A day in the Tern Hide.

Saturday 6th May 2023.

Common Terns were abundant on Ibsley Water and some even perched close to the Tern Hide.

After careful consideration last night, I ruled out a very early ‘sea-watch’ from Southsea due to the poor weather forecast for the day and though some of the ‘Lazee’s’ were putting in a ‘sea-watch’ at other south coast localities for a Pom Skua, I decided to go to Blashford Lakes and sit in the Tern Hide armed with a bag full of ‘nosh’ from the nearby garage with Mr Andy Fisher. The weather today was simply shocking for we got a mixture of drizzle, light rain, consistent rain and very heavy rain; however, we had the comfort of the Hide to remain dry all day.

Above, my first Eudonia angustea micro moth of the year by Andy's moth box. Below, mating Black-headed Gulls on the spit in front of the Tern Hide.

A rather sodden Little Ringed Plover among the Black-headed Gulls and in front of a Common Tern on the small island.

I regretted not putting my moth box on last night, for there was only a slight drizzle here in Southsea first thing and so I had to rely on Andy’s moth box for any ‘Mothy’ goodness! Sadly, the only macro moth present was a Brimstone Moth, but I did find my first Eudonia angustea of the year, a small greyish micro moth.The only other moth present was a single Tachystola acroxantha. A moth enthusiast from nearby Horndean lamented that he was also having a poor Spring for moths in his garden. Ditto!

Above, a bathing Little Ringed Plover with a Black-headed Gull and Tufted Duck looking on. Below, A Great Crested Grebe about to swim past a perched Black-headed Gull. 

Above, a Swift in the gloom along with a Sand Martin over Ibsley Water.

We arrived in the car park by the Tern Hide around 9.20am where it already was flooded in places, so I did try to drive carefully to park. Garden Warblers were already in good voice by the Viewing Platform and I managed to see one bird fly out of the brambles and across the car park. Overhead, I could already see a lot of Hirundines and that prepared me for the spectacle in front of the Hide. It was still raining quite heavily, which, I assume, was putting many birders off in going out today and what with the King Charles Coronation going on, many will be glued to their television! Andy and I then spent the next four and a half hours here within the Hide, enjoying superb views of the Hirundines and the 30+ Common Terns hawking over Ibsley Water.

A female Mallard with her brood takes the plunge onto Ibsley Water. Below, heavy raindrops bomb down around the ducklings.

Above, Sand Martins buzzing across the water in front of the Tern Hide.

Frustratingly, my P900 camera simply could not take many decent photos of the Hirundines despite the fact that a lot of the birds flew so close to the Hide, but at least we had the best seats in the house and enjoyed a variety of birds during our long stay here. Kicking off with the Hirundines, the most numerous by far were the Sand Martins buzzing past with much smaller numbers of Swallows and Swifts. Only one or two House Martins were seen, however, there was always the chance of something rarer dropping in. But not today.

Above, the Common Sandpiper to the right of the Hide and below, a Common Tern flying past the Hide.

One of the Black-tailed Godwits present on the spit to the right of the Hide. It had to be careful from the nesting Black-headed Gulls.

Up to six species of wader were recorded that included at least two Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Redshank, 3 possibly 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Lapwing and a single Common Sandpiper. Despite my best efforts, I could not find a Wood Sandpiper or something similar along the shoreline, but a pair of Oystercatchers with two young were on the island at the northern end of Ibsley Water.

Above, this Black-headed Gull looks a bit bemused with a heavy rain shower. Below, Sand Martins taking a break and perching on sticks to the right of the Hide.

Above, another Common Tern flying past the Hide and below, the male Tufted Duck was displaying to its mate. 

The majority of wildfowl present were Tufted Duck, a few pairs of Gadwall and Mallard though a few Grey Lag Geese flew over and several Canada Geese were on the islands. A nearby resident Black Swan was seen near the west bank along with 4 Egyptian Geese and finally, up to 10 Great Crested Grebes were present on the water. Sadly, no Raptors decided to try their luck with the Hirundines in the wet conditions. Up to 6 Hobbies were seen here yesterday! By 2pm, I said to Andy about calling it a day and so made the long wet drive back home. No ‘year-ticks’ today, which was disappointing and later on today, I found out that a Long-billed Dowitcher was found on the Fishtail Lagoon at Pennington Marshes and a Hooded Crow in Gosport today!   

Above, four and a half hours in the same Hide can reduce one to utter madness! Below, an immature Black-headed Gull moulting into summer plumage.

A very brief film footage on one of the Common Terns from the Hide.

A lovely hour with our Isabelle.

Friday 5th May 2023.

