Another 8 species added to year list.

Saturday 22nd January 2022.

The Barn Owl showing well again in the split tree.

Not a bad morning's birding again as I banged in 8 more ‘year-ticks’ to add to my yearly total. 122 species for the year so far isn’t too bad and with Norfolk on the horizon, 140 or 150 species could be a possibility? I needed to be over my fathers house around 1pm and so I opted to go fairly local and tried our luck firstly over Posbrook Floods for the Barn Owl. However, our first stop was to be Greggs for breakfast, in Waterlooville, where Andy, believe it or not, got his first ‘year-tick’ of the day - a female Sparrowhawk flying low over the shops, scaring the wits out of the local Pigeons!

One of several Redwing in the trees along the Canal Path. 

On reaching the small car park near Posbrook Floods, It was suddenly  1 - 1 in ‘year-ticks’ as an Egyptian Goose flew north over the car park, my first of the year (Andy had his earlier this month on Petersfield Lake). We were welcomed to an overcast morning and though it was only 5 degrees, it was very still with hardly any wind at all. We took a slow walk south down the Canal Path to view the ‘split tree’ to the west and thankfully, the Barn Owl was there roosting in the tree. I managed to get a few nice photos of the bird and then it didn't take long to catch up with our first visible Cetti’s Warbler of the year that was skulking about in the flattened reeds by the Canal.

A small flock of Meadow Pipits rested on an overhead wire near the car park. 

A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over, with another in the distance ‘drumming’ and a pair of Stonechats in the field showing well close to the footpath. Andy was keeping an eye out for his first Marsh Harrier of the year, but the best we could find was a rather large Common Buzzard that settled in a tree over the far side to the east. A small flock of Redwing landed in the trees while over on Posbrook Floods itself, there were good numbers of Wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall and Teal on show. A Glossy Ibis had been seen recently here, but no sign of the bird despite a good search.

This male Stonechat was on the seafront at Hill Head being most obliging.

Walking south along the Canal Path, we came across Graeme Loader again and had a chat for around ten minutes. He had not seen anything of note, but he did have a Marsh Harrier on his arrival here. No sign of any Water Pipits either but he did warn us that the footpath would be getting muddier the further south we walked. Walking through the wooded area, we had a good sized flock of Long-tailed Tits plus numerous Blue and Great Tits among them. Not a great deal else of note so we made our way back to the car to take the journey south to Hill Head.

Andy offering one of his delicious hot teas to yours truly!

After purchasing a parking ticket, we took a walk to the Chalets to hopefully connect with the wintering Velvet Scoters, however, I noticed that the water level on the reserve was very low and therefore, there was a fighting chance of a skulking Water Rail. How right that proved! Walking along the shingle passing the Chalets, I noticed a flock of 7 Grey Geese flying overhead and on quick inspection, I noticed at least one of the birds was sporting a lot of white at the base of the bill - our first White-fronted Geese of the year. I quickly put the info on the ‘Lazee Birders’ Whatsapp site and then settled down to view the calm sea over the Solent. It didn’t take long to find the Velvet Scoters, all four of them, settled nicely on the sea with at least 14 Great Crested Grebes in attendance.

One of the drake Eiders offshore having a flap. 

A Harbour Seal swimming out in the Solent.

Behind these birds, a large flock of 61 Eiders were counted out on the Solent, adding to the two drakes we had seen earlier (also adding to our year list, as were the Scoters). A Sanderling hurried westbound along the shoreline, but did not linger due to so many people walking with their dogs on the beach. Same old story at low tide here. Pleased with adding to our yearly total, we made our way back east along the road and sat on the wall overlooking the reserve. From here, we could see the base of the reedbeds and after around 15 minutes or so, I gave the shout that I had found a Water Rail. I quickly got Andy onto the bird and took some film footage of the bird as it bathed in the water and a quick preen. While checking the wildfowl on the River Meon, a male Reed Bunting flew speedily across the water and disappeared just as quickly into the reedbed. Another ‘year-tick’ for my good self, but poor Andy dipped on it!

The four Velvet Scoters offshore that were always distant.

You don't often see Sandwich Terns here in the winter, but this individual flew fairly close to us along the shoreline.

