A pair of Garganey on the Severals.

Saturday 2nd April 2022.

The pair of Garganey on the Severals this morning and eventually showing very well. 

Another very cold start to the day as I scraped ice off my windscreen before making my way north to pick Andy up. As expected, his moth box failed to pick up a single moth as I checked his egg trays thoroughly, but it drew a blank. I had made my decision to head east into West Sussex and try our luck first at Chichester Gravel Pits for there had been some nice birds of late reported this week there.  

Above, there were quite a few Chiffchaffs singing along the path by Ivy Lake. Below, Pochard were in good numbers too, with this lovely drake preening in the morning sunshine.

We were hoping for a few migrants along the footpath, for example some Hirundines, but we found none over the lakes, despite a good search. Andy managed to grab his first Blackcap of the year, with a bird flying out of a bush and flying away from us; so not really the greatest view for your first of the year. Chiffchaffs were in good voice with at least four birds seen singing along the footpath and a few Cetti’s Warblers put in an appearance also. An early Willow Warbler or Sedge Warbler would have been nice, but no sign of either this morning.

Above, a Great Crested Grebe also preening in the sunshine on Deep Lake. Below, a pair of Egyptian Geese swimming across East Lake. 

There is a pair of Red-crested Pochards that have been seen on either Ivy Lake on Copse Lake and apparently, one of the ‘Lazee Birders’ found them this morning on the latter site, though both Andy and myself never saw the birds. However, there were a good number of Pochard around today as well as Tufted Duck, Mallard and Great Crested Grebes and in this bright sunshine, they really stood out nicely. Other notable sightings here included a pair of Egyptian Geese on one of the Lakes and also a fine looking Black Swan, that surely will be on the British List soon? Both Grey-lag and Canada Geese were in good numbers still, with a pair of the former being quite approachable on the main path.

Above, so when will the Black Swans make it onto the British list? This bird was on Copse Lake this morning. Below, a Great Spotted Woodpecker perched up high on a tree above us and began drumming!

On Runcton Lake, off Peckham's Copse Lane, the Cormorants were nest building there in the bushes and trees, but apart from a few Little Grebes on the water, all was quiet here. However, the trees held a fine Great Spotted Woodpecker just above us and both Chiffchaff and Blackcap were present too. The walk back did not produce anything new on our way back, though we had a quick chat with Jay Bee (one of the Lazee Birders) and then got back into the car and headed to Sidlesham Ferry Pool.

Above, a Buff-tailed Bumble bee enjoying the Blackthorn flowers by Sidlesham Ferry Pool and below, does this look like Andy is enjoying sitting in the Hide overlooking the Ferry Pool, enjoying a cup of coffee and going for 3 'year ticks' today?

Even the Ferry Pool was quiet, with just four Black-tailed Godwit present among the Shelduck, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and Mallard resting on the edge of the pool. The water level was high on the Ferry Pool, so that ruled out any exciting waders. Out in the fields, a Common Buzzard was seen perched on the radio mast and a distant male Kestrel flew around the field behind the Ferry Pool.

Above, Wigeon, Shoveler, a Black-headed Gull and a couple of Black-tailed Godwit resting beside the Ferry Pool and below, my first Marsh Marigolds in bloom on the large pool behind the Hide.  

Church Norton was our next destination however, the churchyard was very quiet with only a few Robins to look at. We sat on the old bench overlooking the churchyard, the same bench I sat on with old friends some 40 years ago and had my sandwiches on. God, it brought back memories. Where has all that time gone? We made our way to the harbour and the tide was slowly on the rise. The Tern Island held both Mediterranean Gulls and Black-headed Gulls, although I think the latter was the dominant species. A good number of Sandwich Terns were also present among them. There was a flock of around a dozen Black-tailed Godwits close in on the mudflats and good numbers of both Curlew and Redshank, but no other waders could be found. I really needed my scope to check the birds further out and although I did not have it, I got the phone call this morning from Cley Spy to say it is on its way back to me next Tuesday. Huzzah!

Above, Curlews were dotted around on the foreshore in Pagham Harbour. Below, good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits were in the harbour too. 

