Wednesday 20th March 2024.
Another couple of nice surprises this morning greeted me today and made life that bit more pleasurable. Even the weather was rather nice too, with a bit of sunshine thrown in and very mild temperatures for this time of year. My day kicked off with my first shift at Pembroke Road and when I got back, the dogs got their walk around Highland Road Cemetery where I was in for another treat. I read on the ‘Lazees’ Whatsapp site among all this foreign stuff on there, that local birder Mark Francis had found a Little Ringed Plover at the top end of Bridge Street Floods.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
I arrived early to start my first shift of the day and so took a walk with my spare pair of binoculars up to Curtain Moat. Sadly, no migrant birds going over (surely I shall get my first Hirundines soon?), but a variety of birds were seen including a small flock of 5 Brent Geese flying low over my head. The usual Feral Pigeons, Starlings and House Sparrows (saw the latter species mating in the hedgerow!) by the Canal and a pair of Mute Swans were on the water. Another large flock of Brent Geese came in with around 21 birds counted and a further five more came in and joined them on Governor’s Green. A Meadow Pipit was heard flying over, though I never saw the bird, but I was much luckier when a Jay flew into a tree to the west of the house opposite and showed very well. A distant Grey Heron was also seen to head west high overhead to add to an impressive morning total here. In all, a total of 18 species were counted, which was a good start to the day. Yesterday afternoon, in the gloomy drizzle here on my second shift, a Raven was seen being chased by a Carrion Crow and later seen flying back south. My morning shift got even better when I found a Hummingbird Hawk-moth buzzing around and nectaring on the flowering Daffodils just a few feet away from me! I think this has to be the earliest I have seen this species ever and must have come in on the southerly winds of late.
Highland Road Cemetery:
A total of 18 species seen or heard in the Cemetery this morning and incredibly, my second Wheatear of the year and a cracking male bird too. The bird I saw last week was most definitely a female bird, but I was in no doubt about the sex of this bird. It remained low down perched on the gravestones and occasionally flew about to avoid passing dog-walkers. A Meadow Pipit was heard to fly over, but there was no sighting of this bird either. Thank God my hearing is still good! Even the Jay proved elusive as I only heard it deep within the Holm Oak trees. The Council were in the Cemetery this morning, cutting the grass for the first time this year and though the din of the machinery wasn’t pleasant, it attracted quite a few birds to come down and pick off any insects exposed within the newly cut grass. I did speak to a passing dog-walker who also liked the ‘natural look’ to the Cemetery and was not best pleased about the Council cutting the grass. She told me she had lived around here all her life and when she was a child, there were Slow-worms and Hedgehogs seen all the time within the Cemetery. I have to say, I have not seen a Fox in here for quite a long time and I used to take photos of them all the time.
Other wildlife I noticed this morning were good clumps of Red-dead Nettle dotted around and another passing Bumblebee eluded me on its ID as it belted past low over the Cemetery. There looks to be a lot more sunshine today, which should encourage more flowers to bloom and leaves to come out on the trees and therefore, a lot more insect life too. There was a good sprinkling of Wheatears about in the southern half of Hampshire this morning including 8 birds at Barton on Sea Golf Course area.
The birds recorded in the Cemetery this morning included the following:
- Jay
- Magpie
- Carrion Crow
- Herring Gull
- Wood Pigeon
- Feral Pigeon
- Collared Dove
- Meadow Pipit
- Wren
- Robin
- House Sparrow
- Starling
- Blackbird
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Wheatear (male)
- Goldfinch
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