Time was creeping away from us as I wanted to be at my Dad’s house for 1pm and so we made our way back home. Feeling a tad sorry for Andy dipping on the Bunting, I decided to drive along the top of Portsdown Hill in search for Red-legged Partridge to add to his year list, but none were to be seen. So I took a drive to Southwick village and came across a large flock of the birds in the fields before we hit the roundabout at the bottom of the road. ‘Year-tick’ total for this morning: Myself 8 species, Andy 9 species. 

 The Water Rail on the River Meon.

A nice mornings walk around Church Norton.

Friday 21st January 2022.

A Robin made use of one of the Statues in Church Norton Churchyard!

I had another day off today and had a good think last night on where to spend my day off. Birding was on my mind and so after checking the various websites, I decided to give Pagham Harbour a try. Obviously, getting out of Portsmouth from where I live can take a long time and so I left it just before 9am to set off to West Sussex. It was another very cold start to the morning and I had to melt the ice of my windscreen again first thing before I set off, but at least it was going to be a bright blue sky morning and being wrapped up in warm weather gear, I was itching to get out there.

The female Peregrine in Pagham harbour this morning.

Both the male and female Peregrines out on the favourite island. Look at the size difference between them!

I made my way into the small car park at Church Norton and was a little dismayed at all the work vehicles taking up a lot of the parking spaces due to work being carried out somewhere in the Priory. Nevertheless, I grabbed my gear and made my way down the path to the harbour. I knew high tide wasn't going to be till around 1pm and said I would make use of checking out the waders out on the mudflats. Almost immediately, a large flock of small waders took off over the harbour and this was due to a pair of Peregrines, including a large female bird, hunting over the harbour. The raptors soon landed on the favoured island and perched on the posts, the female with a kill in one of her talons (my first of the year and a good start to the day).

A flock of Knot with Grey Plover out on the mudflats. 

Teal enjoying the morning sunshine.

A large flock of Knot was feeding in the harbour among the many Dunlin and Grey Plover (my second year tick), but always remained fairly distant. From the viewpoint with the two benches, one can get some nice photos of the waders feeding quite close in the channels that include the Redshank, Grey Plover and Curlew. I did check thoroughly for the overwintering Whimbrel, but there was no sign of the bird during my stint here. Behind me, in the woodland, there were at least two ‘drumming’ Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a ‘yaffling’ Green Woodpecker though both species were never seen. A Mediterranean Gull flew north low over the water and then I found the adult Yellow-legged Gull sat in the middle of the harbour, not too far away from where the Peregrines were perched. The Gull was also my first of the year, a species I regularly get here most winters. 

A Redshank keeping a watchful eye over the harbour.

This Curlew showed well in the harbour, one of many seen today.

I took a slow walk to the sea to check if anything of note was upon it and came up with a big fat zilch! Though the sea was dead calm, I could not find anything whatsoever upon it, though I got lucky with three Red-throated Divers passing by, though distant. Two birds flew east and another west and jumped aboard my year list thank you very muchly! There was no point staring at an empty sea and so I turned round and took a walk to the Severals to check out the small woodland that splits the reedbeds. The footpath led to the wooded area and in here, there were a lot of passerines flitting about. A flock of around 20+ Goldfinches also held a few Chaffinch feeding on the Birch seeds and also seen was at least two Goldcrests, a small flock of Long-tailed Tits and a few Blue and Great Tits among them. Though nothing really exciting, it was enjoyable being amongst them in their frenzy in search for food.

The footpath to the south of the Severals. All the puddles here were iced over still.

When waders get close, I cannot resist in taking a photo of them, no matter how common they are. Here, a Dunlin came in close enough for a reasonable photo.

 

I took a walk back to the harbour entrance and looking up, I was very pleased to see my first Marsh Harrier of the year, a female bird sporting a nice creamy crown. The bird circled briefly then headed off northbound towards the woods by the Priory. On reaching the harbour entrance, I checked the waders again. I could not find anything new among them and so took a walk north to take the footpath leading to the Cemetery. Unfortunately, probably due to weather erosion, the steps leading up to the path had nearly destroyed the steps and so I had to turn back from whence I came! Ger-rumble! I took a few more photos of the waders and a Black-tailed Godwit had joined the other waders close by within the channel. Taking a walk within the Churchyard, I could not find the Firecrest or Chiffchaff that was seen yesterday here and only a few Blackbirds and Robins present for my effort.

A Grey Plover close in within the harbour.

A Black-tailed Godwit passing by with a Dunlin in the background.

