BUNTINGS BOO!

Saturday 31st January 2026.

The Grey Wagtail posing nicely for me by the Sluice at Brownwich Pond today.

It was back over Wicor Mill, Portchester this morning for this elusive Cirl Bunting followed by a trip over to the Canal Path at Titchfield. The weather didn't look too bad today, though a few showers were supposed to be coming in around midday that, apart from one heavy shower, never really materialised. We also took a trip over to Brownwich Pond for yesterday's drake Ferruginous Duck and then back over Wicor Mill for another attempt for the Cirl Bunting. Sadly, Geoff didn't join Andy Fisher and myself today for he had made other arrangements. Before Andy arrived to pick me up from my house, I watched the male Blackcap feeding on the Cotoneaster berries in my back garden to kick the day off with a good start.

Wicor Mill, Portchester:

The female Stonechat at Wicor Mill. It was soon joined by a Meadow Pipit until both birds flew off.

It was to be another failed attempt to get the Cirl Bunting this morning despite spending a good couple of hours here along with around a dozen or so Birders present including both birding pals Graeme Loader and John Goodall in attendance. It was first reported on the ‘Lazee’s Whatsapp’ site around 8.20am this morning, which was good news and even Graeme managed to see the bird before it flew off towards the Horse Paddocks and that was the last anyone saw of it! Sob! 

One of many Redwings here at this site and below, a Fox came out and walked across the Horse Paddocks. It or another were seen on the nearby housing estate.

Nevertheless, talking to both John and Graeme was most enjoyable and a good catch up too as we had a few birds of note to enjoy. The area was very good for Redwing with many birds seen flying over and some landing nicely in the bushes and especially around the Horse Paddocks. A female Stonechat put on an appearance, first perching on the row of brambles in front of us and then flying over the small pond nearby. A Meadow Pipit joined it and a few more of this species were seen during our time here. A Rock Pipit was heard a little later and Andy saw it flying along the nearby shoreline. 

Above, another photo of the Fox sunning itself briefly in the Horse Paddocks. Below, a Redwing in the same area.

It was high tide within Portsmouth Harbour this morning, but apart from a few distant Brent Geese, I could not see anything of note on the water. Also notable were the number of Greenfinches here. This species has taken a huge nosedive in numbers of late, so it was good to see so many here today at this site. Also House Sparrows. There was a large number, possibly 20+ in the nearby bushes; another species that seemed to have taken a big hit of late, especially around where I live. Having no luck with this particular area, Andy and I took a stroll over to the Horse Paddocks and that's where we bumped into Graeme. From here, again there were good numbers of both Redwing and Greenfinch, but no sign of the Cirl Bunting. A dog Fox casually strolled across the Paddocks and enjoyed a brief spell in the sunshine and posed nicely for us. Eventually, we decided to make our way from this site and try our luck down the Canal Path at Titchfield.

Canal Path, Titchfield:

We listened to the beautiful song of a Song Thrush while having a coffee by the first bridge along the Canal Path.

Despite a heavy rain shower on the way there, the rest of the day turned out sunny and bright. On arrival in the small car park at the top of the Canal Path, we noticed that Bridge Street had a 'Road Closed' notice due to the flooding just west of the car park; however, there were a few idiot drivers risking all by driving through the flooded road! Unbelievable! We then crossed the road and took a walk north to check the flooded fields, but most of the fields around the Horse Paddocks were flooded. Maybe good news for the ducks present that included around a dozen Teal enjoying the conditions, but the hopeful Water Pipit was what it was, just hopeful. The footpath became impassable due to the flooding and so we turned back and made our way south on the opposite side of the road.

Above, the flooded fields north of Bridge Street. Below, a drake Teal on the fields here. I liked the way it was hiding behind the vegetation in the sunshine.

As expected, the fields between the Bridge Street Floods and Posbrook Floods were saturated due to the recent heavy rain of late, but there was a wealth of birds seen along the footpath. From the Bridge, around 400 yards down the Canal Path, where we had a nice cup of coffee, we could check out the birdlife from here. A male Blackcap flew in and showed well of which Andy jumped for joy, for his first of the year. A flock of Long-tailed Tits came in and showed well and also a gorgeous male Goldcrest that simply would not sit still to be photographed! A Song Thrush was nearby and sang sweetly within the small branches of the hedge close by.

