19th May - Titchfield Haven, Chappett's Copse and Noar Hill, Hampshire

Sitting in the departure lounge at Chania airport last Friday, a message came in that a Hudsonian Godwit had been found by Mark Francis at Titchfield Haven.  Many saw the bird that afternoon including my mate Ian.  I couldn't face the crowds on the Saturday and met with Ian in the New Forest.  It was still around on the Sunday and I felt it would still be there on the Monday, so I set off early for Titchfield Haven, pulling up at the sea wall and taking the short walk to the west entrance.

I haven't seen the Meon Shore Hide as full as this for some time, the godwit being present but a long way back on the south scrape.

I waited for the godwit to hopefully come closer and while I did I spent some time with the Avocet that were nesting on the small island in front of the hide.  As always I played with the shots, producing some black and white images.

And there is some in colour?

My patience paid off as the Hudsonian Godwit flew from its position at the back of the scrape to a lot closer to the hide.  Flying and showing the thin white wing bar.

A large, stately shorebird with long legs, a long neck, and a very long, slightly upturned bill.  Breeding adults are spangled in black, brown, and gold above, with rich chestnut and dark barring below. Females are less richly coloured than males. In all plumages, the bill has a pale pinkish or orange base with a dark tip. The tail is white with a broad black band at the tip. The “armpit” (axillary feathers) is blackish; the upper-wing shows a narrow white wing stripe.  With the lack  of colour, but def

It settled down on the water and started to feed vigourously, probing the long bill into the mud.

This was a first for Hampshire of what is classified as a very rare bird for the UK with only six records.

With the lack of colour, but definitely an adult bird in breeding plumage, this has been sexed as a female.

This is the least-studied of the four godwit species, Hudsonian Godwit has a very restricted breeding distribution in northern Canada and Alaska.  This long-distance migrant then winters in the southern part of South America. 

The name Hudsonian Godwit refers to Hudson Bay and the part of northern Canada explored by Henry Hudson, an English seafarer of the early 1600s. Hudsonian Godwits have one breeding population on the southern edge of Hudson Bay, and other populations stop off there to prepare for migration.

At times it was buzzed by Black-headed Gulls and it would lunge out at them with an open bill.

Here alongside the Black-tailed Godwit, with which it has been associated.

Here it is possible to see the difference in plumage.

But what most of the hide wanted to see was the Godwit in flight.  One large diagnostic feature are the black "armpits" or axillary feathers.  The Black-tailed Godwits are light, here the dark feathers are visible.

And this was probably the best photograph of this very rare visitor.

While waiting for the godwit to do something different there was some other entertainment in the these Black-headed Gull chicks that seem to have left the island and taken to the water.  Quite a risky activity with the Lesser Black-backed Gulls about.

And there was also a second year Little Gull at the far end of the scrape.

I had always intend today to be one where I caught up with the orchids Ian had been finding while I was aware.  The Hudsonian Godwit had been a little diversion, so after spending a couple of hours with the godwit, I headed back, my first stop was to be Chappett's Copse just outside West Meon.

This is a small reserve that Ian and I visited last year but a little later in the year.  Fortunately Ian had provided a What3words reference although it took some time to allow the GPS signal to settle down.  Once it had I came across a lot of Sword-leaved Helleborine.  Last year I had only managed to find one and that was in poor condition, today there were everywhere.

The Sword-leaved Helleborine grows to about 40 cm in height and is distinguished from the White Helleborine by the shape of its leaves, which are long and narrow. Both the Latin name longifolia which means long-leaved and the English common name 'sword-leaved' refer to the distinctive shape of the leaves.

A close up of the flower, looking almost shark like!

Sword-leaved Helleborine grows in open, damp Beech (such as here) or Oak-Ash woodland on calcareous soils. It requires certain lighting conditions and being a slow growing plant from tough and congested root stock rather than tubers is sensitive to compaction of the soil. So woodland management at Chappett’s Copse to which Sword-leaved Helleborine responds slowly – especially under-storey thinning, coppicing, and maintaining ridges and glades – is geared to catering carefully for those needs.

This orchid is declining and reasons for this are almost down to poor management of woodland, deer browsing and roadside clearance.   

The other new orchid I was looking for was the Bird's Nest Orchid, a unique looking orchid that lacks chlorophyl.  I spent some time looking for them close to the Helleborines and then realised that they were all around me.

The Bird's-nest orchid has a brownish-yellow flower spike with small, hooded flowers clustered together. It gets its name from its nest-like tangle of roots, that are not immediately visible.

The Bird's-nest orchid is a very strange plant. It is leafless and without the green chlorophyll of other plants that enable them to gain energy from sunlight through photosynthesis; instead, it grows as a parasite on the roots of trees, gaining its nutrients from its host. Usually found in woodland, particularly under Beech trees, this almost sickly looking, yellow plant appears from May to July.

This Orchid has a scattered distribution throughout mainland UK; locally common in Southern England and Northern Ireland.

Chappett's used to be a site for Fly Orchid, but apparently they haven't been seen or are difficult to find here.  Ia though had been at Noar Hill and managed to find a few and of course i had the reference.

It was a short drive to Noar Hill and then a walk through the reserve guided by What3words.  I found the area but it wasn't easy to find the orchids.  It was lucky then that Ian had given me a video showing the location.  It still took a little time but eventually I found one.

Fly orchids grow in chalk and limestone soils, from woodland glades and rides to open grassland. They can also be found in quarries, on roadside banks, and sometimes in fens. The flowers that grow from their tall, green spikes in late spring resemble flies.

