SUNDAY
MARCH 31 - 2013
EMSWORTH
Buzzards
As Jean and I walked
along Lumley Road this morning we had a great view of
two Buzzards soaring over Peter Pond. One of the
Buzzards was pursued by a Carrion Crow and swooped low
down over our heads before disappearing over the
houses towards Hermitage. This could well have been
the bird that has been frequently seen on Brook Meadow
over the past few weeks. Sorry no picture.
Great
Black-backed Gulls
The pair of Great
Black-backed Gulls were on the centre raft on Slipper
Millpond, both sitting, but not, so far as I could
see, on a nest. But, clearly they are back for a
second nesting season!
Pair
of Great Black-backed Gulls on the centre raft of
Slipper Millpond
The
full history of the gulls nesting on Slipper Millpond
is on this special page .
. . Great
Black-backed Gull nesting
NORE
BARN
Spotted
Redshank
I arrived at Nore Barn
at about 13:00 which was two hours before high water.
There was no sign of the regular Spotted Redshank in
the stream and I think we can now safely assume that
it has gone. My last sighting of it was on Mar 27
which was the latest last recorded date for the bird
since it was first seen at Nore Barn in Dec 2004. For
all the previous first and last sightings go to . . .
Spotted
Redshank at Nore Barn
The second Spotted
Redshank which now has rapidly developing breeding
plumage was on the pond at the top of the creek
feeding with a unringed Greenshank. I do not recall
having seen a Spotted Redshank in such advanced
breeding plumage here in Emsworth before.
Spotted
Redshank is fast developing its black breeding plumage
- in the Nore Barn pond
Early
Dog-violets
While walking back
through Nore Barn Woods, I found a small patch of
Early Dog-violet in flower beside one of the small
paths in the centre of the wood. I do not recall
having seen this plant at Nore Barn before. Early
Dog-violet is distinguished from Common Dog-violet by
its narrower upper petals, not overlapping, and
looking rather like rabbit's ears (as described in
Rose New Ed p.186). Also, its spur is darker than the
petals, straight and unnotched. The spur of Common
Dog-violet is curved, blunt and notched and often
pale.
Early
Dog-violet showing narrow upper petals looking like
rabbit's ears
Early
Dog-violet showing dark unnotched spur
Early Dog-violet is a
very early flowering plant. Ralph Hollins recorded the
first flowers on the self sown Early Dog-violets in
his Havant garden on Jan 25, but they were not fully
open until Feb 2. Meanwhile, Ralph noted the first
Early Dog-violet flower in Havant Cemetery on Feb 11
with a mass flowering by Mar 6.
OTHER
NEWS
Malcolm's
news
Malcolm Phillips went
for a long walk today starting at Brook Meadow where
he saw a Water Vole by the gas holder. That is
the first sighting we have had from that location.
Water
Vole swimming in the river below the gasholder on
Brook Meadow
Malcolm then went to
Nore Barn where he found a Common Redshank in
the stream, looking remarkably like a Spotted
Redshank. Malcolm's photo had me going for a while,
but the relatively short bill with extensive red base
was the give-away.
Common
Redshank on the Nore Barn stream
He went onto
Warblington, but there was no sign of the Glossy Ibis.
I am pretty sure it has gone. While he was there
Malcolm got this superb shot of a Fox which he
says walking around as if he owned the field.
A
beautiful Red Fox at Warblington Farm
Baffins
Pond
Eric Eddles reports
that a pair of Pochard (male and female) are still
present on Baffins Pond. Eric apologises for the poor
photo; the birds were far out by the central island.
Pochard are a very infrequent visitors to Baffins
Pond.
Male
and female Pochard on Baffins Pond
SATURDAY
MARCH 30 - 2013
Nore
Barn
16:00 - 16:30 - About
3 hours after high water. There was no birds in the
stream nor on the shore at the end of Warblington
Road, not even the Greenshank. However, the second
Spotted Redshank with the dark breeding plumage marks
was on the pond in the field at at the top of the
creek. I got the impression that the bird had been
roosting there during the high water.
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm Phillips had
his daily walk around Brook Meadow. He saw but could
not get a photo of the Great Spotted Woodpecker in the
tree on the north path. However, he did get this nice
shot of a Great Tit with food (for chicks,
maybe?) at a nesting hole in one of the Crack Willow
trees.
Farlington
News
Mike Wells braved the
freezing easterly winds to walk round Farlington
Marshes yesterday and got a photo of a male Wheatear.
Bob Chapman in his
regular blog said there were at least four Wheatears
on the reserve yesterday, two males and two females.
Bob has some cracking photos of the long-staying
Red-breasted Goose which was looking very fine and
much brighter than earlier in the winter. But, the
Spoonbill, which has been on the reserve for the past
three three weeks, has gone, though I hear no less
than five were reported on Titchfield Haven earlier
this week! Also noted by Bob were Pale-bellied Brent
Goose, Black Brant, Raven, Little Ringed Plover and
Marsh Harrier. Bob's blog at . . . http://solentreserves.wordpress.com/
Another
Firecrest
Brian Lawrence had a
walk from Havant station along the Hayling Billy trail
to Hayling this morning saw a Chiffchaff and yet
another Firecrest, though this could have been the
same bird that Peter Milinets-Raby saw on Mar 23
beside the trail near Lower Grove Road. Brian's
Firecrest has the same yellow crest (indicating a
female?) as that of Peter.
Wild
flowers
Wild flowers are a bit
scarce with all this cold weather. However, on
Thursday Mar 28, Ralph Hollins found Green
Hellebore in flower at the traditional site for
this plant at the top of Woodlands Lane at Walderton.
He also discovered the first Greater Stitchwort
that I have heard of. This always flowers before the
smaller flowered Lesser Stitchwort. See Ralph's daily
diary for these and lots of other observations at . .
