Snow Bunting at Sandy Point.

Saturday 2nd November 2024.

The immature female Snow Bunting at Sandy Point this morning.

It was back birding with the boys this morning and my target species this morning was the long-staying Snow Bunting at Sandy Point, Hayling Island. Not only did we get phenomenal views of the bird, we also checked out both the Harbour entrance and North Common, Northney. Both myself and Andy had our respective Moth Boxes overnight and although there were not many moths present, there were some quality moths among them. The weather was overcast again with very little wind at times, but it most certainly was warm weather gear, but I must remember to bring my warm hat next time!

The Moth Boxes:

The Black Rustic moth by my Moth Box.

Just the four moths were present in and around my Moth Box this morning, with the best being a Black Rustic on one of the outside egg trays. On the white sheet, there was a Double-striped Pug and the micro moth White-shouldered House Moth. Within the Box, there was just the one moth, a Large Yellow Underwing.

Above, the Mottled Umber and below, a Red-line Quaker.

Over at Andy’s Moth Box, there were a few more moths present that included 4 Common Marbled Carpet, a single Cypress Carpet, a Red-lined Quaker (third for the year) and best of all, a Mottled Umber. I thought it was new for the year, but that was when I discovered I had seen one in January this year.

Sandy Point, Hayling Island:

The female type Black Redstart on the roof of one of the seafront houses. The bird was not easy to photograph because the light was poor and the bird never stayed still long.

Parking up in Southwood Road, we made our way to the seafront houses and it didn't take long to find a female Black Redstart on the rooftops. One had been reported here throughout the week and so it was nice to catch up with one at this time of year. The light was awful, but I did manage to grab several photos of the bird, although it was a bit skittish at times. Happy with the Black Redstart, we made our way east along the pathway and began searching for the Snow Bunting. However, our first search was fruitless and then we saw Becky Ladd who gave us directions in where the Snow Bunting had been seen last. It had been reported on Birdguides earlier today and eventually, we found the bird close to the main footpath in front of the houses.

Above, photos and film footage of the Snow Bunting this morning.

To say the bird was close was a massive understatement as it literally walked up to us and stopped when it saw some plants to quickly feed on its seeds. Though some birders thought it was a first winter male, it was looking more and more like a first-winter female bird, judging by the amount of white on the wings. So, from around 12 feet away, we watched the bird in comfort and even sat on a wall while I took loads of photographs and film footage of this delightful little bird. The Snow Bunting (Andy had seen it earlier this week) put me on 199 species in Hampshire for the year and now put me level with Andy on birds seen in Hampshire this year. The Bunting eventually walked off and then rested on the nearby large rocks where Geoff said it had a bath and a drink in some of the rainwater.

More film footage of the superb Snow Bunting.

Other birds noted from this spot included at least four Mediterranean Gulls flying west over the sea and a few Brent Geese heading east. Andy gave the shout that a black coloured duck was flying high east over the sea and I got onto a bit late and concluded it was a drake Common Scoter. Two Great Crested Grebes swam close in and headed eastbound on the sea. Finally, a Grey Wagtail was first heard and then seen flying away from us westbound over the rooftops.

Lifeboat Station, Harbour entrance:

Brent Geese flying into Chichester Harbour.

Becky joined us for a walk to the Lifeboat Station and showed us the actual bush where the Pallas’s Warbler was seen late last month by Andy Johnson. Andy and myself decided to sit on the benches overlooking the harbour entrance, while both Becky and Geoff went up to Black Point to check the wader roost. This area is constantly disturbed by damn windsurfers and dog walkers, but they got lucky and picked out a variety of waders that included Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Sanderling. 

The Speckled Bush-cricket on the RNLI Building.

Meanwhile, Andy and myself had a cracking female Merlin flying over the harbour entrance and heading low over the water towards West Witterings, which, incidentally, looked absolutely packed with people walking their dogs or simply taking a walk. An adult Shag was fishing half way out within the entrance and there was a constant stream of Brent Geese flying into the harbour to join the many birds present there. Earlier this week, a Black Brant and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were seen here off Fishers Creek. A flock of 16 Wigeon also flew north into the harbour along with 4 Sanderling. When Becky and Geoff returned, Geoff found a Speckled Bush-cricket perched on the wall of the RNLI Building, which was most unexpected. A female Kestrel flew low over the sea in the same direction as the Merlin seen earlier. After finishing off my flask of coffee, we all walked back to our respective cars and said goodbye to Becky.

Becky, Geoff and Andy are walking back to the car.

North Common,  Northney:

Redshank at Northney.

Our next and final stop was to be North Common, Northney to check the northern end of the harbour from the Hayling end (but not before we paid a tasty visit to Greggs!). Walking north from the small car park along Northney Road, we encountered a small flock of Long-tailed Tits within the brambles and small trees here that also held a couple of Chiffchaffs among them. The small creeks nearby held good numbers of Teal and the waders resting here as the tide ebbed, including Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwing. Good numbers of Brent Geese were swimming on the water and a Kingfisher flew past us at speed, but far too quick to grab a photo.

