Sanderling added to year list.

Monday 6th January 2025.

Though I had a pair of binoculars, I didn't have my main camera and so these distant Sanderling among the Gulls on Eastney Beach was the best I could offer. I could have gotten a bit closer, but a dog walker was about to flush all the birds anyway.

It was a horrible start to the day with squally showers and a strong and very cold westerly wind blowing here on the south coast. However, the showers eventually gave way to a bit of sunshine, but remained very cold in that wind. I returned back to work in Old Portsmouth today, after a nice two week break, but returned in grim weather to start the week. Between shifts, I had the opportunity to take a quick look on the beach for Eastney for Sanderlings and thankfully, they duly obliged.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

There were very few species on show on my first shift with just the usual Herring and Black-headed Gulls, Carrion Crows and Wood Pigeons braving the awful weather. But it wasn't till this afternoon that I managed to get up to 12 species for the day here at Old Portsmouth, but nothing unusual among those species seen or heard today.

A superb close up photo of a Kestrel that was taken by Pete Appleton recently.

Eastney Beach, Portsmouth:

I parked up by Fort Cumberland, flushing a pair of Meadow Pipits from the grass and grabbed my spare binoculars (having left my new ones in Matt’s car last Saturday. Doh!!!) and made my way to the beach. There was a dog walker on the beach with three dogs in attendance walking along the shoreline and in front of them were a small group of two Sanderlings walking fast along the same stretch of shoreline. They did fly off as the dogs approached but looking back westwards, I found a flock of 60+ birds on the shoreline among the many Herring and Common Gulls. The Sanderling was my 96th species for Hampshire and my 97th species overall in the UK and hopefully, with more to come tomorrow!

One of the Long-eared Owls at Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve. Photo by Pete Appleton.

In Hampshire today, the 3 Glossy Ibis remain faithful to Posbrook Floods still and a Yellow-browed Warbler was seen again at Eastleigh Sewage Works and in West Sussex, the Long-eared Owl was still being seen by some of the ‘Lazee’s’ over at Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve.