A trip to Blashford Lakes.

Saturday 21st December 2024.

The Kingfisher in front of the Ivy South Hide this morning.

The weather was looking very grim at first light this morning and I had no choice in finding somewhere with Hides. I was thinking of going for the Black-throated Diver at Emsworth or even to Bransbury Common further north of the county, but the rain put me off and so we made our way to Blashford Lakes instead. It was not a bad trip either where we had a few good birds, notably from the Tern Hide and also Ivy North Hide. Geoff and Andy were both in good form as we spent a good five hours at one of our favourite locations.

Tern Hide, Blashford Lakes NR:

A female Tufted Duck in front of the Tern Hide.

Most of the wildfowl was over on the north and east side of Ibsley Water, but thankfully, I had my telescope to hand where we had reasonable views of at least two Goldeneye (male and female) and a male Goosander on the water. Up to three Green Sandpipers were seen from the Hide including one bird that was kindly pointed out to us by a birder within the Hide, seen to the east of the Hide along the shoreline.

Above, this drake Goldeneye was not an easy bird to digiscope and below, looking through the windows over on the east side of the Hide to see the Green Sandpiper and to photograph the bird wasn't by all means easy!

Above, a drake Pochard with a Coot and a pair of Gadwall in front of the Tern Hide and below, a view of Ibsley Water and the Tern Hide from the Viewpoint.

Myself (check those eyebrows out!!!), Andy and Geoff on the Viewpoint.

All the usual wildfowl were present including a very large number of Pintail upon Ibsley Water. Wigeon, Teal, Mallard and Gadwall were present with smaller numbers of both Pochard and Tufted Ducks. Apart from the Green Sandpiper, the only other waders noted were a 40+ flock of Lapwing over the reserve. Several Grey Herons were fishing the shoreline and were joined by a lone Great White Egret over on the east side and the only raptors seen here today included a Common Buzzard and a Kestrel.

Woodland Hide, Blashford Lakes:

This 'ringed' male Blackbird was by one of the feeders near the Info Centre.

We didn't exactly go into the Hide, but viewed from the outside and checking on the feeders, there were a number of birds including Coal, Great and Blue Tits taking advantage of the seed-feeders and also a few Robins enjoying them too. Overhead, a small flock of Siskin were seen and a female Sparrowhawk soared overhead, putting the woodland birds on their guard below including Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Treecreepers and a pair of Goldcrests. On the woodland floor, I found a few clumps of Sulphur Tuft toadstools growing on old logs.

Above, this female Sparrowhawk soared over the woods by the Centre.

Above and below, this 'ringed' Robin was waiting to be fed by us and Andy found a crumb for it to pick off his hand!

Above, a Goldcrest in flight near the Woodland Hide.

Ivy South Hide, Blashford Lakes:

Above, one of the Great Crested Grebes in front of the Ivy South Hide.

Ivy Lake was also alive with wildfowl of which Wigeon easily dominated in numbers. There were smaller numbers of Gadwall, Teal and Tufted Duck among the Wigeon. There were a few Gulls on the water of which one looked quite promising for a 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull; but I am waiting for confirmation. I have to be honest, this species, along with Caspian Gull, I am a little inexperienced in as I have not had the pleasure of seeing very many over the years. But this site does produce a lot of these species during the winter.

Above, Cormorants were abundant from the Hide and below, a small number of Pintail were also on Ivy Lake.

Above, a putative 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull and below, Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck in flight over Ivy Lake.

Above and below, some of the Wigeon on Ivy Lake were getting a bit frantic.

Wigeon in flight over Ivy Lake.

A few Great Crested Grebes were fairly close to the Hide and a Little Grebe popped out of hiding from the reedbeds. Cormorants were resting in the nearby trees and Geoff had the briefest of views of a Kingfisher passing his eye-shot while checking out the wildfowl through his scope. A Raven flew westbound high over the lake, which was our second one of the day having seen one on our drive to Fordingbridge. After having lunch within the Hide, we all agreed to make our way to the Ivy North Hide.

Ivy North Hide, Blashford Lakes:

The Kingfisher in front of the Ivy North Hide.

