31st December - 2022 - A Review Of The Year

As another year comes to an end it is that time to look back on the highs of the year month by month

January

The year started with the surprise sighting of two Grey Partridge as I drove home on New Year's day.  A visit to Titchfield Haven in the afternoon produced the highlight of four Velvet Scoter offshore.  The 9th was a visit to Southsea for the Purple Sandpipers, followed by a visit to Warblington for the Cattle Egret, little did I know then how common they would become through the year.  The afternoon was spent on Thorney Island.  At the end of 2021 Ian and I had made several visits to watch and photograph the Short-eared Owls but never really managed to crack it.  This was achieved with some great images, Shortie's are always a joy to watch and even better when you get the right images.

We were away for the weekend of the 14th and 15th in Somerset, so it was a trip to Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall for the Starlings and a very distant Ring-necked Duck.  Other specialties were Great Egret and literally hundreds of Cattle Egret.  Back at Titchfield Haven on the 22nd the Sanderlings were showing well on the beach and in the high tide roost, with Water Rail, Marsh Harrier a very showy Cetti's Warbler on the reserve and the Barn Owl in the usual tree along the Canal Path.  The month ended with a visit to Keyhaven - Lymington Reserve.  Spoonbill on the lagoons, plenty of Wigeon, Teal and Pintail in beautiful light and waders such as Greenshank and Avocet showing well.  

The highlight of the month just had to be the wonderful Short-eared Owls.

February

The first week a visit to Blashford Lakes where we just about managed to see the Bittern, the windows and secretive behaviour of the Bittern combining to frustrate all attempts at photography.  Also seen were Chiffchaff, Brambling, Siskin and Goosander.  The afternoon saw a visit to the Forest where we managed to find a Crossbill and two more Brambling.  The following weekend we were away at Sidlesham and there were more Cattle Egret, eighteen in fact and six Glossy Ibis, but once again an Owl stole the show, this time a Barn Owl.

On the 19th a trip to Kent saw me search, but miss out on, the reported Shore Larks on Sheppey.  There was a Short-eared Owl at Elmley just before the rain curtailed the trip.  The end of the month it was back to the New Forest for the specialties, Wood Lark, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Goshawk and Firecrest, plus the first butterfly of the year a Red Admiral.  In the afternoon there was a trip to Martin Down where there were six Corn Bunting and on the way home a stop at Eyeworth Pond delivered Mandarin Duck

Once again though an owl was the highlight of the month.

March

The start of the month saw us back in Somerset and a walk around the Avalon Marshes produced several Great Egrets and Cattle Egrets.  On the 6th a flock of around thirty Mediterranean Gulls were over the garden in Four Marks.  On the 12th at Keyhaven - Lymington Reserve back in Hampshire there was Spoonbill, an over wintering Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank Avocet, Ruff and a single Water Pipit.  The afternoon saw a fruitless search for the Great Grey Shrike in Backley Bottom in the New Forest

Warm mild weather between rain storms in the middle of the month saw Brimstone and Peacock in my garden.  On the 19th there were six Common Scoter offshore at Hill Head with several Chiffchaff singing along the Canal Path.  Marsh Harrier, Red Kite and Buzzard were seen over the reserve where there was a Peacock butterfly.  On Browndown North in the afternoon there were more butterflies, displaying Comma, and a large female Adder soaking up the sunshine.  

A visit to Old Down Wood at the end of the month saw six Raven overhead and Small White, Peacock and several Brimstone along the rides.  There was a singing Firecrest at Swellinghill Pond, and Bee Fly and Comma.

There is always time for a Firecrest

April

On a cold and frosty morning on the 2nd we visited sites in the north west Hampshire for Stone Curlew.  There were also several Brown Hare and good numbers of Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.  A rare visit to Testwood Lakes in the afternoon saw the first Little Ringed Plover of the year.  On the 9th a morning walk along the Canal Path found a singing Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler and a Bittern booming in the reed beds, it was heard only once.  In the afternoon Dartford Warbler showed well on Browndown South and what was one of the highlights of the year, dancing male Adders fighting over a female, both Ian and I have waited a long time to see this.

