Tuesday, 31 December 2024

The Year 2024 - October to December

 October

The last quarter of the year, on the 1st the month started at Titchfield, the highlight being two Osprey once more from the Spurgin Hide.  The Snipe were showing well from the Meon Shore hide.

The same day there were two Ospreys over the reserve, one was unringed, but the other sported a nice blue ring.

On the 2nd there was a Wheatear at Hill Head, on the reserve there were at least three Kingfishers trying to sort out territory.  Winter wildfowl was increasing with a dozen Wigeon and six Pintail.

From the 4th until the 11th I was in Sicily and while it wasn't a birding holiday had some nice wildlife including night calling Stone Curlew, Crested Lark, Spotless Starling and Caspian Tern.  In the garden of the villa there was a good collection of butterflies with Long-tailed Blue, Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Swallowtail, Wall Brown and Painted Lady.

Back home and back at Titchfield on the 13th I managed to get acceptable views of a Yellow-browed Warbler along the Canal Path.

On the 15th I was back again, finding it hard to stay away, I managed to see the Yellow-browed Warbler once more and some great views of the Marsh Harriers hunting around the south scrape.

Sanderling numbers were building with 36 seen on the spit roost.  An unusual sight were four Ravens mobbing a Marsh Harrier from the Spurgin Hide.

A report of a Pallas Warbler at Sandy Point on Hayling Island had me there on the 16th, but was not able to see it.  On the 17th Ian and I were in the New Forest, it was quiet, but we did see a single Ring Ouzel.  Later in the day we were at Eyeworth Pond where a single male Mandarin Duck showed well.

On the 21st at Titchfield, the kingfisher spectacle was easing off and sightings were sporadic, this was the last one for a while.

A visit to Pennington Marsh and Oxey Marsh was cut short by heavy rain, but I did manage four Spoonbill on Pennington Marsh.

From Pennington I drove to Blashford Lakes where a Ruddy Duck was reported at the weekend, but turned out to be an escaped Maccoa Duck, which I did see along with a female Red-crested Pochard.

On the 24th I spent some time at Farlington in the hope of possibly some owls, but nothing showed.  the highlight was a Peregrine over the marsh that appeared once a tractor flushed all the wildfowl from the back of the dead reed bed.  The dark skies framing this drake Pintail beautifully.

Ian and I went to Lepe on the 26th and there was a couple of Brambling at Stansore Point, while at Inchmery later in the day we were able to watch an interaction between a Peregrine and Marsh Harrier, but no Eagles.

On the 28th at Hill Head there was the first diver of the season, a distant Red-throated Diver.  The highlight of the month though was back at Sandy Point on Hayling Island on the 29th where a Snow Bunting showed ridiculously well.

The final day of the month, the 31st it was Titchfield once more.  The high tide roost on the spit saw 72 Sanderling and 50 plus Ringed Plover.  Walking the canal path I had 2 Hawfinch fly over.  A Fox was seen on the scrape and the three Glossy Ibis were on the Frying Pan.

November

Ian and I decided to visit Amberley on the 2nd, but once again the weather conditions were against us, although there were plenty of Fallow Deer on the Brooks, the rut in fall swing.

Later we spent some time around Arundel WWT.  The highlight being seventeen Cattle Egret in the fields outside the trust reserve.

On the 4th I started at Titchfield with the Red-throated Diver still around and three Common Scoter off shore.  On the reserve there was a high count of 36 Snipe on the small island in front of the hide.  From Titchfield I went to Daedalus airport where there were three Black Redstarts, two females and a smart male.

On the 5th I walked once again from Keyhaven to Normandy, where there were Spoonbill, Marsh Harrier, Water Pipit overhead, Dartford Warbler and Bearded Tits.  Of interest was a Firecrest along the Ancient Highway.

On the 8th I visited Lakeside Park in Southampton.  For years now I have avoided the Ring-necked Parakeets there but news of a blue variant had me intrigued.  I managed to find the blue individual and the more normal green ones, the first time I have photographed this evasive species in this country.

In the afternoon I was back at Hill Head where there were two Black Redstart around the chalets.

A Stonechat, thought to be an Amur was of interest at Titchfield on the 11th, but it turned out to be a common European Stonechat.  There were also three Bearded Tits and a Grey Seal off shore.

On the 12th it was back to Keyhaven-Lymington again.  Sunshine and blue skies was the attraction and a Spotted Redshank showed well on Oxey Marsh.

Also of note were eight Spoonbill on Normandy and two Red Admiral around Pennington.

A trip to Southsea Castle after reports of the first Purple Sandpiper of the year drew a blank, had to make do with Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull off shore.

