An adult Kittiwake flying close in was one of many seen today.
Storm Bert blew in this morning with strong gale force winds and heavy rain threatening a good day's birding. I, originally, was thinking of going to Blashford Lakes, near Fordingbridge, to hang around the Hides and most of all, out of the rain with both Geoff and Andy on tow, especially that a White-tailed Eagle has popped on Ibsley Water a few times this week and Bramblings have been seen in front of the Woodland Hide. But, discussing our options, we went for Gilkicker. True, the weather was not looking good and driving all that way on the accident proned M27 put me off driving to Blashford. A Leach’s Petrel would have been nice today, but during our 4.5hr seawatch at the Gilkicker Shelter, we were certainly kept on our toes with some nice sightings.
Gilkicker Shelter, Gosport:
Two juveniles and an adult Kittiwake flying along the shoreline.
It was most certainly a Kittiwake day with an amazing count of at least 85 birds seen in various sized flocks. Most were a third of the way out in the Solent battling against the strong south-easterly wind, while some of the flocks flew right along the shoreline and gave some amazing views. Juveniles easily outnumbered the adult birds, but a fine spectacle they provided during our time there. Yes, the wind was very blustery at times and I was getting colder during the last hour there, but I think I made the right decision on making our way home before the rain really set in.
Above and below, the ghostly sight of an adult winter Med Gull passing close by.
Above, up to three Brent Geese were seen with this one heading east and a pair headed west. Below, a juvenile Gannet heading east in front of the Isle of Wight Car Ferry.
Behind us, a large flock of around 150+ Starlings were swirling around or searching as one big flock in the field behind us, which kept us entertained during a lull in the seawatch. Though a few large Gulls, notably Herring and a few Great Black-backed Gulls, it was quiet on the field, though there were a few hardy Dog-walkers playing with their dogs which disturbed the birds there.
Above, more photos of the Kittiwakes passing through.
Over the rough sea, Gannets were trickling through and adult, sub-adult and juvenile birds all went through and to estimate how many, I would put it to around at least 40+ birds in all. A gorgeous adult winter plumage Mediterranean Gull flew past along the shoreline also heading east and a single female Red-breasted Merganser flew east low over the waves. Quickly seen through binoculars, I thought another close in pair of Kittiwakes went through east, but Geoff quickly got onto the birds and they both turned out to be an adult and a juvenile Little Gull! Fellow ‘Lazee Birder’ Andy Friend rang me from nearby Hill Head and said he didn't get onto the Little Gulls but had plenty of Kittiwakes going through. We also saw up to 3 Red-throated Divers, all single birds, flying east low over the sea, which is always a bonus. The first bird we saw actually landed on the sea, but subsequently got lost in the waves.
Above and below, up to 150+ Starlings were searching for food behind the shelter.
Above, Geoff struggling against the wind to get back to the shelter.
Our final notable sighting was a drake Common Scoter flying low over the sea, again heading eastbound; but as the weather deteriorated again, it was time to make our way back home. Another seawatch is planned for tomorrow and all ‘Lazee Birders’ are invited to attend here at the Gilkicker Shelter and with the storms set to continue tomorrow, who knows what may turn up. From the Milford Shelter, near the Hants/Dorset Border, a Leach’s Petrel was lingering off there, but not a great deal else of note apparently.
Highland Road Cemetery at dawn this morning while I was walking the dogs. Though not seen, Blackbird, Robin and a Wren were all heard calling in the dark.
Well, we have come to the end of the working week (nearly) and it has been a very, very cold week too. With the temperatures coming down to near freezing (even lower in the wind!), there is a rest-bite with wetter and milder weather coming in over the weekend with Storm Bert arriving. Yesterday, Southsea experienced around 2 hrs of snowfall, which is rare this far south in Hampshire. It laid on the cars for a while, but by midday it had all fizzled out, unlike other parts of the UK that had a few feet of snow! The cold weather has had a knock on effect with the bird sightings too, especially in Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth. However, some of the ‘Lazee’s’ have ventured out into the cold and knocked off some excellent photos.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
A gloomy sky over Governor's Green and the Royal Garrison Church from Pembroke Road yesterday.
Sadly, the cold weather has reduced the bird sightings here with the maximum seen being around 12 species and this morning, just 9 species were seen. Even the Jays have been scarce this week with one seen on Wednesday by the roadside as I was making my way home from a first shift and one was seen this morning flitting about the Housing Estate north off Pembroke Road. A vocal Pied Wagtail was on one of the rooftops nearby as I arrived first thing this morning here, but soon flew off northbound over the rooftops. I was so cold this morning that I struggled to concentrate on any birds flying over. Hopefully, it might be better later today?
Yes, it actually snowed in Southsea briefly yesterday. This was from my garden. Below, one of the 16 Purple Sandpipers seen this week on the rocks below Southsea Castle. Photo by Rob Porter.
This Purple Sandpiper at Southsea Castle this week was photographed by James Cutting.
Out and about in Southsea, I found a flock of some 100+ Brent Geese on a field within Eastney and below, this dog Fox was being fed in the gardens of a Retirement Home.
