All three Woodpecker species at Acres Down.

Saturday 18th February 2023.

The male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on its tree within the woods of Acres Down. I had to wait an hour for the bird to show, but it was worth it. The same tree hosted a Great Spotted and a Green Woodpecker this morning! 

Andy could not make today as he had other arrangements, so I decided to go on my lonesome to Acres Down for a second bite of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The common consensus was that the bird showed well early in the morning and so I left my house around 6.30am to be there for around 7.30am; ‘the early bird catches the worm’ and all that jazz! The weather was looking a bit ‘iffy’ with possible heavy cloud and drizzle towards midday, but that would not put me off one jot.

The Green Woodpecker, my first of the year (finally!), in the same tree earlier.

It was still dark while driving west along the M27 and turning off at the Stoney Cross turn off, a Common Buzzard was the first bird of note for my trip into the New Forest this morning. The bird flew low over the road and then headed off north over the heath. Parking up in the empty car park, I then made my way slowly down the footpath leading to the well known tree where the 'LSW' is seen the most. A couple of Firecrests were calling and flitting about in the trees by the car park and the sound of birdsong echoed throughout the woodland including Song Thrush, Robin, Blackbird and of course, the sound of ‘drumming’ Woodpeckers.

Above, another photo of the elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in its favourite tree. Though it's been a year since I saw this species last, I still could not believe how small these birds actually are. Below, the woodland track through Acres Down.  

I made my way to ‘the tree’ and waited patiently for the bird to appear, but it took another hour for it to finally show. Meanwhile, a few birders arrived including one pair of guys who reckoned they had seen the bird very briefly, however, it disappeared into the woodland. I did hear it ‘drum’ distantly in the back of the woodland, but the sound of ‘drumming’ Great Spotted Woodpeckers was much louder including a male bird that perched in ‘the tree’ (see film footage). Up until now, I had not seen a Green Woodpecker this year and so with one calling behind me, I only had to wait a few minutes for the bird to actually fly overhead and land in ‘the tree’ to comfortably add this species to my year list! (see photo).

Stock Doves within Mark Ash Wood.

More birders arrived including a young lady who moved to Hampshire from Devon (sorry, never caught your name) who stood with me waiting patiently for the 'LSW' to show. A Crossbill was heard calling behind us and then I was lucky to see it fly over and head off over the woodland. A few Redwing flew over and a Nuthatch showed well within the trees. Long-tailed, Blue, Great and Marsh Tits were also seen and on the ground, both Blackbird and Song Thrush were busy upturning the leaf litter in search of their breakfast. Best of all was a Firecrest literally several feet above my head, but the light was not great and the sky was getting a lot darker with the threat of rain. 

A Mistle Thrush between a couple of male Chaffinches on the green opposite the car park at Bolderwood.

After an initial scare of a Great Spotted Woodpecker sitting on the topmost branch in ‘the tree’, eventually we all heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ‘drumming’ again in the distance and we didn't have to wait long for the bird to pop up in ‘the tree’ and it showed well for around a couple of minutes; just long enough to grab a few photos of the bird before it flew off to a nearby tree for a few seconds and then disappearing into the woods. Well, at least I saw it and saw it well and therefore I made my way back to the car. A Goldcrest showed well briefly by the footpath as I made my way to the car.

This male Chaffinch came within a feet of where I stood by the Green, hoping for me to give it a bit of food. I had none on me and went back to the car to grab a morsel of food for it, I returned but the bird had flown.  

I then made my way to Mark Ash Wood to see if the Tawny Owl was in its regular tree. Nope! One of the huge trees had fallen nearby and was made safe by the Forestry Commission, but there wasn't much of note here despite a good look. I walked over onto the other side of the main road and took a stroll into the woodland here. Normally a good spot for both Brambling and Hawfinch, none were present so had to make do with a showy Nuthatch and a couple of Stock Doves perched on top of a tall tree.

One of a pair of Ravens flying over Bolderwood this morning.

I made my way back to the large Bolderwood car park and quickly checked the green opposite which hosted at least a dozen Chaffinches and a solitary Mistle Thrush. I did hear a singing Firecrest deep within the Holly Trees and I could also hear a Hawfinch calling, but it was deep within cover and so I took a walk through the Holly Trees to the clearing and searched around here. None to be seen. So, retracing my steps back to the main road, I then heard the Hawfinches again and this time, out flew three birds that promptly rounded the green and landed in a tall tree to the north of the green. They then flew out and flew back towards the Holly Trees, but remained hidden again. That was enough for me and as I made my way back to my car for a bit of refreshment, a pair of Ravens flew over and headed off over the woodland. That was my cue to make my way home with two more ‘year-ticks’ to my year list.    

