July
Once I have had good views of Purple Emperor, as I did at the end of June, butterflies take a back seat, but the problem is what else is about, well I addressed this by taking a trip to Heath Pond just outside Petersfield for a drake Ruddy Shelduck. This has been a regular visitor here every summer but this was the first time I have tried to catch up with it. You can argue its a plastic bird, but it looks very smart.
On the 9th I was back at Normandy Marsh, this time for an unexpected visitor, a Long-billed Dowitcher had turned up and was a very smart bird in summer plumage.
The weather wasn't brilliant, so returned on the 11th when the sun came out only to find the dowitcher had gone. The Roseate Terns now had two chicks a wonderful success story for the reserve and Hampshire birders who put in a mammoth security watch to ensure this endangered sea bird bred in the county for the first time in 20 years. Also of interest was an Eider out on the marsh with three ducklings, I can't recall Eider having bred before.
Little Ringed Plover have been hard to find this year but there were eight on Normandy, these three flying over the marsh.
On the 16th I was at Titchfield Haven, where there were Little, Common and Sandwich Terns on the beach and a red head Goosander in the harbour.
On the 16th at the same location I managed to find a Ruddy Darter by the Walkway Pond.
A walk around Old Winchester Hill in hot and sunny conditions di not improve the number of butterflies, but I did mange Marbled Whites, Dark Green Fritillaries and Small Tortoiseshell. In the Woodpecker Wood there was a family party of three young Firecrests.
On the 20th, a trip to Browndown South found at least twelve Grayling butterflies and the Purple Hairstreak on the stunted oaks.
On the 23rd I was back at Normandy Marsh, the Eider still had her three ducklings. A Spoonbill was on Pennington Marsh, and the shoveler pools had three Green Sandpipers. The Roseate Terns had fledged, but there were still Common and Sandwich Terns about and good numbers of Little Tern.
On the 26th Ian and I went in search of the Marsh Helleborine, a rare orchid in Hampshire. After a bit of a wild goose chase around Greywell we finally found them in a marshy area behind a pumping station.
In the afternoon, buoyed by our success in finding the orchid we tried Shipton Belinger for Brown Hairstreaks, they were not playing ball but we did see Dark Green Fritillary and Painted Lady.
At the end of the month on the 29th Ian and I went out of the county to RSPB Pulborough in the hope of seeing the local White-tailed Eagles. We didn't find them, the cafe was closed but we did get some good views of Spotted Flycatcher
August
On the 2nd I returned to Shipton Belinger, this time in the morning and eventually found four Brown Hairstreak and three Wall Browns.
In the afternoon there were distant views of an Osprey at Fishlake Meadows.
On the 5th I had the day at the Keyhaven-Lymington Reserve. I started at the Shoveler Pools where there was a juvenile Wood Sandpiper showing well along with three Green Sandpipers.
On the 6th I dropped in to Farlington Marshes after a morning rain storm and found Sedge, Reed and Willow Warblers, three Whimbrel and a Painted Lady. The reserve was looking quite sad with the blocked sluice allowing sea water into the lake and killing off the reed bed.
On the 8th and 9th I was at Hill Head watching the tern roost on the beach. On the 8th a juvenile Arctic Tern was amongst the Common and on the 9th, a Roseate Tern was present as were Mediterranean Gulls.
Later that day a report of a Rosy Starling at Pennington had me driving there to see it. Rosy Starling has been a blocker for me so it was great to finally catch up with one.
The 12th was hot and sunny and I was at Old Winchester Hill looking for butterflies. At this time of year the speciality is the Chalk Hill Blue, which fortunately was about but in much reduced numbers.
On the 13th I was back at Fishlake Meadows and in overcast conditions finally managed to get great Views of Osprey.
There was also a very distant Hobby.
On the 14th I was at Hill Head to start with Ian, but we ended up at the Hooks Link where we had Great Egret, Hobby and Avocet.
On the 17th I started at Fishtail and walked to Normandy, highlights were Spoonbill, Ruff and a Peregrine, while at Normandy a count of twelve Greenshank was notable. Coming back there were two Wheatear on Oxey Marsh and a Common Sandpiper.
On the 20th Helen and I were in Norfolk and were up early for the incredible spectacle that is the waders on the Wash from Snettisham. Other highlight's on the reserve were twenty Spoonbill, a Spotted Redshank, Sanderling and a Cattle Egret.
Later in the day we were at Titchwell, where there were several Ruff, Bar-tailed godwit on the beach and a Chinese Water Deer on the marsh.
Back home on the 23rd it was another warm day and a trip to Old Winchester Hill found the last butterfly species of the year, Silver-spotted Skipper.
Other butterflies present were Adonis, Common and Chalk Hill Blue.
On the 27th at Farlington Marshes I spent some time photographing six Cattle Egret that were present in the hay Field with cows.
There was also two Whinchat in Point Field.
On the 27th a trip to Blashford Lakes had a female Ruddy Shelduck and an adult Yellow-legged Gull. On the 30th I finally managed to catch up with Yellow Wagtail on the TLC field at Warsash, sixty plus could be seen amongst the horses.
In the afternoon a trip to Posbrook Flood saw four Green Sandpipers and the three Glossy Ibis that were now back for the winter residence.
Finally on the 31st it was Pennington Marsh once more, where a Little Stint was on Fishtail.
On the walk to Normandy and back there were three Spoonbill on Butts. On Jetty a Curlew Sandpiper. At Normandy another Curlew Sandpiper and four Wigeon, the first of the autumn.
September
A juvenile White-winged Black Tern was reported at Calshot on the 2nd, I managed to get there on the 3rd, but after four hours standing around it didn't appear, there were though three to four Black Terns, two Arctic and one Little Tern.
At Titchfield haven on the 7th there were three early Pintail, Water Rail and two Whinchat. Same place on the 9th three Yellow Wagtail, all three hirundines Marsh Harrier and two Common Sandpiper.
On the 10th four Black Terns off Hill Head, two Peregrine, two Goosander and three Common Scoter.
A change of location on 13th, a trip to Kent and RSPB Dungeness. Early morning I picked up the Pectoral Sandpiper from the ARC hide. Then from Dennis Hide a juvenile White-winged Black Tern with Black Terns.
Also around the reserve were Great Egret, Avocet, Bearded Tit, three Cattle Egret and a Glossy Ibis.
On the 14th at Titchfield a Willow Emerald Damselfly at the Walkway pond. On the 16th at least ten Bearded Tits in the reeds by the roadside.