. http://ralph-hollins.net/Diary.htm
FRIDAY
MARCH 29 - 2013
NORE
BARN
I got down to Nore
Barn at about 10:30 by which time the tide was well
advanced and the stream filling up. The
Greenshank was feeding alone as it was
yesterday with no sign of the regular Spotted
Redshank. I met Ian and Helen at Nore Barn who told me
they had just seen the second Spotted Redshank
(with partial breeding plumage) feeding in the pond at
the top of the creek. This was surprising since I had
not seen this second Spotted Redshank since Mar 24 and
assumed it had moved on, but there it was with the
distinctrive black breeding marks on its belly and
flanks.
The presence of this
second Spotted Redshank makes determining the last
date for the regular Spotted Redshank is not quite so
simple as in previous years. However, I am fairly sure
that my last sighting of the regular Spotted Redshank
(without the partial breeding plumage) was on Mar 27.
However, I shall continue checking the area for the
next few days just in case.
ASHLING
WOOD
Jean and I went over
to Ashling Wood near West Stoke to see if there were
any Bluebells out. There had been a fine display of on
March 27 last year, but today, although there was
plenty of leaves, we could not find a single flower. I
assume the cold weather has delayed their opening.
However, we did see a few Wood Anemones along
with lots of Dog's Mercury.
I counted just 26
nests in the Rookery at the eastern entrance to
Stoke Wood, which is significantly fewer than my count
of 44 at this time last year. It is also well down on
my 2009 survey which found 42 nests.
BROOK
MEADOW
Malcolm Phillips went
round the meadow this morning in the hope of seeing
the Water Vole with the injured eye, but no sign of it
today. However, he did get a quick sighting of another
one at the foot of the railway embankment in the
north-east corner near the tunnel (Section A1).
Malcolm caught these
two Woodpigeons in what looks like pretty
passionate French kissing
and later on in full
scale copulation.
THURSDAY
MARCH 28 - 2013
NORE
BARN - No Spotted Redshank
10:00 - 10:30 - Tide
rising to high water at 12 noon. The tide was perfect
for the Spotted Redshank - but it was not there! The
Greenshank was feeding in the stream all alone!
I walked to the top of the creek to check the pond in
the field, but there was nothing there at all. The
Spotted Redshank was still not there when I got back
to the stream. So, has it finally left Emsworth? My
last sighting was yesterday (Mar 27) at about 14:30.
This is the latest last sighting in the 9 years I have
been monitoring this bird. See the Spotted Redshank
web page for all the previous first and last dates . .
. Spotted
Redshank at Nore Barn
Here
is the lonely Greenshank
BROOK
MEADOW - Injured Water Vole
Malcolm Phillips went
round the meadow early again today. The Song Thrush
was singing as yesterday along with the Blue Tits on
the north bank. As he walked back towards the north
bridge Malcolm saw a Water Vole on the west bank and
watched it as it ran along towards the railway
embankment (Section A). Sadly, Malcolm's photo shows
the Water Vole with a bad eye and damage to its fur.
This could be due to a fight, but the eye could be
diseased. Malcolm said the vole appeared to be moving
OK.
Here
is the eye in close-up
PETER'S
WALK - Nore Barn to Warblington
Peter Milinets-Raby
had his last walk of the season from Nore Barn to
Warblington yesterday (Mar 27). The Spotted
Redshank and the Greenshank were both in the stream at
Nore Barn and the former was still there at 12:10 when
Peter got back.
Also at Nore Barn were
Brent Geese 79, Wigeon 11, Teal 35+, Little Egret 1,
Rock Pipit 1. At Conigar Point were Pintail 17, Red
Breasted Merganser 2, Greylag Goose 1, Shelduck 53,
Wigeon 15, Brent Geese 10. At Pook Lane were Wigeon
51, Brent Geese 118.
Other observations. 3
to 7 Med Gulls in various fields, 9 Meadow Pipits
flying north (seen, plus 5 others heard going over),
22 Redwing and 16 Song Thrush in the field next to
Pook Lane, 7+ Stock Doves, 2 Buzzards, Great Spotted
Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Water Rail heard at the
Ibis field (no sign of that again or the usual
Curlew). It looks as if the Glossy Ibis has left. 6+
Chiffchaff by the stream here, plus a Willow Warbler
(bird of the day just beating the Redwing).
HOLLYBANK
FUNGUS - solved
I left the branch with
the fungus that I collected from Hollybank Woods on
Mar 19 for Ralph Hollins to have a look at. Here is
his verdict. "The
yellowish brackets at the thicker end of the branch
fit the description of Tyromyces caesius
(Phillips p 233) in having an upper surface covered
with 'fine long hairs', in measuring 3cm across the
bracket (within limits of 1 to 6 cm), and in having 3
or 4 pores per millimetre (though Buczacki says "Pores
4-5/mm, angular, finely toothed" and Phillips says
"Pores 3-4 per mm, circular ..."
SUMMER
MIGRANTS - arrive early
Ralph Hollins reports
that despite the abnormally cold weather we are
currently experiencing, summer migrant birds not only
continue to arrive but they are turning up much
earlier than usual. He has been astonished to see
reports of Hobby and Swift in the past few days. Ralph
has assembled a list of the migrants with their
arrival dates.
See . . . http://ralph-hollins.net/Diary.htm#2703
GARDEN
BIRDS - up during cold snap
BTO reports a big
increase in garden birds over the recent cold spell.
The most remarkable increase has been in the Siskin,
which visited almost two in five gardens last week -
its highest reporting rate since 1995. Others showing
a big increase over the past two weeks are Woodpigeon,
Long-tailed Tit, Fieldfare, Redwing, Goldfinch,
Chaffinch,Jackdaw, Blackbird and Robin.
BTO says the current
cold snap could not have come at a worse time for
birds. Late winter is a period when natural foods are
scarce. Seeds and fruits that were abundant during
autumn have been depleted over winter, while many
insects - which are cold-blooded and, therefore, are
slower to emerge when the weather is cold - are yet to
appear this year. Amidst the unseasonably cold
conditions, many birds are being forced to postpone
nesting activities and, instead, to focus on
survival.
