Whitethroat & Reed Warbler at Milton Lakes.

Thursday 20th April 2023.

My first Common Whitethroat of the year at Milton Lakes.

I had some free time this morning and for a nice change, I took a walk around Milton Lakes, over on the eastern side of Portsmouth. A cloudless sky but a breezy north westerly kept me cool on my walk around as earlier parked up in Moorings Way and cut across the field to take the coastal path anticlockwise. This is a prime area for both Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and occasionally, Sedge Warblers; though the latter is rarely seen here now (they used to be common here). So my chances were high for this time of year.

Above, a pair of Linnets showed well on the brambles and above, another photo of the showy Common Whitethroat.

And of course, both the Reed Warblers and Common Whitethroats duly obliged. It was good to see one large area of scrub has been closed off from dog walkers in order not to disturb any breeding birds here and as I neared the first main lake, Swan Lake, I could hear a couple of Whitethroats calling in the distance. Nearby, a male Kestrel was seen hovering over the scrub and a Blackcap was singing briefly in a tall tree, but out of view within the swaying branches. 

A few butterflies were on the wing including a few Peacock's (above) and a couple of Small White butterflies. 

A large flock of Starlings were swirling about around the brambles, but constantly put up by the dog walkers until flying off north as I got to hear my first Reed Warblers of the year by the southern end of Swan Lake. I patiently stood near the lake overlooking the small reedbed. A Grey Heron was seen trying to hide between the swaying reeds, but I could just make out its top half of its body, though it remained motionless. There has been another report of a Black-crowned Night Heron and this time in Hampshire. However, I had read reports of some bad behavior from some birders with this bird showing up in Stockbridge, which is simply not welcome in our hobby.

Above, a small flock of Tufted Duck were on Swan Lake and below, this male Greenfinch was singing by the Lake.

A Swallow flew low overhead as I waited for the Reed Warbler to put in an appearance and a Cetti’s Warbler burst into song and then flew across my path and landed deep within a nearby bramble. As quick as a flash, a probable Reed Warbler flew out of a nearby bramble and then deep within the reeds. Fortunately, around 5 minutes later, it showed very well for all of ten seconds for me to claim my first of the year. Happy with my sighting, I made my way to the edge of Langstone Harbour to take the footpath north. At least two Reed Warblers were heard singing in just the one area.

Above, Alexander Plants were growing abundantly by the harbour wall and below, a female Syrphus species of Hoverfly enjoying the Dandelions.

On Swan Lake, there were a few Little Grebes and a small flock of Tufted Ducks among a few Mallards and a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. There was a steady stream of Swallows going through north during my hour or so there which was superb to see, but no other Hirundines among them. I did get the briefest of views of a singing male Blackcap between Swan and Duck Lake, but a male Greenfinch was far more obliging. Another Reed Warbler was singing within the reedbed at the northern end of Swan Lake, but again, a no-show.

Above, a Little Grebe on Swan Lake and below, a Queen Buff-tailed Bumble Bee on the footpath. She is carrying a ball of pollen, which indicates that she has already found a nest and is either about to lay eggs or is already incubating.

Rounding the end of the Lakes and Memorial Seats, I made my way back along the footpath at the back of the Lakes. From here, I kept a sharp ear out for any warblers singing and quickly came across another Common Whitethroat singing, but I just could not find the bird. However, all was not lost as I came across a very showy individual in the brambles near the southern half of Swan Lake. It was a skulky individual at first and kept deep within the brambles until flying up into a tall bush and began singing and showing very well.

Above, one of the pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Swan Lake. Below, clumps of various colours of Bluebells were around the Lakes.

The Notice put out for passing dog walkers and ramblers on Milton Lakes.

A few butterflies were on the wing here including a Brimstone and at least two Peacock butterflies. A few Hoverflies and Bees were noted along the footpath and just waiting for confirmation on what species they are. A few plants noted on my walk included a good many clumps of Bluebells, including the pale blue, light purple and white individuals. Alexander was growing prolifically along the harbour wall and Ribwort Plantain was nearly in flower. Thankfully, there were not too many dog walkers present today and at times, hardly anyone around to disturb this lovely area of Portsmouth.     

