A breezy morning on Farlington Marshes.

Saturday 19th March 2022.

This 'Light-belled' Brent Goose among the 'Dark-bellied' Brent was our first for the Winter.

I really did not want to go too far from home today as Becky and I were on Grandparent duties today and  so I decided Andy and myself would give Farlington Marshes a try this morning. The weather looked promising with a clear blue sky and virtually sunshine all day, however, we did not count on that nagging blustery cold easterly wind. Even when we were walking up to the viewing platform by the main Lake, two ladies passed us by and said it would have been a  beautiful morning if it wasn't for that wind!

Several Curlews were out in the harbour, west of the reserve.

Brent Geese and wildfowl on the Lake.

The tide was slowly rising within Langstone Harbour, but it wasn't for another couple of hours before high tide and so the exposed mudflats to the west of the reserve only held a handful of Curlews of note. Thankfully, there was a lot more activity on the main Lake where I counted at least 20 Avocets feeding in various areas of the Lake. Other waders present were a tight flock of resting Redshanks at the far end of the Lake, keeping close to the reedbed and out of the wind. More birds continued to fly on to the Lake to join them plus a small group of three Greenshank.

Redshank keeping out of the wind on the main Lake while an Avocet carries on feeding.  

My Swarovski telescope is still being mended and so I could not find any other waders hiding by the reeds and that included any possible Little Ringed Plovers on the north side of the Lake. While checking out the birds here, that included good numbers of Teal and Brent Geese, soon everything went up as a passing Common Buzzard flew high over, heading south west and hotly pursued by a Carrion Crow that would not leave it alone.

An Avocet, Redshank and Greenshank at the back of the Lake.

A passing Common Buzzard put up all the birds on the main Lake.

Eventually we made the decision to make our way anticlockwise around the reserve, but the ‘eye-watering’ wind was a real pain. I could clearly see the storm damage from Storm Eunice  around the southern part of the reserve, with vast amounts of seaweed strewn across the fields and even buckling one of the barbed wire fences. I honestly thought we would bump into a Wheatear or two, but despite checking the fields thoroughly and along the sea wall, we did not come across a single bird. In fact, there were hardly any reported today along the south coast and probably due to that wind putting them off crossing the Channel.

Sunny but cold around by the Point Field.

An adult Mediterranean Gull cruises over the Deeps.

Brent Geese numbers are reducing all the time as reports of large flocks passing Hayling and Selsey have been reported; though Farlington Marshes still held at least 4 to 500 birds at least grazing in various sized flocks throughout the reserve. It was when we took one of the small benches to have a coffee from Andy’s flask, that I picked up our first ‘Light-bellied’ Brent Goose among the ‘Dark-bellied’ birds. It really stood out like a sore thumb among the other Geese, with its much paler flanks ‘glowing’ in the bright sunshine. Also from here, a male Reed Bunting briefly perched on a nearby bramble and out on the Deeps area, vast numbers of Black-headed Gulls jostled for territory on the Tern rafts and around the Deeps itself. I checked the Shovelers, Wigeon and Mallard here for any early Garganey, but to no avail.

This 'ringed' male Reed Bunting showed well while we had a coffee by the Deeps.

We found the remains of this wing which we believe belonged to a Redshank.

After our refreshments, we carried on walking around the perimeter, but there was little of note until we reached the bench overlooking the top of the main Stream, near the Information Centre. Bearded Tits were our main quarry here as we had yet to add this species to our year list. From the bench, there were a further three Avocets asleep by the water and up to 9 Black-tailed Godwits close by. A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls also rested by the water and a few Moorhens were busy swimming up and down on the water in front of us. At least we were out of that awful wind for a while and with the sun on our backs, it was simply nice to be out. A Cetti’s Warbler sang occasionally behind us and I think we even caught a glimpse of it as it flew overhead and into the reedbed.

Avocets roosting on the top of the Stream.

Some of the Black-tailed Godwits are going into summer plumage.

Walking between the Stream and the Bushes area, we soon came across a singing Chiffchaff within the ‘Double-ponds’ area, but the bird remained elusive and so we carried on towards the main Lake again. Despite the wind, I did hear a Bearded Tit called in the reedbed and eventually, I spotted a bird flying east low over the reeds, but Andy failed to get onto the bird. However, he soon spotted his own bird flying low over the reeds and so Bearded Tit happily climbed on board our year list; my 157th species for the year so far.

A large gathering of Starlings were seen throughout the day, feeding on insects, but had to be on their guard from raptors.

This female Shoveler posed nicely in the sunshine by the Deeps.

While checking the large number of Gulls on the Stream, suddenly everything flew up again and this time it was a superb and very close, male Peregrine coming into hunt. The bird flew some 20 metres away from us as it twisted and turned after some poor hapless bird, but it looked as though it came away fruitless as it hurried off eastbound and out of sight. That was to be our last notable sighting for our trip here today as we made our way along the seawall back to the car park. Another Chiffchaff was heard singing deep within the Bushes area again, to remind us once more that all those Spring migrants are on their way.