We took a walk south to the beach and I was very angry with a couple of dog walkers who let their dogs off their leads and duly ran out onto the mudflats to chase the birds. I think my language towards them had them hastily keeping their distance from me, but I shall be reporting this to the RSPB later. There is a petition going on to ban all dogs off leads on RSPB reserves and I for one, being a dog owner myself, will sign it post haste. We got to the comfy bench and chilled out for a bit overlooking the harbour, enjoying a pair of Linnets by the hedge. I did pick up what looked like a pair of Glossy Ibis some distance away flying high over the harbour, but too distant to be certain.

Med and Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers and Sandwich Terns in front of Tern Island within the harbour. Below, the drake Garganey on the Severals pool. 

There were no Wheatears on the beach, which was disappointing, but when we got to the second ‘Several’ pool, where there had been a pair of Garganey all week here, we checked out the pool thoroughly but only found a few Little Grebes and a pair of Mallard. However, a little while later, Andy gave the shout that the Garganeys were on show and sure enough, out popped a beautiful pair of our first Garganeys of the year, right out in the centre of the pool. Sure was a cracking sight. Earlier, a female Sparrowhawk flew low over the reedbed, heading towards the Priory. 

Above, a Roe Deer in fields from Grange Lane. A couple of late Redwing among a variety of Thrushes was a surprise in a garden along Rectory Lane. 

We then took a walk behind the reedbeds to Greenlease Farm, hoping for a Black Redstart lurking about by the building work, but despite a lengthy search, we could not find any (3 were reported earlier in the week here), but we did have a pair of Green Woodpeckers in the adjacent field and another Great Spotted Woodpecker. Walking back down Rectory Lane to the car park, the owner of a very large lawned garden held a variety of Thrushes that included 4 Blackbirds, 2 Mistle Thrush, 3 Song Thrush and even 2 Redwing! Just a shame a Ring Ouzel wasn't among them, but that's just being greedy! 

This Mistle Thrush was also on the same lawn as the Redwing. We found three Foxes in total in the same garden on Selsey Bill, all enjoying the sunshine.

For lunch, Andy and I made our way to a Fish & Chip shop in Selsey village and taking our lunch to the seafront, we enjoyed very close views of a Turnstone walking just a few feet away from my car! Over the very calm sea, an adult Gannet flew past, but our quest here was the Black Redstart that was in the gardens earlier this morning. Andy spotted it first, a flash of red tail that disappeared behind a hedge. We waited patiently for the bird to reappear and around 15 minutes later, it duly obliged, a fine female individual that showed very nicely for us. Other sightings here included another Chiffchaff and a possible Willow Warbler. I didn't see the leg colouring of the bird, but it was a very bright individual as it flitted around the gardens and then flew off north. Back over the sea, another adult Gannet drifted east low over the water, but little else and so homeward bound it was, but not before treating ourselves to a delicious ice-cream from the nearby van. Happy days. The Black Redstart was Andy’s third ‘year-tick’ of the year while it was just the one for me today; 161 species for the year.   

Above, the female Black Redstart finally gave herself up and posed nicely for us. Below, one of two Gannets that flew past the Bill heading east in the afternoon.

     

Freezing cold day again in the South.

Friday 1st April 2022.

The track has been made to plant the wildflower mix at The Oaks Crematorium.

More like 1st December at the moment! Maybe God is playing an April Fool’s joke on us or the bloody Russians? On Sunday, I was actually getting a little bit sunburnt in the warm weather however, the jet stream decided to take a lunge south and threw our weather into Winter mode again! Snow and sleet showers have been falling from dark skies although there was a lot of bright sunshine in between and damn, it's very cold, with temperatures hardly reaching double figures! I shouldn't moan, because this happens around this time every year although, thankfully, the snow never laid.

I have not been putting the moth box out overnight due to the freezing temperatures overnight and so I had to rely on some bird sightings to fill my blog over the past few days. Yesterday, I had the job of going up to Swindon to retrieve some stuff for my employers and and the way there and back, I had a total of 5 Common Buzzards and 5 Red Kites seen from my vehicle. I also saw a Red-legged Partridge about to run across the A34, but quickly turned back and up onto the grass verge for safety. The amount of roadkill along that stretch of road is quite staggering: Deer, Badgers, Foxes and an enormous number of Pheasants too.  