On the 15th I decided to try again for the Glossy Ibis at Bridge Street Flood and was lucky with all three.  The Ringed Plover count on the Spit roost was up to 98 and the Sanderling 63.  From the Meon Shore Hide a Grey Wagtail was notable along with the Fox once again.

On the 18th I went out of county to Up Marden in West Sussex.  I was lured by reports of good numbers of Hawfinch in the church yard.  It took some time but I finally managed to see one very close.

On the 19th I was back at Southsea Castle, this time I arrived ahead of the high tide and struck lucky with sixteen Purple Sandpipers on the rocks.

There were also two Shag off shore.

The 22nd was Keyhaven-Lymington Reserve again and on the first frosty morning of the season, I walked from Fishtail to Normandy once more.  On Pennington there were two Spotted Redshank and an immature Spoonbill.  With the tide out there was around 200 Dunlin in Oxey Lake and on Normandy 24 Avocet and six more Spoonbill.  

Walking around Keyhaven Marsh in the afternoon a Kingfisher hovered over the rising tide right alongside me.

The first good sized flock of Golden Plover were on Pennington in the after, estimated at 170, and four Marsh Harrier were in the air above the reed beds.

On the 26th I was at Titchfield where there were the first two Avocet for awhile.  In the afternoon I followed up on a report of Short-eared Owls showing in Point Field at Farlington and was rewarded with views of two owls.

Titchfield on the 28th had the usual fare, however the Marsh Harriers were showing extremely well from the Meon Shore hide.

A visit to Posbrook in the afternoon had several Chiffchaff and the three Glossy Ibis.

An early start in the New Forest on the 30th failed to find any birds of prey, so there followed a trip to Blashford Lakes.  Great Egret, Goosander and the usual winter wildfowl showed well, but the highlight was a close for once Black-necked Grebe.


December

Titchfield Haven on the 2nd proved to be a very special day, it was bright sunny and cold, perfect conditions for photography and was treated to good views of Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and Sparrowhawk from the Meon Shore, but the highlight was the appearance of the three Glossy Ibis in front of the hide for most of the day.

Also of note were Water Rail,  Marsh Harrier and well over one hundred Ringed plover in the high tide roost on the sailing club spit.

On the 3rd It was Sandy Point once more, this time with two to three Great Northern Divers and a Slavonian Grebe.  A Shag was fishing in the surf close to the rocky groynes.

On the 4th I went back to Southsea Castle with better light and a good amount of time ahead of high tide.  Unfortunately the Purple Sandpiper never showed, but in consolation were two Shags and at least three Black Redstarts around the rocks.

On the 7th I was away in Kent and a visit to Elmley NNR.  Unfortunately this was the same time as Storm Darragh and the conditions were appalling, but cruising in the car along the entrance track I had good views of Peregrine, Ruff and Marsh Harrier.

On the 9th Ian and I were back at Sandy Point once more.  Highlights were two Sandwich terns and two Great Northern Divers.  In the afternoon at Warblington there were eleven Cattle Egret.

An afternoon visit to Titchfield Haven on the 10th had Eider and two Great Northern Divers offshore.

On the 16th there was an immature Long-tailed Duck on Fishtail Lagoon.

On Normandy Marsh there was a record count of 34 Spoonbill at roost, plus 24 Avocet.  On the water were Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser and a very frustrating Kingfisher.

On the 19th it was my first December visit to Martin Down, but it proved to be fruitless, but later in the Forest we were able to watch at distance Goshawk and Merlin and then maybe two male Hen Harrier and one to three Ringtails.

A Black-throated Diver had been present on Emsworth Mill Pond for a couple of days so I decided to go and take a look on the 20th.  I was rewarded with unprecedented close views of a bird that can be so elusive and distant when seen in the count.  The light and still water added to the photography.

On the 23rd Ian and I headed east once more to Amberley Brooks, the weather was much better and we were treated to Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier, many Red Kite and two Peregrine.  But at last we managed to get more acceptable views of two White-tailed Eagles, we have to do better though in 2025.


After a couple of false starts the afternoon saw us heading into the south west corner of Sussex and probably the best and most unexpected birding experience of the year.  Using thermal cameras we found at least three Long-eared Owls, it required considerable patience and searching but in the end we were rewarded with some great views.



After Christmas Ian and I tried to follow up on a report of Hawfinch at Breamore outside Fordingbridge on the 28th, less said about the day the better but at least the walk was a good way to clear the cobwebs.