The 'drumming' Great Spotted Woodpecker at Acres Down this morning.

 

Two moths caught this morning.

Thursday 16th February 2023.

My first Silver Y moth of the year and a very early one too this morning.

I had the moth box on overnight for only the 3rd time this year and I was rewarded with two moths. I didn't realise that there was going to be drizzly rain early this morning, though I should have checked the weather forecast last night. I couldn't see anything on the white sheet behind the moth box and so took the lid of the box and low and behold, behind the box was my first Silver Y moth of the year. Was this an immigrant moth that flew last night over the English Channel or was it overwintering here in the UK?

The putative Depressaria daucella in the pot this morning.

The second moth was a micro moth and I had to wait for an ID on a couple of Facebook moth sites for confirmation. At first, a Parsnip Moth looked the likely candidate and then Ben Sale reckoned it looked like the micro moth, Depressaria daucella and judging by the photographs of the latter moth, I would tend to agree with him. I released both moths tonight when it was dark.

A late afternoon look by the Harbour entrance.

Wednesday 15th February 2023.

The sheer spectacle of the calling Brent Geese overhead is truly memorable. Yes, an all too common sight down here in Southsea, but one of the great moments in birding of Winter geese flying over.

I couldn't resist grabbing some time out of the house late this afternoon and watching the sunset over Portsmouth from the Hayling Ferry Terminal over at Eastney. It was nearly 5pm when I arrived and though the tide was high, there was still a lot of activity going on in Langstone Harbour. Yes, a tad cold, but I was well wrapped up and with a lot of high cloud overhead, I didn't get the sunset I was hoping for, but still not bad nonetheless.

Above and below, the Brent Geese were first seen taking off from the College Fields by the Eastern Road. 

Out in the harbour, looking north from the spit opposite the Ferry Terminal, a large flock of Turnstone were jostling for somewhere to land among the boats and buoys within the harbour, though some soon took off and headed off eastbound low over the harbour. A small flock of Redshank flew overhead, also heading east, but nothing could be more spectacular than the ‘babbling’ Brent Geese flying overhead in the same direction. First seen way over the west, probably taking off from the College Playing Fields, at least 150+ soon headed in my direction and then split into smaller groups all heading towards Hayling Island. Truly a magnificent sight. They will be making their way back north up through the North Sea next month, signalling the end of Winter and the onset of Spring.

Above and below, Turnstone were using whatever they could to rest on the oncoming high tide.

Also out in the harbour, the calm waters produced a flock of around at least 8 Red-breasted Mergansers over on the west side of the harbour. I have heard that these birds have been seen displaying in the harbour already along with the local Goldeneye within the harbour. There wasn't all that much else flying around of note, though a Pied Wagtail flew off from the shoreline and over the car park to round off a nice 30 minutes in one of my favourite areas. Though there wasn't a spectacular sunset, I was more than happy just to be out enjoying the wildlife.

Above, a distant flock of Red-breasted Mergansers out in the harbour and below, the sun setting behind the clouds over Portsmouth.

In Hampshire today, the Great Grey Shrike is still entertaining the Birders at Bishop's Dyke, New Forest. Also in the New Forest, fellow ‘Lazee Birder’ Graeme Loader enjoyed good views of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker early this morning at Acres Down (see photo) and another fellow ‘Lazee’ Becky Ladd, saw the long staying juvenile Iceland Gull at Redbridge Wharf, along with a Common Sandpiper.  

Above, the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the woods of Acres Down. Photo by Graeme Loader. Below, this Smooth Sow-thistle was in flower within my garden this morning.

Golden Plovers on Titchfield Haven.

Tuesday 14th February 2023.

No sign of any Little Owls, but a good number of Redwing present.  

I was reading last week that a Little Owl had been seen again at a place called Newlands Farm over in Stubbington. I have never been to this site and even looking it up on Google, it wasn't all that clear where it exactly was. The Owl had been seen last week and so, doing a bit of investigative work on Google Maps, I decided to give it a try. Luckily for me, it was very bright and sunny, with the early morning fog clearing when I arrived at Longmead Avenue,

A mixed flock of Lapwing and Golden Plover over Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve.