A juvenile Ring Ouzel was a surprise find in someones garden recently for Pete Appleton. Photo by Pete Appleton.
Another week has begun and it was back to Pembroke Road in Old Portsmouth yet again. There was the threat of rain this morning with a few spots coming down when I walked the dogs earlier, but it wasn't till the afternoon that the weather front moved in and persistent, but not too heavy, rain came in and remained for the rest of the day.
Pete Appleton also recently took this superb photo of a Rock Pipit.
As soon as I arrived in Pembroke Road and got myself settled for another hour here, the morning could not have kicked off any finer when I saw a male Peregrine flying low overhead, heading towards the seafront. During my hour here, I picked up 15 species of birds and one more on my afternoon shift, a Pied Wagtail. The Jays showed well again on the opposite side of the road, with one searching the ground for acorns. A Goldcrest was heard calling in the nearby Holm Oaks, but I never got to see the bird this time.
Peregrine male
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Magpie
Jay x2
Carrion Crow
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Starling
House Sparrow
Robin
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Goldcrest
Pied Wagtail
This Spoonbill was over at Pennington Marshes. Photo by Rob Porter.
In Hampshire today, easily the bird of the day was the Hoopoe seen in Nursling, Southampton; but it seems by only one lucky observer as the bird promptly disappeared despite much searching. A large flock of 'presumed' wild Barnacle Geese were seen flying off Farlington Marshes, then Hill Head and finally seen drifting up the Southampton water heading westbound. Five Purple Sandpipers were seen on the rocks at Southsea Castle and finally, a Long-tailed Duck was off Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marshes.
The female type Long-tailed Duck by Pennington Marshes. Photo by Chris Roughley.
The seed put out for the birds included this Marsh Tit at Eyeworth Pond.
I had a lovely afternoon with my family, including our granddaughter Isabelle, in the New Forest this afternoon; first taking them to Eyeworth Pond in Fritham and then on for a lovely pub lunch at the Old Beams Inn at Ibsley. The weather was much better than yesterday with a lot of sunshine and blue sky above, but still fairly cool at 10 degrees Centigrade.
Above, a Robin greeted us first by the Car Park and below, a Marsh Tit feeding on the seed with a Moorhen below!
Above, just Mallards on Eyeworth Pond and below, a few Chaffinches also searching for the seed.
Of course, I took my binoculars and camera with me and as always, there were a variety of birds here. Someone had put out a lot of bird seed on the road beam near the Pond, which attracted good numbers of passerines that included Robins, Great, Blue, Coal and Marsh Tits along with Chaffinches and even a male Pied Wagtail dropped in too to pick off any spilt seed. However, it was unusual to see Moorhens next to Marsh Tits in the same field of view!
A selection of birds feeding on the seed by Eyeworth Pond. From top to bottom: Marsh Tit, Robin, Marsh Tit, Pied Wagtail, Marsh Tit, Great Tit and Blue Tit.
From the Pond, there were a number of Mallard present, but despite a good search around the area, there were no signs of any Mandarin ducks this time. A Nuthatch flew over the Pond into the neighbouring wood and a Treecreeper was heard nearby from the Car Park. Eyeworth Wood was very quiet, though Becky and myself watched a small flock of Long-tailed Tits in the trees above as we made our way back to the car. I think Isabelle thoroughly enjoyed herself today with her father walking in the woods and to finish off with a Sunday roast in a lovely country pub rounded our trip off nicely.
And to round things off, a delicious Sunday Lunch in the Old Beams Inn.
A drake Eider that was digiscoped off Hill Head this morning.
Today did not go as according to plan as I had decided to take the journey to Splash Point, East Sussex for the long-staying female Pied Wheatear. However, by the time Geoff and I got to Andy’s house, there was no sighting of the bird according to Birdguides. So bloody typical. One gets to Saturday and the bird disappears! How many times has that happened over the years? To rub salt in the wound, both mine and Andy’s respective Moth Boxes had drawn a complete blank; not a single moth to be found. Then a message from ‘The Hampshire Rare Birds App came through and Mark Francis had heard and then seen a Lapland Bunting down at Hill Head. So, we went there instead. So, Pied Wheatear added to my Life List has eluded me yet again. Hurrumph!
Hill Head & Titchfield Haven:
This male Stonechat was one of a pair close to the main road at Hill Head.
It was a grey day again with hardly any sunshine when we arrived at Hill Head. To start the day, the sea was near flat calm on the rising tide as we got out of the car to search the area for the Bunting. Andy had a chat with Mark Francis himself and was told the bird had flown east and he was to look further east along the shoreline. We, however, decided to wait patiently down by the ViewPoint overlooking the small island and the reserve to the west.
Above, distant Eider off Hill Head and below, a Great Crested Grebe swam close inshore.
Above, a Sandwich Tern fished briefly in front of us by the main road and below, the distant flock of Eider moving westbound.