Above, Brent Geese with a Shelduck and drake Mallard in Langstone Harbour and below, Redshank on the saltmarsh.

Above, Bristly Ox-tongue plants were growing along the footpath and below, more Redshank roosting on the saltmarsh waiting for the tide to drop.

Above,  small numbers of Black-tailed Godwit were also present by the shoreline.

Another superb day’s birding with Geoff and Andy and a pleasure to do some birding with Becky Ladd too. What will be our 200th species in Hampshire this year?

Goshawk over the Farm & Porthdinllaen.

Thursday 31st October 2024.

This male Goshawk flew over the Farm this morning.

From 7.45am to 9am, I spent the time checking the birdlife from the Farm and yet again, there was a nice surprise in store for me when a male Goshawk was circling around the Farm and spooking all the Wood Pigeons here. Again, it was overcast this morning, but virtually no wind and more importantly, dry!

Wern Fawr Manor Farm:

Above, the probable November Moth and below, the Small Tortoiseshell butterfly from last night.

There was yet again a good variety of birds to be seen here this morning as I spent over an hour checking what was flying over and in the garden too. Last night, we had an excellent meal in the Ship pub in Llanbedrog and while in the pub, I found my first probable November Moth in the Gents loos! Yep, a dodgy place to find a moth, but I couldn't resist getting a photo of the said moth, which was my first for the year. The only problem with this species is that it is difficult, without dissection of the poor creature, to tell it apart from the very similar Pale November Moth and Autumnal Moth; but for now, I shall go for November Moth for simplicity.

Above, Redwing in the trees. It was just a shame it was overcast. Below, the male Goshawk flying over.

Above and below, the Redwing in the field opposite the Cottage.

Later in the evening, our Russell told us that he had a big moth on his window cill and so checking it out, it actually transpired to be a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly! What makes it more remarkable is that I have only seen just two this year and this was a fine specimen and probably looking for somewhere to hibernate for the winter? I quickly potted it and released it early this morning within the garden.

Above, Long-tailed Tits close to the Kitchen door.

Bird of the morning had to go down to the male Goshawk that made three sorties around the Farm and in turn, scattering the hundreds of Wood Pigeons around the area. Redwings were abundant too with at least 70+ in the area, with parties of them flying over the farm. A flock of 20+ took to the field opposite to hunt for worms (see film footage) and showed particularly well instead of being silhouettes up in the trees. As there is no noise pollution here on the Farm, I could clearly hear the wingbeats of the Wood Pigeons flying over. Fantastic.

Redwing in the field beside the Cottage. Around 20 birds were present in this field.

Other notable birds included at least three Jays in the area and the Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen again in the trees on the edge of the woodland. A pair of Nuthatches flew over and I was pretty sure a Treecreeper flew over the garden, but I couldn't locate where it landed. A pair of Siskins flew over as did all the common finches and the Bullfinches were heard, but not seen, again. The Long-tailed Tit flock (all ten of them) came through the garden and showed well as did a few Goldcrest and finally, the Grey Wagtail flew in and landed on the Farmhouse roof.

Above, one of the Pied Wagtails rested on the roof of our Cottage and below, I found a small clump of Egghead Mottlegill toadstools growing in the field opposite our Cottage.

The coastal footpath of Porthdinllaen:

The stunning views from the Ty Coch Inn.

On our last day here in North Wales, we took the drive north to the village of Morfa Nefyn, which isn't too far away and then drove through the Golf Course road north to the little hamlet of Porthdinllaen. This overlooks the Irish Sea and even the lighthouse of South Stack could be seen shining its light from Anglesey! Because it is half-term, the area was packed with kids with their parents, taking their dogs out for a walk on the sandy beach here; all enjoying drinks and food from the nearby Ty Coch Inn. Of course, who could not resist their lovely meals as we tucked into a nice big plate of Nachos with all the trimmings!

Above, more stunning views from the same Inn and below, my dogs Ted and Buddy enjoying a paddle with Russ.

Above, an adult Mediterranean Gull flying over the bay and below, one of the many Shags present.

Back to nature and I kept an eye out for anything of note that included a good number of Shags on the very calm sea and rocks and small numbers of both Turnstone (around 20+ birds) and Oystercatchers (8 birds feeding on the shoreline). I found a ‘white-winged’ Gull flying across the bay in front of the pub. That set the pulse racing a bit, but I eventually deduced it was an adult Mediterranean Gull in winter plumage.

Above, the RNLI Station and below, at least 7 Shags on the rocks with a Great Black-backed Gull overhead.

Russ and I took a stroll along the footpath around the headland that took us to the RNLI Porthdinllaen where we kept to the coastal path by the Golf Course. From here, a male Stonechat was seen flitting about by the brambles and the Green and we had to keep an eye out for any passing Golf Balls as some guys were teeing off further to the north! A few Robins, Blackbirds and a Meadow Pipit were seen along the walk back to the pub where we picked up Becky again and then made our way back to the car. This coastal path most certainly could turn up a good rarity and probably has in the past.

The male Stonechat on the Coastal Path by the Golf Course.