Parking the car up, I took the footpath south adjacent to the grounds of HMS Excellent where I kept an eye out for anything interesting. A Skylark was heard singing over the fields to the west and as I neared the end of the footpath, there was a large gathering of Redwing in the trees on the MOD site, with some birds sub-singing as well. On my approach, a good number flew off east into nearby trees and I was sure I heard a ‘chacking’ Fieldfare among them. At the end of the footpath, I took a right and walked down Tanners Lane which led into Stroud Green Lane and up to a small fishing pond. Sadly, no sign whatsoever of the Little Owl and to be honest, I wasn't even sure I was actually in the right place!

Another photo of the mixed flock of Golden Plover and Lapwing.

The walk back was rather quiet with a few Great Tits, Greenfinches and the Redwing seen on the way back to the car. My next destination was to be Hill Head, where I could check out Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve from the roadside. After consuming some grub I had bought on my way here, it was actually warm enough to leave my coat in the car. Very little was on the sea, bar a small flock of Brent Geese and a single Great Crested Grebe, so most of my attention was looking north over the River Meon and the reserve itself.

Above, the mixed flock of Golden Plover & Lapwing and below, a drake Gadwall on the River Meon.

I was checking the edges of the reedbed for a possible Water Rail but despite a good 45 minutes here, there was no sign of any at all. However, all was not lost as among a large flock of Lapwing flying over the reserve having been flushed by something, intermingled among them were at least a dozen or so Golden Plover, my first of the year. Happy days! The birds flew up with the Lapwing and then settled back down on the South Scrape in front of the Meonshore Hide. A little later, all the waders and gulls flew up again as a female Marsh Harrier was seen hunting over the reedbeds to the north and eventually settled on a large Willow to preen.

Above, the island on the River Meon held Oystercatcher, Lapwing and a Redshank, while both Gadwall and a Little Grebe were seen swimming beside it. Below, my view of the reserve from the roadside.

Near the roadside, a lone Black-tailed Godwit was feeding, while at least two pairs of Gadwall were dabbling in the shallow water along with a few Teal. Several Med Gulls flew in from the Solent and landed in front of the Meonshore Hide, while other Med Gulls flew off northbound up the valley. The cool weather soon took its toll and so I made my way back home.

Above, a pair of Gadwall on the River Meon and below, the female Marsh Harrier that put up all the waders on the reserve.

Yesterday, the big news was the juvenile Ross’s Gull that was found at Dorchester Water Meadows. There were no other Gulls present and therefore seeing the bird was going to be easy beside the roadside. However, the bird had disappeared overnight and no further sign today. I have been lucking enough to see two of these birds; my first a long time ago at Plymouth Hoe in Devon and my last one was on Radipole Lake, in Dorset. Both superb individuals. Will it be refound in Hampshire? Back in Hampshire, the Shorelark was still at Hurst and a Spoonbill was on Farlington Marshes along with at least 3 Short-eared Owls. I must get down to see these birds before they leave.  

The micro moth Acleris notana / ferrugana, which was found by Andy Fisher in his house recently.

Another walk in the Cemy.

Sunday 12th February 2023.

There are plenty of areas within the Cemetery to find something interesting, but not today!

The weather wasn't really up too much at first this morning, with heavy cloud and a bit of drizzle when I took a walk around Highland Road Cemetery. I wasn’t feeling all that great, all bunged up etc., but taking a walk around here is far better than being stuck in front of a TV. I did not expect anything out of the ordinary here today, but you just never know that something good could be lurking about between the graves! A Hoopoe would be nice!

Above, the regular flock of Starlings here flying north over the Cemy. Below, some of the Greenfinches in the centre of the Cemy. This species was in double figures this morning, by far the largest number here for some time.

Well, to cut a long story short, there was nothing really all that exciting here, but counting the species here and getting more than 15 species during my hours walk round the site is always a bonus. A total of 20 species were recorded here today that included a Great Black-backed Gull over and a good number of both Goldfinch and Greenfinch feeding in the large Oak Tree in the north-east corner of the Cemetery. At least 30+ Goldfinch flew over my head and at least 14 Greenfinch were seen in one flock as well.

Above, the Heather on one of the graves over on the east side is now in bloom, so Early Bumble bee should be on the wing soon as will a few Hoverfly species. Below, a Jay was just above me in one of the smaller trees.

The Jays reappeared again and showed very well in the northern half of the Cemetery. A Pied Wagtail flew over again, but as per usual, proved elusive for a sighting. A female Goldcrest was also showing very well in the large Oak tree, though with the poor light and the bird being so active, getting a decent photo was proving difficult.

Some more photos of the Jays in the Cemy. It was surprising how close they allowed me to be before flying off.