Above, this male Blackcap seen by the bridge was Andy's first of the year and below, a small number of Long-tailed Tits were seen here while we had a coffee.

Out on the Bridge Street Floods, there was a mixture of Cormorants, Lapwing and a variety of ducks that included Pintail, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall and Teal. A Reed Bunting flew high overhead and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen climbing one of the small trees before flying off into nearby trees. Eventually, the pathway soon became impassable due to the Canal overflowing the main footpath and my footwear was not waterproof enough and so we made our way back to the car. 

Above, a male Kestrel was seen by the Canal Path and at least four Stonechats were also seen including this fine male bird.

More notable birds were picked up along the way that included a fine pair of Stonechats out in the fields and while watching the male bird flying over the tussocks, another bird followed it and was probably the long-staying Dartford Warbler, but I couldn't be 100% certain as it dived into cover before we could get a better look at it. Raptors seen along the way included at least two Common Buzzards and a male Kestrel, but, surprisingly, no Marsh Harriers at all on our visit here. We bumped into a chap who had seen a Peregrine hunting over the reserve, though we never saw the bird. A pair of Common Snipe were seen briefly landing on the reserve, but very few waders were seen here this morning. While walking through the wooded area along the Canal Path, a pair of calling Nuthatches flew over our heads and a Treecreeper was heard calling out of sight within the trees. A pair of Egyptian Geese flew up the Reserve and appeared to land around the Bridge Street Floods to round off a pleasant walk here this morning.

Above, this Common Buzzard flew in towards us and then hovered over the field adjacent to us close to where we stood. Magical.

Brownwich Pond, Hook:

Nine of the eleven Tufties on Brownwich Pond with a Coot in the background.

Our target bird next was to be for the drake Ferruginous Duck on Brownwich Pond. Though there had been no reports of the duck this morning, we decided to give it a try anyway and was not surprised when there was no sight of the bird upon the Pond. Parking in the grotty little car park that had more pot holes than a World War One ‘No Man's Land’, by Chilling Barn, we made our way along the long track through the countryside to the Pond. To be honest, it was virtually birdless on the way there, but once we arrived, we picked out a tidy flock of 11 Tufted Ducks on the water…..but no ‘Fudge’ Duck!

Above, no sign of the 'Fudge' Duck, but a couple of Cormorants and below, a Grey Heron were present.

For compensation, there was also a Grey Heron fishing on the edge of the Pond, a drake Mallard at the northern end of the Pond and a couple of Cormorants fishing on the water. Best of all, was a Grey Wagtail that flew over the Pond and landed just 20 feet away from us by the Sluice from where we stood. There it stood for some time as I took some lovely close photos of the bird. Andy then told me that the Cirl Bunting had been seen singing in a hedge by the Horse Paddocks and so back we went.

Wicor Mill, Portchester:

Out in Portsmouth Harbour, there were a good number of waders including this large flock of Dunlin flying over the mudflats. Shelduck was on the foreshore.

Sadly, the sighting was seen around 1.20pm and no sign since, but we were convinced the bird was roosting at this site and so we waited up to 4.45pm for the bird to reappear. As the sun was disappearing in the west, it got colder and colder and I have to admit, though we stuck it out for around an hour plus here, my enthusiasm was waning. I was only pleased that Pompey were winning 3-0 at the time! However, a few birds were noted including a lot of Redwing passing over and some landing in the nearby trees. Again, Greenfinches were passing over in good numbers and both Linnets and Goldfinches were around too. The odd Meadow Pipit passed overhead as I scanned Portsmouth Harbour, which was now at low tide. 

Above, sunset over Portsmouth Harbour and below, I think I knew every damn branch of that row of small trees and shrubs here!