Though no Bitterns have been seen this winter here at this site; normally a reliable site for the species, but today, we were nicely entertained with a variety of birds in front of this Hide. Again, good numbers of both Wigeon and Teal were swimming in front of the reedbed and Geoff found another Green Sandpiper on the opposite side of Ivy Lake, in front of the viewing screen and remained there throughout our stay there.

Above, a Coot and a Cormorant in front of the Hide and below, there were plenty of wildfowl on Ivy Lake in front of the same Hide.

Above, the Cetti's Warbler eventually popped out long enough to grab a photo and below, a Blue Tit also in the reedbed.

Above, the reedbeds in front of the Hide and lastly, the gorgeous Kingfisher posing nicely by one of the channels.

As soon as we got inside the Hide, a Kingfisher was showing extremely well, resting on a reed stem in one of the channels between the main reedbed. The bird showed several times here and gave me ample opportunities to take some nice photos. I have been seeing photos of this species during the week on the various Facebook bird sites. We had two good sightings of the Water Rail hopping between two of the reedbeds in front of the Hide but far too quick to grab a photo. A Cetti’s Warbler put on an appearance in front of the Hide and I was extremely lucky to grab a photo of this very shy warbler. Both Blue Tit and a Wren also were seen within the reedbed; but maybe one day, the Bittern might come back here. I've had some good memories of previous sightings of this species in the past here.

The Kingfisher in front of the Ivy North Hide.

Most of our trip here was overcast, but we did have a brief bright spell which looked promising, but by 2pm, the drizzle set in again and so we made our way back to the car and home.

  

Old Portsmouth & the Cemy.

Thursday 19th December 2024.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth.

The Royal Garrison Church in Old Portsmouth. The clouds rolled in around 3pm but it was still very cold in that wind.

It was damn cold today with a fresh north-westerly blowing across Old Portsmouth and remained for the rest of the day. On the positive side, it was bright and sunny with a bit of high cloud, but the couple of hours I was there this morning and afternoon, I thought my finger tips were going to drop off! Yesterday, there were a total of 14 species seen and today, I got up to 15 bird species in all during both shifts in Pembroke Road. Most of the usual birds were seen, including the noisy Jays and a pair of Brent Geese put in an appearance too as they flew eastbound to join their compatriots. Greenfinches had been seen both today and yesterday, which included a flock of 6 birds yesterday.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

The cold wind was still blowing through the Cemetery, but it didn't stop a Starling singing its heart out within these trees.

After doing a few chores around the house, I wanted to not waste the bright weather and so took the dogs for a walk around Highland Road Cemetery. Again, the chilly north-westerly wind blew through the Cemetery, keeping the temperatures down to around 8 degrees, though it felt more like 3 degrees! 

Herring Gulls circled over the Cemy with both adults and this juvenile, above, going over. Below, up to three Blackbirds were seen on my walk round.

It was quiet at first and eventually, the birds started to appear or be heard. It was not till I reached the south-east side that a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling somewhere further north. Unfortunately, I never saw the bird as by the time I got up to the north-east corner, the bird had flown. There was no sign of the Green Woodpecker today either, but a male Sparrowhawk showed well briefly, flying low over the gravestones over on the east side and I think it landed out of sight within a tall Conifer. Two male Greenfinches were in one of the trees in the north-east corner, before flying off northbound over the houses. This species has suffered a sharp decline due to infections, so it is good to see these birds around here. Pied Wagtails never settle in the Cemetery and it is always good to see one on my travels here, though they are always a flyover. My final notable bird was a Goldcrest, which was heard and then seen flying out of a Conifer in the middle of the Cemy.

Above and below, two male Greenfinches showed well briefly in the north-east corner.

Due to recent storms, I noticed a lot of branches down on the floor, though I suppose it is good for the trees to lose their deadwood; as long as it doesn't drop on my head when I am walking around! Very few dog-walkers today here and so less disturbance for the wildlife here. The only plants I found flowering today were Smooth Sow-thistle; though these were few and far between.

I did find a few Smooth Sow-thistle's growing around the Cemetery.