On the 16th the first Holly Blue of the year was in my garden, followed by the first Orange-Tip on the 18th.  Hill Head on the 23rd saw a four hour sea watch delivered good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits moving with several Whimbrel mixed in.  A close Gannet fishing offshore with six Eider.  The highlight though was the movement of terns and gulls, eight smart adult Little Gulls, twenty Arctic Terns, nine which flew onto the reserve and two Black Terns, along with both Common and Sandwich Terns.  On Posbrook Floods later were my first hirundines with all three present, very late this year and a Hobby.  On the floods were Little Ringed Plover and three Green Sandpipers.  In the afternoon we made the regular early spring visit to Noar Hill for the Duke of Burgundy of which there three seen, plus Orange-Tip, Brimstone, Dingy Skipper and Peacock.

On the last day of the month it was back to Hill Head and more Whimbrel.  From there a visit to Acres Down found Tree Pipit, Firecrest and Redstart.  The afternoon was spent at Martin Down where there was Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat, Cuckoo and Corn Bunting.  Butterflies present were Grizzled and Dingy Skipper, Small White, Orange Tip Holly Blue and a Green Hairstreak

The month's highlight has to be the dancing Adders.

May

For the first time for many years we were able to take a holiday outside of school holidays, so on the 6th we set off early to Devon, first stop was RSPB Labrador Bay and the Cirl Buntings that showed very well.  From there it was Dunsford Wood and Dipper and Grey Wagtail along with a beautiful show of Early Purple Orchids.  A Wood White showed well inRosemoor on the 7th and on the 8th on a walk around Heddon Mouth, we found Pearl-bordered Fritillary and a Wall Brown.  On the 9th we visited Lundy and had great views of Gannet Guillemot, Razorbill and Manx Shearwater on the crossing.  On the island there were the auks including Puffin, Wheatear and a Merlin.  A trip to Yarner Wood on the 12th had Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Back in Hampshire on the 14th, Ian and I took the hovercraft from Southsea to the Isle of Wight, from Ryde it was a short trip to Ventnor and in stunning weather we found the Glanville Fritillary a first for me in this country.  The sunshine brought them out along with Adonis, and Common Blues, Brown Argus and plenty of Wall Lizards, a wonderful day.

At the end of May we were back at Martin Down.  Another beautiful morning gave way later to cloudy conditions.  There three Turtle Doves singing from the usual copse, one has to wonder how long they will hang on here.  A Peregrine was seen being mobbed by Raven.  A walk along Bokerly Ditch produced Greater Butterfly, Common Spotted, Fragrant and Burnt Tip Orchid, but it was butterflies we were hoping for and we found, Marsh Fritillary, Green Hairstreak, Dingy and Grizzled Skipper, Adonis and Common Blue, Brown Argus, Brimstone, Red Admiral and Small, Large and Green-veined White.  Spotted Flycatcher were along the footpath with several Brown Hare.

For this month my highlight was the day on the Isle of Wight, a glorious day and my first Glanville Fritillary and these beautiful Wall Lizards

June

On the 4th a walk along the Canal Path produced another new invader from the south, two Glossy Ibis on Posbrook Floods.  In the afternoon we returned to Browndown South where after quite a search we managed to find a Nightjar and another large female Adder.  On the 11th during another visit to Kent I went to Blean Woods where I finally managed to see a Heath Fritillary, quickly followed by hundreds of the this lovely butterfly.  I also had a close encounter with a Nightingale at the same time.

On the 12th, news of breeding Dipper had us in Romsey town centre, but it would seem we were one or two days too late, as the young had left and there was no sign of the adults.  An afternoon visit to Fishlake Meadows produced the first Garden Warbler of the year, two Cuckoos and Banded Demoiselle

From the 17th we had a week in the North York Moors, a week that eventually produced the highlight of the year.  On the 21st we visited RSPB Bempton Cliffs, a lovely reserve just north of Flamborough and Bridlington.  The Black-browed Albatross that was present last year and had been seen at Bempton off and on from March had been reported, but on arriving we were told it had flown out to sea, we spent the day in hope, enjoying the Gannets, Kittiwakes and Auks, plus a good number of Tree Sparrow around the visitor centre, always a treat these days.