There were a lot of waders on the mudflats with a large flock of Dunlin swirling low over the mud and smaller numbers of both Curlew and Oystercatcher. Out in the distant channel, a silhouetted pair of Red-breasted Mergansers landed in the channel and flocks of Gulls were flying into the harbour to roost. As the sky's clouds turned orange due to the setting sun, we called it a day and made our way home. OK, we failed to see two rare birds in Hampshire, but still a good variety of birds today to write about on my blog.

This 'Silver' Moon rose behind the Bushes and Shrubs at Wicor Mill to round off another enjoyable day s birding.

In Hampshire today:

The Black Brant was again seen off Northney, Hayling Island on the falling tide. Nearby, Hayling Oyster Beds held both the Black-necked, Slavonian and Red-necked Grebe along with 2 Great Northern Divers, the Long-tailed Duck and the Scaup. A Jack Snipe was flushed by a Marsh Harrier on Titchfield Haven in front of the Knights Bank Hide. Birding pal Geoff Farwell went to the Hoe Cross area near Hambledon and recorded the following bird sightings: a male Merlin, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Ravens, Woodlark, 90 Skylarks, 6 Stonechats, 100+ Fieldfare, 35 Redwings and 200 Linnets.

Jackdaw & Mute Swan from Pembroke Road.

Thursday 29th January 2026.

Walking past Highland Road Cemetery this morning with the dogs. Robins and Blackbirds could be heard singing within the Cemy.

Where has this month gone already? February is now just around the corner and hopefully, the first of the migrants will arrive back to our shores again (Wheatears, Sand Martins and a few other very early birds); but what with this consistent wet weather, who knows what is around the corner. Storm after storm it seems is flooding our countryside and battering our coastlines; a situation that is becoming all too common in our winters in the UK and yet there are still pessimists who believe there is no Global Warming going on!!! Our summers are getting hotter and drier, with reservoirs somehow lacking the ability to hold onto the water that winter brings and Heath and Woodland fires are becoming commonplace now. What is the future for our children and children's children as time goes on?

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

A dry start to the day here in Pembroke Road.

A dry start to the morning (which I am always grateful for), but it was quite cold with a south-easterly blowing over Southsea and temperatures around 6 degrees, though it felt a lot colder than that in the wind. My cold fingers and drippy nose were witnesses to that! A reasonable total of 14 bird species were recorded on my first shift that included a few surprises.

An adult Mute Swan was seen flying over the Curtain Moat, no doubt heading to Canoe Lake to join the 30+ birds already there. A Jackdaw, which is a rarity around these parts, flew low over the road heading north and calling. I am always pleased to see this tiny crow species here and both a very noisy Jay and a pair of Magpies were seen along with many Carrion Crows. The Blue Tits were flitting about in the trees opposite and included a male bird displaying. A Dunnock was heard singing in the garden behind the house opposite where I stood. Spring is certainly not far away. Three species of Gull were seen: Herring, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gull, but no raptors were seen this morning.

On my second shift, the only other bird species added to my total here was a Great Tit that was heard calling in the Holm Oaks.

I got a text from Andy Fisher yesterday to say that he added Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and Yellowhammer to his Hampshire year list after taking a walk in the countryside while his car was in the garage. 

Above, a photo of the moon overhead this morning taken from my garden. Below, one of three Blue Tits again in my garden and enjoying the Nut Balls.

In Hampshire today:

The male Cirl Bunting at Wicor Mill, Portchester today. Photo by Tony Tindale.

The drake Scaup was reported to be on one of the main pools this morning at Hayling Oyster Beds and 3 Great Northern Divers were seen over at Weston Shore, Southampton. Incredibly, last December’s male Cirl Bunting at Wicor Mill had been refound again by the finder. This begs the question on where had it been all this time? Hopefully, it will be around by the weekend and so I can add it to my Hampshire bird list.

Three White-fronted Geese were still on Farlington Marshes and HIll-head birder Mark Francis picked up a Red-necked Grebe, 2 Slavonian Grebes, 7 Kittiwakes and 3 Razorbills around the Brownwich and Chilling area. Six Woodlarks were seen in one flock at Woolmer Pond today, despite the fact we had none last Saturday! 