I have to say, to round off our trip here to this part of North Wales, we have been extremely lucky with the weather and though overcast nearly everyday, it has been dry and very still with very little wind throughout the week. The Farm has produced some superb sightings and I for one would most certainly like to try this place again; maybe in the Spring time when all the migrants are back.

First Fieldfare of the season & a trip to Aberdaron.

Wednesday 30th October 2024.

A Grey Wagtail on the stream at Aberdaron this afternoon.

There was a lot of bird activity going on around the Farm this morning despite it being very overcast throughout the day. I got lucky when I found my first Fieldfares of the season to the west of the Farm high up in the trees and was also rewarded with a female Brambling in the opposite direction. Sad to say, it was not a great day for photography because of the light, but I managed some record shots of the mentioned birds. After a superb breakfast at the Beach Cafe in Llanbedrog, we went to Aberdaron, which was much further west along the Peninsula.

Wern Fawr Manor Farm:

One of four Fieldfare's that flew away from the Farm early this morning. OK, not the best of photos, but it was my first of the season.

I spent a good hour by the back kitchen door checking the birdlife here again and as mentioned earlier, I eventually saw the Fieldfares that were perched out of view in a tree to the west of the Cottage. I heard their distinctive calls first and quickly grabbed my camera, eventually they all flew out. However, the light was poor and all I could manage was a record shot of one of the four birds that flew off west. All five common thrushes were seen this morning in around a ten minute slot that included several flocks of Redwings, a Song Thrush, two Mistle Thrushes and a Blackbird!

Above, a male Goldcrest came out of hiding in the garden and above, several large flocks of Jackdaws flew over.

Regarding finches, Chaffinches and Goldfinches flew over every now and then and were joined by a male Bullfinch that flew over and landed in the woods to the north; but continued calling even though it was out of view. It is so quiet here that I am lucky to have no noise of any traffic at all! Wonderful. However, when I went indoors to make some toast, I came out to the call of a Brambling nearby and I saw the bird high up in one of the nearby trees and quickly rushed back in to grab my camera again. So that's SIX species of finch I have had on the Farm so far.

Above, a noisy Jay was nearby in trees and below, one of the flock of ten Long-tailed Tits in the garden.

Above, one of the many Redwings seen this morning and below, the female Brambling high up in the same tree.

Other birds noted included a flock of 10 Long-tailed Tits in the garden; a Jay, 2 Nuthatches and 2 Grey Wagtails. A large flock of around 70+ Jackdaws flew overhead and a Raven could be heard ‘cronking’ somewhere in the distance. Again, not a bad morning to start the day. What must it be like here in the Spring?

Aberdaron, Llyn Peninsula:

The islands of Great Seagull Island (left) and Little Seagull Island (right) in Aberdaron Bay.

The drive down to Aberdaron from Llanbedrog beach took around 25 minutes, but following the damn Sat Nav, we would have been a bit earlier on arrival, but nonetheless, we saw two perched Common Buzzards, each on a telegraph pole and a female Stonechat on the way. After parking in the large car park within the village, we made our way with the dogs to the beach itself though the birdlife here was again very limited.

Above and below, the Rock Pipit seen by the stream at the Car Park within the village.

Above and below, up to four Oystercatchers were on the beach.

Above, a single adult Shag swam near the loafing Gulls on the sea and below, a late flowering Thrift plant growing near the Churchyard.

Above and below, the Grey Wagtail on the stream by the Car Park.

Up to 4 Oystercatchers were searching for food along the sandy shoreline while both Rock Pipit and Grey Wagtail were noted by the stream near the main Car Park and both birds showing very well at times. Aberdaron Bay was very calm and one could see the two islands of Ynys Gwylan-fawr (Great Seagull Island in English) and Ynys Gwylan-bach (Little Seagull Island in English), which, incidentally, did have a few Gulls on there. There was a fairly large contingent of Gulls on the shoreline that were occasionally flushed by the dogs running there, but all were either Black-headed or Herring Gulls. Cormorants were fishing well offshore with some coming in a bit closer and a single adult Shag fished near the Gulls that were loafing on the sea. While we sat by the old St. Hywyn's Church, I watched a male Chaffinch flying low over the sea having, what I assume, a visit to one of the islands. It actually landed on the beach and then on the roof of the Church before heading off north! Making our way to the neighbouring pub for a drink, a Grey Heron flew high over heading westbound and while I was enjoying a Hot Chocolate (I was driving!), at least four Curlew flew high over heading west. Back at the Car Park, both the Grey Wagtail and Rock Pipit gave great views by the stream as I neared my car to round off a nice trip to this lovely little coastal village. On the way back to the Cottage, a Fieldfare flew up and landed on a bush by the roadside!

Our Russell walking the dogs on the beach.

Stop press: I spent around 30 minutes looking out across the Farm from the Kitchen door and I was rewarded this evening with sightings of both Tawny Owl and a Woodcock! The Tawny Owl simply glided overhead and into the woodland behind the main Farm, while the Woodcock flew over my head and headed off east over the fields and out of view. This place is simply getting better and better with some amazing sightings already during my stay here. A few late thrushes buzzed through overhead in the gloom as well.