This Carrion Crow looks proud to be on top of one of the tallest Horse Chestnut trees in the Cemetery.

After my second shift (a male Sparrowhawk flew over my head in Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth), I returned home only to find that Isabelle and her mum were in my house and Isabelle was just itching to ride her bike. So it was back over to Highland Road Cemetery to check on the wildlife there and Isabelle’s cycling skills! The sun had now come out and it was quite warm late this afternoon. I found out that another Pomarine Skua passed Gilkicker Point around midday (bloody typical!), but very quiet throughout the rest of the day there.

Above, the Batman Hoverfly and below, the plant Germander Speedwell.

Above, the male Dunnock singing on the east side of the Cemetery.

The grass has really grown within the Cemetery and virtually all the trees now are in leaf; the whole area looks quite lush and green. Could there be a nice bird to go along with the greenery? The Dunnock was seen again, singing its heart out on the east side of the Cemetery close to the main footpath, while I was watching Isabelle riding her bike going round and round the same circuit. The things us Grandads do! There were also plenty of Starlings around, busy searching the soft grass for insects and the pair of Jays put in an appearance too over on the north-west side of the Cemy.

Above, at least three Holly Blue butterflies were seen and below, a Red Admiral sunning itself. 

Above, one of the two Jays showed well today.

Not a great deal else of note regarding the bird life, but there were a few insects on the wing. Several Holly Blue butterflies were flitting about the Ivy and Holly plants and a Red Admiral butterfly was seen sunning itself on a gravestone. A Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) was seen on nearby vegetation by one of the Holly Blue’s, my first of the year and most certainly not my last. I really did spend most of my time keeping an eye on Isabelle, but it is always a pleasure being with her. Tonight, I heard the familiar 'screaming' of Swifts overhead and I am so glad to say that up to 7 birds were seen circling high over.

I was pleased to see so many Starlings feeding in the Cemetery. I have heard a lot of youngsters calling from the rooftops from their nest holes of late. Below, my first Common Vetch of the year growing near the main entrance.

Poor sea-watch though better with the moths.

Friday 5th May 2023.

Brimstone Moth. One of two this morning.

I knew there was going to be some overnight rain last night, but I took a gamble instead and was rewarded with a small selection of moths again this morning. My first two Brimstone Moths to the garden were right by the box early this morning along with an Early Grey and at least two Double-striped Pugs. Oddly, there was hardly anything in the box except a few micro moths that included both Light Brown Apple Moth and Tachystola acroxantha. Yesterday’s Angle Shades moth was still present in exactly the same place as yesterday near the moth box. There was a smart looking Ichneumon Wasp species in the moth box, which looks good for a Short-tailed Ichneumon Wasp, however, they are extremely difficult to tell apart even with photos. The morning moth total included the following:

• 1 Early Grey
• 2 Brimstone moth
• 1 Angle Shades
• 2 Double-striped Pug
• 7 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 3 Tachystola acroxantha

Above, one of two Double-striped Pugs and below, the micro moth, Tachystola acroxantha.

A light phase Pomarine Skua went past Gilkicker watch point just after 8am this morning and up to four also went past Selsey Bill and a Serin flew in at the same site, which motivated me to do another ‘sea-watch’ from my Southsea shelter overlooking the Solent at around 9am. It was virtually a near waste of time. Despite favourable conditions, the best I could muster were around 7 Sandwich Terns, one adult Shag and a couple of Oystercatchers! Whoopee doo! That is the gamble of ‘sea-watching’. You have to take the good with the bad and today was poor. If you are into Gulls in a big way, then you were in your element as there were plenty of those out there including a large raft of them near Horse Sands Fort. At least 200+ Gulls must have found a ‘Sprat movement’ going through, though I could not see anything other than Gulls out there.

A probable Short-tailed Ichneumon Wasp in my moth box today.

Fellow ‘Lazee’, Gary Fennemore, found three Wood Sandpipers on a flooded field at Pennington Marshes along with a Curlew Sandpiper that was going into summer plumage. A superb find. As I write this update on my blog just before midday, an Osprey was reported catching a fish at Fishlake Meadows and then hurried off north.   

Roseate Tern & Arctic Skua through the Solent.

Friday 4th May 2023.

Some serious sea-watching from Southsea seafront Shelter.

I had a good feeling today that something like a Pomarine Skua would pass through the Solent today and so after I finished my job this morning, I headed off down to my usual shelter overlooking the Solent and after settling down with my birding gear, the two hour sea-watch kicked off superbly with not only a pair of Swallows flying in off the sea, but a superb pale-phased Arctic Skua! 

Several Sandwich Terns were flying along the shoreline at high tide, but most were too quick most of the time to grab a photo. 

