6th January - Old Down Wood, Four Marks, Hampshire

At the start of 2012 I started my first blog titled "A Year Around Four Marks", a study of the natural world around my village of Four Marks.  I stopped writing the blog in detail in 2017 and have added a few new posts up to 2022, but nothing since.  If you haven't read the blog there is a link on the right hand side of this post.

I had spent the morning getting new tyres and once home I decided to go for a walk once more around home, specifically Old Down Wood, a part of ancient woodland that is still in place just outside the village.  I was interested to see what had changed if anything.

I walked from home and passing the church there was a gathering of Rooks on the wires and some drinking from the gutters where the snow has melted.

Walking along Brislands Lane there were Redwing in the bushes feeding on the berries.

At the junction of Gradwell with Brislands there were Chaffinches and a couple of Goldcrest in the tree branches.  They are always a challenge to photograph as they rarely sit still.  Differing from the Firecrest by the lack of white supercillium and a more bland body plumage.

The footpath leading north at the junction with Gradwell has always been a good spot for Firecrest and sure enough there was one showing well, providing the opportunity to see the differences from the Goldcrest.

A deeper orange crest with the black either side, bit the white contrasting around the eye.  There is also an orange wash around the neck and the back is an olive green.

Looking very rotund with the feather plumped out to ward off the cold.

A little further along the lane were more small birds, a group of Blue and Great Tits plus a large flock of Long-tailed Tits.

Not sure if this one had a bath or was just wet from foraging around the frost and snow.

The tit flocks attract other species and there were a pair of Nuthatches amongst them.  They were foraging around the lichen on the branches.

Up close and personal.

I walked on, the dusting of snow this morning having lined the road and hedgerow along Brislands Lane.

Looking across the field towards Kitwood.

The thin cloud was watering the sunshine and silhouetting the trees.

I turned into Old Down, there has been quite a bit of forestry work taking place and there were cut logs with the customary signs warning to not climb them.  Also there were the green tubes used to protect sapling trees from deer and other animals, a good sign that what was being removed would be replaced, hopefully with some variation in species and not conifers.  The path into the wood was open where the timber was removed.

At the crossroads I turned west and came across a Marsh Tit calling.  It was difficult to photograph as it was constantly moving, this was the best I could get.

Leaving the Marsh Tit I walked towards the west end.  This area had been subject to the main forestry action and I must admit I was pleased to see what they had done.  This area was a dead part of the wood with conifers planted tightly together.  It was dark and there wasn't any life in there at all.  Now it was all gone.

I just hope the new planting is with deciduous trees that can let light in and nature thrive, we shall see.  This could be a bonus for the butterflies.

A winter view from the west end, a sinking winter sun, snow covered fields and watery clouds against the blue sky.

Looking across the fields to the south a Mistle Thrush was perched on one of the fence posts by the water tank.  I watched it drop onto the water which must be frozen.  It stayed close so I can only assume that it was guarding the water form others, a thrush trait.

I walked back to the centre of the woods and then around to where for ten years there had been a Tawny Owl in a conifer.  I hadn't seen it last year, and today it wasn't going to be there as the tree was now gone, how sad!

Walking out of the wood across the field there was still a view that I photographed a lot for the blog.  I called them the "Five Trees".  I am not sure why as there appear to be at least six along the lane.

I converted the photo to black and white, not sure if it improves it.

The sun was just above the tree tops and was now sending some lovely golden light.  I stopped at the edge of the hedgerow, where the tractor tracks and the snow helped create a lovely scene.

Again in black and white.

I walked towards Gradwell Lane, but paused to watch the trees.  There was one Crab Apple tree covered in yellow apples.  There were Blackbirds and Redwing about and I thought this was attracting them, but it turned out, they were feeding on the hawthorn berries.  I was able to get the sun behind me and able to watch the Redwing feeding.

The Fieldfare and Redwing are very shy birds and difficult to get close to for photography.  But in weather conditions like we have been experiencing they feed on the berries and it is possible to catch tem.

Red nose day?

Sitting in the winter sunshine.