Both Black Redstart & Blackcap again by my garden.

Monday 26th January 2026.

This stunning rainbow was over Highland Road Cemetery as I was driving back home after my second shift at Pembroke Road. I actually pulled over and got out of the car to take this photo.

A grim start to the day with very heavy rain and strong winds overnight and the rain continuing into early morning. However, it soon departed once I arrived at Pembroke Road, though dark and overcast and breezy during my first shift here. The adverse weather conditions has been named Storm Chandra by the Met Office and is battering the north and west of the country, but thankfully, has gone from us on the south coast; but in its wake, Blashford Lake car park is underwater again by the Tern Hide and is closed for the day. This afternoon, it was much better with plenty of sunshine, though just as I was leaving, a nasty shower came in, but it produced the most amazing rainbow over Southsea.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I recorded up to 14 species this morning here in Pembroke Road and among these birds was a superb male Peregrine that stooped over Governor’s Green at the Pigeons and Herring Gulls there, though I don't think it was successful. It all happened so quickly and I was busy at the time too.

Surprisingly, no Brent Geese were seen flying over, but when I first arrived, there were at least 30+ Herring Gulls on Governor’s Green and among them were two Great Black-backed Gulls also searching for worms on the sodden grass. The Bowling Green didn't escape the heavy rain either as large puddles had formed on the grass there but attracted several Herring Gulls and a few Carrion Crows!

Passerines this morning included the usual House Sparrows calling in the hedgerow by the Bowling Green and Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren and Starling were all heard.

My Garden:

This was the only photo I could get of today's female Black Redstart for as soon as I pressed the shutter button on my camera, it flew off and was not seen again.

Both the female Black Redstart and the male Blackcap were in and around my garden when I got back home from my first shift and were joined by a pair of Great Tits enjoying the Fat Balls; three Blue Tits and a male Blackbird. Luckily, I had my camera to hand and managed just the one photo of the Black Redstart, but the other birds were a bit more obliging.

Above, one of the three Blue Tits enjoying Fat Balls I have in my garden. I recently took down the Sunflower Heart feeder as I am giving it a damn good clean. Sadly, the House Sparrows have gone from my garden and have become a rarity in my garden although I can hear them further south from my garden occasionally. 

Above, who cannot love a Great Tit? When seen close up, they really are a beautifully marked bird. A pair was in my garden today.

In Hampshire today:

The long-staying Killdeer is still at Ripley Farm Reservoir today for those brave enough to put up with the wet weather. A male Black Redstart is still around the Daedelus Airfield area, Lee-on-Solent and another male bird at a private site in Havant. Apart from the already mentioned, the only other birds of note were three Little Gulls off Calshot Spit along with a Great Northern Diver.

The female Black Redstart STILL present in my garden!

Monday 26th January 2026.

The Holm Oaks at Pembroke Road. 

A good start to the week here in Old Portsmouth, with a good variety of bird species seen in Pembroke Road today. The weather wasn't too bad either, though overcast with a south-easterly breeze, it did remain dry throughout both of my shifts. Not only was the birdlife interesting here, but back in my garden, the female Black Redstart was present for its SIXTH week in and around the gardens behind my house and was briefly joined by a different Warbler!

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

I notched up a good total of 16 species (exceptional for this time of year) were seen from both shifts this morning here and on top of the pile was the male Sparrowhawk seen this afternoon, hunting over Governor’s Green and scattering all the Wood Pigeons around the Holm Oaks and even a Jay was heard as the bird flew off westbound and over the houses towards Portsmouth Harbour.

A few flocks of Brent Geese were seen heading east early in the first shift and a Cormorant sailed overhead and landed on Curtain Moat. There was plenty of birdsong going on with a Great Tit singing nearby and joined by a Robin singing somewhere in the Holm Oaks. Three species of Gull were seen, including a few Black-headed and Great Black-back Gulls and the overnight rain had many Herring Gulls searching for worms on Governor’s Green early on. The last species to be added was a Pied Wagtail flying low over my head and heading off northbound over the houses.