A south-westerly wind was blowing through the harbour and conditions looked perfect for a Skua or two and the light seemed just about perfect. I had read earlier that East Sussex had scored early with sightings of Pomarine Skua’s and even Selsey Bill had a few too. Hampshire scored with several seen early morning too from Sandy Point and Cut Bridge to the far west of Hampshire also notched up some of these majestic beauties. Sadly, though I never had any during my stint at Southsea, I was rewarded with a superb Arctic Skua that simply looked fantastic through the scope, but it would have looked crap on camera as it was too distant.

This Feral Pigeon 'photo-bombed' this photo of a passing Sandwich Tern.

Maybe there was no Pomarine Skua yet to add to my year list, but I did notch up a superb Roseate Tern flying low with four Common Terns heading east. Possibly the same bird that was off Hill Head recently, the bird stood out among the Common’s like a sore thumb and what a cracking bird it looked too in this superb light. Well pleased with that, there was a reasonably nice selection of sightings that included good numbers of Hirundines coming in off the sea that involved at least 13 Swifts and 8 Swallows. Just amazing to think from where they have come from for such a tiny creature and to think they are landing on our shores again. One of the brilliant spectacles of British birding.

Good numbers of Swifts came in off the sea in ones and twos.

Other notable birds included several wader species: one Sanderling, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Oystercatcher that were all heading eastbound. A single Shag was seen flying north over the Solent some distance out, but showed well when it eventually headed off west towards Southsea Castle area. I’m sure it will not land there as the Council are still finishing off the new seawall defences there. There was a small movement of both Sandwich and Common Terns going through, 12 and 8 respectively, all looking purposely heading east instead of fishing along the shoreline.

Another photo of one of the Swifts.

Later on the way back home, I cast my vote in the local elections and on my way back, I looked up to hear and watch a Jay making the strangest of noises up in a roadside tree opposite Highland Road Cemetery. It certainly grabbed a few people's attention who were having second guesses on the bird's identification, lol!   

Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls resting together on the Solent.

A windy night produced a few moths.

Thursday 4th May 2023.

Angle Shades moth.

It seems like a while since I have added anything new to my blog. That is due to the fact that I have felt like crap due to having a chronic toothache (aren't they all?!) of which my superb Dentists sorted out almost straight away. So pleased with the Amoxicillin kicking in as fast as it did. Only thing is, I felt like I had flu-like symptoms and had to rest in bed afterwards. From there, believe it or not, I heard the Green Woodpecker calling from Highland Road Cemetery; a species I have not seen at all there this year. Maybe I was hallucinating or maybe my hearing is sharper than I give it credit for?

One of three Light Brown Apple Moths this morning.

I had my first Swift over my house on Tuesday late afternoon. I heard it ‘screaming’ high overhead, but none to be seen the following day. A pair of Grey Herons flew low over the rooftops the same day heading towards the Cemetery and then probably on to Langstone Harbour perhaps? Always worth keeping an ‘eye to the sky’ for someone who claimed a probable male Red-footed Falcon over Fareham a few days ago. The first Hampshire Pomarine Skua’s passed Hill Head yesterday afternoon, seen by fellow ‘Lazee’s’ Mark Francis and Andy Friend and three were seen passing Selsey Bill. The Short-eared Owl that eluded me on Monday was seen again both Tuesday and Wednesday late in the afternoon and early evening. Wonderful!!!

Pomarine Skua's passing Selsey Bill, West Sussex, yesterday afternoon. Photo by Sarah Russell.

Last night, despite being quite a windy night, I put the moth box overnight and this morning, I totalled up 5 moths of just 3 species. Poor, I know, but it really has been hit or miss so far this Spring. An Angle Shades was the pick of the bunch with one Double-striped Pug and 3 Light Brown Apple Moths. One Lacewing was the only notable insect present by the moth box.  

 

A relaxing afternoon on the Marshes.

Monday 1st May 2023.

One of the large flock of Swifts that flew high over the main Lake late this afternoon.

I suppose it was ‘Last chance Saloon’ to see a Short-eared Owl this side of Spring today and my luck had run out. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon waiting patiently from the Viewing Platform on Farlington Marshes for an Owl to show and in good company I might add, with both Emma and Matt Parkes close by, also hoping for a few photos of this superb bird. Knowing that the Owl has taken a liking to flying up and down along the southern end of the reserve, I sat waiting and enjoying the other bird life on show at my favourite reserve.

Above, it was good to see Redshanks holding territory on the Marshes. This individual was watching over his territory and also keeping an eye on his mate that wasn't feeding too far away. Below, this male Reed Bunting was joined by a female later in the afternoon. Such smart birds in the summer dress.