My final trip was on the 30th, back to Titchfield Haven for the last time this year.  Plenty of Sanderling on the beach, while a walk to Brownich Pond found a very nice drake Goosander

Happy New Year to you all!

Full details of all of these trips can be found by looking back over my blog for this year, just choose from the contents on the right hand side


30th December - Titchfield Haven and Brownich Pond, Hampshire

After six days the skies, although overcast still, were clear and the dampness that has hung in the air since Christmas Day was gone.  The skies were also showing signs of the sun breaking through as I headed south towards Titchfield

I parked on Cliff road and as I waited for Ian to arrive a quick watch of the sea produced a good flock of Eider, mostly males they appeared to be chasing females.




They settled on the sea and I went back to pick up Ian.  We walked down the cliff and around to the Sailing club where the Eider were now grouped together.  The males were displaying lifting their heads out of the water and flapping their wings.  You could hear their calls quite clearly as they circled the three females.


As we stood watching the Eider a Great Crested Grebe appeared below us and then had a quick shake before diving once more.


Checking in at the visitor centre there was a Coal Tit on the feeders, not a common bird around here.

The tide was high and there was the usual roost of Ringed Plover and Sanderling on the Sailing Club Spit.  The temptation was too much and we went down to have a look and see if we could count the numbers.

A few Sanderling were feeding along the water's edge.






I was able to use the groyne as cover and could get low to the beach.  Its easy to stand on one leg.



Kayakers then disturbed the Ringed Plover and they flew off out over the water, estimates were of at least seventy in the roost.


We left the waders and headed for the Meon Shore Hide.  Conditions were good, it was still and the water on the scrape was calm.  Scanning around there was a single Avocet on the north scrape, a maximum count of 31 Snipe on the island to the left of the hide.  Noisy Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing and the Oystercatchers coming in as the tide rose even higher.

Of the wildfowl there was a few Shelduck, plenty of Teal and a good sized flock of Wigeon on both banks of the south scrape.  It was the shoveler that looked the most spectacular with the reflections in the water.  This male though was a little wary of something.


The head was raised and it was looking around.



I was convinced it was going to fly, so I waited and then as predicted it burst from the water and headed towards the hide.




A Lapwing all on its own away from the many others.


A marsh Harrier appeared but dropped into the reed bed and remained out of sight.  Common Gulls were on the scrape and a Lesser Black-backed Gull cruised around before being ushered away by the Lapwing.

A report came in of a drake Goosander on Brownich Pond and the though of a smart drake in dark water tugged at us, so eventually we decided to walk over to the pond and see if we could find it.

The wind was picking up now, but the sun was out and it felt quite pleasant to be without a hat for once.  As we approached  the lane that leads to the pond a Buzzard was surveying the field from a telegraph pole.


Brownich Pond looked quite spectacular in the winter sunshine with the back drop of dark clouds.


Of course, the Goosander was on the other side to where we could view from.



We decided to have lunch and wait and see if it would come closer.  It was hanging out with Tufted Duck and they may venture a little closer.  As we watched a Buzzard flew over, probably the same bird we had seen on the pole earlier.



After some lunch we walked around the path to see if we could get any closer views.  The Pond is owned by the Portsmouth Angling Society and is fenced off, both with a wire and wooden fence and a low level electric fence, presumably to keep possible otters out.

We couldn't get a clear or better view of the Goosander, but in trying we had moved it out into the centre of the pond.  Returning to our original spot the views were marginally better.



This could quite possibly be the same bird that was around the Haven from the summer, now having moulted into full adult, male plumage.



We headed back in what was now quite a fresh breeze.  Paragliders were hanging in the air over the cliffs.

The Buzzard was now in the field alongside the path and appeared to be looking for worms, very much like the Common and Black-headed Gulls were also doing.  We were able to get close using the bushes as cover.



Now the commonest bird of prey in the UK, it doesn't take from how impressive they can look up close.



We walked back along the cliffs and then down through the chalets.  The tide was still quite high but slowly falling.  As walked along the side of the beach a flock a=of about fifty Sanderling dropped on to the exposed sand and started to edge towards the water.  We had to get into a better position with the sun behind us, so moved ahead of them.  They weren't feeding but were looking to bathe in the surf and they would take turns for them to go into the surf.


I just love to watch them move around the sand and the water as they make up their minds what to do, their legs moving like clockwork.


Waiting a turn


The it was all about what to do when in the water.




Some weren't so sure.


Others just went straight in!



Nothing like a nice foam sea water bath!.


And so that was it and the end of yet another wildlife year.  This one has been quite special with me achieving over 200 birds in Hampshire for the first time.  Here's to 2025 and hopefully some more great wildlife experiences.