Nine species added to year list!

Saturday 23rd April 2023.

Sleeping Beauty! The adult Black-crowned Night Heron at Stockbridge Common Marsh. 

I made the decision with Andy that if our year list is going to get over 200 for the year, we must go for the more scarce birds in Hampshire and beyond, then the common stuff will fall (or should I say fly) our way. Therefore, the quest today was firstly the Night Heron at Stockbridge and if still around, the Black-winged Stilts at Pennington Marshes. The weather was looking good right up to around 1pm and though Andy had NO moths in his moth box earlier this morning, we still headed north with a smile and a sense of expectation of a good day's birding.

The entrance to Stockbridge Common Marsh. A superb place for birding and some well-behaved dog-walkers too!

Stockbridge Common Marsh was roughly an hour away from Cowplain and the Sat nav took us through the lovely Hampshire countryside where we saw a Wheatear along the way there, somewhere near the A32. Several Jays were also seen plus a Red Kite, but best of all was a group of at least 7 Hares altogether in a ploughed field. Though the Sat nav took us through the shopping centre of Winchester, it still took us just ten minutes a little further to reach the car park of Stockbridge Common Marsh where we came across fellow ‘Lazee’s’ Andy Friend, Ollie and Kev and one other Lazee Birder who I do not know well (sorry!). They gave us the exact location on where the Night Heron was and with an uncooperative Garden Warbler singing in a neighbouring garden, we made our way to the site, but not before giving us the exact location on where they were going next, Fishlake Meadows.

At least three Sedge Warblers were holding territory along the river near the Night Heron.

I have never been at this location before, but it most certainly had great potential. Sedge Warblers and even a single Reed Warbler were heard singing by the River Marshcourt and on reaching the location where told earlier, you could not really miss seeing the adult Night Heron perched up in the tree, fast asleep! A little obscured by the overhanging branches, the bird virtually remained motionless all the time we were there, though it did shuffle its head a few times, but, sadly, I never got to glimpse its superb red eye, which I was hoping for. This was Andy’s first ‘Hampshire’ Night Heron and my third Night Heron ever (the last being one at Slimbridge and another on Pennington Marshes).

A Wren was singing close to the main footpath on Fishlake Meadows. Below, a Common Carder Bee was enjoying nectaring on a Dandelion on the same reserve.

While enjoying a hot drink from my flask I brought along, we had a brief sighting of our first Cuckoo of the year flying into a distant tree and then out again. My first Sedge Warblers of the year (Andy saw his earlier this week on Farlington Marshes) put on a good performance by the River. Several Cetti’s Warblers were also seen and heard here and a tatty looking Red Kite flew high overhead, flapping lazily in the gloomy grey sky. A Grey Wagtail briefly flew from the River and headed south while nearby, a male Stonechat was seen perched on a blade of tall grass. ‘Northern John (Manley)’, a fellow ‘Lazee’, soon joined us and enjoyed the Night Heron with us until we had our fill and made our way back to the car park. From here, a male Blackcap was singing its heart out in a nearby bramble then showed well briefly on an overhead wire.

Above, a distant Great White Egret on Fishlake Meadows seen from the Canal Path looking west. Good numbers of these birds can be seen here sometimes. Below, it looks like a scene from the Everglades, but I can assure you that we were at Fishlake Meadows.

A damn good start to our birding day and more was to come as we made the 15 minute journey next to Fishlake Meadows, which was another Nature Reserve we had never been to! Why the hell not!!! For we were in for a major surprise. There was still no sign of the Black-winged Stilts being reported at Pennington Marshes and so off to Fishlake instead.

Above, good numbers of Warblers were seen singing along the Canal Path including this Chiffchaff and below, a fine male Reed Bunting showed well.  

We parked up in the convenient car park on the new Housing Estate and made our way to the Canal Path and headed north. Almost immediately, I was confronted with a lovely male Goldcrest and Chiffchaffs were literally everywhere. This wetland reserve is 59 Hectares of superb birding and with an adjacent canal by the path, the potential here is incredible. Bittern, Osprey, Hobby, Grasshopper Warbler and Water Rail are regular here and such birds as Bee eaters, Red-footed Falcon and Purple Heron are recent rarities that have been seen here. I was in awe as we made our way up the path with some birds showing so well like the various Warblers, that it was a photographer's paradise!

Above, just the one Reed Warbler was seen singing here for us at Fishlake and below, there must have been double figures of Sedge Warbler and showing so well too.

We eventually met up with the ‘Lazee’ gang again of which we had met earlier and now included Andy Tew. So joining them, we were soon notching up more new birds for our year list. A pair of Cuckoo’s were busy flying around the reserve, giving all those some nice photo opportunities. Earlier, Andy and myself picked out a very distant Great White Egret on the reserve and was later seen on the way out of the reserve with the other ‘Lazee’s’. A Kestrel was seen hovering over the reserve while we were looking west and a Red Kite was seen perched on one of the many dead trees out in the centre of the reserve. The area was flooded in the middle of the reserve and consequently, only the boughs of the trees were left standing, but it provided good perch for passing raptors etc! At one stage, a Cuckoo shared one of the trees with a Great Spotted Woodpecker!