This singing male Common Whitethroat was at Milton Lakes this morning.

This afternoon, I was chatting with my neighbours, checking out the Hoverflies and Bees that were in good numbers in my back garden including more Syrphus species of Hoverfly. Sadly, I didnt have my camera to hand as my first Holly Blue butterfly fluttered past. Fortunately, it hung around for my neighbours to see too as it went back and forth in our respective gardens. Later this afternoon, some of the 'Lazee Birders' went up to the north of the county to view the Night Heron and Andy Tew managed to get some decent photos of the bird (see below). I hear the vast majority of birders behaved themselves, but there were a few idiots being stupid just to get the 'money shot' and being rude to the locals.

The Stockbridge Night Heron today. Photo by Andy Tew.

Both male & female Sparrowhawk in the Cemetery.

Tuesday 18th April 2023.

The female Sparrowhawk in the Cemetery early afternoon.

There was still a breezy north-easterly wind blowing today despite the bright sunshine, though when the sun went behind the high clouds, the temperature most certainly dropped. I took another walk around Highland Road Cemetery again early afternoon and I was pretty determined to find myself a nice migrant bird flitting about among the trees. Yet again, there were no sight or sound of any migrant birds, but a few more Bees were on the wing and both the male and female Sparrowhawk popped into the Cemetery.

Above, the purple flowers of Cut-leaved Cranes-bill are now growing around various parts of the Cemetery. Below, one grave had this lovely spray of Bluebells growing on it. 

On my journey around the Cemetery, I recorded up to 18 species of birds during my walk, though apart from the Sparrowhawks (the male was soaring over on the south side of the Cemetery until flying off south and the female was seen perched in one of the tall trees near the Mausoleum) and up to three Great Black-backed Gulls, it was just the usual birds all present and correct. Though, nevertheless, all birds are worth watching, even the common ones that can do something unexpected occasionally. It is breeding season now and watching them searching for nesting material or even singing their hearts out (like the couple of Wrens I saw today) to hold onto their territory or attract a mate is always rewarding. The following birds were seen or heard during my walk around the Cemetery today:

• Sparrowhawk (m & f)
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Goldfinch
• Greenfinch
• Blue Tit
• Great Tit
• Blackbird
• Feral Pigeon
• Wood Pigeon
• Collared Dove
• Robin
• Wren
• Starling
• Black-headed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull (3)
• House Sparrow

The obligatory Robin showed today; this individual popped out of hiding from its nest site. Below, the Horse Chestnut trees are certainly looking resplendent now. 

All the usual plants were visible again throughout the Cemetery including a few new clumps of Cut-leaved Cranes-bill and the Cuckoo-pint plant was still in good nick over on the south side of the Cemetery. One of the graves has a nice display of Bluebells (see photo) near the centre of the Cemetery, while most have both Ribwort Plantain and Common Groundsel growing on them with the occasional Common Field-Speedwell. Remember guys, I am a bit of a novice when it comes to plants, but my knowledge of them is getting better year after year and with those great guys on the relevant Facebook sites, help in ID is always close to hand. 

The relatively small Grey-patched Mining Bee's was busy enjoying the Dandelions today. 

I found an interesting little Bee nectaring on Dandelions on my walk round and I got it confirmed as a Grey-patched Mining Bee. In fact, I found at least two on separate Dandelions and both showed very well. Not a great deal else of insect life and again, no butterflies were on the wing this afternoon during the time I was there, which was probably due to the blustery wind.

Above and below, Wood Pigeons are very common here and enjoy the bountiful leaves on the trees to feed on.

Above, a Blue Tit showed well in the south east corner, busy searching for nesting material around some of the gravestones. 