That evening the Albatross was reported as returning so we decided to return earlier in the morning the next day and this time we struck lucky, incredible views of this stunning bird as it flew with the Gannets around the cliffs.  At one point it was too close to focus, absolutely incredible.

At the end of the month we went to Whiteley Woods in search of Honey Buzzard which failed miserably, but we did get to see White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Ringlet and Large and Small Skipper.  In the afternoon I visited Old Winchester Hill, where I was able to add Marbled White, Dark-green Fritillary and Hummingbird Hawkmoths to the day's list.

No surprises on the moth's highlight, the incredible Albatross at Bempton.

July

Early July means Purple Emperor and a visit to Abbots Wood in Alice Holt Forest.  I arrived in sunshine on the 9th, but cloud quickly moved in.  At one point I left to get a coffee, only to return when the skies began to clear.  On my return there were Silver-washed Fritillary and White Admiral on the wing.  As things warmed up the main act appeared, at first in the tree tops but eventually one male grounded on the path.  In the afternoon it became very hot and I visited Noar Hill, the first time I had been here at this time of year, seen were the first Gatekeeper of the year, Dark-green Fritillary, Essex Skipper and Marbled White and good numbers of Common Spotted, Fragrant and Pyramidal Orchid.

On the 10th there was a Swift over the house, always a notable event and a Ringlet in the garden.  A Purple Hairstreak in the garden was an amazing event considering the location, but not the most amazing find of the month.

A pair of Ring-necked Parakeets on the 15th was a nice surprise when visiting Leatherhead, and a trip to Selsey in the hot weather saw Whimbrel and Little Tern seen around Church Norton.

The end of the month saw a visit to Keyhaven - Lymington Reserve on the 23rd We made the walk to Normandy for the Lesser Yellowlegs, my second in Hampshire.  Little tern was a belated county year tick.  A visit to Pig Bush in the New Forest in the afternoon delivered a distant Honey Buzzard.

The highlight of the month though came in the garden on the evening of the 26th.  Watering the garden I was amazed to see a female Purple Emperor appear in the spray, it landed on the window sill and also the trees.  Incredible.

On the 30th it was a trip to Shipton Belinger, unfortunately the Brown Hairstreaks only showed high up, not coming down to eye level, but the Wall Browns were present in very good numbers and showed well.  The afternoon at Broughton Down Painted Lady, Dark-green Fritillary, Chalkhill Blues and Silver-spotted Skipper.

Highlight of the month just had to be the Purple Emperor in the garden, I still can't quite believe it.

August

An early morning trip to the north wall at Pagham Harbour on the 6th was successful in seeing the long staying Squacco Heron, it was also notable for the large flock of Cattle Egret that were present in the fields around Halsey Farm.  Later that morning on the beach at Hill Head there were two Roseate Terns and a juvenile Arctic Tern.  On the reserve at Titchfield there were Little-ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper.

Over the garden on the 7th was a Honey Buzzard heading west, while in the garden yet another new butterfly, a Chalkhill Blue.  Another visit to Titchfield Haven on the 20th saw an Osprey along the Canal Path a Water Vole and good numbers of common migrants.  On the reserve was a Great Egret and two Whinchats.

The end of the month we visited Suffolk for a few days, staying around Aldeburgh, highlights were Common Sandpiper and Egyptian Geese on the Aldeburgh Marshes and a Wheatear and three Whinchat on North Warren, while on the 28th at RSPB Minsmere there were two Greenshank on the scrape, a Gannet and Sanderling offshore and three Grayling, a Small Copper and Red Admiral.

Highlight of the month was the Squacco Heron at Pagham Harbour.