My Garden:

The female Black Redstart was still present today.

Around 1pm, I was back home and while I was upstairs, I heard the distinctive call of a Chiffchaff calling in my garden and so, looking out of one of the bedroom windows, I saw the bird flitting about near my bird feeder until it disappeared into my neighbours garden. There was no sight or sound of the Blackcap, but, unbelievably, the female Black Redstart was present again; perched high up in the tall tree with her distinctive quivering tail. I am wondering how long she has actually been in the area, for six weeks in the area is something incredible. She is obviously finding enough insects to feed on in the area, though to be honest, it has been relatively mild for this time of year.

In Hampshire today:

A superb photo of a Nuthatch taken recently by Pete Appleton.

Again, the superb Killdeer (some say its a 1st winter bird?) is still present and showing well at Ripley Farm Reservoir for the admiring crowds, though it is certainly getting ‘welly boot time’ at the location due to all this rain we are having. There has been a supporting cast of 4 White-tailed Eagles and even two Little Gulls at the site over the past few days! Blashford Lakes had a great total of Goldeneye present that numbered at least 30 birds on Ibsley Water and a few more on nearby Rockford Lake. The Black-necked Grebe was joined by a second bird in front of one of the Hides at Ibsley Water. Wildfowl numbers are increasing with Shoveler numbers having increased of late as has Pintail with 341 and 343 birds respectively counted today. Wigeon numbers are up with a staggering count of 1390 counted today. Two Red-necked Grebes are now in Langstone Harbour with the usual bird off Hayling Oyster Beds and another in the Sinah Lake area in the southern half of the harbour.

Another stroll around my local patch.

Sunday 25th January 2026.

One of several singing Great Tits this morning in the Cemetery.

My dogs got their walk this morning around Highland Road Cemetery, though the threat of rain was on the horizon. After a few chores, I arrived at the Cemy around 10am where it was cloudy with the occasional bright spell, but there were dark clouds coming in and by midday, drizzle had begun to fall. Temperatures this morning hovered around the 8 degree mark but it didn't feel as cold as yesterday, with a light south-easterly blowing.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

The Mausoleum within the centre of the Cemy.

A quiet morning in the Cemetery today with just a few birds of note on my walk round with my dogs. There were a lot of dog-walkers around today, but one chap told me that a Green Woodpecker was very vocal here yesterday! I was very surprised as I thought the bird had long gone; so I was really pleased that it was still around. However, there was no sign of the bird today. 

Above, it took a while to find this singing Robin deep within this shrub, despite being just a few feet away from the bird and below, a male Blackbird by the footpath.

Above, there were good numbers of Blue Tits around today as were the Wood Pigeons (below).

The Jay showed briefly this morning, in trees in the south-west corner, but a dog-walker flushed the bird and so a photo opportunity had been lost. Robins and Great Tits were the only birds in song this morning, but it did feel a little ‘Spring-like’, especially when the sun made a very brief appearance. There were, again, a lot of Wood Pigeons around and occasionally, a large flock of them would fly overhead or land in the tallest of trees due to probably a Sparrowhawk passing over. Several Blackbirds were seen among the trees and bushes, but no Crests present today.

Above, another male Blackbird searching for food in the Cemy and below, the 'Lords and Ladies' plants growing in the southern half of the Cemetery by the perimeter wall.

The Cuckoo-pint plant was in leaf this morning in its usual place by the southern perimeter wall and I look forward to when the plant is in flower, which will probably be in the next couple of months. Not many other plants were in flower, except for the purple flowers of the Winter Heliotrope that was growing below the Holm Oak trees. It is still only January, but it has most certainly been a wet and mild one so far. 

A quiet sea-watch on Hayling & a stroll around Woolmer Pond.

Saturday 24th January 2026.

A very choppy Solent this morning from Sandy Point.

Strong onshore winds last night meant that a sea-watch was going to be the order of the day and so we all headed to Sandy Point on Hayling Island, to try our luck at this site instead of Gilkicker (which has been very disappointing in the past). A strong south to south-easterly was blowing in off the Solent and a rather cold wind too, but at least it remained dry to late afternoon.

