As I took so many photos yesterday at Normandy Marshes, it would be a shame not to put them on my blog as the weather was so good yesterday and some excellent birds were on show. So enjoy.
Above, Dunlin fed close to the seawall and seemed totally oblivious to the many birders passing by. Below, as did this Curlew.
Above, several Avocets were on the main lagoon and below, this Redshank was feeding on the ebbing tide from the seawall.
Above, the female Dartford Warbler takes time to check its surroundings and below, a flock of Dunlin flying low over the water by the seawall.
Above, a Little Egret passing close to the seawall and below, out on the mudflats, good numbers of Brent Geese were present among the waders.
Above, a small flock of Brent swam close to the seawall and below, more Dunlin feeding in one of the small channels by the seawall.
Above, one of the pair of female Red-breasted Mergansers offshore and below, the Kingfisher was perched on a post on one of the small islands on the Reserve with Pintail and Wigeon nearby.
Above, the Spotted Redshank behind a pair of Pintail and below, another pair of Pintail on the Reserve.
Above, a mixed flock of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank and Teal and below, a pair of preening Wigeon.
Above, offshore, a flock of both Bar-tailed Godwit and Dunlin. Below, more Dunlin passing close to the seawall.
Above, this Redshank in an unusual posture and below, the group of Spoonbills relaxing on the Reserve.
Above, Lapwing, Wigeon and a Mallard on one of the islands and below, the dead calm water offshore.
Above, one of the juvenile Spoonbills heading off westbound and below, a small flock of Avocets in the early morning mist.
Above, a Little Egret fishing near the seawall and below, a pair of Meadow Pipits in brambles near the main entrance.
Today, we made the long journey to Normandy Marshes for what was to be Andy Fisher's 200th bird species for Hampshire this year (call it an early Xmas present!) and to top it off, the weather was simply superb. After two wet Saturdays in a row, today really made up for it with bright sunshine, a clear blue sky and virtually no wind at all; which was simply perfection for those taking photos today. To finish the day off nicely, we took the drive afterwards to Blashford Lakes to hopefully see the White-tailed Eagle that has been seen here recently.
Cowplain Marsh (Andy’s back garden):
Geoff had his MV Moth Box running last night and around this time of year, it really is ‘hit or miss’ regarding getting any moth to turn up and we were to be disappointed this morning with absolutely nothing in the egg trays. Not to be too disheartened, a flock of 5 Long-tailed Tits came into his garden briefly, but showed very well for us, even without binoculars too. A small flock of Goldfinches flew over and landed in the neighbouring garden.
Normandy Marshes, nr Lymington:
As we parked up by the footpath leading to Normandy Marshes, this Robin came down to greet us!
Parking up near the main footpath around 9.30am, we made our way through the Pony Field to the seawall where several Meadow Pipits were feeding. Some flew up and landed in nearby Brambles and in this light, it was always worth getting a good photo. On reaching the seawall, we noticed a thin layer of mist of the Reserve, but this soon disappeared after 30 minutes or so, but the Reserve itself was crammed with birds.
Above, one many Little Egrets fishing off the seawall as the tide receded. Below, one of several Meadow Pipits near the entrance to the Reserve.
Above, a feeding Redshank by the seawall.
Below the seawall, on an ebbing tide, Redshank, Curlew and Turnstonewere feeding at very close quarters and provided me with an excellent opportunity for photos. Over on the Reserve side, it didn’t take long to find the Spotted Redshank; or so I thought! In my defence, it was distant as Andy claimed his 200th Hampshire bird species and duly celebrated in style. However, later this evening when I checked the photos on my laptop, it was actually a Greenshank! Doh! However, we got much better views of the Spotted Redshank later that morning. Phew!
Above, a misty start to our birding at Normandy Marshes and below, this ringed Redshank was below the seawall. Hopefully, I shall get the origin of this bird via its ring details.
Above, the Kingfisher was very busy this morning in search of prey.