The sun was just dropping behind Old Down Wood and signalling the time to make my way home.

It was icy walking down Brislands, with the setting sun being seen through the trees the light reflected on the icy road.

This made a nice change, a chance to catch up with old haunts and to see that things are changing but hopefully for the good.  I was also able to get some year ticks of the woodland birds.

27th December - Wicor Mill Lane and Titchfield Haven

On Christmas Eve, the presence of a male Cirl Bunting was confirmed in an area of paddocks just outside Portchester.  It was seen to be favouring an area of bushes around Wicor Pond an area that seems to have been created to support a new housing estate.  The first time I could get there was today.  It had been seen the previous day, but had also been seen flying away high, before a late report in the afternoon.

Cirl Bunting in Hampshire is very rare, the last report was of one in 1985, forty years ago.  They have been moving east over the last few years with breeding in Portland and closer in Durlston.  In fact Ian and I saw a pair back in April at Durlston.

We met just after nine and parked up, Starlings were singing in the tree tops, making the most of the sunshine.

We then walked around to where there was a collection of birders looking over the pond into some bushes.  The bad news though was that it hadn't been seen all morning.  We stuck around looking at Greenfinch and Goldfinches, but no Cirl Bunting.  

We decided to walk around the paddocks where there were House Sparrows and the odd Redwing.  A male Blackcap was seen feeding on crab apples and Linnets were singing in the bushes.

We went back to the pond, but still no sign of the Cirl Bunting.  A Redwing, curtsey of its eye stripe, had us hoping.

But by 11:00am we had decided it was gone.  Reports were coming in of nine White-fronted Geese on the East Meadows at Titchfield so we decided to head there.

We parked on Cliff Road and walked around to the visitor centre.  Out on the beach there were Brent Geese and a good sized Sanderling flock, while out to sea were six Eider.  We checked in and headed down the east side boardwalk.  The best views of the geese were apparently from the Knight's Bank hide and the number had increased from nine to forty two.

With the wind change to easterly and temperatures in Russia of minus 40 degrees there was a significant influx of wild geese along the south and south east coasts.  In Hampshire there were good numbers across the county and with them a few Bean Geese.  It seemed like the geese were now making there way back east.

The Geese were showing well in front of the hide.

There are two races of White-fronted Goose, these are the "Russian" White-fronted Goose, the bill is pink as opposed to that of the "Greenland" which has an orange bill, the Greenlands are also darker and have more bolder darker bars on the belly, with the Russians a little more variable.

There were also a good number of immature birds, these lacking the white at the base of the bill that gives the goose its name.

There was plenty of drinking by almost all the geese.

And plenty of stretching.

The White fronts were in amongst a large flock of Canada, but also a few Greylag, which is a similar looking goose, a little larger and with an orange bill.

There were also of course the Egyptian geese.

Also around the meadow was a Marsh Harrier that seemed to have caught something and was eating it in the grass.

And there was one of the Curlews.

Some more of the White fronts, before we left to walk around to the west side.

From the harbour bridge a drake Gadwall in the sunshine.

Very little from the Meon Shore hide, the north wind keeping everything at the far end of the scrape.  This drake Teal was an exception.

From the Pumfrett hide there were views of the Teal and Wigeon, but nothing close.  This Little Egret standing in the sunshine.

And on the north scrape a Grey Heron, doing much the same.

The Lapwing, as usual were jumpy with large flocks taking off all together before settling back down.

We walked up to the Spurgin hide where a distant Kingfisher raised some hope, while a Marsh Harrier flew up and down over the reed bed.

Another Grey Heron in the reeds.

There was plenty of time to admire the reeds against the dark background.

There were three Marsh Harriers up at one time, this female coming the closer to the hide.

A report of fifty plus White fronts heading east from Warsash had us checking the skies and we saw the group heading over the Posbrook area.  We popped intot he Meon Shore hide, these two drake shoveler on one of the islands.

Walking back to the car we passed the Turnstones, Ian checked through them and found this one Dunlin amongst them.

Disappointment with the Cirl Bunting, but good to get the White fronts and in good numbers and close.