September

Back in Hampshire on the 3rd it was a visit to Keyhaven - Lymington Reserve.  There was a family of Water Rail on Fishtail along with a Kingfisher and Common Sandpiper.  On Butts Lagoon there was a Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint, while next door on Jetty there was a Pectoral Sandpiper.  The walk to Normandy Lagoon and back produced more Curlew Sandpiper, up to eight Bar-tailed Godwit, three juvenile Knot, two Ruff and several Greenshank.

On the 10th it was back to Titchfield Haven where there were at least four Common Sandpiper, good views of Kingfisher from the bridge.  Yellow Wagtail were along the Canal Path as well as Willow Warbler, Sedge and Reed Warbler and many Blackcaps.  Later at Farlington Marshes a large juvenile Peregrine terrorised the lake occupants and there was a high count of 29 Greenshank.  At the back of the visitor hut there was a Garganey and four Cattle Egrets in the fields.  A Clouded Yellow butterfly rounded things off.

On the 17th there were four Glossy Ibis on the reserve early morning and later on the scrapes were Common Sandpiper, Little Stint, Avocet, while on the beach there was a large flock of Sanderling in the high tide roost.  The day was rounded off by a very showy Water Rail in Duck Bay.

At the end of September we were back in Suffolk.  On the 24th a trip to RSPB Minsmere produced some wonderful views of Bittern from, of course, the Bittern Hide and there were at least six Great Egret,  Around the reserve there were up to thirty plus Bearded Tits, a Hobby, three Little Gulls, several Marsh Harrier Water Rail and a Whooper Swan on Island Mere. 

Aldeburgh Marshes on 25th had a Hobby, four Ruff a Fox, three Brown Hare and a Little Stint.  A return visit to RSPB Minsmere on the  29th saw some excellent views and encounters with the Bearded Tits along with Bittern, Marsh Harrier Little Gull and a male Adder

The highlight of the month comes from the first visit to Minsmere, superb views of Bittern.

October

Despite the fact it was October the weather was still thinking it was summer, a trip to Titchfield on the 1st saw good views once again of Water Rail and Kingfisher, while it was hard to resist the Sanderling on the beach.  Brent Geese were back and there were also a few Wigeon and Pintail.  The four Glossy Ibis continued their commutes between Hill Head and Warsash and there were brief views of Bearded Tit.

On the 2nd there was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth in my garden.  The 8th saw us going for a Spotted Sandpiper at Farlington, we dipped but did get Green Sandpiper, the Cattle Egret, great views of a female Kingfisher fishing, Bearded Tit and Peregrine.  In the afternoon we went in search of Ring Ouzel at Black Gutter Bottom, the only report of note was that it was incredibly dry all around the area.

The 15th we were back at Keyhaven-Lymington where there was hardly any water in the lagoons.  Where there was some mud and water on Fishtail there was four Ruff and two Little Stint, a Sparrowhawk and a Greenshank.  Once again the walk to Normandy produced Wigeon and Pintail, with Turnstone, Grey Plover and more Greenshank.  At the end of the day a Great Northern Diver flew over Keyhaven Marsh heading east.

For the first time ever I visited the top of Butser Hill where there were at least five Ring Ouzel.  There were plenty of other thrushes including Fieldfare and Redwing.  In the afternoon it was back to Farlington where the Cattle Egret were still about, plus Peregrine and Marsh Harrier.

The mild, warm weather meant that there were Red Admiral on the buddleia until the end of the month, with a Painted Lady on the 28th.  On the 24th there was at least twenty Redwing over the house, and on a trip to Basingstoke I came across a Barn Owl early in the morning on the 28th.  On the 29th a visit to Titchfield Haven had one Glossy Ibis on the Scrape with a Green Sandpiper.  On the east side in the afternoon there was a Ring Ouzel with a flock of Fieldfare around the Frying Pan.

Highlight this month were the long staying Glossy Ibis at Titchfield Haven

November

A Friday visit in glorious weather to Keyhaven-Lymington saw some great views of Dartford Warbler all along the sea wall, other highlights were a Little Stint, Bar-tailed Godwit, the resident Peregrine and my first ever November Painted Lady.  The Red Admiral was still in the garden on the 9th, with it being seen on and off until the 14th when it was present with a Peacock, crazy!

