Ring-billed Gull on Ibsley Water.

Saturday 29th January 2022.

The Peregrine in front of the Tern Hide at Blashford Lakes this afternoon.

A Yellow-browed Warbler had been present for most of the week at a site near Hook-with-Warsash, but our luck wasn't in as there was no sign of the bird in windy conditions early first thing. Andy and I managed to get down to the site, close to the Warsash Maritime Academy, around 9.30am and we eventually found the area in which to search as we came across Graeme Loader yet again! He had already been here for an hour, but there was no sign of the bird as we decided to watch and wait by a sheltered area, some fifty yards from the sea.

The Chiffchaff at Hook-with-Warsash which was sporting a ring.  

From here, we were lucky enough to see our first Firecrest of the year, skulking quietly among the Ivy growing on some of the trees. It was heard to call several times deep within cover. There were a few Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits on show, the latter species is what the Yellow-browed Warbler was mostly being seen with, but, again, the bird did not appear. There was a brief chance when a ‘Phyllosc’ warbler species popped up, but it was a Chiffchaff of which it was also sporting a ring on its left leg. Graeme had earlier seen a pair of Bullfinch, but there was no sign of them for us either. 

The sun did come out a few times, lighting up the Forest occasionally.

One of the Ravens flying over Bolderwood.

After a good hour or so, we decided to make tracks and head to the New Forest. My next target species was Hawfinch and Bolderwood was where we were heading. The car park at this site was unbelievably near full, but we managed to squeeze my car in and then slowly make our way to the Holly Clump opposite. The adjacent large green by the car park held a small flock of around 7 Meadow Pipits, with a few Chaffinch and Pied Wagtail along with them. I have seen Hawfinches on this stretch of grass in the past, but no sign of any today. We had no success in finding any Hawfinches among the Holly Trees, but we did see a pair of Ravens flying low overhead and a pair of Bullfinches in one of the trees.

Meadow Pipits, Chaffinch and Pied Wagtail on the green by the car park.

Meadow Pipit.

Marks Ash Wood wasn't too far away and so taking a drive through the woodland, we parked up and took a slow stroll within the woodland. As well as good numbers of Chaffinch within the woods, we did have a nice flock of Brambling in the treetops. They had just flown in and I managed to grab a few photos of the birds, including a nice male bird. A Marsh Tit was notable, seen feeding on a seed head and two Treecreepers were also seen. Despite taking a good walk, again, no Hawfinches were present.

A Marsh Tit within Marks Ash Wood.

A male Brambling in Mark Ash Wood.

After grabbing some lunch from the garage of Blashford, we made our way to the Tern Hide as Birdguides informed me that the adult Ring-billed Gull had turned up in front of the Lapwing Hide at Blashford Lakes. From the Tern Hide, Andy caught sight of his first Peregrine of the year and fortunate for me and the rest of those within the Hide, the male bird landed on a post in front of the Hide. A real cracking individual too. I was somewhat very busy going through the large Gull flocks (mostly Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Black-headed and Common Gulls), but the Ring-billed Gull proved difficult to find. Meanwhile, a female Goosander flew past the Hide and a few Goldeneye were seen on the choppy water. The wind was quite strong here too and the light was not all that great either. A Green Sandpiper flying past the Hide was a bonus and several Egyptian Geese were seen over the west side of Ibsley Water.

Mr Andrew Fisher checking out the woodland. 

There were a couple of birders present to my left and one of them gave the shout that the female Red-crested Pochard that had been present a few weeks back, was now in flight and heading west over the lake. I did manage to get onto the bird, though to be honest, it was mostly a silhouette  flying away from us and so I had to take the word of this chap. It got better as the same guy then picked up the adult Ring-billed Gull among a small group of Common Gulls and getting onto the bird, I could see the subtle differences between that species and the Common Gull, though viewing the dark ring on the bill proved difficult due to the light conditions. Nevertheless, this was my 3rd ‘year-tick’ of the day and a good one to have on my year list.