BUTTERFLIES
- 2012 a disaster year
Butterfly Conservation
reports that 2012 was the worst year for UK
butterflies since records began, with 52 out of the 56
species monitored suffering declines. Some of our
rarest species, such as the fritillaries, bore the
brunt of the second wettest year on record and now
face the real threat of extinction in some parts of
the UK. Last year's relentless rain and cold created
disastrous conditions for summer species in
particular, as they struggled to find food, shelter
and mating opportunities; butterfly abundance
plummeted to a record low as a result and 13 species
suffered their worst year on record. Many common
species struggled. The Common Blue plummeted by 60%,
the Brown Argus collapsed by 73% and the Large Skipper
fell by 55%. 'Whites', including Green-veined White,
Large White and Small White, saw their populations
tumble by more than 50%. The Orange-tip fell by 34%
and the alarming slide of Small Tortoiseshell
continued, with its population slipping 37% from 2011
figures.
See . . .
http://butterfly-conservation.org/48-3680/2012-a-disaster-year-for-uk-butterflies.html
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 27 - 2013
PORTSMOUTH
Brent
Geese
As I was driving along
the promenade at Eastney this morning I saw several
groups of Brent Geese flying in from the sea and onto
the grassland in front of the Teapot Row houses. I
stopped to look at the flock feeding on the grass and
counted 550. This is a popular feeding area for Brent
Geese during the winter but I was surprised to see
them so late in the year.
I
took this photo of the flock of Brent Geese from
behind the railing at the western entrance
Canoe
Lake
I also counted 24 Mute
Swans on Canoe Lake which is the most I have seen
there for many years. I used to do regular weekly
counts of the swans from 1996 to 2005 with a peak
count of 94 in Year 2000. But numbers fell
dramatically in 2005 and there have been only a
handful since then - until now! See details of my
earlier counts at . . . Canoe
Lake, Southsea
Baffins
Pond
This is another site
where I used to do regular counts in the 1990s and
2000s.
I had a walk
round the pond this morning, admiring the newly
planted wetland areas which provide a very good
habitat for the wildlife. I was pleased to meet up
with Eric Eddles who lives near the pond. He said he
would send me a regular bulletin of sightings. I
managed to locate one of the three Water Rails that
have been regularly seen on the pond this winter in
the wetland area to the south of the pond.
Here
is one of the Water Rails - Yes it really does come
that close!
I counted 24
Shoveler on the pond, unusually there were more
males than females. These birds are usually in pairs.
I am sure Baffins must be the most reliable place to
see plenty of Shoveler throughout the winter in our
area.
There was also a pair
of Mute Swans which regularly nest on the island and
the pair of Embden Geese. Other birds included 4
Canada Geese, 64 Tufted Ducks and many Mallard, Coot
and Moorhen. Plus the usual gulls and c150 Feral
Pigeons being fed at the side of the pond.
EMSWORTH
Spotted
Redshank
Nore Barn - 14:00 -
14:30 - High water at 12:14 falling. The stream was
still fairly full but the regular Spotted Redshank was
present feeding among the seaweed.
I checked the pond at
the top of the creek, but there was nothing there. The
second Spotted Redshank (with breeding plumage)
appears to have moved on. When I got back to the
stream the Spotted Redshank was feeding with a
Greenshank on the shore. I counted 16 Teal and 6
Wigeon plus 13 Brent Geese.
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm Phillips went
round the meadow at 8.30am today. He got a nice shot
of a Song Thrush singing away.
Then about 1.30pm he
saw a Kingfisher flash past while up at the north
bank. No sign of any Water Voles. But he did see a
Chiffchaff again.
Chiffchaff
or Willow Warbler?
Peter Milinets-Raby
responded to my request for help in identifying the
warbler photos from Brook Meadow in yesterday's blog.
He said the bird was a Chiffchaff because; 1. Drab
supercillium, 2. Distinct crescent under eye, 3. Black
(dark) legs (the soles of the feet can often appear
pale), 4. Short dark bill, 5. Primary projection too
short for Willow Warbler - In Chiffchaff the length of
the exposed primaries is roughly half the length of
the tertials (top three feathers nearest the mantle).
In Willow Warbler the primaries are the same length or
more than the tertials. He says all these features
clearly visible in the Malcolm's first photo on the
blog.
Peter includes a photo
of a Chiffchaff he had in his garden today. He has
marked the primary projection for our benefit. Thanks.
Here is Malcolm's
photo from yesterday with the projection marked in the
same way.
TUESDAY
MARCH 26 - 2013
Nore
Barn
I got to Nore Barn at
about 12:30pm which was a about 2 hours after high
water. The tide was still well in and the stream full.
However, the regular Spotted Redshank (without the
black breeding marks) was feeding among the seaweed on
the edge of the stream. The very cold easterly winds
are forecast to continue for the rest of this week
which suggests it may be around for a while
yet.
I walked to the top of
the creek to check the pond, but the only bird feeding
there was a unringed Greenshank with no sign of the
second Spotted Redshank. Birds numbers in the creek
were well down with only 13 Brent Geese and 2 each of
Wigeon and Teal.
Rookery
I counted 22 nests in
the Rookery behind the flats in Victoria Road opposite
the entrance to the Emsworth Primary School.
Chiffchaff
or Willow Warbler?
Distinguishing these
two very similar warblers on appearance alone is very
difficult. As soon as they sing or even call then the
difference is obvious, but until then things are
tricky. However, both Malcolm Phillips and Brian
Lawrence got very good photos of what could be
Chiffchaffs or Willow Warblers on Brook Meadow today
which deserve close attention. Basically, the books
tell us to look at several features to distinguish
these birds. The Willow Warbler has pale legs, whereas
the Chiffchaff has dark legs is probably the best
indication. The Willow Warbler also has longer wings
than the Chiffchaff which show up as a longer primary
projection.