My first Wheatear of the year.

Thursday 17th March 2022.

The gorgeous male Wheatear gracing South Moors this afternoon.

And still this Covid thing is still going on and I am still bloody positive! I gave it till the middle of the afternoon to make my way over to South Moor to hopefully view a male Wheatear that had been found there this morning and thankfully, I was in luck. The Government has stated that as long as you keep away from people, one can travel even if you are tested positive and that's exactly what I did, though I did take Scruff along with me.

This was my first singing Chiffchaff of the year, close to where I parked my car.

I parked up at the bottom of Southmoor Lane, got Scruff on his lead and then made my way to the harbour wall. Almost immediately, there was a singing Chiffchaff close by (my first singing bird of the year) and eventually, I found it high up in a nearby tree. A second singing bird was also seen, but was too quick for me to grab a photo as it dropped into cover. I was also hoping for a singing Blackcap here, a good site for this species, but none were heard throughout my visit here.

A Little Egret was fishing in a small pool on the mudflats.

Storm Eunice gave this place at South Moors a real pounding as most of the fields to the north were flooded. I suppose the Gulls and wildfowl will now make the most of it. However, the greedy eyes of Developers are always a threat to this special area.  

There was an ebbing tide within Langstone Harbour, but there were still a large number of Brent Geese on the exposed mudflats, probably all itching to make the long journey north to their breeding grounds shortly. The distinctive calls of the Mediterranean Gulls could be heard overhead as both pairs and singles of this species flew over occasionally in the bright sunshine. Though it was sunny with a clear blue sky, the westerly wind blowing in off the harbour was a tad chilly, though I did not wear my coat this time.

Above, these Brent Geese will not be long in making the long journey east while this Curlew will probably head north! Below, a Rock Pipit on the harbour wall.

After chastising some idiot who let his dog roam free to hassle my dog, we made our way along the harbour wall heading east and kept to the main path, eventually I came across a passerine sitting on the harbour wall. It was the male Wheatear looking quite stunning in the afternoon sunshine. The bird showed very well as I steadied myself in taking some photos of the bird, up until that is, when some bloody idiot suddenly came out of nowhere on this mountain bike and I had to reluctantly move out the way. Stray dogs, bloody cyclists, whatever next ?? After taking my eye off the Wheatear, I had no idea where it had gone, but it did leave at least two Rock Pipits in its wake.

The male Wheatear on the harbour wall. I wonder how many made the crossing over the Channel today?

I walked on for a further 100 yards, realised that there was not much point in moving on and so I made my way back to the car, but not before I took a look at the pools at Budds Farm. The Wheatear was refound again, but this time I let it go about its business as I passed some 15 yards away from the bird and then it flew off east along the beach again. My first Wheatear of 2022 and a gentle reminder that Spring is finally here. A quick look on Birdguides revealed that a group of 3 Glossy Ibis were seen flying onto the paddocks at Titchfield Haven at roughly the same time, but I was more than happy in checking out the pools on Budds Farm.

Comfrey growing abundantly by Budds Farm.

Something's up there! This Rock Pipit on the beach was on its guard. 

I passed my first Comfrey plants of the year as I made my way up the slope to the viewing area overlooking the pools, to the sound of both Cetti’s Warbler and Chiffchaff's singing. The pools were alive with the sound of Black-headed Gulls bathing on the water and the occasional Med Gull passing overhead, but no Little Gulls among them this time as there was last Spring. There were plenty of wildfowl present including good numbers of Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Gadwall and among them, there was a single drake Pochard which became elusive after my first sighting. At least a dozen or so Little Grebes were noted, but apart from a small flock of Long-tailed Tits below me in the small trees, not a great deal else was seen. More than happy with the Wheatear sighting, I made my way back home to avoid the worst of the traffic going back into Portsmouth.

Above, a drake Teal on the pools and below, a drake Gadwall on the same pool. 

There were some nice birds in Hampshire today with a pair of Garganey seen off Hill Head and another flying past the Bishops Waltham area. A male Hen Harrier was seen flying over Posbrook Floods twice today and the Glossy Ibis were most certainly paying visits to various areas along the south coast including Titchfield Haven. Three Sand Martins were noted over Testwood Lakes along with a pair of Little Ringed Plovers also there. Earlier today, the moth box held just 4 Common Plume moths, which was disappointing. I happened to have a small spider that had taken residence in my kitchen and unusually for this type of habitat, for I normally see them out in the countryside, it was a Nursery Spider of which I placed it in one of my moth tubes and put it outside in the garden. How strange!

A drake Shoveler by the reeds.

