A horrible day's weather still brings in the birds.

Monday 15th April 2024.

The Bloxworth Snout moth near the moth box this morning.

What a bloody horrible day! After the hottest day of the year last Saturday, today, there was a complete contrast with a very strong south-westerly wind and heavy showers and on my first shift this morning at Pembroke Road, it was bloody freezing! Yes, I was well wrapped up, but by the end of it, I was actually shivering!!! Believe it or not, I actually went on a ‘sea-watch’ after my first shift too. I have no idea who had the family brain cell this morning, but I know it wasn't me! But my day kicked off with the moth box I put on overnight.

The Moth Box:

It was back to normal with no moths whatsoever within the moth box (though I did suspect that the rain guard had blown off during the night), but there was a Bloxworth Snout perched on the fence panel nearby and a Double-striped Pug (which I caught last night) that I released this morning. It will get better………….hopefully!

Above, a Little Tern was flying over Oxey Marshes and below, a Sedge Warbler at Fishlake Meadows. Photos by Emma Parkes.

Southsea seafront:

During my first shift, there were just 10 species seen this morning in Pembroke Road and really nothing to shout about either. I had read earlier that fellow ‘Lazee’ Garry Fennemore was ‘sea-watching’ from the Lifeboat Station at Sandy Point and he had seen at least 7 Fulmars, 4 Common Tern and 2 Gannets past and so I thought I would have an hour checking out the Solent from the shelter of the tall panels near South Parade Pier. There is a kiosk there selling hot drinks and food and so treating myself to a hot coffee (damn, I needed that to warm up) and sat down on one of the benches and checked out the choppy sea. Annoyingly, the work being carried out for the new sea-wall blew up a lot of dust and it got a little uncomfortable at times. As heavy rain came in after 45 minutes, I called it a day here. However, I did see at least ten Sandwich Terns in ones or twos, struggling westbound over the sea and I even saw a Swallow flying in low over the sea, but I couldn't pick it up when it hit the beach. Sadly, nothing else apart from Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gulls, though there were some interesting birds very far out that I just could not clinch a proper ID. 

Above, a fine Little Grebe in summer plumage at Fishlake Meadows and below, a drake Eider off Pennington Marshes.

Other birds reported today in Hampshire included a dark phased Arctic Skua past Hill Head and a couple of Whimbrel. Matt & Emma Parkes had a pair of Garganey on Posbrook Floods this afternoon (see  below) and hopefully, they might still be there tomorrow.

Above, an immature Little Gull over Fishtail Lagoon. Photo by Emma Parkes. Below, a Peregrine in Romsey today. Photo by Andy Tew.

A drake Teal with the pair of Garganey on Posbrook Floods today. Photo by Emma Parkes.