From the car park, a pair of Stonechats were flitting about in the brambles and tall grass nearby, while several Reed Buntings flew low over them as did a few Meadow Pipits. Checking the calm sea, we picked out at least 15 Eider ducks spread out over a large area and a Sandwich Tern gave good views as it fished just offshore. A few Sanderlings were on the shoreline nearby that attracted a couple of ‘toggers’ crouching down low to get as close as possible to get their ‘money shot’. A close Great Crested Grebe was also swimming on the sea along with a few more much further out. Before heading to the View Point, I saw a Kingfisher (after hearing it a few times calling) fly northbound close to the reeds and then out of view.
Above, a pair of Sanderling on the groyne at Hill Head and below, the Goosander on the River Meon alongside a Black-headed Gull.
Above, the Goosander with a Grey Heron nearby and below, the Goosander soon climbed onto the small island to preen alongside Black-headed Gulls, Gadwall and a Coot.
From the View Point, the long staying Goosander, that was now coming out of eclipse plumage and was now looking like a drake bird, swam quietly on the River Meon in front of us. The bird remained there for the next hour or so and eventually climbed onto the island to join the many Gulls and wildfowl present. During our hour or so there, we had a number of good sightings that included a flock of at least 6 Reed Buntings flying over and heading north. The Kingfisher was seen several times flying low close to the reedbed and a small flock of 4 Bearded Tits were first heard and then seen flying low over the top of the reedbed and quickly getting the guys onto them, we watched the birds drop deep into the reeds. A variety of wildfowl were present including Gadwall, Mallard and Shoveler as well as a few Little Grebes swimming close to the reedbed. A Cetti’s Warbler was seen flying briefly over the reeds and quickly out of view and a Water Rail was heard calling deep within the reeds in front of us. Standing there for that length of time, it soon got quite cold and so I made the suggestion of moving on.
Above, one of the Sanderling on the beach at Hill Head and below, a gathering flock of both Sanderling and Ringed Plover were also joined by a couple of Dunlin. Sadly, we saw one birder getting far too close to the roosting waders just to take some very close photos. When will some of these ignorant 'toggers' ever learn to put the birds first???!
Above, a large field that could potentially hide any rare bird at Brownwich Cliffs. Below, a distant Common Buzzard perched on a large Bramble in the same field.
Above, a well trimmed archway along the Solent Way at Brownwich Cliffs and below, Andy making his way along the same path.
Above, a wild Rabbit feeding near the Chalets. Below, film footage of the Goosander on the River Meon.
There was still no further news of the Lapland Bunting and so we decided to try out luck looking in the fields along Brownwich Cliffs to the west of the reserve. From here, we had the opportunity to check not only the fields to the north, but also the sea to the south. The sea held a small flock of three female Eiders and at least four Great Crested Grebes, but little else. Over the large field to the north, there were good numbers of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits in the fields; though to see any Buntings among the clumps of Wild Carrot and Scentless Mayweed plants was going to be impossible unless the bird flew up and called! However, while spending a good half hour here, we had sightings of a Common Buzzard perched on a distant large bramble and a Kestrel hunting over the fields. Overhead, a Siskin and a Linnet flew over. Severel skeins of Canada Geese were flying eastbound over the field and were most likely flying from Hook-with-Warsash to Titchfield Haven. We then took the walk back along the Solent Way footpath close to the cliffs back to the car and decided to take the drive north to view the Glossy Ibis on the Bridge Street Floods.
Bridge Street Floods, Titchfield:
The three Glossy Ibis on the Bridge Street Floods.
On reaching the small car park by the Titchfield Canal, we crossed the road and almost immediately, I saw the Glossy Ibis ahead of us in the horse paddocks, heads down busy searching for food in the damp grass. Earlier this year, the footpath north was flooded half way down and today, it was dry as a bone. Nearing the Ibis for a better view, a Mistle Thrush flew over our heads calling and a Chiffchaff was heard also calling nearby.
Above, the Ibis had flown up into a tree on our way back to the car park and below, the birds had walked very close to the footpath when we arrived at the site.
Above, the Glossy Ibis searching for food close to the footpath.
The Ibis showed very well and in fact, I don't think I have ever been so close to this species before feeding some thirty yards away from us. I think they are very used to people passing by or admiring them now. Getting some excellent photos of the bird and some film footage too, we eventually made our way to the Churchyard where we sat on a bench and saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a few Goldcrest and several other more common birds.
The female Kestrel showing very well just east of the Canal Path.
We rounded off the day by taking a walk south down the Canal Path where we saw a female Kestrel perched on overhead wires and showing very well. A large gathering of Gulls on the Bridge Street Floods and more were flying in, though all I could see were virtually all Black-headed Gulls and a few Herring Gulls among them. A few Pintail could be seen along with some Shoveler and just the one Black-tailed Godwit was picked out within the Gulls. Walking down the footpath, we encountered a flock of Long-tailed Tits and a single Chiffchaff; though to be honest, it was rather quiet till we got to Hammonds Bridge. From here, the only noteworthy sighting was a Red Admiral butterfly fluttering around overhead and then disappeared out of view.
I had to be back early as we had guests for dinner tonight and so we made our way back to the car park and headed home. OK, no Pied Wheatear or Lapland Bunting, but a good array of birds with my two best chums!