As I was just turning into the road where I live when I heard a raptor calling overhead and I then watched a pair of male Peregrines calling to one another and for a change, not too high up either, though too quick to grab a photo. This is probably the lowest I have seen the birds over our houses and I really didn't need binoculars to get a good look at them. Just to show it's always worth keeping one's eyes open! In Hampshire today, yesterday’s male Ring Ouzel was still present on the south slopes of Old Winchester Hill (see photo) and Farlington Marshes boasted 3 Little Terns, a Hobby and a Ruff this  afternoon.

Above, the male Ring Ouzel at Old Winchester Hill today. Photo by Andy Friend.

Above, a Sedge Warbler and below, a Common Whitethroat were both at Pennington Marshes today. Photos by Andy Tew.

Some cracking photos from the 'Lazee's'.

Monday 17th April 2023.

The Ibsley Water female Black-winged Stilt gracing itself in front of the Tern Hide at Blashford Lakes yesterday. Photo by Emma Parkes.

As Spring is starting to warm up, migrants are coming in thick and fast and that includes a number of scarce birds to the UK also. Last weekend produced a nice variety of migrants and a female Black-winged Stilt graced the shoreline of Ibsley Water on Blashford Lakes. It made a three hour stay at this superb site and then was seen to fly off and no doubt disappointed a few late comers in seeing this enigmatic southern European wader. Thankfully,  ‘Lazee Birder’, Emma Parkes, was there to capture this lovely bird through her lens and allowed me to put some of her lovely photos on my blog.

Some more excellent images of the female Black-winged Stilt. Photos by Emma Parkes.

Good news for those who missed it yesterday for the bird returned again today and seemed to commute between Ibsley Water and the River Avon by Harbridge. Another migrant, the Ring Ouzel, was found today at Old Winchester Hill, in virtually the exact area where I saw one this time last year and a nice male bird too (I had seen the female bird only). Both Sedge and Reed Warblers seemed to be well in now, though I have yet to see any up to now.

Above, a Tree Pipit that was photographed near Woolmer Pond last Saturday. Below, a Sand Martin on Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes. Photos by Pete Appleton. 

This singing male Blackcap was photographed at Wildern Local Nature Reserve, Hedge End by Pete Appleton.

Birding pal, Geoff Farwell, was birding in Queen Elizabeth Country Park on Sunday and recorded the following sightings: 6 singing Firecrest, a single Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff and a displaying singing Tree Pipit. He also had his first Orange Tip butterfly of the year. Today, I didn't really have time to do any birding, though I did see something very large but very high up heading north high over Southsea this morning and could of quite possibly be something very interesting. Sadly, I did not have my binoculars to hand. I was a bit more lucky with a Common Buzzard soaring over the rooftops from my garden late morning, hotly being harassed by the local Gulls.    

A probable Common Furrow-bee was rummaging around near where I stood this afternoon.

Peregrine over the Cemy.

Sunday 16th April 2023.

Somewhere over the rainbow.............

I had the pleasure of taking our Granddaughter, Isabelle, over to Highland Road Cemetery, so she could ride her pushbike and I could grab some photos while I was over there. True, I spend most of my time giving her all of my attention, but I do point out some of the nature that is present there. She does like nature, but in relatively small doses. For example, she was fascinated with watching Blood / Spider Mites on our patio within the garden ( I have never seen them before in my garden), for she has never ever seen them before. I also pointed out the male and female Hairy-footed Flower Bees going about their business in the garden too, but she still has this child-like fear of Bees still. 

Above and below, the male Peregrine is high over the Cemetery.

I think I roughly saw around 15 species around the Cemetery, but most of that was going by bird songs and calls. However, I did see a male Peregrine soaring very high over the Cemetery and managed to get a few photos of the bird. Though to be honest, my Nikon P900 does struggle to get a sharp photo of such distant birds. I am struggling at the moment to Photoshop my photos on my Laptop, so I might have to pop into Curry’s for them to look at what is going wrong.

Above, we watched this male Blackbird searching in the cut grass for food. Below, a Herb Robert flowering in the Cemy; my first one seen this year.