I knew the Spoonbills were still here on Normandy Marshes and a lovely flock of at least 13 birds were counted, with most in one tight group roosting or preening on the Reserve plus a few on a nearby island. We watched one bird fly off, a juvenile, heading high west as we slowly made our way anticlockwise around the seawall. While checking out what we thought was the Spotshank, a Kingfisher flew over the still water and landed on a pontoon. We were to see this bird virtually all morning using the reserve including watching it hover over the water and dive in. The whole area was a wader paradise with not only the birds on the Reserve, but also out on the receding tide with large flocks of Dunlin, Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit and even good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwit among them.
Above, one of the Greenshanks among a pair of Pintail and a Shelduck and below, Geoff overlooking the Reserve.
Above, the cluster of Spoonbills on the Reserve and below, a mixed flock of both Bar-tailed Godwits and Dunlin off the seawall.
On the Reserve, at least 10 Avocets were present and at least three, possibly four Greenshank were seen (it has been a long time that I have seen all three 'Shanks' in one day!) as well as a couple of Common Snipe. Wildfowl were also in excellent numbers with a large number of Brent Geese feeding on the mudflats among the waders (Dunlin and a few Ringed Plover) and on the Reserve, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail, Wigeon, Shelduck and even a female Red-breasted Merganser was present and another couple of female birds out in the channel between the seawall and the islands. A small flock of 7 Little Grebes were seen quietly resting on the water.
Above, a flock of Black-tailed Godwits flying over and below, another Little Egret flying low over the water.
Above, it was amazing to find how confiding the Curlews were here by the seawall and below, this Avocet showed nicely from the seawall. I remember earlier this year these birds fighting off the Gulls here from stealing their chicks.
Amazingly, on such a bright still morning, we didn't see one raptor here, but there were a few interesting passerines of note. A pair of Dartford Warblers showed very well, flying below us by the seawall and making use of the Gorse Bushes for cover. The female bird was particularly showy and I managed to film the bird some 20 feet away preening herself in the sunshine. Overhead, we had a large flock of Skylarks going over and landing on the Saltmarsh below and both Rock Pipit and Linnet went over. Nearing the northern end of the Reserve, Geoff and Andy picked up a distant pair of Stonechats on some Brambles to add to an impressive list of birds seen here today. I did check the ‘mill-pond’ calm sea out in the harbour for anything of note and found a pair of Great Crested Grebes swimming on the water with the Isle of Wight Car Ferry passing by! A Water Rail was heard 'squealing' from the vegetation below us, but no sighting unfortunately.
Above, the showy female Dartford Warbler and below, the male bird was not as easy to photograph and would not keep still long enough for a decent photo.
Above, several Linnets were seen here today.
Blashford Lakes and lunch was on my mind and so we turned back and made our way back to the car. Before leaving the Reserve, both Geoff and I heard the Spotted Redshank again and sure enough, it was out in the small harbour along with other waders as we watched it then fly off calling and headed back onto the Reserve. Apparently, later in the afternoon at nearby Pennington Marshes, one lucky birder saw and photographed a female Surf Scoter pass by heading west over the Solent! Incredible!
Above, a Curlew swimming off the seawall and below, this snoozing Common Snipe blending in with its surroundings.
Above, our last notable sighting here at Normandy Marshes was the Spotted Redshank before it then flew back onto the Reserve. Below, the female Dartford Warbler preening in a bush by the seawall.
Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes, nr Fordingbridge:
This female Marsh Harrier was hunting over Ibsley Water this afternoon.
On the way to Blashford, we had sightings of at least two Common Buzzards and I was lucky enough to see a female Sparrowhawk being harassed by a Crow over a hedgerow. When we arrived, instead of going into a packed Tern Hide for lunch, we headed up to the Viewing Platform seeing it was still warm with the sun on our backs and also watching the birds on Ibsley Water. Sadly, there was no sign of the White-tailed Eagle during our couple of hours stay here, but other raptors seen here this afternoon included a superb female Marsh Harrier hunting over the area, a Red Kite drifting over and a brief sighting of a male Sparrowhawk scaring the ducks and Lapwing over on the west side of the Reserve. A Common Buzzard was seen on the Osprey post and subsequently seen flying into nearby trees of which I quickly got Andy onto the bird for his fourth raptor of the day.