What a beauty. The Peregrine perched for a good ten minutes in front of the Tern Hide before flying off north.

Pleased with the Gull, I then decided to call it a day. It was now 3pm and so I said to Andy that it was time to go. Climbing back into the car, we had to head to Ringwood to rejoin the A31 due to the fact that the Ringwood to Fordingbridge was closed to northbound traffic. Why, not a clue, but driving through the Forest home was not an option, unfortunately. Another good day birding and this time next year, I should be hopefully enjoying the delights of North Norfolk.     

Midweek Update.

Thursday 27th January 2022.

These Catkins growing by the Oaks Crematorium. Because of our very mild winter, these are showing all over the woodlands in the South. 

A bit of a late midweek roundup for my blog with sightings seen from Tuesday onwards this week. It has been a rather overcast week so far and temperatures about normal for this time of year. Hardly any wind here on the south coast and no rain whatsoever.  I have been quite busy at work and mostly driving in places like The Oaks Crematorium, Portchester Crematorium and over Portsdown Hill; although yesterday, my work colleague and myself had to go to Grayshott in Surrey to carry out one of our work duties.

This White-shouldered House Moth was perched on the wall in our warm living room!

On Tuesday, I had an incredible number of Redwing flying over The Oaks Crematorium with large flock after flock over a ten minute period at midday. I had a count of at least 200+ birds pouring through the woodland and most heading north-west over the car park; by far the largest number I have seen this winter. Some rested in the nearby woodland and the gorgeous sub-song of the species was heard clearly by the edge of the car park. Other birds seen during my hour-long stay here included a Nuthatch, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Jays and a Mistle Thrush. A male Kestrel was seen flying up from the ground and landing in trees behind the Crematorium and on the way to The Oaks, I spotted two Common Buzzards perched on roadside trees while I was driving along.

Yesterday was much quieter, but I was much busier, though I did see good numbers of both Kestrel and Common Buzzard along the A3. The only other bird of note was a very brief Grey Wagtail over the Crookhorn area. Today, The Oaks provided the majority of sightings that included several views of a Great Spotted Woodpeckers and even the Green Woodpecker was finally seen here, after several times I had only heard the bird. It was feeding around the south of the grounds, behind the small pond. A few Redwing were seen at the top of the trees within the woodland as well as a lone Song Thrush and a Mistle Thrush. Of course, there were a few Blackbirds present too, but no sign of any Fieldfares picked up here yet. Finally, a Marsh Tit was heard calling on the edge of the woodland, but no sighting today.

The Little Bunting seen 5 years ago on Portsdown Hill. Photo by Bart Ives.

In Hampshire today, the Yellow-browed Warbler was present again at Hook-with-Warsash and a Firecrest was seen with it also. The Bittern was showing well from the Ivy North Hide, Blashford Lakes and off Hill Head the four Velvet Scoter were still present and a Red-throated Diver was also offshore. Nearly 5 years ago today, I saw my first Hampshire Little Bunting on Portsdown Hill with Birding pal, John Goodall; many years later from my first ever one in West Sussex. Thankfully, it lingered into the weekend for many of us to enjoy, but my sighting was very brief as it popped up on a small branch and then soon flitted off into the fields. I have been lucky enough to have seen several more over the years since including the two birds on Thursley Common last year. Cracking little birds.

Working over Selsey today.

Monday 24th January 2022.

Local birder, Christine Whiffen nailed this superb photo of the Spotshank at Nore Barn recently.

It’s back to work (groan!) again today after a nice three day break and my jobs today took me to Selsey, in West Sussex, for a change. The weather was overcast and cold again and it looks as though this is going to be the norm for the rest of the week. Still, better than rain all day. I didn't do any birding yesterday due to the fact, my wife and I had a nice cooked breakfast at the Southsea Beach Cafe (a few Herring and Black-headed Gulls loafing on the calm sea) in the morning and then household chores for the rest of the day.

