Away From Four Marks: 24th April - Hill Head, Browndown South and Noar Hill, Hampshire

The dry, cool, yet beautifully sunny weather continued through the week and much the same was forecast for the weekend, the chilly temperature was as a result of the east to north easterly winds, however it was because of these that I headed to Hill Head before dawn. Sea watching had been good through the week and I was hoping for much of the same today, however history has prepared me for disappointment as the birds and weather seem to know when the weekend comes around.

What never fails to impress though, is the sun rise over the Titchfield Haven reserve, at any time of year it is impressive, today the sun, now rising from behind the visitor centre, was just breaking the horizon as I arrived along the sea wall.

Turning around to look at the sea and beach, eighteen Whimbrel took off from the shore and headed over my head and out across the reserve. I could only reach the camera after they had passed me.

Duck Lake was lit by the rising sun, with plenty of gull activity all over it, the air also full of the raucous calls of the Black-headed Gulls and the yelps of Mediterranean Gulls overhead.

The tide was out, but rising with high tide due around 10:30 am. Small waders could be seen along the shore and as a combination of dog walkers and the rising water disturbed them they would fly past. The majority here are Sanderling, just beginning to show some summer plumage, but if you look close there is also a Dunlin and Ringed Plover with them.

A few more Whimbrel passed offshore and also three Knot, then as the sun began to rise a little higher terns appeared, here the Little Terns

Then Sandwich Terns announcing their arrival with their calls

And then finally a year tick in the first Common Terns.

A large flock of terns passed flying purposely east, this was followed by a single Gannet, another first for the year.

It had been a good week for Bar-tailed Godwits with high counts of hundreds passing east. There were six on the shoreline and as they too were disturbed they flew up and over our heads.

A few odd Whimbrel passed on the sea heading east, they a good number of Bar-tailed Godwits that came along the beach and then over our heads and away to the east.

All were in various stages of the summer breeding plumage, the difference from the commoner Black-tailed Godwits being the all brick red underparts versus the paler under parts of the Black-tailed Godwits

The last few years have seen the Bar-tailed Godwit as the much rarer of the godwits we get locally for me. Sightings were left to maybe a single on the saltmarsh or one and two around passage times. This year though has seen a lot of them, what with a group of eleven here in the winter, good numbers last week at Pennington and now these today. In their summer plumage they are quite stunning.

A pair of duck coming in off the sea took me by surprise, and the ducks too. As they banked away it was clear that they were Shoveler.

The yelps of the Mediterranean Gulls had been heard all morning, but the gulls were always quite high over us, but louder yelps from above produced a pair quite low overhead. I don't think there is a better sight than an adult Mediterranean Gull against a deep blue sky.

This is where the yelps come from!

As well as the Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel had been a feature of the previous week's sea watches, with numbers again in the hundreds. There had been a trickle of birds after the initial eighteen first thing, but the numbers gradually increased with birds passing heading east, both over head and across the sea.

A good year again for me as in the previous I have had to make do with singles and distant views.

There had been a steady trickle through the morning but nothing mega that Ia and I saw (Others close by chose to keep it to their self and then post later), we decided to call it a day after three hours. We had other plans for the day and were prepared to put up with the reports that we were going to miss.

The next stop was going to be Browndown South, fortunately there were no flags flying so we were able to visit. As we arrived a Whitethroat was singing from the top of a bush. The wind was considerably stronger here than down at Hill Head, and this was taking the edge off the temperature. We were looking for Adders and that meant finding the sheltered shady spot. Much of the gorse where they had been present last year had been cut back so it was a case of searching the suitable spots. After several no shows I finally managed to find one. At first though the head was tucked in and out of sight.

Then slowly it became clear where the head actually was.

This was quite a large female, and she was extending the majority of her body in the sunshine. As we moved to get a view so did she and we could see her better.

As you walk around peering into the gorse and below the bracken dog walkers and passers by look at you strangely, sometimes they ask what you are looking for and when you tell they with draw quickly and making sure this dog is no where near. I have found it is a good tactic for getting a dog on a lead.

Then we edged just that little bit too close and she was off.

We did a circuit and came back again and she was back in the same place, head tucked down and the main body out in the sunshine.