From Sandy Point, around midday, we made our way to the north of the County, Woolmer Pond to see if we can pick up our first Woodlarks of the year and maybe something extra; however, the red flags were up when we arrived and so, the furthest we got was the Cottage garden.

Cowplain Marsh (Andy’s house):

I arrived a tad early to Andy Fisher’s house (around 7.35am!) and already bought myself a coffee from the nearby Tesco Express, the guys had their breakfast as we chatted about the week that had gone by. From Andy’s garden, a few Redwing passed overhead as did several Goldfinches and a Siskin was heard a couple of times. When Andy went outside to his garden, he saw a Raven flying over, but it was too quick for us to see the bird.

Andy had bought a Tripac for his telescope and tripod along with a new Telescope waterproof cover! However, instead of buying one of those very expensive ones, he bought one from a well-known retailer on the internet. It was the fraction of the price of what I have seen for my Swarovski telescope and I seriously might order one myself.

Sandy Point, Hayling Island:

An adult Med Gull flying over the sea.

With the strong winds overnight spilling over to this morning, the signs of picking up some seabird ‘year-ticks’ looked promising. However, not only did we have a problem in trying to keep out of the wind, but during the 90 minutes or so we were there, it was a bit too quiet. We did find some solace with a big pile of rocks to get behind, but the wind still managed to make viewing the sea uncomfortable. The long walk from Seafarers Walk was bad enough in the cold wind and the only bird we saw of note was an adult Mediterranean Gull heading low east over the waves.

Not today!

Eventually, we settled behind a big pile of rocks and looked from there. There were a lot of distant Gulls (probably Herring Gulls), but very little else. A few Cormorants went through and after some 20 minutes or so, we were joined by fellow birder Pete Gammage, but even he gave up shortly afterwards. And who could blame him! Geoff then found a small group of 5 Common Scoters on the sea, but with the sea so choppy, they were a nightmare to pick up at times, though I was sure there were 3 females and 2 drakes. Another probable Common Scoter was flying at speed low over the sea on the horizon, but even that bird was very difficult to pick up through the scope. The only other bird of note was a Great Crested Grebe flying low over the sea as the bird literally flew over the Scoter flock, heading eastbound. And that was the sum total of a very disappointing 90 minutes here. If there was some better shelter out of the wind, we probably would have stayed a lot longer. So, we all agreed to go back to the RNLI Station, out of the wind and search the harbour entrance and Chichester Harbour from there.

Brent Geese flying into Chichester Harbour.

We had more luck with bird sightings from the RNLI Station, especially when I found a pair of adult Kittiwakes flying out of the harbour entrance and quickly shouted out to the guys to get onto the birds. The Kittiwakes certainly didn't hang around and sped out towards the sea. Within Chichester Harbour, the water was much calmer as we picked out at least 4 Sandwich Terns in various parts of the harbour. A distant Diver looked good for Great Northern Diver and also a pair of Mergansers and a Great Crested Grebe was seen. A Slavonian Grebe was a welcome bonus which was seen in the harbour entrance, though the choppy sea put paid from prolonged views of the bird and it was only seen again by Geoff briefly a little later. Putting the telescope on maximum magnification, I picked out small numbers of Sanderling on East Head, on the opposite side of the harbour entrance, though people letting their dogs of their leads didn't help the birds there whatsoever! It was nearing midday and I asked the guys where to go next. I did suggest Northney to try our luck for the Black-throated Diver seen there earlier in the week, but Andy said that it was extremely muddy there and so Woolmer Pond was suggested instead.

Woolmer Pond, nr Bordon:

The water level on Woolmer Pond was very high due to the excessive rain we have had of late.

The water level on the Pond (should be really called a lake or lakes!) was very high, which did attract a good number of Tufted Duck on the water along with a lone drake Gadwall and Little Grebe. The wind wasn’t so strong here this afternoon and it was bright sunshine too. On arrival, noticing the flags were up (which was disappointing), we walked anticlockwise first around the track to view the southern end of the site, but sadly, there was very little of note here. No Stonechats, Dartford Warblers and in fact, birds in general!