Back in the car, I decided to give Chichester Gravel Pits a try and though I had to negotiate a very muddy and slippery path at times, surely I would pick up some more ‘year-ticks’? Nope! I was hoping for an Egyptian Goose or a Cetti’s Warbler, but all was very quiet here. There were good numbers of both Tufted Duck and Pochard on Ivy Lake and both Gadwall and Shoveler were in much smaller numbers. Nearing the end of Ivy Lake, a large skein of Grey Lag Geese flew over, probably 50+ birds in total, but no sign of any Egyptian on the smaller pools. A single Chiffchaff was seen flitting about in the Willows and at least two small flocks of Long-tailed Tits, but little else of note.

A Great Crested Grebe swimming on Trout Lake.

A skein of Grey Lag Geese flying over the Lakes.

A quick check on Birdguides revealed that the Glossy Ibis had been seen in the field by the Info Centre on Farlington Marshes this morning and I was tempted to go and view the bird, but it turned out the bird was a brief sighting and flew off eastbound. While driving back home along the A27, a suicidal Common Buzzard flew low across the road, only just avoiding the speeding traffic as it headed off northbound over the fields. I got a message from Sussex birder Sarah Russell to say the Glossy Ibis flew over the harbour again today. I am wondering now if I am going to track one down, though they can be very elusive at times. The Hook-with-Warsash area currently has a Yellow-browed Warbler and Glossy Ibis in the vicinity, plus a Firecrest! 

Tufted Duck on Ivy Lake.

A Midweek Update.

Wednesday 19th January 2022.

The Glossy Ibis going into roost at the Owl Point bushes by Pagham Harbour. Photo by Sarah Russell.

It's midweek already and thankfully, I have seen some nice birds over the last few days to add to my blog, though no photos I’m afraid. I would look somewhat dodgy in my line of work carrying a camera with me! The weather has been playing tricks again this week with icy cold mornings then leveling out to be quite mild, which included a rain shower today! Crazy stuff. Monday was a quiet day for me personally, but there was exciting news when a tailless Richard’s Pipit was found just north of  Basingstoke at a place called Wildmoor. Though it was seen briefly the following morning, the bird simply disappeared. Personally, I hardly saw anything of note, but at least it did liven up on Tuesday.

A female Great Spotted Woodpecker sharing a seed feeder with a Goldfinch. Photo by Dave Levy. 

The drive over Portsdown Hill produced three species of Raptor that included a pair of Kestrels, two separate Common Buzzards (one of the Kestrels dive-bombed one of the Buzzards that was perched on the wire fence) and best of all, a Red Kite that was sailing fairly low over the Hill near Fort Southwick. A large flock of Fieldfare took off from the fields near Skew Lane and headed off north, with at least 30+ birds within the flock (my first flock of Fieldfare for the year). A Stonechat was briefly seen perched on a weed stem just north of the road and finally, a pair of Red-legged Partridges were seen in the field west of Downend Road. Not bad seeing all these birds were seen on one drive over Portsdown Hill.

Siberian Chiffchaff at Hams Hall, Warwickshire. This species (currently sub-species of Chiffchaff, but that could change soon) has been identified in many areas this Winter. I did see the Titchfield Haven bird last month and they really are a cold, pale looking bird. Photo by Dave Hutton.

Today was much quieter but I did see a superb male Sparrowhawk fly down from tree branches opposite Chichester Crematorium and land on the ground. It then flew up and flew from branch to branch as it climbed the tree until flying off. Amazing how all the other smaller birds suddenly go very quiet! A little while later, a Goldcrest flew across the trees and disappeared out of view; only my second sighting of this species this year.  

An African Emperor Moth. This photo was taken by a friend of mine, Alta, who lives in South Africa and now and then, will send me photos of the wildlife there. Photo by Alta. 

A Ring-billed Gull has returned to the roost on Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes once again, hopefully spending the rest of the winter here in the roost. There were quite a few sightings of Glossy Ibis in both Hampshire and West Sussex today and yesterday. The Velvet Scoters are still off Hill Head and Andy Johnson had the ringtail Hen-harrier again heading towards Thorney Island and a Marsh Harrier also. Yesterday, a Wheatear was seen at Southampton Western Docks. Was this the same bird seen at Lee on Solent last week? Good to see the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was heard ‘drumming’ in Mark Ash Wood, so I might pay a visit there soon.