We can only see one
leg on Malcolm's first photo which looks dark.
However, the primary projection looks fairly long
which could indicate Willow Warbler.
The legs are shown
clearly on Malcolm's second photo with the bird
upending - something I have not seen before. The left
leg looks dark, but the right leg is pale. I don't
know what to make of that! However, it does show very
pale underparts which is said to be a feature of the
Willow Warbler.
Brian Lawrence's cute
photo shows the bird with very yellow face and breast
which is also said to be characteristic of Willow
Warbler.
In general the
features shown in the photos could indicate Willow
Warbler but my doubts remain as they have not yet
arrived in any numbers from their wintering grounds
and they are, after all, very rarely seen on Brook
Meadow. I would appreciate any help from people more
experienced in identifying these two birds.
Ralph Hollins comments
in his recent weekly summary . . . "With Chiffchaffs
now present and singing almost everywhere, I have only
seen 6 reports of Willow Warbler with the first report
from south Devon on Mar 13. The latest report on Mar
23 comes from the Lymington Marshes and is the first
from anywhere east of Dorset."
MONDAY
MARCH 25 - 2013
Bumblebee
in Lumley Road
I met Fred Portwin in
Lumley Road Emsworth and he showed me a bird's nest in
an ornamental fir tree in his front garden. We were
not sure what nest it was though I thought it could
have been a Blackbird's. While we were there we
spotted what looked like a Buff-tail Bumblebee
(Bombus terrestris) feeding on the Lungwort
flowers. The fact that it had no pollen sacs on its
legs suggests it was probably a queen feeding, unlike
the worker photographed by Brian Lawrence in the same
area on Mar 4 which had full pollen sacs.
Great
Black-backed Gulls on Slipper Millpond
The pair of Great
Black-backed Gulls were back on Slipper Millpond this
morning, with one bird on the south raft and its mate
on the water nearby. The centre raft was occupied by
two Cormorants. The first nest build last year was not
until Apr 24, so they have plenty of time.
Spotted
Redshank breaks records
I got to Nore Barn
Emsworth at 12 noon which was about 2 hours after high
water. The stream was still fairly full but, what I
assume was the regular Spotted Redshank (without the
black plumage marks), was feeding in the muddy shore
much as usual. I got a couple of photos of the bird
catching what is probably a Common Ragworm. However,
the worm looked very hairy and I am including these
two photos just in case anyone has any other ideas as
to what it might be.
I walked to the top of
the Nore Barn creek to have a look at the pond in the
field over the seawall, but there was no sign of the
second Spotted Redshank which has been here on several
occasions over the past week or so. When I got back to
the stream at about 12:30 the regular Spotted Redshank
was feeding around the seaweed on the shore at the end
of Warblington Road in company with a Greenshank.
This is now the latest
last date for the Spotted Redshank at Nore Barn, the
previous one being 24-Mar-10. This bird has also been
present at Nore Barn for much longer period this
winter than in any previous year. I first recorded it
on 09-Oct-12 which means it has been present for
exactly 23 weeks. See all the first and last dates at
. . . Spotted
Redshank at Nore Barn
Other birds at Nore
Barn were 24 Teal at the top of the creek with a few
Wigeon. Only about 20 Brent Geese.
Chiffchaff
on Brook Meadow
Malcolm Phillips had a
quick look round the meadow this afternoon. He saw a
bird on the river bank that he thought at first was
the Firecrest as it was moving in the same way.
However, it turned out to be a Chiffchaff and Malcolm
got the following rather nice photo of it. This is
very likely to be a summer migrant.
Redwing
at Fishbourne
Roy Hay counted 12
Redwing on Fishbourne Meadows this morning. Roy
apologised for the quality of the photo, but it is
fine as everything we needed to see shows well and is
quite atmospheric!
Mute
Swans nesting at Langstone
Ralph Hollins found
the Langstone Pond Swan was sitting on her nest as he
went past today, He suspects the Budds Farm bird was
also sitting although he could not spot her and assume
she may have a new nest site. There is no sign of
anything happening as yet on Peter Pond here in
Emsworth.
Ravens
and Peregrines on Portsdown Hill
Ralph Hollins reported
in his weekly summary that there was a bit of aggro on
Mar 19 between the Peregrines which have just returned
to their established nest site on the Paulsgrove Chalk
Pits (Portsdown Hill) and the pair of Ravens which
started building a nest there on Feb 28 and have been
sitting for about a month. Ralph thinks they will
learn to co-exist as they do not contend for the same
food and the nests are well separated.
SUNDAY
MARCH 24 - 2013
NORE
BARN
12:00 - I got the tide
time wrong this morning due to the official Tide
Tametable having brought the start of British Summer
Time forward by one week! However, the regular Spotted
Redshank was present in the stream despite the low
water, thus equalling the record last sighting date in
2010. See all the first and last dates at . . .
Spotted
Redshank at Nore Barn
The other Spotted
Redshank with the dark markings on its chest and
flanks was feeding on the pond at the top of the
creek. If this one stays any longer we shall be seing
it in full breeding plumage! See on the right below.
I
have arranged the photos side by side for comparison
with the stream bird on the left and the pond bird on
the right
Other
birds
A Common Redshank was
also feeding at the top of the Nore Barn creek. The
only other waders I saw were a Curlew, a Grey Plover
and a couple of Oystercatchers. About 150 Teal were
clustered in the creek along with fewer Wigeon and 50
Brent Geese.
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm Phillips went
round the meadow at 10.15am today. The Water Rail
was again just under the observation fence.
He did a walk round
the meadow, but there was not much to see other than a
Chiffchaff by the gas holder. In the north east corner
Malcolm noticed there was a new sign on one of the
Crack Willow trees reading 'Danger Keep Off' I wonder
who put that there and why. On the way back there was
nothing to be seen except children looking for Easter
Eggs.