Above, more flight photos of the female Marsh Harrier over Ibsley Water.
I had my scope with me and managed to pick out a Green Sandpiper feeding on the edge of one of the spits to the left of the Tern Hide and quickly got the guys onto the bird. Among the many wildfowl present (Teal, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Mallard, Wigeon, Gadwall, Pintail and Shoveler), we found up to 6 Goosanders present that included 3 females (one was seen flying off) and three drakes, but, unusual for this place, four Red-breasted Mergansers (two females and two drakes) that were somewhat restless and seen several times flying over, but never seen actually swimming on the water! I also counted at least three Goldeneye on the water that included two drakes and a female bird while scanning the water through my scope. I couldn't find any Black-necked Grebes on the water, but good numbers of Great Crested Grebes were among the wildfowl.
This drake Goldeneye was one of three on Ibsley Water and below, Andy saw this Great White Egret flying over the Reserve, which eventually landed at the back of Ibsley Water.
As the afternoon progressed, more and more Gulls were arriving and by the time we left, there was an impressive number of birds on resting and preening on both the islands and the water that included Black-headed, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Whether there was something rarer among them was always a possibility, but we shall leave that to the Gull enthusiasts! Anyway, most were quite distant anyway.
Five of the Goosanders present this afternoon in front of one of the islands over on the west side of Ibsley Water.
Notable passerines seen included a flyover Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff was seen close to where we stood by the Viewing Platform, until flying off. Behind us within the trees by the main road, a pair of Stock Doves were seen and a Redwing was calling deep within the trees. A Nuthatch must have thought it was Spring as it was actually singing within the same stretch of woodland as was a Song Thrush! A Great Spotted Woodpecker decided to ‘pipe up’ too to round off a lovely afternoon. The Starlings here are starting to do their ‘murmuration’ as per a video put on Facebook earlier this week from this site, which is always spectacular, though we left around 3pm and so left that for another day.
Many thanks to James Cutting for checking out the ring on this Spoonbill at Normandy Marshes yesterday. This bird was originally ringed in the Netherlands.
After yesterday’s wet and windy weather, today was a much brighter affair with plenty of blue sky and sunshine first thing this morning, though it did become a lot cloudier in the afternoon. It was mild again with temperatures around the 14 degree mark with a south westerly wind. It has been a little quiet in Pembroke Road regarding anything really noteworthy over the past couple of days, but I am still getting double figures in bird species still.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
Up to 13 species were recorded today from both shifts and probably the best of the sightings were the distant flock of Brent Geese, around a dozen birds, heading east past the harbour wall by Curtain Moat. Governor’s Green held around 40+ Herring Gulls searching for worms on the wet grass again and scores of Wood Pigeons were flying over throughout the day. A Wren narrowly avoided being hit by a car as it flew across the road close to where I stood and quickly sang when it landed in some vegetation.
In Hampshire today:
The drake Ferruginous Duck on Brownwich Pond. Photo by Bob Marchant.
The return of the drake Ferruginous Duck on Brownwich Pond this morning was probably the highlight of today's Hampshire sightings and a fine photo of the bird too (see below). A Great Northern Diver and a female Velvet Scoter was again off Weston Shore and a good count of 8 Common Sandpipers were wintering at Lower Test Marshes. Two Great Northern Divers and a Red-throated Diver flew into Chichester Harbour this morning and over at Normandy Marshes, up to 22 Spoonbills were counted and a Spotted Redshank was present too.
Further afield, the Lesser Crested Tern was still in the Exe Estuary near Powderham this time and in South Wales, the Scops Owl was still present at Killay, Glamorgan.
Several Marmalade Hoverflies were around the Ivy in my garden this afternoon.
In my garden during the early afternoon, during a spell of bright sunshine, I was checking out the Hoverflies still on the wing here and included several Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) and at least one female Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae). The crazy thing is, it should be near freezing around this time of year, but the insects keep coming due to the mild weather.
A female Migrant Hoverfly was also sunbathing in my garden.