Brownwich Cliffs on the 12th had 72 Golden Plover in the fields, while a Guillemot flew into Southampton Water.  Bearded Tits showed very well from the Meon Shore Hide at Titchfield Haven and there was a Firecrest by the entrance to the east side.  Later in the afternoon we were treated to some great views of two Black Redstarts at Daedalus

On the 19th it was back to Kent and a visit to Elmley.  Once again the weather didn't play ball and heavy rain brought the visit to an early end, highlights were many Marsh Harriers, two Peregrines and a Merlin.

Bearded Tits were the highlight this month.

December

It was another fruitless search for Great Grey Shrike at Pig Bush in the New Forest on the 3rd, fortunately a trip to Farlington later in the day was more successful with Russian White-fronted geese, and all three subspecies of Brent Goose, Dark-bellied, Light-bellied and Black Brant.  In addition there was a distant Grey Phalerope and a very confiding Kingfisher.

The middle of the month saw a prolonged cold snap and on the 10th we went in search of a Tree Sparrow at Chilling, again we missed out, but a walk to Workman's Lane found the Little Owl.  Back at Hill Head there were great views of the possible Siberian Lesser Whitethroat, the Bearded Tits performed well in the reeds at the West side entrance and the day was rounded off with the Sanderling on the beach.

On the 17th we were back to Keyhaven-Lymington for the reported American Wigeon and this time were successful.  It frequented the only ice free patch of water on Efford Lake along with lots of Eurasian Wigeon.  A walk around the reserve after saw many Marsh Harriers, a Peregrine chasing Raven, a Great Egret and three Spoonbill.  Waders included ice skating Spotted Redshank and several Greenshank.  The success though didn't continue as we missed out on the Hen Harriers coming to roost at Black Gutter Bottom, but did manage a distant Merlin.

On Christmas Eve we returned early morning and managed to see the male Hen Harrier leave the roost and fly away along the ridge.  After that a trip to Pig Bush was very successful with some wonderful views of the Great Grey Shrike that had returned, or just found once again.

With the last day out of the year at Hayling and Farlington Marshes it was a day of disappointment with the specialties of the Oyster Beds not showing and the Short-eared Owls at Farlington refusing to get up.  There was a little bonus in four Velvet Scoter and a nice drake Goldeneye.

The bird of the month had to be the Great Grey Shrike at Pig Bush.

Bird of the year?  It was no contest, the amazing experience that was the Black-browed Albatross

29th December - Hayling Oyster Beds, Southmoor, & Farlington Marshes, Hampshire

The weather after Christmas has been mixed to awful, today though was meant to be a little window, so a chance for one more birding trip of the year.  The decision was a visit to Hayling island to start.  When I left home it was dry and did not appear too windy, but as I got out of the car at the Oyster Beds it felt like a very strong wind.  Walking to the sea wall the waves were also quite high and even though it was low tide it was very difficult to see anything.

What water there was in the old oyster beds had a few duck on it, several Mallard and a few Shoveler that looked very smart in the morning sunshine.

The walk around to the furthest lagoon was sheltered and did not feel too bad, however once out in the open the wind was quite strong and the water even more choppy away from the bridge.  I scanned around to the north and found several Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, but not the hoped for Black-necked Grebe and Long-tailed Duck, turning the attention to the west I came across 4 black duck, again viewing was difficult, as two stood up in the water and wing flapped to show white wing panels I was certain they were Velvet Scoter.

I did the best I could to get some digi-scope images, but what with the wind blowing the scope and choppy sea this was the best I could do.

The largest of the scoters, the drake Velvet Scoter is a striking bird; his pure white secondaries contrasting with the majority of his plumage, which is blackish. He also sports a tiny white eye patch, while his bright orange-yellow bill is swollen at the culmen. The duck is dusky brown, with pale sub-ocular patches.  Looking at these images I believe these are two pairs, but could not be certain

Here a wing flap of sorts

Dark clouds were passing away to the south and despite the radar showing them as beyond the Isle of Wight there was a squally shower which required some shelter, this being achieved by getting out of the wind.  While sheltering a drake Goldeneye flew on to the lagoon and when the rain eased a trip back to the lagoon was required to get a closer look.