A nice portrait of one of the Long-tailed Tits present.

The Nursery Spider that was in my kitchen this morning.

Redwing, the surprise bird of the morning.

Wednesday 16th March 2022.

This Redwing was a nice suprise during my walk around the Cemy this morning. Just look at the colour of the sky behind the bird, which was laden with dust from the Sahara desert! 

With heavy rain showers coming in this morning, I decided to do an early walk around Highland Road Cemetery with Scruff. The sky, however, was an eerie yellowy grey colour which was due to the Saharan desert dust high in the clouds, which will soon be deposited all over Southern England later in the day. Hence, why a lot of my photos look as though they have a ‘sepia’ look to them! 

It was most certainly a lot darker than normal due to the sky. 

The Jays put in an appearance again.

It was still rather cool this morning, roughly around 10 degrees with an easterly breeze blowing across the Cemy, but I had my coat on to keep the worst of the cold out. I counted up to 20 species of bird again, either heard or seen during my walk, though there was no sign of the Firecrest this morning, despite a good search around the Holm Oaks. The surprise of the morning was a late Redwing seen flying high across the Cemy heading north and then settling high up in the bare branches of one of the Beech Trees.

Another photo of the surprise Redwing this morning.

Someone's been feeding the Feral Pigeons here.

The Green Woodpecker showed well again, over on the east side for a change, but because of the hazy light conditions, the photo of the bird was a little dark. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls flew low over the Cemy, heading eastbound towards Langstone Harbour, I presume, with another heard later flying over, but there was no sighting of this individual due to the trees being in the way. Up to two Jays showed occasionally, but were always skittish. The following birds were seen or heard in the Cemy this morning:

• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Mediterranean Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay
• Goldfinch
• Greenfinch
• Wren
• Robin
• Blackbird
• Redwing
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Dunnock
• House Sparrow
• Starling

Both Winter Heliotrope and Mallow plants were in leaf around the Cemetery, the former in its usual spot under the Holm Oak clump, while the latter was scattered in a variety of areas within the Cemy. I could not find any new plants on show, bar the usual Daisies and Common Groundsel, but it will not be long before more plants begin to flower, especially with the weather forecast looking good for the rest of the week. 

The ever vocal Green Woodpecker was first seen over the east side of the Cemy this morning.

Mallow growing at the base of the one of the Holm Oak trees.

Earlier today, the moth trap held no moths again, but close by, near the moth box there were up to 10 Common Plume’s and just the one Light Brown Apple Moth. There was a Double-striped Pug last night but it seemed to have disappeared. Surely an Early Grey or Hebrew Character moth sometime soon? The moth guys in the north of the County are faring a lot better than I am, though I assume they are near woodland, which does produced more moth species?

The male Greenfinch 'wheezing' from his song post.

Both Firecrest and Green Woody seen again.

Tuesday 15th March 2022.

True, not the greatest photo of a Firecrest, but it looked as though this bird has just had a good bathe.  

I am still Covid positive according to my flow test again today, but I cannot be far away now from getting the all-clear. The moth trap was out again last night, despite the cold overnight temperatures and I was rewarded with 8 moths of 3 species in total. There were 5 Common Plume moths, 2 Double-striped Pugs and my first Beautiful Plume of the month, hiding at the  base of the fencing panel below my moth box. No doubt, with overcast conditions and slightly warmer temperatures, I shall endeavour to set up the moth trap again tonight.

Beautiful Plume by the moth box.

Now there's a splash of colour to warm up the old cockles, matey!

The male Green Woodpecker being a tad showy this afternoon.

This afternoon, it was back over Highland Road Cemetery with Scruff in somewhat pleasant sunny conditions. There were a lot of dog-walkers present this afternoon and a few out for a stroll on their own too as I made my way slowly anti-clockwise around the perimeter of the Cemy. I clocked up to an impressive 20 species this afternoon, which included a few birds I did not see on Monday and even the delightful small male Firecrest and the vocal Green Woodpecker put in an appearance again.

Our humble Goldfinch was enjoying feeding on the seeds of Common Groundsel.

This female Blackbird came close enough to be most obliging in the sunshine.

There wasn't many insects about this afternoon but this Hoverfly species, Meliscaeva auricollis, put in an appearance. I had one of these in my garden a few days ago.

The male Firecrest showed on and off for at least ten minutes in the lone Holm Oak on the east side of the Cemy, but proved very difficult to photograph high up in the branches, so apologies for the scrappy photos. The Green Woodpecker, however, was much more obliging and literally sat out in the open in a tall tree in the centre of the Cemy, calling every now and then. In fact, there were a lot of birds singing this afternoon with both Dunnock, Wren and Robin in fine voice. I noticed Blackbird numbers have increased in the Cemy again with at least 6 birds seen, with a female bird already collecting worms! Has she an early brood already hidden away? 