Above, even the Horse Chestnut is starting to flower, with these 'spikes; now on show.

I couldn't find any migrants within the Cemetery, although I was sure I did hear a Blackcap singing very briefly. A few more plants are out for the first time including a few Herb Robert plants and the leaves are really coming out on the Horse Chestnut trees now. This is encouraging for the insects and obviously for the birds passing through. Hopefully, a Redstart or even a Pied Flycatcher might be noted over the coming weeks? Isabelle had a great time riding her bike and then playing a few games within the Cemy until we eventually made our way home for more activities in our back garden! When she is in my company, she gets me 100% and always has my undivided attention; so when she takes an interest in any nature, it's what I live for.

The Black-winged Stilt on Ibsley Water entertained the crowds. Photo by Emma Parkes.

Hot news on the birding front today was the finding of a Black-winged Stilt on Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes. A good many of the ‘Lazee Birders’ connected with the bird, including Emma Parkes, for the bird was a ‘lifer’ for her and she has kindly allowed me to put some of her superb photos of the bird on my blog today. Many thanks Emma.  Also today, I got a text from birding pal Nigel Sivyer that he saw at least two Nightingales were back at Marlpit Lane, on the West Sussex border. Up to four singing male Nightingales were also at Whiteley Pastures, so I shall pop along to one of these destinations shortly.

The Black-winged Stilt on Ibsley Water. There has been a mini influx of this species in the UK including another bird on the Isle of Wight. Photos by Emma Parkes.

 

  

Mission accomplished!

Saturday 15th April 2023.

A pair of Stone-curlews in the ploughed area of the field. Such amazing birds and thankfully, we eventually got to view them.

Today was going to be a trip up to the north of the County to see if we can see any of the Stone-curlews that we saw last year at the same site. For the sake of protecting the birds, I will not disclose the exact site where we went today, but I will say it was a good hour away from Andy’s house when we left. The weather was looking good today as well, with no sign of rain on the horizon, though it was reasonably cool when we arrived at our destination.

Above, an Early Grey with the Dark Sword-grass in my moth box this morning. Below, the Dark Sword-grass was still present by the moth box later in the afternoon.

Beforehand, I put my moth box on again overnight and though there weren't many moths, I was still rewarded with my first Dark Sword-grass of the year. This was quite significant as I have never had a Spring record of this species (normally from September onwards) and seeing other moth enthusiasts have also recorded them around the UK, I suppose I could count myself lucky in getting one. Other moths present included two Early Grey and 2 Common Plume.

Andy's moth box produced a Hebrew Character, Early Grey and Common Quaker.

Andy also had his moth box on overnight and recorded just the three moths: Early Grey, Common Quaker and a nice pristine Hebrew Character. He also had a Chiffchaff in his garden that showed very well near the back of the house. I could hear a Blackcap singing somewhere in the distance, which bode well for a good movement of migrants overnight.

One of a pair of Long-tailed Tits seen along the hedgerow.

On the way to the north of the County, we encountered good numbers of both Common Buzzard and Red Kite and I even spotted a few Yellowhammers from the side of the road as my Sat Nav took us through the countryside. Parking up at our destination, we had to negotiate a very muddy track to get to the site where we saw the Stone-curlews last year and on arrival, a couple of birders told us they were successful in seeing the birds this morning, but only flight views and told us to go a different direction to view the birds. Though we could hear some in the distance, we were faced with fields full of Rape and realised there was no way we could see the birds on the ground with the plants at least two to three feet high!

My first Dog Violet of the year growing at Woolmer Pond. 

Though disappointing at first, we did get to see our first ‘year-tick’, a Corn Bunting. Possibly three birds were flying around though mostly distant. The sun was rather strong and therefore heat-haze was going to be a problem in getting a decent photo and so the photos I did take were really not up to scratch to put on my blog. The muddy track produced a few nice sightings that included a small flock of Long-tailed Tits, a flock of around 6 Linnets and a Swallow belted through low over the fields too. Both Red Kites and Common Buzzards were seen soaring in the distance and a Kestrel was also seen hovering over one of the fields. It was pleasing to see so many Skylarks for they were literally everywhere over the fields and even a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen flying over one of the fields and landed in trees by the hedgerow.