One benefit of the cut gorse was that there were a lot of dead wood and this was proving a good place for Small Coppers to keep out of the shade and warm up in the sunshine. A first for the year it is always a pleasure to see this delightful little butterfly, the burnt orange upper wings shimmering towards the middle with an almost golden quality

The under wing while not as dramatically coloured as the upper, but having a quality still the same.

In all we found 4 individuals, two together dueling.

After leaving the Adders we walked around the shingle beach area. There were plenty of Linnets and Greenfinch and I saw just one Dartford Warbler, the fresh wind keeping them down in the gorse. Coming through the gorse into an open area, Ian found this Wheatear.

A little further and there was the warbling and rattling song coming from a tall Oak. The bird was singing as it fed and we followed it as it moved from the tree to the gorse and bracken, finally managing to a view as it moved through the gorse.

The lesser whitethroat is a medium-sized warbler of dense scrub and woodland edges that arrives in the UK in April. It is a secretive bird, so is most easily located by its rattling, monotonous song. Lesser Whitethroats winter in Africa; they leave our shores in September and head east around the Mediterranean, rather than through Gibraltar like most of our migrating birds.

Male and female Lesser Whitethroats are very similar. They are greyish-brown above and creamy-grey below, with grey heads, dark grey cheeks or 'masks', white throats and white chests. Lesser Whitethroats are smaller than Whitethroats and have shorter tails and plain-coloured wing edges.

From Browndown we headed north and after avoiding motorcycles, cyclists and a little old lady with a death wish we arrived at Noar Hill, on of the three reserves managed by the Hampshire and I.O.W butterfly Association.

Set amongst the Rotherfield Estate the reserve was once the site of medieval chalk workings, this 20 hectare nature reserve is now carpeted with an array of beautiful chalk downland flowers every spring and summer, including Cowslips, Juniper and Early Purple and Pyramidal orchid.

The path leading to the entrance gate is always a guaranteed spot for Orange Tips and sure enough there was one flying around the area close to the gate. It never stopped though and nor did any of the others we came across on this visit.

Through the gate there is a chalk quarry to your left, here there was a Holly Blue and this lovely Peacock.

Just giving it a little time produced a pair of Dingy Skippers, the first of the year. These butterflies can be easily over looked and as their season moves on they quickly assume a look that matches the name, but freshly emerged they are quite impressive with a mixture of patterns and shades of brown and grey.

But we were here for the specialty butterfly, the Duke of Burgundy. This small butterfly frequents scrubby grassland and sunny woodland clearings, typically in very low numbers. The adults rarely visit flowers and most sightings are of the territorial males as they perch on a prominent leaf at the edge of scrub. The females are elusive and spend much of their time resting or flying low to the ground looking for suitable egg-laying sites.

These are males and were easy to get close to as they used surfaces such as dead leaves and branches to warm up on.

Small and orange and brown, like a tiny fritillary. Undersides of hind wings have rows of white spots.

We come back every year and take photographs of this little butterfly. Today the trick for me was to get some different angle and to try and present the butterfly in its surroundings.

Here head on for a different perspective

The Duke of Burgundy is the sole representative of a subfamily known as the "metalmarks", since some of its cousins, particularly those found in south America, have a metallic appearance. A curious characteristic of this subfamily is that the female has 6 fully functional legs, whereas the male has only 4 - the forelegs being greatly reduced. The Duke of Burgundy was once classified as a fritillary, given the similarity with those fritillary species found in the British Isles.

The underneath of the wings is difficult to get to see and requires lying flat on the ground which has its own challenges when you have to get up. The hind wings have two rows of lovely cream spots

The reserve is full of chalk working such as the one shown in the photograph and these provide shelter not only for the butterflies but for the plants and flowers that grow amongst the grass

While we were here for the butterflies it is also a good spot to catch up with the common woodland and farmland birds such as this Goldcrest that was singing in amongst the Rose and Juniper.

Also some newly arrived Whitethroats

Overhead the first two Swifts of the year were seen to fly through heading north.

It is a reserve where you amble around looking down. We were hoping for some other butterflies. Holly Blue were seen in the usual place, a clump of Holly trees, this too is a good spot for Green Hairstreak but we were not able to find any. The other specialty at this time of the year ids the Grizzled Skipper, but that was also not around just yet. We did come across a few more Dingy Skippers.

I don't recall having a view of the underside of a Dingy before.

In a another week of two the reserve will be covered in Cowslips, today they were out but I have seen many more. It was as if the flowers were 7 - 10 days behind in flowering this year.