Above, another singing Sedge Warbler at Fishlake and below, my first Cuckoo Flower of the year growing by the footpath.

Moving on, we made our way to where Andy Tew said was a good location for Garden Warbler and we successfully found a bird singing deep within some Silver Birch trees. Fortunately, it flew out and landed nearby, showing very well to get a reasonable photo of this superb songster.  Finally, some Hirundines were seen, which turned out to be my first House Martins of the year, with a pair of birds heading slowly north high up. Common Buzzards seemed to be soaring everywhere including a pair of birds that flew quite low. The guys had already seen a Hobby earlier in the day here, but it didn't take too long to catch up with the bird when someone spotted it flying north over the reserve from the Canal Path. While watching the Hobby, I shouted out that I had a pair of Swifts heading north over the top of a line of trees and everyone soon got onto those two. Yet another species new to our year list!

Above and below, we were graced with this singing Garden Warbler on the reserve.

From this excellent viewpoint overlooking the reserve looking west, we were joined by more birders and while there, I picked out a pair of Common Whitethroats flitting about below us in some brambles. I quickly shouted to Andy where they were and he was onto another ‘year-tick’ for his year list. I was now on 7 new species for the year already, while Andy was on 6! Before leaving the reserve, we got to see our first Orange-tip butterfly of the year fluttering around for everyone to see (whether they were into butterflies or not!). I also saw my first Cuckoo Flower of the year along the path too, which was a bonus.

Above, my final photo of a singing Sedge Warbler and a different individual again as well. It was singing close to where we saw the Garden Warbler. Below, my best effort of one of the two Cuckoo's seen on the reserve. I do like the typical pose this bird was giving.

Above, this superb photo of one of the Cuckoo's taken by Andy Tew. Below, Emma Parkes captured the Hobby that was seen by us, though she this a little later than us.

Before leaving the car park, we all agreed to meet up at a small (and dare I say it, far too small) car park at Pennington Marshes even though the Stilts had still not been seen today. However, there were potentially more ‘year-ticks’ to see here and we certainly added some more. We took the path directly south to the seawall, enjoying more Common Whitethroats and Lapwings on the way, as Swallows came in off the sea in ones and twos. The tide was high out in the Solent when we reached the sea wall and almost immediately, I picked out a small flock of Eider on the sea. At least a dozen birds were seen off the jetty, but some were disturbed by a passing small boat and took off heading west. You can see Hurst Castle from here and the potential of a passing unusual seabird like a Skua or Tern was good too as I picked out a late pair of Brent Geese heading east over the sea. Overhead, Med Gulls would pass over throughout our stay here, probably heading to the islands further east near the shoreline. 

Above, this small flock of Eider was seen flying off from the seawall at Pennington Marshes. Below, one of the many Avocets present on the reserve.

We decided to walk east and check out first Butts Lagoon and then both Pennington and then Oxey Lagoon where we had great views of our first Spotted Redshank of the year and a fine summer plumage bird too, that was feeding between the Redshanks and many Avocets present. A small flock of Black-tailed Godwit, most in summer plumage were also present and a few Oystercatchers passed overhead calling. While enjoying the ‘Spotshank’ over a hot cup of drink, a Common Sandpiper flew past and settled further west on the small pool; our second of the year after the one at Blashford Lakes. Even Whimbrels announced they were there with their distinctive call echoing over the reserve, as we picked out at least three birds flying over the Solent.

Above, a small number of smart looking Black-tailed Godwit were on the pools and below, this gorgeous Spotted Redshank in summer plumage was a real bonus. Not an easy bird to see in Spring in Hampshire.

Still enjoying our hot drink, our first White Wagtail of the year flew in and landed in a small cove on Pennington Lagoon; my 9th and final ‘year-tick’ of the day. A Common Tern had flown over our heads, which was also new for the year for Andy and his 9th 'year-tick' of the day, but there was no sign of the Little Terns that had been earlier reported here this morning. We took a walk up to Oxey Lagoon and checked the islands and Solent out for anything of note. Up to three Great Crested Grebes were seen on the sea, including one close in and Andy picked out our third ‘Shank’ of the day when he quickly got us onto a Greenshank walking on Pennington Lagoon, but the bird flew off north before I could grab a photo. This reserve is famous for its vast array of waders and after checking out the very close flock of 11 Turnstone (some in their very smart summer plumage) by the jetty, a superb summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwit flew past heading west over the sea. Magical.

Above and below, the Spotted Redshank seen on Pennington Lagoon.

Above, a pair of Avocets seen on Pennington Lagoon. Below, one of the Great Crested Grebes seen offshore.

Above, one of the Turnstone looking stunning in its summer plumage and below, the day was rounded off with a flyby Raven.

I promised my wife that I would be back around 3.30pm (I wasn't too late after that!) and so hastily walking back to the car park, with more Swallows and Common Whitethroats on show, we watched a passing Raven heading low west over the fields to round off one superb day's birding.