A flock of 7 Mute Swans over Curtain Moat the highlight in Old Portsmouth.

Thursday 5^th November 2026.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier coming through the Solent and then into Portsmouth Harbour. That is one big boat!

A mostly cloudy day and only a tad warmer than yesterday where the only plus was that it didn’t rain. There was no Moth Box on overnight as I wanted to make sure that yesterday’s moths did disperse, but even though the Fireworks are going off tonight, I still put the Moth Box on. Who knows, it just might disperse some Moths my way?

A reasonable tally of bird species seen today from Old Portsmouth and always nice to see a flock of Mute Swans on the move as a flock of 7 birds flew east over the Curtain Moat area and most likely heading to Canoe Lake.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The Aircraft Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth heading towards Portsmouth Harbour and passing the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

I've already mentioned the ‘star birds’ which leads me to the pair of Jays that flew up and down the road between the Sycamore Trees and the trees by the Bowling Green. A Robin popped out briefly by the House opposite but soon flew off when a pedestrian walked past. The Great Tit was singing again from the tops of the trees, but despite 15 species seen today from both shifts, it was rather uneventful bar the Swans.

The birds seen or heard this morning included the following:

• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Jay (2)
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Robin
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Mute Swan (flock of 7 birds)
• Starling
• Blackbird
• House Sparrow (heard)
• Wren (heard singing)

 

In Hampshire today:

Five years ago to the very day, this Red Kite flew over my head at Old Winchester Hill. 

An interesting Goose flew over Lewis Hooper at the Kench on Hayling Island, of which he thought it was a Pink-footed Goose, but on closer inspection, it might have been a Bean Goose. There is a mini-influx of them back in the UK, so it was a possibility. There was no sign of the Pacific Golden Plover in the Keyhaven Golden Plover flock today and most likely on the Isle of Wight again.

Notable birds in Hampshire today included a couple of Slavonian Grebes in Langstone Harbour and a couple of Water Pipits seen today with birds at Titchfield Haven and Gilkicker Point.