A very busy morning.

Tuesday 15th April 2025.

This Harbour Seal was seen swimming just off the shoreline at Southsea seafront this morning.

A rather busy morning during this Easter Break with not only the Moth Box to look at, but another ‘Sea-watch’ from Southsea seafront and then walking the dogs around Highland Road Cemetery. We had some overnight rain (at last!) and I thought it was going to be showery this morning, hence the sea-watch from Southsea Castle, but it was dry and bright when I arrived, although the cloud did come in and then a mixture of sun and cloud. It remained mild too throughout my sea-watch but the sea was very calm as I was in for another very slow morning. The Cemetery wasn't too bad either with plenty of plants now coming through and even though I could not find any migrant birds, there was still quite a lot of birdlife going on within there.

The Moth Box:

This Nut-tree Tussock moth was my first of the year which was found last night.

Last night, while checking the Moth Box before I retired to bed, I found my first Nut-tree Tussock moth of the year perched behind the Box upon the white sheet. I quickly potted the moth and kept it indoors overnight so I could get a better photo in the morning.

Above, one of three Shuttle-shaped Darts. Below, an early Lychnis moth.

Above, another first for the year, a Ruddy Streak.

This morning, after releasing the Nut-tree Tussock, I checked my Moth Box and the surrounding area thoroughly and found three more moths that were new for the year: 3 Shuttle-shaped Darts, a Lychnis and the micro moth Ruddy Streak. Very good. No other moths were found but a Linnet flew high overhead and headed north.

Southsea seafront;

This Sandwich Tern had just caught a fish near the shoreline.

As mentioned earlier, the sea was flat calm and a very light north-easterly wind (apparently) going across the Solent. I got a seat in my usual shelter (that was also being used by some homeless person on the opposite side of the window!), set up scope and poured myself a coffee from my flask. Then down to business. Yes, it was very slow again and at times, I thought I was going to give up, but something popped up flying over the Solent to keep me interested for a little longer. On the way back to the car, I found a lot of Ragged Robin plants growing by the edge of the Promenade, which is unusual here. I put in a two and a half hour shift here from 7am and notched up the following:

• Common Scoter; a flock of 5 birds, 4 drakes and a female, flew distantly east over the Solent. Seen almost as soon as I arrived but proved to be a false dawn for a big movement today.

• Med Gulls: Though singles and pairs did pass through quite regularly, there were some larger flocks going through that included a flock of 4 and 5 birds respectively. When they are in big groups, it's always worth taking a look through the scope at them even though they are probably heading towards their stronghold in Langstone Harbour.

• Sandwich Tern: Many were fishing up and down the shoreline and also over the Solent, but possible migrating flocks were heading east including flocks of 5 and 6 going east.

• Common Tern: Just the one bird seen all morning that went westbound across the Solent.

• Shag: Just the one bird heading west this morning.

Above, a Cormorant about to land just offshore and below, a record photo of the adult Kittiwake flying east over the Solent.

Above, the only Swallow seen this morning coming in off the sea and below, the only waders to be seen this morning, three Oystercatchers.

• Kittiwake: Two single adult birds flew eastbound. That is the 3rd and 4th sighting of this species seen so far on my sea-watches this year.

• Yellow Wagtail: one flew in from the sea heading north. Again heard first as it flew off overhead.

• Linnet: A flock of 4 flew in off the sea heading north. 

• Swallow: just the one bird seen coming in off the sea and then headed off north over the beach.

• Oystercatcher: the only waders seen all morning here with three birds flying together heading east low over the water.

Sandwich Tern heading east along the shoreline.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

This flock of seven Med Gulls flying over the Cemy was quite exceptional.

The weather remained mild and bright when I took the dogs for their morning walk around the Cemetery. It's starting to look a lot greener here in the Cemy with many trees having leaves now and more and more plants starting to appear in flower. The likes of Smooth Sow-thistle, Nipplewort, Bulbous Buttercup, Common Groundsel and Daisies all starting to bloom abundantly and I even found several clumps of Cuckoo Flower growing over on the east side of the Cemetery.

Above, Spanish Bluebells are always a welcome flower here. Below, Common Groundsel also flowering in large clumps are always good for insects.

Above, Nipplewort and below, Bulbous Buttercup.

No migrant birds seen within the Cemetery this morning despite a good search for them, but a few birds of note seen on my walk around the site. The Green Woodpecker was heard distantly somewhere within the Cemy and then seen flying away from me near the Holm Oak tree clump. A flock of 6 Mediterranean Gulls flew over heading north, the most I have seen here in one flock for many a year.

Above, the white creamy 'spikes' of Horse Chestnut flowers now growing and below, a large Smooth Sow-thistle plant.

Above, a bedragged Robin looked as though it had just had a bath and below, Cuckoo Flowers.

The birds seen or heard within the Cemy today included the following:

• Blackbird
• House Sparrow
• Starling
• Wren
• Robin
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Black-headed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Mediterranean Gull
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Feral Pigeon
• Wood Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Goldfinch
• Greenfinch

 

Above, not only the white 'spikes' of Horse Chestnut were showing but also the red ones too. Below, a flock of Herring Gulls within the Cemy. More than likely, someone had been throwing bread out for them!