My friend Alta, who resides in South Africa, sent me another moth for my to try and identify. Thankfully, there is a Facebook site that helps identify such moths and one chap came up with this species: Parachalciope mahura. A very striking moth indeed.

My journey to Selsey produced several Common Buzzards perched on roadside trees along Selsey Road, Donnington and even a Long-tailed Tit flew across the road! There have been some interesting birds of note recently including a return visit of the Richard's Pipit at Wildmoor, Basingstoke and the adult Ring-billed Gull was in this afternoon's roost on Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes. The Yellow-browed Warbler is still at Hook-with-Warsash and a Glossy Ibis was seen flying over the M27 in Bursledon, Southampton and another in the north of the county, at Church Norton.

My wife, while tidying up one of our spare bedrooms, found the remains of this Bright-line Brown-eye moth. 

Birding pal, Geoff Farwell, has sent me via text, his sightings over the weekend where on Saturday, he took a stroll over Longwood Warren where he had the following: 2 Corn Buntings, 7 Yellowhammer, 130 Skylark, 25 Fieldfare, 160 Linnets, 3 Stonechat, a single Brambling, 1,700 Wood Pigeons, 86 Stock Doves, Raven, 8 Red Kite and 16 Common Buzzards. On Sunday, he went to the Chidden area and had 195 Fieldfare, Marsh Tit, 5 Red Kites, 3 Common Buzzards, a Raven and 300 Rooks! I am catching up with last week’s Winter Watch and so far, it has been superb and with four more shows this week, I have something to look forward to and not those bloody awful soaps my wife wants to watch! Finally, I would like to thank both Alta and Christine Whiffen for their photos today. 

Virtually ten years ago to the day, I took this photo of the adult Ring-billed Gull at Walpole Lake, Gosport. This bird regularly for many years, return to the same lake and would help guarantee us 'listers' to make a pilgrimage down to this part of Gosport. Currently, it looks like the one on Blashford Lakes is now the most regular bird in Hampshire.

Another 8 species added to year list.

Saturday 22nd January 2022.

The Barn Owl showing well again in the split tree.

Not a bad morning's birding again as I banged in 8 more ‘year-ticks’ to add to my yearly total. 122 species for the year so far isn’t too bad and with Norfolk on the horizon, 140 or 150 species could be a possibility? I needed to be over my fathers house around 1pm and so I opted to go fairly local and tried our luck firstly over Posbrook Floods for the Barn Owl. However, our first stop was to be Greggs for breakfast, in Waterlooville, where Andy, believe it or not, got his first ‘year-tick’ of the day - a female Sparrowhawk flying low over the shops, scaring the wits out of the local Pigeons!

One of several Redwing in the trees along the Canal Path. 

On reaching the small car park near Posbrook Floods, It was suddenly  1 - 1 in ‘year-ticks’ as an Egyptian Goose flew north over the car park, my first of the year (Andy had his earlier this month on Petersfield Lake). We were welcomed to an overcast morning and though it was only 5 degrees, it was very still with hardly any wind at all. We took a slow walk south down the Canal Path to view the ‘split tree’ to the west and thankfully, the Barn Owl was there roosting in the tree. I managed to get a few nice photos of the bird and then it didn't take long to catch up with our first visible Cetti’s Warbler of the year that was skulking about in the flattened reeds by the Canal.

A small flock of Meadow Pipits rested on an overhead wire near the car park. 

A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over, with another in the distance ‘drumming’ and a pair of Stonechats in the field showing well close to the footpath. Andy was keeping an eye out for his first Marsh Harrier of the year, but the best we could find was a rather large Common Buzzard that settled in a tree over the far side to the east. A small flock of Redwing landed in the trees while over on Posbrook Floods itself, there were good numbers of Wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall and Teal on show. A Glossy Ibis had been seen recently here, but no sign of the bird despite a good search.