Away from the birds, the usual plants were on show and there was even a showing of Daffodils coming through on some of the graves and with Spring on its way, hopefully a few migrants will be gracing the Cemetery. I was up at ‘silly o’clock’ this morning and got on with doing my blog from yesterday's sightings. Though it was still dark, I could hear a Blackbird singing at around 6.15am somewhere outside; a sure sign that Spring was on its way. Despite the feeders all being topped up, there has been no further sign of the Blackcap in my garden. Fellow ‘Lazee’ Graeme Loader told me yesterday that he has had a female Blackcap in his Waterlooville garden of late.

Above, a couple of Goldfinches among a large flock in the large Oak tree and below, the female Goldcrest was joining them in the same tree.

Birds seen and heard this morning included the following:

• Great Black-backed Gull   
• Herring Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Wood Pigeon
• Feral Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Goldcrest (f)
• Goldfinch
• Greenfinch
• Robin
• Wren
• House Sparrow
• Starling
• Pied Wagtail
• Blackbird
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie 
• Jay

Above, the Daffodils are now pushing through to brighten up the Cemy and below, one of several singing Robins seen this morning. Always a joy in hearing them.

Iceland Gull and other great sightings.

Saturday 11th February 2023.

The juvenile Iceland Gull at Redbridge Wharf this morning. A great bird with great company.

It looks as though my Chest Infection is here to stay a little longer, but that didn't stop me from having a cracking day out around the Southampton area and also the New Forest. I had an itinerary of birds I wanted to see today, kicking off with the juvenile Iceland Gull down off Redbridge Wharf and although the day was mostly overcast, it was unseasonably mild and best of all, dry! There were some cracking birds to see today and apart from one species we were after, we managed to grab a hatful of ‘year-ticks’ to add to our good start to the year.

The juvenile Iceland Gull busy preening among the Herring and Black-headed Gulls.

I asked Andy to put his moth box on overnight and this morning, it yielded bugger all! I suppose it really is hit or miss at this time of year as the temperature overnight is still near freezing, but you just never know. I didn't want to hang around too long here and so we were pretty soon off and away down the M27 making our way to Southampton. The Sat Nav was a little over keen and parked us a little way from the intended area of Redbridge Train Station car park. Never mind, a bit of walking didn't hurt anyone and seeing I have a bit of weight to lose, onwards and upwards.

And again!

Over the railway bridge we went, skilfully avoiding a large dog turd on the main path and then making our way across the short journey to the Redbridge Wharf, where we joined fellow ‘Lazee’s’ Messrs. Andy Friend, Simon Colenut and Pete Gammage, who kindly and quickly put us on the juvenile Iceland Gull straight away. The bird was sitting on the mudflats opposite the main body of water, busy preening among many Herring and Black-headed Gulls. Our second ‘white-winged’ Gull of the winter and a good species to add to our year list as well. I have never been to this location before and so quickly had a good look through the Gulls and the many waders  and wildfowl present here.

Sadly, no flight shots of this lovely Gull, but this will have to do for now!

I was only talking briefly about a Common Sandpiper being present earlier in the week and suddenly, Pete exclaimed that he had found one under the bridge nearby and we were all on our first Common Sandpiper of the year. Superb. Even this bird was busy preening itself, however, it was quite distant and being a ‘scope job’, my photos of the bird were rather poor (the light wasn't that great either). Checking the waders, I found a Bar-tailed Godwit among the many Black-tailed Godwits behind the Gulls and there must have been at least 100+ Lapwing present on the mudflats too with a few Curlew and Redshank among them.

Some film footage of the juvenile Iceland Gull at Redbridge Wharf this morning.

Looking south down the River Test, I could see large numbers of birds as far as the eye could see and made me wonder what else exciting could be lurking down here. I did see a Little Grebe briefly on the water and a female Sparrowhawk put up all the Lapwing as the raptor flew off northbound and out of view. The ‘Lazee’s’ had their fill and made their way to their next destination as Andy and I enjoyed prolonged views of the Iceland Gull and other birds present. Pleased with catching up with our first quest, we then made our way to our second; the Ring-necked Parakeets at Queens Park, roughly four miles away.

It was lovely to hear the sub-singing Redwing above our heads in Queens Park.

