Jays & finches the highlights today.

Monday 9th December 2024.

A cloudy start to the week at Pembroke Road.

Another cold day today with a chilly north-easterly blowing over Southsea. It was still quite dark when I took the dogs for their early morning walk, yet I could hear both a Blackbird and a Wren calling despite being very dark as I passed nearby St. Margaret's Church. After a blowy weekend, it was a bit calmer this morning and my bird sightings today were down Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Lovely colours in the sky over the Holm Oaks adjacent to Pembroke Road at 8am today.

I had a total of 15 species recorded here today during both shifts and although nothing that unusual, I was pleased with what I saw today that included three species of Finch: Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Greenfinch. A pair of Jays, always entertaining, were flitting about both the Holm Oak and the nearby Sycamores, but no sign of any Brent Geese or Cormorants over today. The birds seen or heard today included the following:

• Jay (2)
• Magpie
• Carrion Crow
• Herring Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Blue Tit
• Starling
• Robin
• House Sparrow
• Goldfinch (4)
• Greenfinch (3)
• Chaffinch
• Pied Wagtail
• Wren

It was fairly quiet in Hampshire today with the 3 Glossy Ibis still on the Posbrook Floods again and in front of the Tern Hide at Blashford Lakes, both the female Red-crested Pochard and Black-necked Grebe were present while one of the White-tailed Eagles was on the bank nearby. Nationally, there has been a large influx of Little Auks down the eastern coast of England and hopefully, we might actually get one or two down here in the South? A showy Black-throated Diver was by Chichester Harbour yesterday and fellow ‘Lazee’ Andy Scarborough (who we met recently at Black Point) got some excellent film footage of the bird (see below).

The Black-throated Diver on Emsworth Slipper Mill Pond by Chichester Harbour. Filmed by Andy Scarborough.