This male Stonechat was on the seafront at Hill Head being most obliging.

Walking south along the Canal Path, we came across Graeme Loader again and had a chat for around ten minutes. He had not seen anything of note, but he did have a Marsh Harrier on his arrival here. No sign of any Water Pipits either but he did warn us that the footpath would be getting muddier the further south we walked. Walking through the wooded area, we had a good sized flock of Long-tailed Tits plus numerous Blue and Great Tits among them. Not a great deal else of note so we made our way back to the car to take the journey south to Hill Head.

Andy offering one of his delicious hot teas to yours truly!

After purchasing a parking ticket, we took a walk to the Chalets to hopefully connect with the wintering Velvet Scoters, however, I noticed that the water level on the reserve was very low and therefore, there was a fighting chance of a skulking Water Rail. How right that proved! Walking along the shingle passing the Chalets, I noticed a flock of 7 Grey Geese flying overhead and on quick inspection, I noticed at least one of the birds was sporting a lot of white at the base of the bill - our first White-fronted Geese of the year. I quickly put the info on the ‘Lazee Birders’ Whatsapp site and then settled down to view the calm sea over the Solent. It didn’t take long to find the Velvet Scoters, all four of them, settled nicely on the sea with at least 14 Great Crested Grebes in attendance.

One of the drake Eiders offshore having a flap. 

A Harbour Seal swimming out in the Solent.

Behind these birds, a large flock of 61 Eiders were counted out on the Solent, adding to the two drakes we had seen earlier (also adding to our year list, as were the Scoters). A Sanderling hurried westbound along the shoreline, but did not linger due to so many people walking with their dogs on the beach. Same old story at low tide here. Pleased with adding to our yearly total, we made our way back east along the road and sat on the wall overlooking the reserve. From here, we could see the base of the reedbeds and after around 15 minutes or so, I gave the shout that I had found a Water Rail. I quickly got Andy onto the bird and took some film footage of the bird as it bathed in the water and a quick preen. While checking the wildfowl on the River Meon, a male Reed Bunting flew speedily across the water and disappeared just as quickly into the reedbed. Another ‘year-tick’ for my good self, but poor Andy dipped on it!

The four Velvet Scoters offshore that were always distant.

You don't often see Sandwich Terns here in the winter, but this individual flew fairly close to us along the shoreline.

Time was creeping away from us as I wanted to be at my Dad’s house for 1pm and so we made our way back home. Feeling a tad sorry for Andy dipping on the Bunting, I decided to drive along the top of Portsdown Hill in search for Red-legged Partridge to add to his year list, but none were to be seen. So I took a drive to Southwick village and came across a large flock of the birds in the fields before we hit the roundabout at the bottom of the road. ‘Year-tick’ total for this morning: Myself 8 species, Andy 9 species. 

 The Water Rail on the River Meon.

A nice mornings walk around Church Norton.

Friday 21st January 2022.

A Robin made use of one of the Statues in Church Norton Churchyard!

I had another day off today and had a good think last night on where to spend my day off. Birding was on my mind and so after checking the various websites, I decided to give Pagham Harbour a try. Obviously, getting out of Portsmouth from where I live can take a long time and so I left it just before 9am to set off to West Sussex. It was another very cold start to the morning and I had to melt the ice of my windscreen again first thing before I set off, but at least it was going to be a bright blue sky morning and being wrapped up in warm weather gear, I was itching to get out there.

The female Peregrine in Pagham harbour this morning.

Both the male and female Peregrines out on the favourite island. Look at the size difference between them!

I made my way into the small car park at Church Norton and was a little dismayed at all the work vehicles taking up a lot of the parking spaces due to work being carried out somewhere in the Priory. Nevertheless, I grabbed my gear and made my way down the path to the harbour. I knew high tide wasn't going to be till around 1pm and said I would make use of checking out the waders out on the mudflats. Almost immediately, a large flock of small waders took off over the harbour and this was due to a pair of Peregrines, including a large female bird, hunting over the harbour. The raptors soon landed on the favoured island and perched on the posts, the female with a kill in one of her talons (my first of the year and a good start to the day).