Red
Kites
Tony Wootton saw two
Red Kites flying over Goodwood racecourse about noon
today.
SATURDAY
MARCH 23 - 2013
Spotted
Redshanks
10:30 - About 2 hours
after high water. Weather dull with a very cold
easterly wind blowing. Two Spotted Redshanks were
together on the point shore to the west of the stream.
A Common Redshank was also nearby, though I think it
had been driven off. After a few minutes, one of the
two Spotted Redshanks took off and flew west up the
creek. I found it about 5 minutes later feeding in the
small outlet stream at the top of the creek.
I managed to get some
fairly close photos of this bird which was clearly
showing signs of its black breeding plumage coming
through on its chest and flanks. The bird has a clump
of mud stuck on its foot.
When I arrived back at
the stream, the other Spotted Redshank was feeding on
the shingle shore with a Greenshank. With this cold
easterly wind due to continue for a few more days, I
can see these birds remaining here well past the
previous last recorded date of Mar 24 in 2010.
Hayling
Billy Trail
This afternoon Peter
Milinets-Raby and his wife walked down the Hayling
Billy Trail from Havant Town centre to the Hayling
Bridge and back. On the way they spotted a
Firecrest feeding along the trickle of water
beside the trail near Lower Grove Road. It was still
there roughly an hour later when they were on their
way back - opposite house number 24. The yellow crest
on Peter's photo suggests it is a female; however, as
we have found with the Brook Meadow Firecrests, one
cannot always rely on photos to give an accurate
colour. It is amazing how many Firecrests have been
around this winter. Today, Dick Senior reported on the
SOS Sightings that he had a Firecrest in his Emsworth
garden this week following two previous records (a
single in December and a pair at the end of November).
Other birds of
interest included 16 Siskin in one of the tall trees
before the main Hayling Road, 3 Chiffchaffs moving up
the stream and a Mute Swan sitting on a nest on
Langstone Mill Pond. On the opposite side of the
bridge beside the Billy Trail were 200+ Dunlin, 70
Black-tailed Godwits and 13 Bar-tailed Godwits.
Pulborough
Brooks
To see Tony Wootton's
report on this morning's walk by the Havant Wildlife
Group go to Reports 2013 on the Havant
Wildlife Group
web site.
FRIDAY
MARCH 22 - 2013
Spotted
Redshank still here
10:00 - Tide falling
about 2 hours after high water. The Spotted Redshank
was feeding very actively in quite deep water in the
stream, sometimes immersing almost its whole body
under the water.
I also have some
photos of the bird apparently 'spurting' water from
its bill.
I walked to the end of
the creek where a single unringed Greenshank was
feeding in the stream that comes from the pond.
However, there was no sign of the second Spotted
Redshank either in the creek or on the pond. The
latest date for the Spotted Redshank is 24 March 2010
and this could well be beaten this year. There was
still plenty of Teal in the creek along with a few
Wigeon and Brent Geese.
Water
Rail
Malcolm Phillips went
round the meadow at 11.45am today and got a good view
of the Water Rail just by the observation fence. This
was a good sighting as our last one was over a week
ago on Mar 13 and I thought it might have gone.
However, Malcolm has had no further sightings of the
Firecrests and it looks as if they have departed,
probably for breeding grounds on the Continent.
Resupinate
fungus defined
Ralph Hollins has been
delving into the literature to get a definition of
resupinate which I incorrectly applied to the fungus
from Hollybank Woods on Mar 13. Ralph found one in
Stefan Buczacki's Collins New Generation Guide. In a
section on 'Pore Bearing Members of the Polypores',
Stephan says .. "Some species adopt a fruit body form
called resupinate where they are flattened against the
surface on which they grow, and spread widely and
irregularly in a manner called effused ... Sometimes
the margin of a resupinate fruit body is curled
upwards and outwards; this is described as
effuso-reflexed". So now we know! Used in a general
way the term apparently just means upside down.
Here
is an image I got from the internet of an unidentified
resupinate fungus to illustrate this definition
THURSDAY
MARCH 21 - 2013
BROOK
MEADOW
Conservation
work session
I went over to the
meadow this morning mainly to take photos of the
conservation work session. The main task was clearing
dead vegetation from the south meadow and repairing
the gravel path which had been damaged during recent
bad weather.
The full report along
with more photos will shortly appear on the Brook
Meadow web site at . . . http://www.brook-meadow.hampshire.org.uk/bm-work_diary-2013.htm
Buzzard
I was walking down the
main river path with Patrick Murphy when we both
spotted a Buzzard flying across the meadow from the
Lumley area going north towards the railway line. It
had probably been disturbed by the volunteers
gathering at the Lumley gate. This is probably the
same bird that has been seen several times over the
past couple of weeks. Pam Phillips told me she
regularly sees it in the centre line of Willows during
her early morning walk through the meadow at about
7.30am. Later I met Mike Wells who had also seen the
Buzzard in the trees on the east side of the north
meadow, but it was chased off by a pair of Carrion
Crows and flew over the railway towards Constant
Springs.
Butterbur
The flower spurs of
Butterbur are now showing prominently on the river
bank and on the embankment in front of the seat. I
particularly like the spikes when they are just
emerging from the star-shaped casing.
The flowers seem to be
slower this year and most are probably not quite large
enough to count. However, I would hope to do the
regular annual count in the next week or so weather
permitting.
NORE
BARN
Spotted
Redshanks
I did my daily check
of the Spotted Redshank at about 4pm this afternoon -
about 3 hours to high water. The weather was wet and
cold and conditions were nasty for photography. There
was nothing in the stream when I arrived so I made my
way up to the end of the creek to check the pond in
the field over the seawall. A Spotted Redshank and a
Greenshank were on the pond. When I returned to the
stream I found a Spotted Redshank and an unringed
Greenshank feeding together. I am not sure which
Spotted Redshank was which, but clearly they are both
still present.