Above, good numbers of Tufted Duck were on the water along with this drake Gadwall. Below, Geoff identified these small flowering plants as Common Chickweed that was growing along the main footpath.

Walking to the Cottage area for lunch (I was now very hungry!), we saw more from the Garden than anywhere else! Resting by the huge fallen Oak tree, we must have flushed a Common Buzzard from the garden as it flew off and headed slowly over the wasteground northbound. Hopefully, it would have avoided the Firing Range in the distance which was being used today by the Army boys. 

Above, this Hairy Curtain Crust fungus was growing abundantly on the fallen Oak Tree in the Cottage Garden. Below, one of two Crossbills that was also seen in the garden.

Above and below, this Treecreeper gave us good views as it climbed a Silver Birch tree.

A small flock of Goldfinch flew in briefly and landed in the Silver Birches behind us and a showy Treecreeper flew in and showed very well climbing a nearby tree. A Goldcrest briefly flew in and landed in a nearby Holly Tree and then flew off and disappeared into a Conifer. A pair of Crossbills were heard and then seen landing in the utmost bare branches high up in a tree until flying off over our heads and towards Woolmer Forest. Lunch over, I knew I had to get home rather earlier than normal today and so we made our way west along the footpath by the wasteland area where we saw a large flock of Corvids (Rooks and Jackdaws) searching for food on the short grass. There were a few birds around on the short grass and bushes that included a pair of Blackbirds, a single Song Thrush and a male Pied Wagtail on the short turf. The walk back to the car also produced a flock of Long-tailed Tits, roughly around a dozen birds and among them, a Coal Tit and a Goldcrest were noted to round off our day here. 

Above, a male Pied Wagtail was seen in the wasteland north of the Pond and below, we encountered a sizable flock of Long-tailed Tits on the way back to the car.

Driving home along the A3, a Red Kite sailed high over the road as I pointed it out to Geoff. I think Andy was asleep in the back of the car! Birding pals, Emma and Matt Parkes, took a dawn trip to Ripley Farm Reservoir and joined the 100+ birders there to see the long-staying Killdeer and successfully saw the bird. Afterwards, they went back to Lee-on-Solent to see the Black Redstarts there and found a cracking male bird on show.

This cracking male Black Redstart was photographed in Lee-on-Solent by Emma Parkes today.

Another wet morning, but the Killdeer was still present.

Friday 23rd January 2026.

The singing male Blackcap was showing well yesterday in my back garden.

Another wet miserable start to the day, but I still had a smile on my face after yesterday’s Killdeer sighting. A blustery southerly wind and dark clouds overhead produced some rain, but it did fizzle out by midday and the afternoon shift at Pembroke Road wasn't too bad and even quite mild too! The Killdeer was still present at Ripley Farm Reservoir today, but was a little flighty at times, which worried those birders travelling tomorrow for the bird. I did hear there is an organised ‘Pheasant Shoot’ at the Farm tomorrow, so people have been advised to keep to the main footpath and get there around first light before the Shoot starts.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Another excellent film footage of the Killdeer at Ripley Farm Reservoir by Steve Laycock.

As mentioned, the weather was poor on my first shift but much better in the afternoon. A total of 13 bird species were seen during both shifts, which again, was all the usual expected birds seen or heard. A few flocks of Brent Geese flew in from Portsmouth Harbour to their feeding area on Southsea Common and a couple of Cormorants were seen (or quite possibly the same individual) around Curtain Moat. A Greenfinch was heard again, but not seen and a male Blackbird scared the hell out of me when I went to get into my car as it just missed flying into my face!

In Hampshire today:

The Great Grey Shrike was seen again at the Shatterford area after being missing for a week or so and the six Glossy Ibis were on the northern side of the Bridge Street Floods, that included the individual with the poor leg. A Spotted Redshank was on Bunny Meadows, Hook-with-Warsash today. Though not in Hampshire (just), a Snow Bunting was present for its second day at East Head, West Wittering. Hopefully, it just might fly over to nearby Hayling Island?