A drive along Southsea seafront.

Friday 30th December 2022.

Gulls aplenty on Southsea Common today.

You cannot put a keen birder down. Here on the south coast, more squally weather and a strong wind to go with it kept a lot of people indoors and as I retrieved my dog Scruff's ashes from the Vets this morning, I took a drive along the seafront and then back to my house. I noticed a good sized flock of Brent Geese, but what really grabbed my attention were the amount of large Gulls on Southsea Common. Interesting. Could there be a ‘large white-winged Gull’ among them?

Above, a large flock of Starlings were present on the Common and below, a pair of Pied Wagtails were on the Memorial building including this male bird.

After a spot of lunch, I jumped in the car and took a drive down to Southsea Common, parking opposite the large mound of rocks that are being used for the new sea defences, I walked over the road and used the Naval Memorial Building for cover against the strong south-westerly wind. Checking the Gulls, I couldn't find anything more unusual among the many Herring, Black-headed or Great Black-backed Gulls and the 30+ Brent Geese also held nothing exciting among them either. Starlings were abundant here also, with at least a hundred plus present, swirling about in the breeze or busy searching the grass for anything to eat. Though despite the large number of birds present, nothing out of the ordinary was seen along here.

Above, a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls were among the Herring and Black-headed Gulls on the Common. Below, around 30+ Brent Geese were present also on the Common.

A quick look at the sea defence rock piles proved fruitless and after taking a bit of battering from the wind, I gratefully got back into the car and then took a drive further east towards Eastney.  I checked out the Brent Goose flock by the old D-Day Museum and again, all dark-bellied Brent Geese with plenty of juveniles among them too. Over on the beach opposite, there were a few large flocks of Black-headed Gulls with a few Common and Herring Gulls among them, but no sign of any Mediterranean Gulls present, which was disappointing.

Above, a mixture of Common, Herring and Black-headed Gulls over Southsea beach. Below, a juvenile Herring Gull with a Starfish in its bill.

Next stop was to the harbour entrance where it wasn't so windy. I drove down and parked up at the spit opposite the Hayling Ferry Terminal. Thankfully, there weren't too many people around and so I took a walk along the spit to get a better view of a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers bouncing on the water within Langstone Harbour. Too distant to get a decent photo, at least a Rock Pipit played ball as it flew up and landed close by along the shingle until flying off over my head and out of view. A Great Northern Diver was seen from here yesterday, but nothing on the water apart from what's already mentioned, though I did see a flock of Turnstone and a lone Oystercatcher flying out into the Solent.

Above, the Rock Pipit seen on the spit opposite the Ferry Terminal. Below, some of the many Starlings on the foreshore among Black-headed Gulls, near the Terminal. Just sad to see how much rubbish is washed up here in the tide line.

The usual Starlings were in large numbers again on the shingle here, getting to within touching distance at times and always fascinating to watch as they upturned the seaweed near the shoreline in search of food. The drizzle eventually came in and so I made my way back home after enjoying a couple of hours birding. Not a great deal reported today in Hampshire, but Andy J reported an adult Little Gull, 2 Kittiwake, 2 Great Northern Diver and a Slavonian Grebe from Black Point, Hayling Island this morning.

Above and below, some of the Starlings on the beach near the Hayling Ferry Terminal.