A female Sphaerophoria species and a male Sphaerophoria scripta Hoverflies enjoying nectaring on a Dandelion. 

Realising that we were most certainly not going to see the Stone-curlews at this particular location, we turned around and made our way to where we saw them last year. Facing a large field with a ploughed area that looked most suitable for the birds, we stood there for around half an hour, taking in some superb nature during our stay. There was another area that was ploughed in the distance and this is where we encountered our first Grey Partridges of the year, when looking through the scope, I picked out two birds keeping low to the ground, picking off seeds or insects from the ground. I quickly got Andy onto the birds and now we had our second ‘year-tick’ of the day. Enjoying a lot of Skylarks showing well all around us, especially in the ploughed area, I still kept an eye on our surroundings and behind us, in one of the fields, I found three Foxes together virtually sunning themselves in the warm sunshine. Earlier, Andy had spotted a Roe Deer in exactly the same place and a Hare was seen in one of the neighbouring fields beside the main track.

HorseTails growing abundantly by Woolmer Pond.

We could still hear Stone-curlews calling way in the distance behind us and after 40 minutes or so, I decided to walk back and hopefully try our luck elsewhere. Seconds later, the call of a Stone-curlew was heard directly behind us and so I plonked my scope down again and searched the ploughed area more thoroughly. Then, bingo; I found two birds fairly close to one another and realising that one of them could possibly be on eggs, we gave it around ten minutes and made our way back to the car. Our mission was accomplished and with this superb bird now on our year list, we decided to leave the area and leave the birds in peace. As these birds are a Schedule 1 species, its best to leave them alone or simply watch from a distance.

A Willow Warbler with nesting material within the Cottage garden at Woolmer Pond.

Apparently, a male Pied Flycatcher had been found by Woolmer Pond a few days ago and we heard a report that the bird was still present there this morning. Both Redstart and Tree Pipit were seen this week at this site and so I asked Andy if he fancied going there on the way back? Well, that was a no brainer! So, Woolmer Pond for Pied Flycatcher etc was next.

This was a singing male Willow Warbler also in the Cottage garden.

Parking up in the usual car park near Greatham Village, we made our way through the wooded area and then strolled up to the Cottage where we thought the bird was. We met Mark Francis’s father near the Cottage who told us that he had no sign of the bird within the Cottage gardens; but we had to try and look for it anyway. Though there was no sign of the bird, we did get to see our first Willow Warblers of the year, which showed very well. Other birds in the garden included several Chiffchaffs, a pair of Chaffinches and both Coal and at least two Long-tailed Tits. A pair of Woodlarks were heard to the north and then I picked them up flying high overhead and then disappearing from view.

A Brimstone butterfly on a Dandelion by Woolmer Pond.

Resting on the gate overlooking the Pond, Mark Francis’s father then waved us over and we were sure he was onto the Pied Flycatcher. Sure enough, this gorgeous male bird was perched on the perimeter fence, but as soon as I lifted my camera to get a photo of the bird, it flew down and out of view. Bugger! We then had to wait around 15 minutes for another view of the bird as I saw it flitting about in a canopy of a Silver Birch tree briefly, but that was the last sighting of the bird we all had. Both Andy Friend and Pete Appleton were seen walking towards us and after a nice chat, we all went our separate ways as Andy and myself headed back to the car. 

The Pond itself held very few birds of note, though there was one drake Tufted Duck and a Little Grebe seen. No Hirundines were over the Pond, though there were both House and Sand Martins seen here this morning. A few Red Kites and Common Buzzards soared overhead, but nothing else of note. Five more ‘year-ticks’ were added to our respected year lists today of which I am now on 161 species for the year.