The birds seen or heard this morning included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Blue Tit
• Great Spotted Woodpecker
• Sparrowhawk (male)
• Greenfinch
• Wren
• Blackbird
• Starling
• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Pied Wagtail
• Goldcrest

In Hampshire today, the showy Black-throated Diver was still showing to the small crowd gathered by the Town Mill Pond in Emsworth for its second day (or possibly third?). See below. A staggering 32 Spoonbills were on Normandy Marshes and up to 3 female type Scaup were on Milton Lakes. 15 Cattle Egrets were found in the fields at Northney, Hayling Island and Great Northern Divers were in Portsmouth Harbour and Langstone Harbour.

Above, the Black-throated Diver on Emsworth Mill Pond. Photo by Andy Friend.

Above, film footage of the same Black-throated Diver. Film footage by James Cutting.

Some excellent news today was of the completion of the repairs to the Sluice Gate on Farlington Marshes. Though this is great news, it is a temporary arrangement and hopefully soon will be fully completed. However, the damage done by the sea water could be irreparable due to the fact that the main reedbed on the Lagoon has been destroyed. Whether it will grow back remains to be seen, but the dependency of nesting birds and also the insects within the reeds will be lost for some time. Maybe the waders will come back to roost during high tide; something we all birders and wildlife enthusiasts hope and pray for.

Above, a superb ariel photo of the flooded Lake area on Farlington Marshes. As you can see, the reedbed on the Lake has been totally lost due to the flooding by the sea water. Photo by James Cutting. Below, finally, after the repair work had been done, the water was receding on the reserve. Photo by Tim Doran.

Fairly quiet over Old Portsmouth so far this week.

Tuesday 17th December 2024.

Sunrise through the Holm Oaks yesterday morning in Pembroke Road.

This is the last week I’ll be working before Christmas and it was back over to Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth to provide the first two days of bird sightings. The weather has turned back to overcast and drizzly conditions, but, surprisingly, it is very mild. In fact, it is supposed to be in double figures! In Hampshire, there are always some good birds turning up, which are being discovered by many of the ‘Lazee Birders’ who are mostly retired from work and have the pleasure in exploring top sites here in the south.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A full moon showed well at 8am yesterday morning, but it eventually clouded over in Old Porstmouth.

Fifteen species of birds were recorded yesterday in Pembroke Road which included a nice flock of 6 Greenfinch going over and all the usual birds within the area. A lone Brent Goose flew over from Portsmouth harbour and headed off eastbound.

Today, I got up to 14 species, which also included a pair of Brent Geese and a Cormorant heading south. Up to four Blue Tits were chasing each other through the Holm Oak trees and a pair of Jays showed well next to the trees until flying off south. Sadly, nothing more unusual here today, but you just never know what just might fly over from 8am onwards.

Black Redstarts have returned to Lee on Solent again which included this female (above) and male (below). Photos by Emma Parkes.

Above, a male Goldeneye and below, a female type Long-tailed Duck at Keyhaven Marshes. Photos by Chris Geary.

Above, a Spotted Redshank on Pennington Marshes and below, a male Hen-harrier in the New Forest off to roost. Photos by Chris Geary.

In Hampshire today, the two female Velvet Scoters were off Chilling Cliffs again and both Black-throated Diver and a female Eider were seen nearby. The two female Scaup were both on Milton Lakes and a single bird off Stokes Bay, while Weston Shore still held the Red-necked Grebe and Slavonian Grebe along with a Great Northern Diver. More Great Northerns’ were off Sandy Point, Emsworth Mill Pond and Hayling Oyster Beds.

Velvet Scoters added to Hampshire year list.

Saturday 14th December 2024.

A Grey Heron standing guard over a small pond on Farlington Marshes.

Me and the guys were hoping to get our first Velvet Scoters of the year when a reported pair of females were seen off Weston Parade yesterday along with a host of nice birds on Southampton Water. The weather was looking good with the cloud actually thinning out to reveal a bit of sunshine at last. It was still quite cool with an easterly blowing through the Solent, but with flasks of coffee and warm weather clothing, it was an enjoyable day. Sadly, no moths whatsoever in Andy’s Moth Box today and so we headed off westbound.

Weston Parade, Southampton:

The Slavonian Grebe with a Great Northern Diver behind on Southampton Water.

Arriving at the Car Park along Weston Parade, a site we have never been before, incidentally; I set up a scope and got down to check Southampton Water to the west. Some of the big ships were docked up nearby including the Queen Mary 2 and a large tanker, which dwarfed the small boats sailing past. 