Colour-ringed
Greenshank
The Greenshank on the
pond was colour-ringed - RW+BflagY. I have no previous
records of this one, though Peter Milinets-Raby did
see it yesterday at Conigar Point. See Peter's report
below. The record has been sent to Anne de Potier who
now manages the Greenshank colour-ringed sightings.
Pete Potts replied that this is one of 3 Greenshanks
they caught this week at Thorney and fitted
geolocators to the blue rings.
Geolocators record
changes in light levels. The smallest are archival
types that do not use satellite or radio telemetry and
recapturing the bird is necessary to retrieve the
device to download the data to a computer for
analysis. The disadvantage of having to recapture is
offset by the miniature size to which archival loggers
can be made. By using low power design techniques and
data compression they can record data for long periods
of time. For more detail on geolocators see . . .
http://www.birdtracker.co.uk/
PETER'S
WALK
Peter Milinets-Raby
did his regular walk from Nore Barn to Warblington and
back yesterday. He started at 6:55am at Nore Barn on a
falling tide. Peter's impressive bird list just
demonstrates the value of an early start and timing
the tide.
Nore Barn creek held
the following: 2 Spotted Redshank (the pale bird was
in the stream this time, with the other in the creek),
195 Teal, 37 Wigeon, 39 Brent Geese, 2 Oystercatcher,
1 Grey Plover. When he returned at 9:30am there was
nothing to be seen in the creek except for a few
Wigeon!
At Conigar Point:
Skylark heard singing inland from here, plus 2
Chiffchaff singing. 15 Pintail, 1 Med Gull, 82
Shelduck, 43 Teal, 32 Wigeon, 128 Brent Geese, 4
Turnstone, 3 Grey Plover, 310+ Dunlin, 4 Red Breasted
Merganser, Greenshank with colour rings RW on left
leg BY on right. (PS: I have no Emsworth records
for this one)
At Pook Lane: 120+
Dunlin, 2 Med Gull, 59 Brent Geese, 6 Shelduck, 5 Grey
Plover, Greenshank with colour rings RG on left
leg, YY on right. (PS: My last Emsworth record for
this one was on 18-Dec-08. Good to see it is still
going strong!).
No sign of Glossy Ibis
on Warblington Farm, just the 'tethered' Curlew and 6
Moorhens.
Mosses
Peter Milinets-Raby
said he loved the photos of the mosses on last night's
blog and says he has been trying to get photos of all
26 Bryophytes that botanist John Norton found in his
garden. Not an easy task, but as Peter says, they are
lovely things to photograph. Here is one Peter sent me
(not identified!) that I particularly liked. My advice
is just look and take pleasure in their beauty.
Herring
Gulls
Frank Naylor is sure
the gulls that he photographed on the roof in Markway
Close on Mar 18 are a pair of Herring Gulls as both
have a red spot on their bills. The larger male has
been on his own the last two days and he was up on the
roof making a racket as Frank sent the message. When
together they behave like a pair and other gulls are
soon chased off. I have asked Frank to keep a look out
for any nesting.
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 20 - 2013
WAYSIDES
NEWS
Railway
Wayside
I spent over an hour
this morning doing a massive litter pick on the new
Railway Wayside. There is a serious encroachment of
Brambles which needs urgent attention before they
engulf the whole site. I found a Coltsfoot in flower
which is a new one for this wayside.
For the full report
and photos go to . . . http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS-current.htm
NORE
BARN
15:00 - I did my daily
check on the Spotted Redshank about 2 hours to high
water. Both of the Spotted Redshanks were
present, one on the shore at the end of Warblington
Road and the other first at the top of Nore Barn Creek
and then on the pond in the field. There was no sign
of the Greenshank today. Only twice in the past nine
years has the last sighting date of the Spotted
Redshank at Nore Barn been later than this; 22-Mar-07
and 24-Mar-10.
Spotted
Redshank in Nore Barn stream / / / / / / / Spotted
Redshank in Nore Barn creek
A Little Egret
was feeding in the stream. I have not seen that for a
while. There were far more geese and ducks on the
water than yesterday with around 40 Brent Geese, 50
Teal and 30 Wigeon. Walking round Conigar Point I
could see a large flock of several hundred Brent Geese
in the air over Hayling Island, no doubt preparing for
migration.
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm Phillips went
round Brook Meadow this morning. The first thing he
saw was a Buzzard in the trees in the middle of the
meadow. This is clearly the bird that has been seen
several times on the meadow in the past two weeks, but
the first photo we have.
He then had yet
another Water Vole just up from the north bridge. This
is our 66th sighting of 2013. Amazing!
Spoonbill
at Farlington
Colin Vanner got this
rather fine image of the long-staying Spoonbill on
Farlington Marshes this evening. Look at those plumes.
Puzzling
Herring Gulls
Tom Bickerton and I
are puzzled by the photo of two 'Herring Gulls' on the
roof of a house in Markway Close sent in by Frank
Naylor
The right hand bird
certainly looks like a Common Gull with soft dark
eyes, rounded head and no red on bill. However, the
left hand bird looks like a Herring Gull. What is
puzzling is the two birds appear to be the same size,
but the Herring Gull should be much bigger. Tom says
the female Herrings are about 10% smaller than males,
but the one on the left does look petite. The Common
Gull on the right does look large, but he thinks it
could be an optical illusion. Sometimes seeing the
bird in real light is the only option. Our best option
is to go along with Frank's identification as he was
the only one to actually see the birds!
Garden
birds
Leslie Winter writes
"your blog continues to make interesting reading for
Mary and myself in Cumberland Avenue (near Greville
Green). We have also had a pair of Siskins as per
another reader, four to eight Starlings feed every
day, usually within minutes of my topping up the
feeders with meal worms. We have also had a female
Blackcap as a daily visitor, together with a beautiful
Robin, lots of Blue Tits, a couple of Long-Tailed
Tits, several pairs of Blackbirds and the bird in the
attached photograph which we are hesitating to
identify - so hope you can help."