A flock of Knot with Grey Plover out on the mudflats. 

Teal enjoying the morning sunshine.

A large flock of Knot was feeding in the harbour among the many Dunlin and Grey Plover (my second year tick), but always remained fairly distant. From the viewpoint with the two benches, one can get some nice photos of the waders feeding quite close in the channels that include the Redshank, Grey Plover and Curlew. I did check thoroughly for the overwintering Whimbrel, but there was no sign of the bird during my stint here. Behind me, in the woodland, there were at least two ‘drumming’ Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a ‘yaffling’ Green Woodpecker though both species were never seen. A Mediterranean Gull flew north low over the water and then I found the adult Yellow-legged Gull sat in the middle of the harbour, not too far away from where the Peregrines were perched. The Gull was also my first of the year, a species I regularly get here most winters. 

A Redshank keeping a watchful eye over the harbour.

This Curlew showed well in the harbour, one of many seen today.

I took a slow walk to the sea to check if anything of note was upon it and came up with a big fat zilch! Though the sea was dead calm, I could not find anything whatsoever upon it, though I got lucky with three Red-throated Divers passing by, though distant. Two birds flew east and another west and jumped aboard my year list thank you very muchly! There was no point staring at an empty sea and so I turned round and took a walk to the Severals to check out the small woodland that splits the reedbeds. The footpath led to the wooded area and in here, there were a lot of passerines flitting about. A flock of around 20+ Goldfinches also held a few Chaffinch feeding on the Birch seeds and also seen was at least two Goldcrests, a small flock of Long-tailed Tits and a few Blue and Great Tits among them. Though nothing really exciting, it was enjoyable being amongst them in their frenzy in search for food.

The footpath to the south of the Severals. All the puddles here were iced over still.

When waders get close, I cannot resist in taking a photo of them, no matter how common they are. Here, a Dunlin came in close enough for a reasonable photo.

 

I took a walk back to the harbour entrance and looking up, I was very pleased to see my first Marsh Harrier of the year, a female bird sporting a nice creamy crown. The bird circled briefly then headed off northbound towards the woods by the Priory. On reaching the harbour entrance, I checked the waders again. I could not find anything new among them and so took a walk north to take the footpath leading to the Cemetery. Unfortunately, probably due to weather erosion, the steps leading up to the path had nearly destroyed the steps and so I had to turn back from whence I came! Ger-rumble! I took a few more photos of the waders and a Black-tailed Godwit had joined the other waders close by within the channel. Taking a walk within the Churchyard, I could not find the Firecrest or Chiffchaff that was seen yesterday here and only a few Blackbirds and Robins present for my effort.

A Grey Plover close in within the harbour.

A Black-tailed Godwit passing by with a Dunlin in the background.

Back in the car, I decided to give Chichester Gravel Pits a try and though I had to negotiate a very muddy and slippery path at times, surely I would pick up some more ‘year-ticks’? Nope! I was hoping for an Egyptian Goose or a Cetti’s Warbler, but all was very quiet here. There were good numbers of both Tufted Duck and Pochard on Ivy Lake and both Gadwall and Shoveler were in much smaller numbers. Nearing the end of Ivy Lake, a large skein of Grey Lag Geese flew over, probably 50+ birds in total, but no sign of any Egyptian on the smaller pools. A single Chiffchaff was seen flitting about in the Willows and at least two small flocks of Long-tailed Tits, but little else of note.

A Great Crested Grebe swimming on Trout Lake.

A skein of Grey Lag Geese flying over the Lakes.

