Kittiwake added to Hampshire year list.

Saturday 12th October 2024.

Sea-watching from Gilkicker.

Early this morning, I checked the weather forecast and rain was forecast for Butser Hill, a destination I planned for today to see if any Ring Ouzels had turned up overnight. I had already been told that there were very few berries in the bushes up there and with this in mind, I took a different approach and went ‘sea-watching’ instead! It looked much drier at Gilkicker this morning and so I arranged with Emma & Matt Parkes to meet there this morning instead. I picked up both Geoff and Andy as per usual and made our way to Gilkicker to join Emma & Matt for a four hour stint here. Our second destination today was to be Portsdown Hill, where there was a good chance of a Ring Ouzel there.

The Moth Boxes:

My third Scarce Bordered Straw of the year.

Again, it was too dark this morning to check the inside of the Moth Box and so checking the trays I put outside the Box, there was already a Lesser Yellow Underwing and a Shuttle-shaped Dart present. When I got home from ‘Birding’ today late this afternoon, I was pleased to see another Scarce Bordered Straw on one of the trays and up to 3 Lunar Underwings present.

The moths present this morning in my Moth Box included the following:

MACRO MOTHS:

• Scarce Bordered Straw
• Lunar Underwing x3
• Lesser Yellow Underwing
• Shuttle-shaped Dart
• Large Yellow Underwing

MICRO MOTHS:

• Light Brown Apple Moth x8
• Rusty-dot Pearl

Sadly, there were fewer moths in Andy’s trap where there just 5 moths present that included the following:

• 4 L-album Wainscot
• 1 Blair’s Mocha

A Harvestman was on the wall in Andy's garden.

On arrival at Andy’s house, a pair of Song Thrushes flew high overhead and headed off west, identified on their call. Just a little footnote here: for all those reading this and starting off into Birdwatching, young or old, it does take years of experience in learning bird calls and it pays to spend time learning them; whether online or in the field. On exiting Andy’s house to get into the car, my first Redwing of the year flew over with a tidy flock of 7 birds flying north-east over the houses. Their familiar call alerted me to their presence, but they were too quick for both Andy and Geoff to connect with them.

The four L-album Wainscot moths in Andy's garden.

Gilkicker Point, Gosport:

A pair of Sandwich Terns were fishing up and down the foreshore.

We all spent the next four hours at Gilkicker, within the shelter overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight clearly in the distance. It mostly remained dry throughout the morning and through the many ships, boats and an obscene amount of small Yachts and Windsurfers, we actually managed to find some birds to look at. The pick of the bunch easily went to Andy Fisher's sighting(s) when he noticed something flying high east, although distant. It transpired to be a Diver species and probably a Great Northern Diver too, but I just couldn't pick it up in the scope. Better still, Andy shouted out he had something else passing the bird heading south-east towards the Isle of Wight. This, however, I did get through the scope and this transpired to be a Spoonbill! The bird was distant, but I got enough on it to confirm its ID as it flew off into the distance.

A small flock of 4 and a singleton Brent Goose went through.

Another good sighting this morning was my first Hampshire sighting of an adult Kittiwake half way out across the Solent. I followed it through the scope and picked out all the relevant ID pointers as the bird followed a large Tanker heading east and being a Hampshire first for the year, I am now just three away for 200 species in Hampshire for the year. Up to 5 Brent Geese flew east that included a single bird and then a small flock of 4 birds and a pair of Sandwich Terns were searching for fish up and down the shoreline throughout the morning. A lone adult Mediterranean Gull, with a dodgy leg, flew across the shoreline and two individual Oystercatchers flew east were the only waders seen this morning.

Above, the lone Brent Goose flying east across the Solent and below, the adult Med Gull with the dodgy leg just offshore.

There was a bit of passerine movement going through with a small number of Meadow Pipits heading south and a small passage of Swallows flying low over the Solent too. There were periods of quiet too, though a lot of Gulls, especially Great Black-backed Gulls moving through the Solent. Apparently, over at St. Catherines Point on the Isle of Wight, a Pomarine Skua was harassing Kittiwakes offshore. Just a shame it was over the other side of the Island.

Portsdown Hill:

Emma checks the countryside with a stormy background. It was actually pouring down on the Hills in the distance, but thankfully, it missed us.

Emma & Matt joined us as we parked up on Portchester Lane, on top of Portsdown Hill where we had a quick view of a distant Red Kite and numerous Red-legged Partridges out in the fields running or flying away from us as soon as we stepped out of the cars. Walking along Crooked Walk Lane, a large flock of Skylarks (30+) took flight from the ploughed field to the south along with more Red-legged Partridges in the same field. A Hare was seen running away from us and then eventually settled next to a Red-legged Partridge and posed nicely for our cameras.  

Above, a Hare was a surprise sighting looking south from Crooked Walk Lane and then sitting next to one of the Red-legged Partridges while more RL Partridges were seen in the neighbouring field (below).

Above, the fields were full of Red-legged Partridges and below, several Common Buzzards were seen during our time here.

Above, a large congregation of Stock Doves, mixed in with Feral Pigeons were also in the fields. Below, Andy, Geoff and Emma climb a steep path to the summit overlooking a large scrubby area.

Above, a male Stonechat keeping an eye on us as we passed by and below, a female Stonechat just ahead from us on the path.

Emma took this superb photo of a Long-tailed Tit in the scrub on the Hill.

From here, we took the footpath north into a large area of scrub where the likelihood of a Ring Ouzel looked very promising. Sadly, though we spent a good couple of hours here, there were no positive signs of the species; but there were some nice birds here to look at, nonetheless. We had a large gathering of at least 7 Stonechats here as well as a pair of Song Thrushes that didn't hang around long. A couple of Chiffchaffs were present and showed well, but we only had the briefest of views of a Firecrest that was calling deep within the brambles. Out in the fields, another Red Kite was seen as well as several Buzzards and a male Sparrowhawk. A good sized flock of a hundred plus Stock Doves were out in the fields, mixed in with Feral Pigeons among them too, while a few flocks of Swallows zoomed past us overhead. Shame about the ‘Rouzels’, but this is a superb area for Ring Ouzels and possibly we could be back here next week? 

The scrubby area that looked so promising for Ring Ouzels today. Geoff has had them here in the past and in good numbers too. Maybe next week?