree’ and joined a couple of other birders present. While patiently waiting, a pair of Crossbills flew over and landed in a tree nearby before then flying off southbound. Stock Doves were seen and heard within the woodland and a gorgeous Treecreeper showed well climbing up a bough of a tree.
Above, looking south to the woodland at Acres Down. Such stunning views on a more sunnier day. Below, one of two Ravens 'croaking' overhead.
A large group of birders arrived (around 50 people) and joined us in waiting for the LSW and a chap leading the group told me that they had seen both the male and female bird ‘drumming’ on the usual tree around an hour before we had arrived. A Redpoll flew in and landed on the ‘LSW’ tree as did a Stock Dove (see photos) as all eyes were trained on that particular tree. Though there was no sight or sound of the ‘Lesser Spots’, we did hear both Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and we also had sightings of both Siskins and Goldcrests. A few Firecrests were heard distantly singing, but none were seen today. After a couple of hours and with the thick cloud overhead, Andy suggested we take a walk through the woods and try our luck for both the LSW and Brambling. The path we took was very wet and soggy and I was so pleased that I had brought my Wellingtons along with me today. The walk through the woods proved fruitless as hardly any birds were actually seen and not only that, the route we took ended up back at the car park!
Above and below, a female Goshawk seen distantly over the woodland from the viewing area.
I then suggested we take a walk up the hill and over to the viewing area overlooking the woods to the south and west for possible Goshawk. The weather suggested otherwise, but we took the gamble anyway and it paid off with a pair of Ravens overhead and at least three Woodlarks. From the viewpoint overlooking the woods, it didn't take too long to find a distant female Goshawk soaring over the treetops, but it was distant. I reeled off a few record shot photos for the blog and was really pleased to pick out our second ‘year-tick’ of the day.
Above, a very showy singing Song Thrush by the footpath back to the car and below, the Treecreeper seen earlier when we first arrived.
As we were walking back to the car park, a Song Thrush showed very well perched just above my head and I could not resist taking a few photos of this gorgeous bird. A couple of Common Buzzards soared high over the woodland as we were leaving the hill area and then Andy told me that he had just received a text to say that the drake Ferruginous Duck was on Posbrook Floods this morning and still present. Though I was tempted to do another hour or so for the LSW, the chance of seeing such a rare duck was overwhelming and so we got back into the car and headed back east.
Posbrook Floods, Titchfield:
The drake Ferruginous Duck (centre) is surrounded by a drake Gadwall, female Tufted Duck, Black-headed Gull and a drake Shoveler on Posbrook Floods.
It took around 40 minutes to get to Posbrook Floods and once in the car park (amazing we actually got a parking space!) We made our way south along the Canal Path. The visibility here now was worsening as drizzly rain had set in and it was getting very misty in the distance. Nevertheless, we made our way to the viewing area where we then came across a big posse of ‘Lazee Birders’.
A big bunch of 'Lazee Birders here at Posbrook Floods this afternoon!'
I admit, I struggled to find the Ferruginous Duck at first, but thankfully, the guys managed to get me onto the bird which was associating with a pair of Tufted Duck. Through the scope, the bird showed very well and I even managed to grab a bit of film footage of this rare Aythya duck as it swam, dived and preened itself on the water with the likes of Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall and Coots in attendance. It was third time lucky for us as we have tried twice before in trying to find this bird and at last, it was showing superbly for us.
Above, one of many Long-tailed Tits seen along the Canal Path and below, it was looking bleak this afternoon here, but the birds were amazing.
While watching the Ferruginous Duck, an odd Gull swam on the water with Black-headed Gulls, but I had dismissed it as an odd Black-headed Gull going through moult. How wrong I was. More later. Andy Friend was among the ‘Lazee’s’ and he told us that a Ruddy Shelduck was with two Egyptian Geese further south down the Canal Path yesterday, in one of the fields to the west and so we eventually joined them in searching for the bird, but on reaching the guys, there was no sign of the Geese. There were a few Canada Geese present and also a Curlew in the same field, but no Ruddy Shelduck. So we walked back, but not before we took a coffee break on one of the ‘Comfy’ benches along the Canal Path.
Above, two of the five Glossy Ibis on the Bridge Street Floods and below, the adult Little Gull (centre) flanked by a Coot and a Black-headed Gull on Posbrook Floods.
From here, we saw a male Marsh Harrier drifting slowly over the fields and a small flock of three Fieldfares flew overhead. Nearby, a pair of Goldcrests and several Long-tailed Tits were flitting about in the Willow Trees and then I caught sight of a Chiffchaff high in one of the Willows. Andy had still not seen a Chiffchaff this year and so I quickly got him onto the bird, but he got the most briefest of views. He did get a better view about five minutes later and then he got a text to say that a Little Gull was now on Posbrook Floods!
Above, one of the feeding Glossy Ibis. The weather was really closing in now.
When we reached the large number of ‘Lazee Birders’ present, Andy Friend kindly put me onto the Little Gull through his telescope for my 4th ‘year-tick’ of the day. The Little Gull was an adult bird and it was the same bird I had seen earlier when I was watching the ‘Fudge’ Duck and was more than happy to just sit on the water watching the world go by. What an incredible day and although we didn’t see the ‘Lesser Spot’, I think we were more than happy with our sightings today.