A quick check on Birdguides revealed that the Glossy Ibis had been seen in the field by the Info Centre on Farlington Marshes this morning and I was tempted to go and view the bird, but it turned out the bird was a brief sighting and flew off eastbound. While driving back home along the A27, a suicidal Common Buzzard flew low across the road, only just avoiding the speeding traffic as it headed off northbound over the fields. I got a message from Sussex birder Sarah Russell to say the Glossy Ibis flew over the harbour again today. I am wondering now if I am going to track one down, though they can be very elusive at times. The Hook-with-Warsash area currently has a Yellow-browed Warbler and Glossy Ibis in the vicinity, plus a Firecrest! 

Tufted Duck on Ivy Lake.

A Midweek Update.

Wednesday 19th January 2022.

The Glossy Ibis going into roost at the Owl Point bushes by Pagham Harbour. Photo by Sarah Russell.

It's midweek already and thankfully, I have seen some nice birds over the last few days to add to my blog, though no photos I’m afraid. I would look somewhat dodgy in my line of work carrying a camera with me! The weather has been playing tricks again this week with icy cold mornings then leveling out to be quite mild, which included a rain shower today! Crazy stuff. Monday was a quiet day for me personally, but there was exciting news when a tailless Richard’s Pipit was found just north of  Basingstoke at a place called Wildmoor. Though it was seen briefly the following morning, the bird simply disappeared. Personally, I hardly saw anything of note, but at least it did liven up on Tuesday.

A female Great Spotted Woodpecker sharing a seed feeder with a Goldfinch. Photo by Dave Levy. 

The drive over Portsdown Hill produced three species of Raptor that included a pair of Kestrels, two separate Common Buzzards (one of the Kestrels dive-bombed one of the Buzzards that was perched on the wire fence) and best of all, a Red Kite that was sailing fairly low over the Hill near Fort Southwick. A large flock of Fieldfare took off from the fields near Skew Lane and headed off north, with at least 30+ birds within the flock (my first flock of Fieldfare for the year). A Stonechat was briefly seen perched on a weed stem just north of the road and finally, a pair of Red-legged Partridges were seen in the field west of Downend Road. Not bad seeing all these birds were seen on one drive over Portsdown Hill.

Siberian Chiffchaff at Hams Hall, Warwickshire. This species (currently sub-species of Chiffchaff, but that could change soon) has been identified in many areas this Winter. I did see the Titchfield Haven bird last month and they really are a cold, pale looking bird. Photo by Dave Hutton.

Today was much quieter but I did see a superb male Sparrowhawk fly down from tree branches opposite Chichester Crematorium and land on the ground. It then flew up and flew from branch to branch as it climbed the tree until flying off. Amazing how all the other smaller birds suddenly go very quiet! A little while later, a Goldcrest flew across the trees and disappeared out of view; only my second sighting of this species this year.  

An African Emperor Moth. This photo was taken by a friend of mine, Alta, who lives in South Africa and now and then, will send me photos of the wildlife there. Photo by Alta. 

A Ring-billed Gull has returned to the roost on Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes once again, hopefully spending the rest of the winter here in the roost. There were quite a few sightings of Glossy Ibis in both Hampshire and West Sussex today and yesterday. The Velvet Scoters are still off Hill Head and Andy Johnson had the ringtail Hen-harrier again heading towards Thorney Island and a Marsh Harrier also. Yesterday, a Wheatear was seen at Southampton Western Docks. Was this the same bird seen at Lee on Solent last week? Good to see the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was heard ‘drumming’ in Mark Ash Wood, so I might pay a visit there soon.  

Just taking the Ibis!

Saturday 15th January 2022.

Redwings in the trees north of Pook Lane, Warblington.

It was a grey day with a lot of cloud cover, especially in the afternoon and the temperature remained about 5 degrees, therefore, warm weather gear throughout the day was essential. I had a plan to see three species of Owls today, but when a group of 3 Glossy Ibis was found at Warblington, I opted for the rarer of the species and made our way to Warblington first. 