Leslie's photo shows a
Dunnock which is a fairly common garden bird, but is
surprisingly difficult to identify as it tends to be
rather more skulking than the others. It is unusual to
see it so prominent as in Leslie's photo.
First
Moorhen chicks
Roy Hay sent me the
following photo of a Moorhen with two chicks in the
small stream below the block of flats north of
Fishbourne Meadows on March 19th. The first Moorhen
chicks of the year maybe?
Mosses
Mosses are often
overlooked, but they are often very beautiful and are
present throughout the year. Jill Stanley sent me this
photo of a lovely Tortula ruralis moss
growing in her garden in North Emsworth.
Jill says it crops up
in a number of places, particularly on bricks and on
her stone patio. It only grows to about 1cm tall,
including the capsules, so it is really tiny! Its
common name is star moss and it has a cosmopolitan
distribution, occurring in North America, the Pacific,
Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North and South Africa,
South America, and Australia. It grows in many types
of climate and habitats.
I too found a nice
moss with distinctive green drooping capsules on red
stalks growing on the Washington Road path wayside. I
think it may be Bracythecium
rutabulum.
Mystery
fungus
Ralph Hollins says I
have got it all wrong about the fungus from Hollybank
Wood. He pointed out that what I have in my new photo
(see yesterday's entry) " . . . is not a resupinate
(which is attached to the substrate rather like
Sellotape with no particular stem), but a bracket with
a clear horizontal stem, best shown in the small
specimens at the bottom left of your picture though
hidden from view in the larger examples."
Ralph says he can't
name the fungus - the typical example of this type of
zoned bracket is the Turkey Tail (Coriolus versicolor)
but he has never seen that in this yellow/white form.
Ralph suggests it could be what is shown on page 105
of Michael Jordan's Encyclopedia as Trametes
ochracea. Putting this name into Google
certainly produces lots of images resembling the
Hollybank Woods fungus.
TUESDAY
MARCH 19 - 2013
NORE
BARN
14:00 - About 2 hours
to high water. Spotted Redshank was feeding on the
edge of the stream. As yesterday, another Spotted
Redshank was feeding in company with a Greenshank in
the pond at the top of the creek. Interestingly, the
Spotted Redshank on the pond had exactly the same
feather moulting pattern as that in the one I
photographed in the Nore Barn stream on Mar 15 and Mar
17. The Spotted Redshank in the stream today did not
have this pattern and was like the one I had here
yesterday. This suggests, not unsurprisingly, that the
two Spotted Redshanks occasionally swop feeding areas.
This makes it unclear which Spotted Redshank I am
looking at in the stream, the regular one, or the new
one?
Here
is the Spotted Redshank in the Nore Barn pond showing
the flight feathers moulting
Other birds in the
Nore Barn area included 42 Brent Geese, 2 Wigeon and
20 Teal.
HOLLYBANK
WOODS
15:00 - I went to the
woods this afternoon to have another look at the
lichen and fungus growing on the Silver Birch tree on
the old Holly Lodge clearing. My previous visit was on
Mar 13.
Lichen
- Usnea subfloridana
Ralph Hollins pointed
out that my photo taken on Mar 13 could have been one
of two Usnea species depending on the colour of the
main stem. This was not clear in the original photo.
U. subfloridana is black at the base of the
stem where it joins the tree whereas U.cornuta
stem is grey/green throughout. I looked very
closely at several specimens of this fruticose lichen
on the Birch and I am fairly certain that the base of
the stem is back which suggests the species is Usnea
subfloridana. The black base does not show well on the
photos taken in the field, but it does show clearly
when viewed in a microscope. Here is a photo I took
through my microscope at magnification x20 showing the
black base.
Fungus
- Hairy Stereum (Stereum
hirsutum)
My first guess for the
fungus on the Birch in Hollybank Woods was Yellow
Brain Fungus, but Ralph Hollins thought this was
unlikely and preferred a Stereum species. Today, I
noticed that the fungus was growing on a dead twig
which was just resting on the main tree, so I knocked
it down to get a better look. The twig broke into two
pieces when it fell so I took one home with me leaving
the other beneath the tree. Having had a close look at
the fungus I am fairly sure Ralph was right and it is
Hairy Stereum (Stereum hirsutum).
I think what confused
me about this fungus was that it was growing upside
down! The fruiting body was facing away from the
branch it was growing on and this is what I
photographed on Mar 13. This is technically called
resupinate. Roger Phillips in his book (p.236)
indicates that the fruiting body of Hairy Stereum is
occasionally resupinate. This spore bearing surface is
initially bright yellow but fades to grey-brown. It
was still pretty bright today as shown in the
following photo.
Here
is a photo of what should be the upper surface which
is zoned and hairy
BUTTERFLIES
Where are they all? As
it was such a fine and relatively warm day, I was
really expecting to see one or two at least. I had a
good look around everywhere I went, including
Hollybank Woods, but nothing despite sunny glades.
However, Peter Milinets-Raby did have a Comma
butterfly in his garden.
Here
is Peter's photo of the Comma just in case you had
forgotten what it looks like
MALCOLM'S
NEWS
Malcolm had a good
day. First, on Brook Meadow where he had two Water
Vole sightings, one on the north bank at 11.45am
(Section A1) then another Water Vole just up from the
north bridge at 12.15am (Section A).
Malcolm also saw a
Great Tit at the hole in the tree on the north
bank. We have seen one here in previous years.
From there Malcolm
went over to Warblington Farm where the Glossy
Ibis was in the bottom right hand side of the
field by the cemetery extension. A Chiffchaff was also
close by.
Finally, he went
Hayling Island and by the golf course saw the Kestrel
on his box.
