A walk with the dogs by the Harbour Entrance & a Black Redstart in my garden.

Friday 26th December 2025.

The female Black Redstart in my garden this afternoon.

Over the last few days, it was very tempting to go off birding to grab two potential ‘Hampshire ticks’ with a Cirl Bunting at Wicor, Portchester and the Tundra Bean Geese on Farlington Marshes; but if I did, I would probably be facing a divorce!!! Hopefully, both species will be around tomorrow, so for now, I took my dogs for a pleasant, but very cold, walk around the harbour entrance at Eastney. Again, it was overcast at 8am this morning though the cloud was soon thinning and by 11am, there was a sunny blue sky over Southsea.

Harbour entrance, Eastney:

The Sandwich Terns by the jetty at Eastney Outfall.

It was damn cold while birding down by the harbour entrance and thankfully, the brain kicked into gear as I eventually put my gloves on my numb hands. From the spit near the Hayling Ferry Terminal, I found a pair of female Red-breasted Mergansers between Lock Lake and the northern end of the harbour, busy fishing, but no sign of any male birds in the area. Further south, a pair of Great Crested Grebes were swimming in the channel while on the mudflats (it was low tide within the harbour), Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatcher and a single Grey Plover were seen busy in search of food. Again, there were numerous dark-bellied Brent Geese on the mudflats and skeins of the same species flying overhead. Always busy here with birds at this time of year.

Above, beams of light bursting through gaps in the cloud off the Outfall. Below, the wrecked scaffolding holds up the old seawall near the Jetty.

Above, four of the five Oystercatchers on the jetty this morning and below, while checking out the above birds, a flock of Brent Geese were seen flying over heading east.

The harbour entrance itself was rather quiet, though a single Great Crested Grebe was seen to fly north from the Solent and into the harbour. A large number of House Sparrows were squabbling about in the car park as did a small flock of Starlings and the Gulls present here included Black-headed, Herring, a couple of Common Gulls and a single juvenile Great Black-backed Gull.

Above, the jetty that attracted the Oystercatchers and below, two of the Oystercatchers on the shoreline.

Above, a large rock pool is created when the tide is out here and below, a Common Gull on the shoreline.

I took the short drive to the Ferry Road Beach car park, which was near empty and clean (!!!), got the dogs out of the car and took a walk by the Eastney Pier, so the dogs could have a good run on the sandy beach there. There were no sea fishing guys on the Pier this morning as I checked out the sea for anything of note. I found at least three distant Great Crested Grebes just off Gunner Point, Hayling Island and nearby, up to 5 Oystercatchers were on the jetty busy in search of shellfish among the seaweed. Behind the jetty, a pair of Sandwich Terns were resting on posts, which was a pleasant surprise.

Above, a flock of House Sparrows were 'dusting' by the car park and below, a Black-headed Gull is flanked by Starlings.

Above, a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull on the beach by the car park and below, looking back south to the Ferry Road.

Above, a pair of Great Crested Grebes within Lock Lake and below, the pair of female Red-breasted Mergansers swimming out of Lock Lake and into Langstone Harbour.

Above, another photo of the Mergansers and below, a small flock of Brent flying north.

There were hardly any passerines were noted within the Perimeter Fence, but before we left the car park, a Greenfinch and a Meadow Pipit were heard calling somewhere nearby to round off my trip here this morning.

The female Black Redstart in my garden.

When I got home, I was checking the garden for the Blackcap that had been around recently and soon found something interesting up in my neighbours tree. At the speed of light (well, something like that), I grabbed my binoculars from indoors and managed to check the bird out. It wasn't the Blackcap that I first thought, but was in fact a female Black Redstart!!! The bird then flew off over my head and landed on my roof and then flew off north. I rushed back indoors to grab my camera, but there was no further sign of the bird. Hurrumph! Still, a superb ‘garden tick’ nonetheless.

Above and below, the female Black Redstart.

I went outside to my garden about 30 minutes later, this time armed with some dried Mealworms, and again saw the Black Redstart and this time I also had my camera. The bird was most obliging, though a bit tricky to photograph as it perched up in my neighbours tree. Also, the Blackcap briefly showed itself and a little later, gave excellent views but I didn't have my camera to hand this time. Hurrumph again!