My midweek update.

Wednesday 6th April 2022.

Double-striped Pug at Portchester Crematorium earlier this week. 

It's midweek already and there have been some nice birds around both the Hampshire and West Sussex area, but, alas, I am working all week and so much looking forward to the weekend. One bit of good news is that I have my Swarovski telescope back from repair, so I am looking to try it out over the weekend. The weather has warmed up a bit although it has been a bit damp of late and today was very windy, especially this afternoon. The forecast looks good for Saturday, so I am hoping to either give Chi-Pits another try for the Bonaparte’s Gull or go to Blashford Lakes. We shall see.

White-shouldered House Moth.

A blast from the past, John Goodall and myself at Southsea seafront doing a 'sea-watch' EIGHT years ago! I am tempted to start 'sea-watching' from here again this year especially now I have my scope back. 

Monday was a rather quiet day with the only notable sightings while on my travels at work being a group of 4 Red-legged Partridges on Portsdown Hill, on the south side of the road close to Skew Road. In fact, the Partridges have been showing every day this week as I have pointed them out to my work colleagues while driving past. Yesterday started nicely with a probable newly arrived singing Chiffchaff in my garden early in the morning, which quickly flew north. I also had a Common Buzzard over Portsdown Hill. The exit of the South Chapel held a few moths that included a Double-striped Pug and a Common Plume. Andy sent me a text to say that he saw the Osprey in Langstone Harbour that had been there for the past three days and he also had a female Blackcap in his garden. Two more ‘year-ticks’ were added to his year list.

Last night, I put the moth box on and this morning i had the following moths:

• 2 Double-striped Pug
• 2 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 2 Common Plume
• 1 Beautiful PLume 
• 1 micro to be identified.

Back at Portchester Crematorium today, I found a White-shouldered House Moth and 1 Common Plume. It was a good day for raptors over Portsdown Hill, with a Kestrel seen hovering by the main road in the morning, while in the afternoon, a Red Kite, a female Sparrowhawk and a pair of Peregrines were seen along the drive over the hill heading westbound! To top off the raptors, at least two Common Buzzards were seen late over The Oaks Crematorium this afternoon.

The Bonaparte's Gull on East Trout Lake, Chichester Gravel Pits, earlier this week. The bird would disappear occasionally, hence why Andy and myself dipped on it last Saturday. Fume! Photos by

Jay Bee.

 

Above and below, the Bonaparte's Gull at Chichester Gravel Pits. Photos by Andy Friend.   

As mentioned before, the Bonaparte’s Gull is still present on the East Trout Lake on Chichester Gravel Pits and the pair of Red-crested Pochard were on Ivy Lake. A near adult Whooper Swan has been residing on the Itchen Canal with Mute Swans, which has also had some of the ‘Lazee’s Birders’ scurrying up to Winchester to view the bird to add to their Hampshire year list. A Manx Shearwater (I have still not seen this species in Hampshire yet!) flew west through the Solent this morning and the pair of Garganey are still on the reserve at Titchfield Haven. 

The Whooper Swan on the Itchen Canal, Winchester. 

No migrants within the Cemy.

Sunday 3rd April 2022.

Dark skies to the north eventually found their way over the Cemetery.

There was a lot of sunshine around this afternoon and that prompted me to take Scruff for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery. I was hoping for a migrant or two within my local patch, but, alas, it was not meant to be, although I did have a few interesting sightings. Though it was pleasant in the sun, I could see a large bank of dark clouds coming from the north and heading my way and eventually, once it arrived, the temperature plummeted!

Above, a female Blackbird with food in her bill over on the west side of the Cemetery. Below, a Robin in full song as I passed by.

I arrived at the Cemetery around 4pm and noticed on the way that it is now open to 7pm. I shall endeavour to take more trips during the week after work for a possible Willow Warbler or maybe a Pied Flycatcher? Though it was pleasant in the sunshine, I found very few insects on the wing, with just one Bumble bee species heard only as I was watching something and a few very small flies; but no Hoverflies whatsoever. 

Above, the Horse Chestnuts are now coming into leaf. Below, a pair of Mute Swans flying south was a bit of a surprise. 

I had a grand total of 18 species in and over the Cemetery this afternoon and perhaps the oddest would have been a pair of Mute Swans flying low over the Cemetery, heading south probably towards Canoe Lake. The female Sparrowhawk put in an appearance too, but the four Jays and several Magpies present made her life difficult to settle in the Cemetery and therefore she eventually shot off over the rooftops heading west. Pretty much all the usual birds were present, although no Dunnocks seen this afternoon. Birds seen this afternoon included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Mute Swan
• Starling
• Robin
• House Sparrow
• Goldfinch
• Greenfinch
• Blackbird
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay
• Wren
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit

Above, nesting Carrion Crows in one of the Horse Chestnut trees. Below, at least 4 Jays were seen. 

There was a trickle of migrants scattered around Hampshire today, with Sand Martins over Blashford Lakes, a Willow Warbler over Lower Test Marshes, 2 Little Ringed Plovers on Farlington Marshes, but it was fairly quiet today over the Pagham Harbour area, although the Garganey were still present on the same pool as yesterday. Birding pal, Geoff Farwell, went birding at Farley Mount yesterday and saw the following: 3 Hawfinches, 3 Siskins, 9 singing Firecrests, 3 Chiffchaffs, pair of Stonechat, 3 Marsh Tit, pair of displaying Goshawks, Sparrowhawk, 6 Buzzards, 2 Red Kite, Tawny Owl, 2 Ravens and a Muntjac deer! Yesterday, a male Ring Ouzel was found in a garden behind the chalets at Hill Head. 

This female Sparrowhawk never got to settle within the Cemy due to the angry Corvids.