Even the Dunnock showed well and sang at the southern end of the Cemy.

Total species seen or heard this afternoon included the following:

• Herring Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Feral Pigeon
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay
• Goldfinch
• Greenfinch
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Robin
• House Sparrow
• Dunnock
• Blackbird
• Wren
• Firecrest
• Green Woodpecker

Not a great deal of insect life on the wing, though there was a Hoverfly species seen enjoying nectaring on the blossom of a small Cherry Tree. It was sad to see a large clump of bushes chopped away on the south-east corner of the footpath where the conifer was. It seems the Council are on a mission to remove a lot of bushes from the graves, a good feeding source for the insects, which can only have a negative effect for all nature here concerned.

A pair of Great Black-backed Gulls circled over the Cemy a few times before heading off north.

Sadly, another area of bushes has been destroyed by the Council.

This Wren was singing nicely above my head as I walked north up the footpath.

In Hampshire today, it seems the Little Ringed Plovers are back at Blashford Lakes, with a supporting cast of both Green and Common Sandpiper there. The Great Grey Shrike was again at Backley Bottom in the New Forest again and AJ had sightings of the Black-throated Divers in the northern end of Chichester Harbour this morning along with a ringtail Hen-Harrier. One of the re-introduced White-tailed Eagles was seen to fly west over Warsash this morning. Yesterday, Andy texted me to say he had a flock of Med Gulls, 5 Common Buzzards and a Red Kite over Cowplain Marsh yesterday!    

I particularly liked the colours in this photo of a singing Robin.  

A nice haul of Micro moths this morning.

Monday 14th March 2022.

One of three Double-striped Pugs this morning.

I took a gamble with the weather last night and put the moth box on again and this morning, I ACTUALLY got some moths! We were going to have someone in this morning to start work on our back garden, but now have to rearrange due to the fact both Becky and I have Covid and now has been put back to after Easter. So, with the garden all clear, I put the moth box on overnight and hoped for the best.

A close up of the Common Plume on my back door today.

It was a crisp clear start to this morning as I got up early to check the moth box. There was hardly a cloud in the sky as I went about checking the fencing panels first for moths and then finally the white sheet behind the box and then the box itself. I found a total of 12 moths, which included 3 Double-striped Pugs, 5 Light Brown Apple Moth's and 4 Common Plume’s. I was hoping for my first Early Grey of the year, but I am sure one will pop in over the coming weeks.

One of the many forms of Light Brown Apple Moth on the white sheet. 

There was a probable Bonaparte’s Gull reported yesterday at Blashford Lakes, which has yet to be confirmed and also an adult Winter Little Gull on Posbrook Flood late in the afternoon. There is a good influx of Wheatears today in the UK and I shall be taking our Scruff for a walk, hopefully, down Eastney seafront later this afternoon to see if I can find one.    

One of many Black-headed Gulls on the small pools within the car park at Eastney this afternoon.

I took that walk around Eastney Outfall in the afternoon, but it was to be a dire affair, with very little of note to be seen. A few newly arrived Wheatears had been seen not too far away from here and I was hoping one had arrived early this morning here. Sadly, it was not to be as I made my way through driving across the treacherous car park (pot holes here are ridiculous!) to park overlooking the harbour entrance. I was greeted immediately with good numbers of Black-headed and Herring Gulls within the car park, but little else of note here. 

Oxford Ragwort in bloom at Eastney Point.

So I took a walk to the Outfall, stopping to check out a couple of Oxford Ragwort plants to take a photo and then check out the grassy area around the Water Treatment Works for something interesting. Again, all was very quiet here and even the sea was near bird-less. I checked the buildings for a possible Black Redstart, but to no avail and even the large grassy field by the fence line was also void of birds, bar lots of Feral Pigeons. I have to admit, I am never comfortable leaving my car in this car park as some dodgy people hang around here, like the three dodgy (east Europeans?) guys doing something odd with their car while I was there.

A lone Mediterranean Gull was probably the highlight on a quiet walk around Eastney Point.

I decided to give the Little Owls a try along the seafront by Fort Cumberland, but they were not on show either this afternoon despite favourable conditions. The sun was shining and there was very little wind, so I was surprised the Owls were not on show as were any Black Redstarts within the ruined buildings behind the fence line. In fact, the only birds I saw here were a few Black-headed Gulls on the beach and sea and Feral Pigeons on the rooftops of the buildings. Some would say that it was a total waste of time, but I did get some nice fresh air for my efforts. There were no signs of any Sanderlings on the tideline, but there were a lot of dog-walkers on the beach today, but it was a nice afternoon and who could blame anyone for taking in some lovely weather.      

A calm sea over the Solent looking west from Eastney Point.

This beautiful male Wheatear was found at Hook-with-Warsash this morning. Photo by Pete Appleton.