More Redwing by Pook Lane, Warblington.

Despite our attempts to see the birds, they proved very elusive for both Andy and myself along with several other disappointed birders. Apparently, they settled in a field close to Pook Lane among the many Cattle and Little Egrets present, but were spooked several times by either passing Buzzards or hassled by Crows. So, on our first attempt there, we did see good numbers of Redwings in the fields and the Egrets put on a good show, but no ‘star’ bird. Andy did see his first Grey Wagtail of the year; a bird I picked up by its call flying fast and heading east.

The Little Owl at Fort Cumberland.

Sanderling on the beach with an onlooking Common Gull. 

After our first attempt, we drove down to Fort Cumberland to see if we would have better luck with the Little Owls there. This time, we were in luck as one of the Little Owls was in its usual south facing hole in the wall of the Fort. There it simply sat, hardly moving at all and making the most out of the weak sunshine. The tide was up in the Solent and the sea was fairly calm, but we could not find anything of note upon it. The local Sanderlings put on a nice show down by the shoreline, trying their hardest to avoid the many dog-walkers along the beach and the birds were joined by several Turnstone. When we got back to the car, I found a pair of Stonechats close by and managed a few nice shots of the birds. Checking the Whatsapp on my phone, the Ibis had reappeared in fields just north of Pook Lane and so my intended target of the Barn Owl at Posbrook Floods had to be put on the back burner for now.

Above, a female Stonechat by the car park at Fort Cumberland. Below, the male bird was not too far away either.

It didn't take long to get to Warblington, but after parking in Pook Lane, there was still no sign of the Ibis anywhere. We searched all the neighbouring fields in the area that were by the muddy roadside, but to no avail and by 1.30pm, I decided to abandon looking for them and head to Thorney Island for the Short-eared Owls instead. I counted at least a dozen Cattle Egrets in all while I was here and they do seem a lot more tolerant with human presence. A Common Buzzard drifted over, upsetting a lot of birds, though they soon settled again to resume feeding among the Cattle.

One of at least a dozen Cattle Egrets present at Warblington today.

I parked up at Eames Farm again, like the last time I was here, and propped myself up on the iron fence overlooking the fields to the west. I could see a group of birders already positioning themselves for a 'Short-eared Owl show', heavily armed with their large long-lens cameras on the seawall. A large flock of both Brent and Canada Geese were grazing in the field, including one Brent with a lot of white on the back of the head, which looked a little unusual. Grey Partridge are around in the area, but all we found were lots of nicely marked Pheasants. After 15 minutes or so, we crossed the road to view the fields and the Great Deeps to the east and from here, I caught sight of my first Short-eared Owl of the year. The bird was very distant and was being harassed by a Black-headed Gull, but there was no mistaking the Owl as it lazily flapped over the distant field and reedbeds, close to the seawall. On the nearby Great Deeps, at least 10 Little Grebes swam on the water and a large flock of Wigeon were grazing in the nearby field, mixed in with a large number of Lapwing.

The Green Woodpecker was added to Andy's year list.

Brent Geese coming into land in the fields over on the west side of Thorney Island.

Back over the gate looking west, at least one Short-eared Owl was up and after 10 minutes or so, there were at least 3 birds in the air at one time. Sadly, they all remained fairly distant, so my record photos from what I took of the birds really does not do them justice. Still, such a joy to watch anyway. One bird flew up and high over the road and headed off east towards the ‘Landing Lights’ to round off our trip here. Earlier, Andy grabbed yet another ‘year-tick’ with a Green Woodpecker that was perched on a bush near where the Owls were performing. The Owls now put me on 109 species for the year and I was pleased with that, though the Glossy Ibis would have been nice. I saw my father this morning for a chat and he told me that he had a male Blackcap in his garden earlier this week.    

Some of my photos of the Short-eared Owls at Thorney this afternoon. Shame they were distant.