Today, despite the freezing wind, The Oaks Crematorium produced another sighting of the male Blackcap by the edge of the woodland and the Green Woodpecker finally gave itself up, seen near the entrance of The Oaks as I was leaving late this afternoon.  Both Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch were heard calling in the woods again and overhead, a large flock of 30+ Med Gulls headed north. Just the one Common Buzzard sighting seen today and that was a single bird flying over the field behind The Oaks. A few White-tailed and Red-tailed Bumble bees braved the cold weather around the flower bay here, but no moths by the Book of Remembrance building this time. 

Midweek update.

Wednesday 30th March 2022.

My first Brindled Pug of the year, which I found at The Oaks Crematorium yesterday.

Tuesday was a lot cooler than of late with occasional showers, but it remained overcast most of the day. I did not put the moth box on overnight due to the fact there was rain predicted and so I played safe. I have bought a new rain guard for my box which I shall christen tonight as more rain is on the cards.

Also found at The Oaks was this 'Grass Moth' Ypsolopha mucronella.

My first job today took me over to The Oaks Crematorium where on entry to the grounds, the diggers were busy getting on with building the new housing estate by the main entrance. Yes, unbelievable that they could build a brand new load of unaffordable houses to the many, next to a modern ‘state of the art’ Crematorium. It’s a case of f*** the wildlife and the serene beauty of the place and shove a load of ugly buildings on it. But hey ho, that's what this lunatic Government wants to do with our green spaces.

This Bee Fly was found in a moribund state covered in spiders web at Portchester Crem yesterday.

On a positive note, the woodland beside The Oaks held singing Nuthatch, Chiffchaff and Blackcap; the latter was seen very well high up in some trees as I pointed it out to one of my work colleagues before it flew off north and deeper into the woodland. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the car park and into the west side of the woods, while earlier on the bird feeders, at least two Coal Tits were showing well among the many Blue and Great Tits present. I did check out the Book of Remembrance building for any moths and came up with two micro moths, a single Common Plume and even better, my first Ypsolopha mucronella of the year. 

Sadly, for such a lovely Streamer moth, this photo was the best I could get using my mobile phone camera. I was hoping it might of moved lower down on the wall it sat on, but it remained in exactly the same place as yesterday! 

In the afternoon, a visit to Portchester Crematorium produced a few more moths, all seen around the exit of the South Chapel: 3 Common Plume, a single Beautiful Plume and best of all, my first Streamer of the year. Just a shame that the photo of this stunning little moth was so poor, but it was high up and taken using my mobile phone camera. I checked the windows on the flower bay, but could not find any more moths but I did find a Bee Fly of which I rescued from some spider web, though I think it had passed away. There were virtually no other bird sightings here of note, but a singing Skylark somewhere high up in the sky remained elusive. An Alpine Swift was found late this afternoon at Chilling Cliffs, but though a few record photo shots were taken, the bird did not linger and headed off fast northbound.  

Above, a view of the edge of the woodland on the west side of The Oaks Crematorium where the Blackcap was singing from. Below, a dead Minotaur Beetle I found in the grounds at this location.  

I was a bit shocked to find next to no moths in and around my moth box early this morning, with only one Light Brown Apple Moth to justify using my electric all night! When I got home this evening, I did find two Common Plume moths in the garden; scant consolation for last night. It was overcast all morning but in the afternoon, the sun tried desperately to shine through the gloom as I donned my new sunglasses for work for the first time. Annoyingly, my back is playing up again as I think I have a trapped nerve somewhere below my shoulder blade. I really do not want to take any more time off work seeing as I have the Dentist tomorrow morning, which I am NOT looking forward to!

The Hoverfly species, Melanostoma scalare, a male, in my garden tonight.

My first job today was around midday and that was at Portchester Crematorium. A check around the South Chapel exit produced yesterday’s Streamer moth which looked as though it had not moved since yesterday either! There were also two Common Plume moths, but I could not find any other moths around the area or the flower bay. On my travels today, a male Kestrel was seen perched on a lamp post near Farlington Marshes by the A3M and a Common Buzzard was seen distantly soaring over Portsdown Hill. There was a bit of activity over The Oaks Crematorium as the singing male Blackcap put in another good appearance. A couple of Common Buzzards lazily drifted over the back of the Crem and a Coal Tit perched in a small tree and sang, while deep within the woodland, both Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch were calling. 