One of two Great Northern Divers on Southampton Water.

There was no sign of Velvet Scoters off the Car Park, but Mark Francis at Brownwich Cliffs reported the birds off there instead! Meanwhile, though we had a brief view of the Red-necked Grebe off the Car Park, the bird simply disappeared minutes later and a Slavonian Grebe replaced it. At least a dozen or so Great Crested Grebes were also swimming offshore, but more over the Fawley side of the water. Up to two Great Northern Divers were also seen here and Andy picked out a flock of waders that turned out to be a flock of 50+ Golden Plover. A Little Egret flew past close in and headed off north along the shoreline to wrap up our trip here.

Brownwich Cliffs, nr Titchfield Haven:

The female Velvet Scoters off Brownwich Cliffs.

Before parking up near the Toilet Block, I had a quick chat with Mark Francis, who was looking out into the Solent through his scope. He confirmed exactly where the Velvet Scoters were and so after parking, we made our way through the Chalets and headed off westbound along the footpath to Brownwich Cliffs.

Above and below, the view from Brownwich Cliffs looking south with the Isle of Wight in the background. 

Above, a large flock of Meadow Pipits flew up from the adjacent field to perch on the bushes by the main footpath. Below, Andy and Geoff checking out the fields.

Above, Andy looking on at Brownwich Cliffs.

Above and below, two of the three female Goosanders just off the Chalets.

We had a quick look over the Solent through a gap in the vegetation and picked out several Great Crested Grebes and a lone Cormorant, but no sign of the Scoters. When we reached the large clearing overlooking both the Solent and Southampton Water, Andy picked up a flock of duck flying eastbound and on closer inspection through the scope, a small flock of 4 Common Scoters then settled on the water. Minutes later, another group of four birds were seen flying over the sea and then towards us. Two of the birds were definitely the female Velvet Scoters (202nd species in Hampshire this year) and were also joined by a pair of Eiders. That put a big smile on Andy’s face. 

The Velvet Scoters off Brownwich Cliffs.

Geoff picked out a large flock of Eiders some distance out with Fawley Refinery in the background. There were at least 18 birds out there and were joined by several Herring Gulls hoping for a free meal. As we made our way back to the car, the same Eiders were seen flying east low over the sea and settled somewhere on the Solent east of the reserve. While watching the Velvet Scoters, a drake Goosander flew low over our heads, heading towards the reserve and as we reached the Chalets, there was a group of three female Goosanders close in on the water until flying off west.

Farlington Marshes & Langstone Harbour:

A Marsh Harrier flying over the fields at Farlington Marshes and spooking the Brent Geese.

I had to be back home by around 3pm to help put up Xmas decorations and bath the dogs. So, to round off our days birding, we decided to try our luck for Short-eared Owls on Farlington Marshes. As the main entrance is closed to the public due to the reparation of the Sluice Gates over on the west side of the reserve, we parked up at Broadmarsh, Bedhampton, then walked along the main footpath to the reserve and then up to the Deeps area.

Above, an Oystercatcher flying over Langstone Harbour and below, Dunlin and Redshank near the Marshes.

Above, a Redshank and below, Turnstone along the shoreline.

Above, a pair of Pintail close to the shoreline in Langstone Harbour and below, a Redshank just off the Marshes.

Above, there was a lot of Teasel along the east side of the Harbour Wall. Below, the Marsh Harrier flying over the Marshes.

Above and below, Brent Geese on the reserve.

Above, Workmen with their Digger ready to mend the Sluice Gates over on the west side of the reserve and below, more Brent Geese flying onto the reserve.

Above, yet more Brent Geese arriving onto the reserve and below, a male Stonechat near the Blockhouse. 

Along our way, there were a good number of waders feeding on the ebbing tide that included Oystercatchers, Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew and Grey Plover all showing well. The Brent Geese were abundant and showed very well over our heads and in the fields, though they were a bit skittish due to the raptors seen on the reserve. A Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and a Kestrel were all hunting over the reserve in search of prey while along the harbour wall, we saw at least three Stonechats and at least one Rock Pipit. A Raven was seen chasing the Marsh Harrier as we made our way back to the car and although we had no sightings of any Short-eared Owls (there hasn't been for the past few weeks), the day was ending bright and clear overhead.