The fly orchid has a tall, green spike growing from shiny, oval leaves. The flowers are well spaced and resemble flies. They're dark reddish-brown, with a shiny silver-blue patch in the middle that looks like a pair of wings - they even seem to have tiny antennae!

Despite the flowers looking like flies, they actually attract digger wasps. They release a scent which mimics a female wasp's pheremones, luring in males that attempt to mate with them. The male wasps get a dusting of pollen, which they carry on to the next flower that fools them, hopefully pollinating the plant.

I decided to have lunch and then searched the area and ended up finding at least seven flower spikes.  Some with multiple flower heads the most being four.

Ian had found a pale form which is quite rare, once again it took some time finding, but in the end I managed it and it was worth searching for.

I was surprised to see a couple of Duke of Burgundies, they looked in quite good condition for what are very late butterflies of this species.

Job done I turned to leave and saw what I originally thought was a Man Orchid, but I was then reliably informed it is a Common Twayblade.  There were several of them, mostly flower spikes as I walked back towards the entrance.

The Common twayblade is a medium-sized orchid that can be easily overlooked despite being one of our commonest species. Common in the woodlands, scrub and grasslands of chalky soils, its flower spike carries a very loose cluster of yellow-green flowers that are not as showy as some of the other, more exotic-looking orchids. It is in bloom from May to July.

The Common twayblade has a pair of broad leaves that appear flush to the ground in March, before the flower stem grows. The single green flower spike bears the yellow-green flowers that look a little like tiny people. The stems can carry up to 100 flowers.

As I reached the entrance I found the first Common Spotted Orchid of the year.

So a very interesting day, two lifers in Fly Orchid and Bird's Nest Orchid, a Uk and Hampshire tick in the Hudsonian Godwit and a year tick in the Little Gull.

17th May - Pig Bush and Standing Hat, New Forest, Hampshire

Back into the United kingdom, I was meeting Ian originally at the Standing Hat car park, but with overcast conditions early on I called Ian and we changed the plans and met at Pig Bush.  As I waited for Ian there was a Woodlark singing on the other side of the road.  I went after it but it never stayed and I missed out.

Ian arrived and we set off heading around the path towards the area where the Nightjars had recently been seen.  A stream runs across the path and Swallows were flying through and dipping into the water to drink. 

We reached the two Oak trees, but after an extensive search we couldn't find the Nightjar, maybe too many people have known about them and have moved away, its a shame, but I am not surprised.

We headed towards the copse alongside the railway in search of Redstart.  They were a little elusive to start with, but with patience they will appear and that is what happened this male showing very well.

A couple of birders told us of Spotted Flycatcher by the gate that leads to the railway bridge.  It didn't take long to find them, there was probably more than two present as they were calling constantly.

As well as vocal they were quite mobile moving around the trees and not necessarily finding suitable perches, this one in the shade.

They kept on calling.

An iconic songbird of the forest and it was nice to have sometime this morning with them.

We headed back towards the car park, checking the oak trees for the Nightjar without any luck.  There was also a pair of Redstart carrying food with what looked like a nest in a hole in another oak tree.

From Pig Bush we drove around to our original destination the Standing Hat car park.  We were here for the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, a butterfly that is slowly declining in the county.  This spot is probably one of the last real strong holds for this lovely butterfly.  It likes open rides around bracken and appears from late April until the end of May.

It didn't take long to find one as we turned off the path onto a grass ride one flew up and settled on the bracken.

As well as the Fritillary there were two female Broad-bodied Chasers, a dragonfly that too likes these conditions.

A Cuckoo had been calling almost constantly while we searched for the butterflies.  As such we were distracted from the butterflies to chase the Cuckoo and finally I managed to get a clear view as it sat on a branch calling.

It would swing from side to side as it called with its wings drooped down and tail held high.

Another vocal bird amongst the scrub was this Wren.

Then we were distracted from the Cuckoo, when there was a what sounded like a Wood Warbler singing.  We waited and then heard the full song of this little warbler, the rising crescendo that is unmistakeable.

The area was not one that we would have expected to find this summer visitor that has been very difficult to see over the last few years, their numbers reducing in the forest.  We walked through the pine trees and found the bird where the pines met a few oaks.  We had the usual views as it called above us, not the best views, but it would come a little lower and it this shot I was able to catch the legs which were covered in bling, two rings on both feet.

But it did show well in the oak tree searching through the leaves for insects and singing and calling as it went.

It is a little more lemony than its cousins the Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and has a much whiter belly which provides a contrast.  The legs are pink and there is a defined supercillium.

One of those photos taken against the sky.

And in the gloomy parts of the area.

This was completely unexpected, I do not recall any reports of Wood Warbler form this area before, but its such a vast area, there is no reason why they couldn't be here.  We left the Wood Warbler singing and made our way back to the path where we found the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, and it didn't take long to find some more.  In total we counted at least seven which is quite respectable.

Then one on the path.

Something I hadn't noticed before. on either side of the back there is what looks like two eyes, which could be interpreted as a bird looking back, maybe some protection, although this butterfly has suffered some wing damage.

A close up of the butterfly.

We missed out on the Nightjars, but had some great views of the Redstart and Spotted Flycatchers, good to see a good number of Pear-bordered Fritillaries and then of course there was the complete surprise of the Wood Warblers.  

Post Script:

I have received information that the Wood Warbler was ringed as a nestling below the Boulderwood car park on the 6th June last year.  This was from one of the protected nest sites.