Four more 'year-ticks' today.

Saturday 30th April 2022.

Black-tailed Godwits on the Floods.

I was going to have a lay in this morning, seeing a certain Mr Fisher still has Covid, but I got up at 6.30am and eventually made my way to Posbrook Floods. Bright sunshine poured into the bedroom window this morning and convinced me to get out of bed and hopefully go and see the Wood Sandpipers, which were present yesterday on the pools there. Afterwards, I was hoping to also pay a visit to Old Winchester Hill to view the Ring Ouzels that had been there for the past few days.

A singing Common Whitethroat near the car park.

One of two Roe Deer in the fields to the east adjacent to the Canal Path.

After parking the car in the small car park at Posbrook Floods, I made my way slowly down the Canal Path. From here, I met Southampton birder, Dennis Lynch, who turned out to be one of the ‘Lazee’ gang and soon we made friends and walked together down the Canal Path, enjoying talking about our birding memoirs. Enjoying superb views of both Cetti’s Warbler and Common Whitethroat, we set up our respective telescopes and checked out the pools over in the fields. Sadly, no sign whatsoever of the Wood Sandpipers (at least one returned later in the afternoon), I still got lucky with my first sightings of the year of both a Common Sandpiper and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers, feeding on the shoreline of the pool.

Above, the same Roe Deer as the above and below, a female Blackcap in a Willow on the main path.

Other notable birds on the pool here included a pair of Avocets and also at least 30 Black-tailed Godwit on the most northernmost pool and there was also a Wagtail species that I think was a White Wagtail; for when the bird was seen a little later, when it flew off I was convinced it had a grey back and dark hood, though I could not be totally 100%. A few Swallows flew low over the fields, singing at the same time and although quite a few more were seen later in the morning, there were no other Hirundine species seen today.

Above, a gorgeous Sedge Warbler singing by the Canal Path, with another close by and also a Reed Warbler. Below, a Marsh Harrier came soaring overhead above us.

Walking further down to view the next pool, there was a good number of ducks present including Teal, Gadwall, Mallard and Shoveler. A female Mallard was seen walking her dozen or so ducklings down to the water and a pair of Egyptian Geese was also present. A pair of Grey Herons fished the shallow water as did a lone Little Egret. More Black-tailed Godwit were feeding along the edge of this pool and I also found a couple of Common Snipe hiding away in the reeds.

Above, there were a few Common Buzzards showing well overhead. Below, a view of the fields to the east  by the Canal Path

Further down the footpath, we were hoping for a sighting of yesterday's Lesser Whitethroat, as we both needed one for a ‘year-tick’. We came across quite a few Warblers, including a pair of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, more Common Whitethroats, both Sedge (2) and Reed Warblers and another Cetti’s; but it wasn't till I was walking back to the car, that I heard a distant Lesser Whitethroat, but heard only as it was singing somewhere in a hedgerow and out of view. There was a good variety of raptors around today, making the most of the sunny weather and light winds which included at least 4 Common Buzzards, a male Marsh Harrier, a male Kestrel and a gorgeous but brief Red Kite. A Hobby would have been nice, but not this time.

A female Syrphus Hovefly species enjoying nectaring on a Dandelion.

A singing male Common Whitethroat along the main footpath.

Enjoying the raptors, we were overlooking the fields to the east and a Cuckoo suddenly burst into song, but we failed to locate the bird. A male Reed Bunting was seen on reeds and a second bird flew into a bramble close to the main path. Other notable birds included a Great Spotted Woodpecker that flew up and landed on the top most branches and a Jay flew across the fields to land in the woods. Dennis was making his way to Hill Head and so I said cheerio to Dennis and made my way back to the car. Posbrook Floods still held the Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits, but all the other waders had left. Though no sightings of any Wood Sandpipers, I still managed to grab two more ‘year-ticks’.

Above, a Grey Heron poking its head out of the reeds and below, another photo of the Common Whitethroat.

After grabbing a bit of lunch in the local Co-op within the village of Titchfield, I took the country roads to get to Old Winchester Hill. There was nothing on Birdguides or the Whatsapp Lazee Birders whether the Ring Ouzel was still present, but I simply enjoyed taking a leisurely stroll along the footpath, taking in the superb views to the west over the countryside. Butterflies were plentiful here, mostly Brimstone's, but there were also singles of  Red Admiral, Small Heath, a few Orange Tips, good numbers of Small White and at least 3 Dingy Skipper, my first of the year.

Above, a Chiffchaff singing on Old Winchester Hill and below, Crosswort growing abundantly on the Hill.

Almost immediately, a singing Chiffchaff (above) was showing well, perched right out in the open. A male Yellowhammer was seen distantly singing and several flocks of Linnet flew over. A lone Common Buzzard drifted overhead, but no sign of any Kites yet. I was enjoying the plants as well, with Cowslips and Common Speedwell being most abundant as well as Crosswort, which was simply everywhere.

Above, Cowslips were also abundant on the Hill. Below, one of the superb viewpoints on the Hill looking west.

The footpath leading to the Fort area was relatively quiet although there were a few Pheasants out in the field to the south. Rainfall has been quite scarce this April and the land was very dry and cracked. Though the path was dotted with bright yellow Dandelions, there were very few Bees noted, which was worrying, but at least the butterflies were numerous. One has to share this area with not only dog-walkers, ramblers and a few birdwatchers, but also people on mountain bikes and even joggers. But at least most of them behave themselves and I could not see any litter during my walk round which was a big plus. I hope the late Dave Compton, who regularly patrolled this part of the world, was looking down with a big smile on his face.

A male Brimstone on Brambles.

The female Ring Ouzel showing well. Despite the heathaze, I managed to knock off a few nice photos.

On reaching the Fort area, I came across a singing Lesser Whitethroat down in the hill slope below, but I could not see the bird at first. I also could see a couple of birders in the distance, hopefully enjoying the Ring Ouzels, but I wasn't going to hold my breath. On reaching them, they gave me the excellent news that a female bird was on show down in the sheep field below and sure enough, there she was. It is always a pleasure to see a ‘Spring’ Ring Ouzel, but I was amazed it had stayed for so long. I quickly got the camera out to take some photos, but the heat haze put paid to a lot of my photos of the bird. It was also joined by a Yellowhammer and a Dunncock and the Lesser Whitethroat heard earlier had gotten a lot closer and so I took a stroll to see the bird of which I was thankfully successful. I was lucky to grab a few photos of the bird before it flew down the hill and out of view.

Above, the male Lesser Whitethroat eventually gave itself up in the brambles.  Below, my first Small Heath butterfly of the year.  

On the way back, I bumped into another ‘Lazee Birder’, a chap called Matt and his partner and gave them the ‘gen’ on where to view the Ouzel and then made my way back to the car. A Red Kite drifted over heading east, but too quick for me to grab a photo and a few more Dingy Skippers fluttered at speed over the ground plants. Someone was having a picnic with their family and dog near the main entrance, but what a beautiful place to have one overlooking this fantastic countryside. We are so lucky to have something like this on our doorsteps and if you cannot go abroad to visit some beautiful countries, then this area should be on your bucket list.