Much quieter off Southsea seafront.

Tuesday 8th April 2025.

Dawn over Southsea seafront.

I was most certainly in the mood for another ‘sea-watch’ this morning and therefore I had to be up before dawn. However, after the ‘Lord Mayor’s Show’ yesterday by one lucky birder, it was slow going this morning during the hour and a half I was there. I had to be back by 8.30am because my wife had us take our granddaughter out to the Mountbatten Centre and so, with less time that I hoped, I did manage to see a few birds of note.

Spitbank Fort at dawn.

Many Sandwich Terns fishing way offshore with only a few coming in fairly close and only the one Mediterranean Gull was seen this morning. Yet again, another clear blue sky overhead and the barest of north-easterly winds blew across the Solent, but some birds did make their way eastbound which included three small flocks of Brent Geese.

Photos of the birds were hard to come by, but I did see this Sandwich Tern fairly close in and below, three Brent Geese on the move back to their breeding grounds.

A small group of three Common Scoters actually stole the headlines on such a quiet morning here on Southsea seafront, while the other highlights among the many Gulls flying past included a female Kestrel heading east over the sea (probably heading to South Parade Pier), a pair of Oystercatchers heading west and a Shelduck heading east. A pair of Linnets flew in off the sea heading northbound. Finally, a small group of three Shags headed west close in too, but too quick for a photo. And that was it folks! I will probably be back on Thursday and hopefully a bit busier and with more time.

Both Herring and Black-headed Gulls on the beach kept me entertained while it was quiet, Below, a singing Dunnock in the Southsea Gardens behind me.

Emma and Matt Parkes had a near successful trip to Weymouth, but there was no sign of the Subalpine Warbler in Weymouth. So they went onto Portland and scored with sightings of both Redstart and Ring Ouzel! Meanwhile, the UK is currently experiencing an ‘irruption’ of Hoopoes that included one coming in off the sea at Barton-on-sea and another close by at Medmerry RSPB Reserve for those ‘twitching’ the Least Sandpiper. An Osprey was reported on Pilsey Island in Chichester Harbour and three Spoonbills on Farlington Marshes.