We parked up in Orchard Place, opposite Queens Park and made our way into the small area of greenery surrounded by tall trees. Situated near the Southampton Port, this little oasis of trees probably suits local dog-walkers and people just getting from A to B, but it did hold a few birds during our ten minutes there. We searched for the Parakeets by walking from one end to the other, but for our efforts, we were rewarded with a small group of three Redwing high up in the trees, sub-singing. A few Blue Tits flitted about the trees, but it wasn't till we nearly gave up and made our way back to the car, that two Ring-necked Parakeets flew in front of us and landed in some nearby trees. Bingo! Yes, they are ‘plastic’ like birds, but they are on the British List and so added to our year list with glee! Next stop, Acres Down for the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers!

The pair of Ring-necked Parakeets in Queens Park, Southampton.

Before we arrived at the small car park at Acres Down, we HAD to pay a visit to the quaint little Farm Shop where I bought tomorrow's dinner - superb selection of Sausages and also a bit of grub for now! Low and behold, all the  ‘Lazee’s’ seen earlier today were all gathered near the now famous ‘LSW’ tree and now included both JB and Graeme Loader, armed with their huge camera lenses. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was last seen at 9.30am and promptly stopped ‘drumming’ after that, therefore Andy and myself had dipped on this rare bird.

The male Crossbill high up on one of the Conifers within Acres Down.

After an hour or so, all the ‘Lazee’s’ made their exit while Andy and I waited patiently and explored the surrounding area. During our time there, we were treated to our first Common Crossbill, a male bird, perched high up on a conifer; also our first of the year and our fourth ‘year-tick’ of the day. Excellent. A couple of birders shortly came up to us and told us that they had seen quite a few Crossbills earlier today and while talking to them, a Hawfinch briefly flew high over, but I was the only one who got onto the bird. Sorry Andy! My fifth ‘year-tick’ of the day! Other birds seen during our time here included a Marsh Tit, several Nuthatches, a Treecreeper and a Siskin was heard but not seen.

This Marsh Tit was hopping about on one of the pathways within the woodland at Acres Down.

Our final stop today was going to be Shatterford, in the New Forest, for the Great Grey Shrike. It had been seen yesterday between Shatterford car park and Denny Wood and so we set up the scope overlooking the area looking both west and south over the heath. Suffice to say, it was going to be a long shot if the bird was present and with a lot of ramblers going back and forth, would the bird be present today? While waiting patiently, we enjoyed our first Woodlark of the year, flying and singing over our heads briefly, before disappearing back over the trees and out of view. That was a bonus! A Raven flew southbound high over the heath with something in its bill and I think the only other bird we saw was a Goldfinch. We could not find anything out over the heath and then while I was scanning the distant trees around the Bishop's Dyke area....... Bingo!

The Raven flying over the heath at Shatterford Car Park.

I suppose it was just pure luck or sheer persistence that I was scanning the distant trees every five minutes and then something caught my eye. I spotted a white and black looking bird on a tall Silver Birch way in the distance. I put my scope on a higher magnification and then a big smile spread across my face as I located the elusive Great Grey Shrike. I quickly told Andy I had the bird and he quickly confirmed it. Taking another look at the bird through the scope (it was that distant I could not even see it through the binoculars!), it then flew down from its perch and disappeared out of view. A few minutes later, I picked it up perched on another Silver Birch and then again, it flew down out of view. Happy with another superb ‘year-tick’ under our belt, we made our way to the car where we were quickly questioned by some birders if we had seen the Shrike. We gave them directions on where to look as more and more birders came over and told us they had been here all day and not seen the bird, so excitedly, they all started to take a walk to where the bird was last seen. A cracking day with 7 more species added to my year list.          

First moth of the month.

Friday 10th February 2023.

My first Double-striped Pug last night by my moth box.

Though I have not done any birding today, though it was really tempting, I had the moth box on overnight and tried my luck on yet another very cold night. I was in luck late last night when I actually found my first moth of the month. It was a Double-striped Pug and although not a very exciting moth, it still constitutes that it was not a blank night as the moth was still present early this morning.

The Short-eared Owl that was performing well for everyone visiting Farlington Marshes this week. Photos by Graeme Loader.

I am always interested in what else the moth box might attract and there must have been at least 8 small Gnat-like insects on the white sheet behind the box. Exactly what species they were, is anyone's guess, but I am not too worried about that. As soon as the sunshine hit the moth, it was off over the garden.

The juvenile Iceland Gull off Redbridge Wharf yesterday. Photos by Andy Tew.

There were some superb birds around Hampshire around this morning which included the juvenile Iceland Gull at Redbridge Wharf, which will probably be a target bird tomorrow. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was again seen and heard this morning in the woods at Acres Down in the New Forest and a Long-tailed Duck was seen by a fellow ‘Lazee’, Becky, off Black Point, Hayling Island.