We were back into West Sussex again, enjoying great views of a singing Nightingale.
Today was another superb day where we had wall to wall sunshine and some great birds to watch in three different sites! Andy had his moth box on overnight and produced my first Twenty-plume Moth of the year, but the only other moth present was a Common Plume. Shame, I thought he would have more than that. Cowplain Marsh (his back garden) has gone through a major tidy up this week and checking out his pond, I flushed my first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year which quickly settled on a leaf to bathe in the early morning sunshine. A pair of Siskins flew over and one could hear both Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing in the distance to whet one's appetite for the day.
The Twenty-plume Moth on the back door of Andy's house. My first of the year.
Another photo of the Nightingale at Marlpit Lane.
Nightingales were on my agenda and even though I dipped on seeing or hearing any a few days ago at Marlpit Lane, I felt that we could be more successful and sure enough, we were in luck. As we drove slowly down the road, I picked up a bird singing somewhere in the field opposite and so parking up in the layby, we took a walk back up the road to view. Climbing over a bit of barbed wire fencing, we stood overlooking an area of scrub and there perched high up on a large bramble, we saw our Nightingale in full song. I managed to grab some film footage of the bird as at least two more were heard in the distance. This place can attract up to 6 or more Nightingales, but I was more than happy watching this showy individual.
Above, a wing-flicking Chiffchaff trying to attract its nearby mate. Below, a male Blackcap searching for food on the ground in front of us, while the Nightingale sang its heart out.
Other birds in the area included Andy’s first Common Whitethroat of the year, a displaying singing bird that was seen perched on brambles nearby. Several Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps showed well and while we just stood there, there was a nice array of birds to watch including a Green Woodpecker, a male Yellowhammer, a ‘drumming’ Great Spotted Woodpecker that soon showed well as it flew past and good numbers of Linnets passing overhead. A bit later, we took a walk adjacent to the large field where we had more Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs and a Common Buzzard drifted over while being chased by a few Crows.
Above, a Wild Strawberry in flower and below, Alkanet, both growing along the footpath adjacent to the large field.
Other wildlife present included several Bee Flies, a few Tapered Drone Flies and a few butterflies including Small White and Small Tortoiseshell. Plants here included Hedge Mustard, Alkanet and Bluebells in their hundreds. Gorgeous.
Several Tapered Drone Flies were basking in the sunshine.
Our next stop was to be Thorney Island, but we popped into a local Co-operative for a bit of lunch. The small car park by Thorney Road was full and so we parked by the roadside. We took a stroll along the path leading to the harbour wall and almost immediately, I picked up our first singing Sedge Warbler perched on a bramble! My second ‘year-tick’ of the day and Andy’s third.I could hear a Reed Warbler in the distance, but we never got a sighting of the bird this morning. Med Gulls flew overhead, heading towards the rising tide within Emsworth Harbour and a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were again in view.
This Common Buzzard drifted over by the large field, being hotly pursued by a pair of Crows.
A Grey Heron flying over Thorney Island near the main road.
We made our way along the harbour wall to the small bench overlooking the Little Deeps, enjoying a close-up of the Great Crested Grebe on the water within the harbour. Enjoying a bit of lunch, we checked out the Little Deeps, again enjoying a displaying Sedge Warbler nearby and the occasional Bearded Tit flying low over the reedbed. A few Little Grebes swam on the water and a Mute Swan was nesting close to the foreshore. Another Reed Warbler could be heard singing, but again, no sighting of the bird to add to our year list. Both Common Buzzard and Kestrel were seen along our walk to the Great Deeps, but the area here was rather quiet with very little of note seen. Poor Andy was really under the weather due to a major hangover (no sympathy whatsoever!) as we sat overlooking the Little Deeps once again for twenty minutes or so. A couple of Brent Geese were seen swimming on the calm water within the harbour, the last birds that could possibly over-summer here. On the way back to the car, we came across a young couple waiting patiently for a ‘Nightingale’ to pop out of cover, but we explained to them it was actually a Cetti’s Warbler. Please note: we were all novices once but they appreciated having their bird correctly identified.
One of the singing Sedge Warblers near the Little Deeps.
Great Crested Grebein Emsworth Harbour.
A male Common Whitethroat near the Little Deeps.
A close up of a fishing Little Egret near the Great Deeps. The bird had literally caught and swallowed a fish, hence the thick throat on the bird.
It was only 11.30am when we got back to the car and I said to Andy ‘do you fancy giving Old Winchester Hill a try?’. Does a bear s*** in the woods? By 12.15pm, we found a spare space in the car park and took a walk to the slope looking west and what a view! I really didn't fancy walking the course around the Hill and so we simply just sat there enjoying whatever came our way. This included at least 7 Common Buzzards, a Raven, Yellowhammer, Nuthatch and good numbers of both Linnet and Goldfinch. Butterflies included Brimstone, Small White and a gorgeous Peacock and even a couple of micro moths passed by as Andy slept! After an hour or so, we decided to make our way back and reflect on yet another good day’s birding. But the excitement did not end there.
The cracking view looking west from Old Winchester Hill.
Plenty of Cowslips growing on the Hill.
A Nuthatch showed well on the Hill.
Later in the afternoon, from my back garden I heard a large commotion going on with the local Herring Gulls, which is a tell-tale sign that a raptor is passing by overhead. It took a while but I had a huge smile on my face as I watched an Osprey flying high west over the houses, being mobbed by the Gulls. Who would have thought it after missing the bird in Langstone Harbour recently? Andy had managed to see that individual perched on a very distant post, but now I have clawed one back on him! Happy days.
Below, the singing Nightingale at Marlpit Lane. Apologies for the shaky beginning but the camera was handheld at the time.
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