The Scops Owl at Killay, Glamorgan. Photos by Simon Craft.
This Buff-tailed Bumblebee was nectaring on this Penstemon plant near where I stood in Pembroke Road.
Another weather warning from the Met Office for this week as heavy rain and strong winds are set to batter the south coast again. The Met Office have named it Storm Bram and is set to come in overnight and into Wednesday. You can forget about doing a sea-watch from Gilkicker again this Saturday too!! It is bound to be empty of birds as well.
The week got off to a reasonable start in Pembroke Road this week as the weather wasn’t too bad this morning and bird species got into double-figures too.
Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:
A dark and overcast start to the day in Pembroke Road.
Up to 13 species were recorded this morning with pick of the bunch going to a very low flying flock of 3 Cormorants flying over the road and heading southbound and a small flock of 5 Brent Geese heading east over the Curtain Moat area. On arrival, there must have been around 30+ Herring Gulls on Governor’s Green searching for worms on the sodden grass, which was a good count.
Both Dunnock and Robin were heard calling and the House Sparrows were seen several times in their usual hedge by the Bowling Green. I managed to grab a photo of the Buff-tailed Bumblebee nectaring on a small cluster of flowering Penstemons that were growing in a nearby flowerbed. The extremely mild temperature of 12 degrees is still encouraging the insects to be on the wing and I have even seen a few Garden Spiders around too.
This Rusty-dot Pearl was perched on a window.
On my travels around lunchtime, I found a Rusty-dot Pearl moth perched on a window on a Retirement Building. Moths are still out and about and I do keep an eye out for outside lights on buildings in case a Moth is perched.
In Hampshire today:
Fellow ‘Lazee Birder’ Gary Fennemore had a good selection of bird sightings around Hayling Oysterbeds this morning with sightings of 2 Marsh Harriers on the Binness Islands, Med Gull, Raven, Black-necked Grebe (sadly, numbers have really dwindled of this species over the last few years here in Langstone Harbour), 2 Whimbrel, Great Northern Diver and up to 5 Goldeneye.
Whatever the weather, there is always something to see here in the Cemetery.
The wet and very windy weather continued into today, but after having done a lot of our morning chores, I took the dogs for a very wet walk around Highland Road Cemetery again. I decided to not take my camera along due to the rain, but I did manage a photo from my mobile phone camera of the superb place. OK, one Cemetery might look like any other Cemetery, but I have grown to love the place over the many years I have come here and there is always something to see, despite the weather.
HIghland Road Cemetery, Southsea:
Apart from the usual Gulls, Pigeons and Crows here today, seeking out an existence within the blustery wet weather, I did see a smart Jay perched on one of the gravestones and would have made a lovely photo if I had had my camera. Sadly, not a great deal else was seen regarding the birds, but a small group of Great Tits within the trees and bushes over in the south-east side were the only other notable sighting here today. I have not seen any Woodpeckers, especially the Green Woodpeckers, on my ‘local patch’ for several months now, which is worrying. Maybe they will be back in the Spring? As I was making our way out of the Reserve, I was sure that a Goldcrest was calling somewhere deep within the Cedar tree by the main entrance.
Sadly, I got a really good soaking, though my trusty waterproof coat kept the top half of me nice and dry, but my jeans and shoes were soaked. It was worth it.
In Hampshire today:
Yet again, the probable escaped Boat-tailed Grackle was still in its usual garden in Holbury, Southampton and the three Velvet Scoters were also in the usual place off Weston Shore. A Jack Snipe flew in with 12 Common Snipe on Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marshes this afternoon.
Also in Hampshire, two new micro moth species for Hampshire were recorded at Pamber Forest Nature Reserve; notably Gelechia scotinella and Haplotinia insectella, which were found earlier this year using moth traps. Another bonus for the site was that 20 new species were found at the same site this year.
Above, some of the birds (from top to bottom, Kingfisher, Redwing and Goldcrest) seen on my walk by Hilsea Moat, Portsmouth six years ago. Because of rising sea levels, a lot of work has been carried out at this site as the footpaths have been raised and redeveloped in case of flooding which has happened several times in the past.