Above, the Black-browed Albatross off Flamborough Head last year. Photo by Andy Tew and below, the same bird on the rocks with Gannets. Photo by John Manley. Both from the Lazee gang!

News broke today of the return of the Black-browed Albatross off Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire and made several fly passes over the cliffs! There is a possible chance that a ‘twitch’ might be on with the ‘Lazee’s’ should the bird remain in the area again. The Bonaparte's Gull is still on Chichester Gravel Pits again this afternoon and a Ring Ouzel was reported by one observer at Chilling Cliffs.   

Moth total climbs to new heights.

Monday 28th March 2022.

One of four Double-striped Pugs this morning, with this being the most well marked individual.

There was nothing new within or around the moth box early this morning, but a healthy number of moths were present, although this was mostly dominated by the Common Plume’s once more. It is going to get a lot colder this week with some areas predicting snow by the end of the week! This morning, at 6.30am, it was still dark due to the ridiculous ritual of putting the clocks forward by an hour. Honestly, with what is going on in the world and also political correctness, we still live in the dark ages when it comes to this hour forward in the Spring nonsense. Grrrr!

This very small caterpillar (being held by our Isabelle) was found crawling down our kitchen door! I have no idea what species it is and I have had no reply on the Facebook UK Caterpillar group yet either!

This morning, there was a huge total of 46 moths present including the following: 

• 1 Common Quaker
• 1 Angle Shades
• 4 Early Grey
• 4 Double-striped Pug
• 32 Common Plume
• 3 Beautiful Plume
• 1 Light Brown Apple Moth

I found another Nursery Spider in our garden yesterday, quite close to our kitchen door, so I gently ushered it along before a big foot finished it off!

Though I had a quiet day with the birds with hardly anything of note to be seen, there was a trickle of migrants noted on the south coast in Hampshire including a singing Willow Warbler at Sandy Point, Hayling Island (plus a juvenile Spoonbill circling high over the same site); a Swallow in off the sea at Southsea and several Wheatears dotted around. Selsey Bill recorded a lone Common Tern passing east over the sea and the pair of Garganey were still on the Severals at Church Norton. The Bonaparte’s Gull remained faithful to the West Trout Lake, Chichester Gravel Pits, today.  

Birding pal, Andy Fisher, connected with the Spoonbill on Farlington Marshes yesterday, while another birding pal of mine, Geoff Farwell, took a stroll over Old Winchester Hill and notched up the following: 2 singing Firecrest, Marsh Tit, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Red Kite and 2 Common Buzzards. Last Saturday, Geoff done some birding in Matley Wood, New Forest, and recorded the following: 2 Hawfinches, Brambling, Siskins, Crossbill, 4 singing Firecrest, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Stonechat, 3 Woodlark, 4 Marsh Tits, Common Buzzard and a Lapwing.

Common Quaker moth added to year list.

Sunday 27th March 2022.

Common Quaker moth and my first for the year.

It was nice to have a lay in this morning as the sun shone brilliantly through the bedroom curtains. Eventually, at 8.30am, I dragged my sorry soul downstairs and put the kettle on and grabbed a few moth pots to see what bounty lay before me on such a glorious sunny morning. There were actually more moths present this morning than yesterday and with a bonus of my first Common Quaker of the year too.

The Buff Ermine moth was still present from yesterday. 

There was a grand total of 37 moths present that included the following:

• 1 Common Quaker
• 1 Angle Shades
• 1 Buff Ermine
• 4 Early Grey
• 6 Double-striped Pug
• 22 Common Plume
• 2 Beautiful Plume

One of 4 Early Grey Moths today.

There were probably a few more Common Plume’s around in the garden, but for now, that is one healthy number. Apparently, their larvae feed on the likes of Bindweed, Knotgrass and Heather of which are quite common in the gardens around the area, hence the strong numbers of this species.