The drake Ferruginous Duck on Posbrook Floods this afternoon.
It didn't quite end there either as another Chiffchaff gave us better views than the first bird seen and Andy picked out a Glossy Ibis on the Bridge Street Floods and this was joined by a total of 5 birds in all feeding on the edge of the Floods. A Green Woodpecker was heard calling in the distance and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the Canal Path to round off a superb day's birding.
The female Black Redstart was vocal again this morning.
This morning wasn't too bad with the weather and there was even a bit of sunshine for a time and then, of course, the damn rain came in around midday here in Southsea. Though very mild for this time of year with temperatures around the 11 degree mark, there was a strong westerly wind that came in with the rain. The only birding I got in today was from my garden where I was cleaning out the guttering.
My Garden:
The Robin popped in to enjoy the sunflower hearts.
Both the female Black Redstart and two male Blackcaps were present this morning, the former singing again high up in the bare tree, though still frustratingly high up among the branches and at 8am this morning, the light wasn't all that great either. She was making her usual soft warbling song and occasionally making a loud clicking noise, which I can assume was some type of alarm call, for a cat was seen shortly afterwards making its way along my back wall!
The female Black Redstart. Will she be here in March?
The two male Blackcaps were seen in the bare tree briefly before both flew off and one of the birds was heard singing a little later in my neighbours Bay Tree. The Robin came in the garden again and took a liking for the sunflower hearts for a change. Other birds present included a pair of Blue Tits, a lone Great Tit and a pair of Blackbirds.
In Hampshire today:
A cracking photo of a Redpoll by Pete Appleton.
Two White-fronted Geese flocks were noted in Hampshire today; three on Farlington Marshes and 12 birds at Iley Lane, near Keyhaven Marshes along with a Barnacle Goose. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the grass at Stokes Bay and a 1st winter bird was off Weston Shore within the car park and up to 3 Great Northern Divers offshore. Two Black-necked Grebes and the drake Scaup were in Langstone Harbour again this morning.
This Grey Heron was being ushered off by a Herring Gull over the Cemy.
My last full day off during this school half-term and the weather wasn’t looking too great. OK, mercifully, no rain today but under a leaden sky, I decided to take the dogs for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery. Who knows, a very early Wheatear might have arrived or a different migrant? Sadly, nothing like that today, but there were a few notable birds around my local patch.
Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:
This Redwing was in the trees by the Mausoleum.
Though there was no wind blowing through the Cemy, it was still rather dark for 10am with a thick overcast sky and there were not a lot of birds singing either. Who could blame them? However, there were signs of Spring on the horizon with flowering Cherry Trees blossoming and more plants beginning to flower (if you look hard enough!). Some of the graves were painted with flowering Daffodils which added a splash of colour and one grave in particular, had flowering Heather upon it and should be attracting the first Early Bumblebee’s and Hoverflies.
Above, there were a few plants in flower today including this Red Dead-nettleand below, the Jay put in a brief appearance over on the east side of the Cemy.
Above, Wood Pigeons cluster up in the tallest of the trees and below, after yesterday's strong winds and heavy rains, the trees lost a lot of branches.
Of the birds, a lone Redwing was picked out in the highest branches of the Chestnut Trees near the Mausoleum. I saw a thrush like bird fly up into the tree and using my highest magnification on my camera, I could clearly see the diagnostic eye-stripe of the Redwing. There was just the one Jay seen this morning. I did hear it calling earlier on my walk, but I found the bird while walking through the centre of the Cemy and again, using my camera like a binocular, I could clearly see it was the Jay. Another unexpected sighting was of a Grey Heron passing high overhead. I first heard the alarm call of a Herring Gull overhead and thinking it was going to be a raptor being chased off, it was in fact a Grey Heron as both birds hurried over heading northbound over the houses.
Above, several graves had Daffodils adoring them and below, the Lords and Ladies plant growing by the perimeter wall at the southern end of the Cemy.
Above, blossom on one of the Cherry Trees. Below, these two Wood Pigeons were not bothered by my dogs or myself!
Above, a Great Tit in one of the smaller trees beside the main footpath.
Above and below, the Grey Heron is pursued by a Herring Gull.
Most of the common birds were seen this morning, though only a low total of 12 species were seen here today on my walk with the dogs. It was a bit muddy in places due to the awful weather from yesterday where a lot of Southsea suffered from flooding, especially down the seafront. Milder weather is forecast for the coming week, but will it bring more rain?
My Garden:
Both the female Black Redstart and Blackcap were seen in my garden a few times today, though I could not grab any photos of the birds today. The Black Redstart was frustratingly partly hidden by branches on the opposite side of the tall tree and flew off when I was just about to grab a photo! The male Blackcap was always skittish, but I did get a good view of the bird flitting about in my garden briefly.
In Hampshire today:
One of the Black-necked Grebes at Keyhaven Marshes today. Photo by Rob Porter.
