Black-throated Diver no show!

Friday 4th March 2022.

Distant Red-breasted Mergansers in Cams Bay, including a few displaying drakes.

It was the last of my ‘days off’ for this fiscal year and as a pair of Black-throated Divers had been present in Portsmouth Harbour of late, I took the opportunity to see if I could add these lovely birds to my year list. Though it was overcast, it was fairly bright and dry though the temperature was well below 10 degrees. I had my ‘thick’ head on this morning as I went outdoors in my white trainers and having to walk across grass and mud to view Portsmouth Harbour from Portchester Castle, was not going to turn out well! 

Good numbers of Great Crested Grebes were present in both Cams Bay and Portsmouth Harbour.   

The Blackthorn Bushes are now in flower.

I had read that the birds could be seen from Portchester Castle and so I made my way to the small car park, paid the small fee for an hour and then walked to the shoreline looking south. The tide was high within the harbour but despite a lengthy search for the birds, all I could find were Mergansers, a few Great Crested Grebes and a single Cormorant for my efforts. I still have not had my Telescope back from Cley Spy yet, but they did say that it could be a couple of months before I hear any news, so therefore I had to rely on my trusty eyesight using my binoculars.

This Chiffchaff, most likely a wintering bird, was present within the bushes by the shoreline. 

Checking the ‘Lazee Birders’ Whatsapp site, some kind chap gave me the area from where he viewed the birds a few days ago and this was looking from Cams Bay from the Wicor Recreation Ground at the end of Cranleigh Road, where there were a lot of boat pontoons on the water. From there, the birds can hide from view should they be there but again, despite a long search for about 30 minutes, there was no sign of the birds at all. There were, again, plenty of Mergansers out on the water, though quite distant and a few Great Crested and Little Grebes dotted around by the pontoons, but not the star bird. A Chiffchaff was heard calling behind me and then it appeared within the small trees and showed very well, though not singing yet, plus a pair of Mediterranean Gulls that flew high overhead, calling loudly in doing so as I was crossing the football field on the way back to the car.

One of my work colleagues spotted and photographed this Angle Shades moth by our Copnor Branch yesterday and kindly sent it over to me.

Checking my Birdguides App, already, some Sand Martins have appeared in the UK, including 3 birds over Pennington village this morning. Here comes Spring!