Purple Sandpiper seen distantly this morning.

Tuesday 17th February 2026.

Yes, the Black-headed Gull is a common bird, but seeing them in their summer plumage is always a joy as spring is just around the corner. This bird was off Southsea Castle this morning.

I had the day off today and as the weather was looking very good with plenty of sunshine and a bright blue sky this morning, I decided to take a drive down to Southsea Castle first. I knew that the Purple Sandpipers were not in front of the Castle and so took the walk down to the closed off area (workers still rebuilding the seafront promenade west of the Blue Reef Aquarium) and looked west along the rocks.

Southsea Castle & promenade:

This distant Purple Sandpiper was the only one I could find early this morning on the seafront.

The sea state was calm, but a good scan across the Solent only produced the one Great Crested Grebe that was flying low over the water heading west. A good scan from the fenced off area looking west eventually produced just the one Purple Sandpiper, but it was very distant and it took around 10 minutes for me to find the bird. Apparently, a little later in the morning, a total of three birds were seen by other birders this morning.

Above, a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls heading into Portsmouth Harbour and below, the new promenade in front of Southsea Castle.

Above, a distant Great Crested Grebe flying west over the Solent with a Great Black-backed Gull on the Navigation Light Towers.

Unfortunately, despite a good search in front of the Castle, all I could find were a few Black-headed Gulls and a distant Cormorant perched on some contraption out in the Solent. A pair of Great Black-backed Gulls were seen flying into Portsmouth Harbour and a Common Gull flew over the Solent heading west. Since the new seafront has been built, I have to say, I have not seen any Rock Pipits here this winter and where are the rock pools that are advertised on the billboards by the Council? On top of that, will the sea watching this Spring be any good from my usual shelter this year? We shall see. I am looking forward to this in the coming months and will probably put a lot more effort into checking the Solent here instead of going all the way over to the shelter at Gilkicker!

Eastney Harbour entrance:

The Hopper Dredger A1 Avocet coming into Langstone Harbour this morning.

The car park here at the harbour entrance was near full, despite only being around 9.30am and so parking up just a little north, I slowly took a walk up to the Hayling Ferry Terminal. The tide was up within Langstone Harbour and Lock Lake and so scanning the water, I found at least 3 Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Mergansers on the calm water, though distant. The wind, though light, was very cold and so I did not hang around here too long as I checked out a huge number of Brent Geese flying west over the harbour and landing in front of the Thatched House pub. 

Above, a pair of Great Crested Grebes on the Hayling side of the harbour entrance. One of the birds was in full summer plumage. Below, a pair of Oystercatchers sat on one of the small boats within Lock Lake.

Above and below, a large flock of Brent Geese came in from the east side of the harbour and eventually settled in front of the Thatched House pub. I have had a few meals on one of those benches!

A pair of Oystercatchers were sitting on one of the small boats in Lock Lake and a group of four birds flew low over the harbour heading east. A lone Dunlin was heard and then seen flying over the harbour entrance until flying off north to round off a quiet spell here at Eastney. As I was driving back home along Ferry Road, a Fox nonchalantly crossed the road in front of me and stood by the side of the road enjoying the rare sight of some sunshine!

My Garden:

The singing female Black Redstart at the back of my garden.

Both the Black Redstart and Blackcap were seen well in and around my garden today, with both birds singing. The female Black Redstart was, as per usual, quietly singing high up in the bare tree at the back of my garden, but proved difficult to get a decent photo, while the Blackcap was singing loudly deep within my neighbours Bay Tree as per usual! A Robin came into my garden and thoroughly enjoyed picking off seeds from the Fat Balls. I don't often see Robins in my garden, so I took a few photos of the bird that showed well for at least ten minutes or so.

It's always good to see a Robin in my garden.

My final notable sighting today was a singing Grey Wagtail which I saw high up on the roof of a building in Clarendon Road, Southsea. 

In Hampshire today:

The Great Grey Shrike was still at Lucas Castle in the New Forest this morning and the Snow Bunting was back in its usual place early afternoon at Black Point, between the RNLI Station and Sailing Club. Keyhaven Lagoon held a pair of Little Gulls and also a pair of Black-necked Grebes again and offshore there, a pair of Slavonian Grebes were seen nearby. Two White-tailed Eagles flew overhead for one lucky observer over the site.

The male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen again today in the woods at Acres Down. Film footage by Steve Laycock.