I arrived around 2.30pm in the car park and amazingly, there was a parking space available and so without haste, I took a few photos of the Alexander plants growing by the main entrance and made my way slowly to the Viewing Platform beside the main Lake. I kept a sharp ear out for any singing Lesser Whitethroats (normally a good area for them here by the Bushes area), but none heard, though I did pass a singing Common Whitethroat that was displaying on one of the small brambles adjacent to the sea wall. A few Greenfinches were noted and a singing Chiffchaff was heard somewhere deep within the brambles.

Above, Alexander plants were abundant within the car park to the reserve. This was great news for the Bees and Hoverflies that feed on the nectar of the plants.  Below, a male Greenfinch was holding territory by the footpath while walking through the Bushes area.

The weather didn't look all that great at first as when I arrived at the Viewing Platform, a sharp shower had me covering up my birding gear from a good soaking, but eventually it passed and bright sunshine arrived. I had my thick winter coat on and with the strength of the sun, I was thinking I was going to regret it, but it turned out to be just right. The tide was well out, exposing the mudflats to entice the waders and the Whimbrels feeding on it duly obliged. I counted at least 5 birds out on the mudflats and some showed reasonably close too. A late Curlew was heard calling behind me and some Avocets flew off the Lake and made their way to the channel in the harbour.

My superb view for the afternoon. Sitting down with some good company from the Viewing Platform produced some superb birds sightings. It really goes to show that just sitting in one place for a length of time can really throw up some nice birds. Meadow Pipits displayed nearby and Reed Warblers were occasionally singing in the reedbeds below. 

It was a good afternoon for Raptors too, with an unexpected Red Kite dropping in and making a grab a couple of times on something dead near the edge of the Lake. A couple of Common Buzzards were about all afternoon, mostly perched on the fence posts close to the main reedbed and a distant Kestrel was seen hunting over the Point Field and the Deeps. Even a male Peregrine drifted high overhead, but too distant for me to get a decent photo of this smart bird. The guys present with me saw a Marsh Harrier briefly over the reeds by the Info Centre, but I ‘dipped’ on that sighting.

Above, this pair of Redshanks were seen mating by the edge of the Lake and below, this Red Kite came in and grabbed something on the ground just north of the Lake and carried it off as it drifted off north. I don't often see Kites over the Marshes, so that was a bonus.

A few Swallows and House Martins were seen during my time there, busy hawking over the fields and towards the end of my trip here, I heard the familiar ‘screaming’ of Swifts overhead and sure enough, there was a large flock of at least 30+ birds swirling around in the now clear blue sky. It was great to see them back in numbers again. The reedbeds in front of us contained at least two singing Reed Warblers that showed only briefly and a pair of Reed Buntings entertained us for a while too, noticeably the male bird that sat on top of the reed bed for some time. A pair of Redshanks were seen mating behind the reedbed and occasionally, one would stand on one leg on a fence post. 

Above, this Common Buzzard sat on this post for sometime until it decided to get up and soar right over my head (below). It was later joined by a second bird later in the afternoon.

Matt picked up a female Wheatear out in the field behind the Lake, his and Emma’s first of the year, of which we all got good, but distant, views of the bird and about an hour later, Matt also picked up a male bird within the field. On the Lake itself, a few Little Grebes swam close to the reeds and at least five Avocets were seen wading in the shallow water, though they soon returned to the harbour. The water level on the Lake was relatively high and so, not many waders to be seen here bar a few Redshank and again, the Avocets. Lapwings were in good numbers within the fields, kept busy chasing off Crows that got too close and good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls, on snow white wings, flew high overhead.

Above, around 8 Avocets were either on the main Lake or out close by in the harbour. Below, at least 4 Whimbrel were seen on the mudflats within the western side of Langstone Harbour.

There were quite a few photographers dotted around the southern end of the reserve, hoping, like us, for a sighting of the Owl, but I believe that the Short-eared Owls were not reported this evening. It was clear and still last night and most likely the Owl had flown off; however, at this time of year, these birds are full of surprises and just might be still around. Becky sent me a text to say that our dinner had been ordered and so I said my Goodbye’s to both Emma and Matt and made my way back to the car. I really enjoyed this afternoon and so relaxed too in the sunshine, which goes to show that sitting in just one place can be very productive instead of walking for some distance. I read that 4 Little Terns were seen on the high tide later in the evening, but hopefully, my time will come in viewing these birds.

Above and below, this Little Egret was fishing both near the main Lake and also in the creek behind us. 

Above, one or possibly two Little Grebes were on the main Lake and below, Matt spotted this female Wheatear in the field behind the Lake. A male bird was picked up around an hour later in the same field.