Though it was quite a grey day, the birders were still out in force and found some interesting birds within our fair county. Great Northern Divers were seen at a variety of locations including Southsea seafront (2 birds), Weston Shore (3) and Calshot Spit (2). Up to 7 Purple Sandpipers were near Southsea Castle and the Great Grey Shrike was near Stoney Cross in the New Forest. Keyhaven Marshes held just the one Little Gull today and nearby, the 2 Black-necked Grebes were showing well. Two Slavonian Grebes were offshore there and another was in Langstone Harbour again along with the drake Scaup and the Long-tailed Duck. The elusive Red-necked Grebe was also present this afternoon.
The Little Gull on Keyhaven Marshes. Photo by Rob Porter.
Talking about migrant birds, the first House Martin and Swallow of the year were found on St. Mary’s, on the Isle of Scillies and a Bonaparte’s Gull was seen in the afternoon there too. Very nice!
Yes, the Black-headed Gull is a common bird, but seeing them in their summer plumage is always a joy as spring is just around the corner. This bird was off Southsea Castle this morning.
I had the day off today and as the weather was looking very good with plenty of sunshine and a bright blue sky this morning, I decided to take a drive down to Southsea Castle first. I knew that the Purple Sandpipers were not in front of the Castle and so took the walk down to the closed off area (workers still rebuilding the seafront promenade west of the Blue Reef Aquarium) and looked west along the rocks.
Southsea Castle & promenade:
This distant Purple Sandpiper was the only one I could find early this morning on the seafront.
The sea state was calm, but a good scan across the Solent only produced the one Great Crested Grebe that was flying low over the water heading west. A good scan from the fenced off area looking west eventually produced just the one Purple Sandpiper, but it was very distant and it took around 10 minutes for me to find the bird. Apparently, a little later in the morning, a total of three birds were seen by other birders this morning.
Above, a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls heading into Portsmouth Harbour and below, the new promenade in front of Southsea Castle.
Above, a distant Great Crested Grebe flying west over the Solent with a Great Black-backed Gull on the Navigation Light Towers.
Unfortunately, despite a good search in front of the Castle, all I could find were a few Black-headed Gulls and a distant Cormorant perched on some contraption out in the Solent. A pair of Great Black-backed Gulls were seen flying into Portsmouth Harbour and a Common Gull flew over the Solent heading west. Since the new seafront has been built, I have to say, I have not seen any Rock Pipits here this winter and where are the rock pools that are advertised on the billboards by the Council? On top of that, will the sea watching this Spring be any good from my usual shelter this year? We shall see. I am looking forward to this in the coming months and will probably put a lot more effort into checking the Solent here instead of going all the way over to the shelter at Gilkicker!
Eastney Harbour entrance:
The Hopper Dredger A1 Avocet coming into Langstone Harbour this morning.
The car park here at the harbour entrance was near full, despite only being around 9.30am and so parking up just a little north, I slowly took a walk up to the Hayling Ferry Terminal. The tide was up within Langstone Harbour and Lock Lake and so scanning the water, I found at least 3 Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Mergansers on the calm water, though distant. The wind, though light, was very cold and so I did not hang around here too long as I checked out a huge number of Brent Geese flying west over the harbour and landing in front of the Thatched House pub.
Above, a pair of Great Crested Grebes on the Hayling side of the harbour entrance. One of the birds was in full summer plumage. Below, a pair of Oystercatchers sat on one of the small boats within Lock Lake.
Above and below, a large flock of Brent Geese came in from the east side of the harbour and eventually settled in front of the Thatched House pub. I have had a few meals on one of those benches!
A pair of Oystercatchers were sitting on one of the small boats in Lock Lake and a group of four birds flew low over the harbour heading east. A lone Dunlin was heard and then seen flying over the harbour entrance until flying off north to round off a quiet spell here at Eastney. As I was driving back home along Ferry Road, a Fox nonchalantly crossed the road in front of me and stood by the side of the road enjoying the rare sight of some sunshine!
My Garden:
The singing female Black Redstart at the back of my garden.
Both the Black Redstart and Blackcap were seen well in and around my garden today, with both birds singing. The female Black Redstart was, as per usual, quietly singing high up in the bare tree at the back of my garden, but proved difficult to get a decent photo, while the Blackcap was singing loudly deep within my neighbours Bay Tree as per usual! A Robin came into my garden and thoroughly enjoyed picking off seeds from the Fat Balls. I don't often see Robins in my garden, so I took a few photos of the bird that showed well for at least ten minutes or so.
It's always good to see a Robin in my garden.
My final notable sighting today was a singing Grey Wagtail which I saw high up on the roof of a building in Clarendon Road, Southsea.
In Hampshire today:
The Great Grey Shrike was still at Lucas Castle in the New Forest this morning and the Snow Bunting was back in its usual place early afternoon at Black Point, between the RNLI Station and Sailing Club. Keyhaven Lagoon held a pair of Little Gulls and also a pair of Black-necked Grebes again and offshore there, a pair of Slavonian Grebes were seen nearby. Two White-tailed Eagles flew overhead for one lucky observer over the site.
The male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen again today in the woods at Acres Down. Film footage by Steve Laycock.
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