But it didn't stay long as soon flew off and away to the north.

The wind made it almost impossible to see anything, so I decided to take the short trip back across the bridge and from there take the footpath out onto Southmoor.  It has been some time since I last visited and was amazed at how much the fields have flooded as a result of the sea wall breach.  The salt water killing off a lot of the vegetation and leaving only slat marsh.

I followed the path alongside the creek which was very muddy, as I reached the mouth into the harbour a Greenshank called and flew and started to feed on the edge of the creek.  The water and mud was dark and this always produces a nice background for pictures of Greenshank.

Once upon a time the Greenshank was a passage migrant seen only in the spring and autumn, but today and on the south coast they are almost an all around the year bird.

I walked the sea wall and negotiated the breach in the sea wall.

Close to shore there were Wigeon and Pintail, looking out across the water I could only find Great Crested Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers.  I decided that the wind was far to strong for any meaningful searching and came to terms with the fact that Black-necked Grebe and Long-tailed duck were going to elude me in 2022.  Walking back I found three Greenshank roosting in the newly created salt marsh along with a Curlew.

The next part of the day's plan was a trip to Farlington in the hope that the Short-eared Owls would show.  The wind was definitely going to be a problem, but I was hopeful it may ease.  On leaving the ar park I headed towards the Information Hut.  On the stream Teal, and a pair of Black-tailed Godwits were close in.  One Godwit got a little too close to the other and was lunged at to move it on.

Feeding together had to be a socially acceptable distance.

A little further away three Godwits were at roost.

In the field on the south side of the footpath just past the information hut there were hundreds of Brent Geese.

Close up they are a striking Goose.

Along with the Brent there were huge numbers of Canada Goose and Shelduck, the Barnacle Goose was there with its white mate and the White-fronted Geese were reported but I didn't manage to see them, although truth be told I didn't search hard.

Walking around the east side there was a group of Pintail on the sea close to the sea wall.  A striking duck at the best of time but in the afternoon light light they looked splendid.

I never appreciated how long a duck the Pintail is.  They have long necks and will feed in deeper water than other dabbling ducks, but here the body appears longer than those of say Mallard, Gadwall or Wigeon.

Male and female.

Birds were also flying in from the harbour as the tide rose.

The afternoon light was also highlighting another beautiful duck, the drake Shoveler, these two resting on the pools of the Deeps.

Wigeon were by far the most numerous duck on the marshes and they were constantly being joined by birds coming in from the harbour.

On reaching Point Field it was a case of settling in and waiting.  The owls prefer to hunt this area as the long grass hides many voles.  As I stood watching I noticed movement in the grass not to far away, At first I was elated thinking we had found one, but then realised it was a Kestrel that had caught a vole and was now consuming it in the grass.

It stayed in for the whole time I was there, every so often you would see a wing appear or the tail bob up as the wind caught it.

The wind appeared to have eased but it was still quite fresh.  Nothing was showing.The light was perfect and the Field looks amazing in black & white.

The tide was almost at its height and Knot had covered the small island off the bottom of Point Field.

 I moved to the west side of Point Field, but it made no difference, there were still no Owls.  I turned my attention to the setting sun over Portsmouth.

And the huge flock of Knot that came low across the water searching for a suitable roost site that was dry.

The light was now almost gone and the Owls had not shown, there are many reasons but listening to some tales of previous days one has to wonder if photographers have something to do with it.  At one point there was a stream of people coming around the sea wall, almost as if a coach trip had turned up.  It was time to call it a day, walking back the Brent in the field took to the air and headed out on to the harbour water.

The Kestrel that had been in Point Field accompanied the walk back to the car park.  I had hoped to have a couple of special birds for the last trip, but it wasn't to be, it had been good though to get out, the cobwebs were well and truly blown away

A way to the south west it was a spectacular sunset over Portsmouth, a fitting end to the day and Year.