MONDAY
MARCH 18 - 2013
GARDEN
BIRDS
I had a good start to
the day with Goldcrest and female
Blackcap in the garden, but both too briefly for a
photo. The Blackcap will be a wintering bird. I was
interested to see a Starling going into a hole
under the eaves of next door's roof. Starlings always
used to nest in this roof until a couple of years ago
and I hope they try again this year. We very rarely
see Starlings around the garden. Blue Tits have
also been investigating our 'House Sparrow' nest
boxes. They have nested there once or twice in the
past, but not for a few years. They usually look but
don't stay.
Peter Milinets-Raby
has had a Black Redstart in his garden several
times in the past week. Despite this, Peter tells me
his garden is usually devoid of birds! However, he has
seen a good number of rare ones flying overhead,
including Alpine Swift, Black Kite, Red Kite, Raven,
Med Gull, Hobby, Honey Buzzard, Peregrine and Sandwich
Tern, which make up for the lack of birds actually in
the garden!
BROOK
MEADOW
There was plenty of
bird song this morning, including two Song
Thrushes, but no migrants as yet. A
Bumblebee flew past me on the north path, but I
did not get a good enough look at it for
identification. The white fluffy buds of Goat and
Grey Willow are starting to open.
The Osiers on
the east side of the north meadow are now showing
their yellow catkins. They are always the first of the
Willows to open. Tufts of Hard Rush leaves are
showing well in the orchid area on the north meadow.
There is plenty of foliose lichen on the twigs
of the Willows, most of it bright yellow, but some
grey-green in colour. Not sure which one it is.
SLIPPER
MILLPOND
A pair of Mute
Swans was on Slipper Millpond, which I assume was
the regular pair from Peter Pond. There were no swans
on Peter Pond. Interestingly, one of the birds was a
'Polish' variety with pale pink legs and feet. I am
aware that a Polish Swan has attempted unsuccessfully
to nest on Slipper Millpond several times in recent
years and it will be interesting if she (I think it
was the pen) manages to nest on Peter Pond.
A pair of Coot
was very active around the nest box on the northern
raft on Slipper Millpond where they regularly nest
each year. However, I do not think they had built the
nest as yet. There was no sign of the Great
Black-backed Gulls.
NORE
BARN
14:00 - The tide was
well in when I arrived with about 2 hours to high
water. The regular 'dark' Spotted Redshank was
feeding on the edge of the stream. Interestingly, the
birds feathers were fairly well in place today, unlike
yesterday when there appeared to be distinct signs of
moulting. Maybe the loose feathers have been shed?
I walked to the top of
the creek where I found the much paler plumaged
Spotted Redshank feeding in the pond in the field
in company with a Greenshank. These two birds have
been seen here for the past three days.
Amazingly, apart from
a few Black-headed Gulls and a single Teal, there were
no other birds in the Nore Barn area! Have they all
moved off towards their breeding grounds?
OTHER
NEWS
Frank Naylor wonders
if the Herring Gulls which appear to be nesting
again in Selangor Avenue, might be the same pair that
visit Markway Close every day to feed on scraps left
put out in a garden nearby. Frank sent me this photo
of the pair on a roof. I drove along Selangor Avenue
this afternoon and noticed a pair of Herring Gulls on
the roof of house number 66. I think they nested on
the roof of number 50 last year.
Tony Wootton saw a
Red Kite flying over Westbourne on Sunday
morning (Mar 17).
HAVANT
WILDLIFE GROUP WALK
New
Forest - Lymington
Tony Wootton reported
on Saturday's walk by the Havant Wildlife Group. See .
. . Havant
Wildlife Group
SUNDAY
MARCH 17 - 2013
Spotted
Redshank
I did my daily check
on the Spotted Redshank at about 12:30. The tide was
rising to high water at about 15:00 and the stream was
already quite full of water. When I arrived the
Spotted Redshank was snoozing on the edge of the
stream, but it quickly moved into action and I was
able to get some good photos which show more evidence
that the bird is moulting with flight feathers being
shed from both wings. The first photo shows a feather
hanging out on the bird's left wing.
Apparently, moulting
in birds is timed to coincide with periods of less
strenuous demands, such as after nesting or before
migration; so moulting in the Emsworth Spotted
Redshank as it gets ready to leave for its breeding
grounds in Northern Scandinavia is to be expected,
though I do not recall having seen moulting in
previous years. This must be the bird's partial
pre-nuptial moult. This photo shows a several feathers
moulting on the bird's right wing.
Ralph Hollins pointed
out to me that two of the famous 'Three Amigos'
birdwatching group visited Nore Barn yesterday (Mar
16). They saw both the local Spotted Redshanks, the
regular one in the Nore Barn stream and the other
Paler bird with a Greenshank in the pool behind the
sea wall at the top of Nore Barn Creek. Peter
Milinets-Raby also saw the birds at these locations
the previous day on Mar 15. Interestingly, I had to
look fairly closely at their photo of the Nore Barn
bird to see the moulting flight feather that was so
obvious today. See . . . http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/amigo/2013/03/16/glossy-ibis-at-warblington-and-the-nore-barn-spotted-redshank/
News
and photos of the Emsworth Spotted Redshank is on the
dedicated web page at . .
. Spotted
Redshanks
Black
Redstart
Peter Milinets-Raby
had a Black Redstart in his back garden again today.
It popped in on four occasions and Peter was pleased
to get a half decent photo through the back window as
it sulked around the patio. This was much better than
his previous effort on March 15.
Peter does quite well
for Black Redstarts in his garden. Previously, he had
one on 1 Nov 2012. Black Redstart is rarely seen in
gardens despite being extremely common in towns in
many parts of Europe. Black Redstarts breed mainly on
the Continent and are seen in the South of England as
scarce passage migrants. Peter's bird is probably one
that stopped off on its way to back to its breeding
grounds.
SATURDAY
MARCH 16 - 2013
Sparrowhawk
drama
Ian Mears witnessed
one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles in his
Northney garden this morning when he saw a Sparrowhawk
take a Starling. I shall never forget those rare
occasions when I have seen the same thing in my
garden. From its large size and clear barring my guess
is that the Sparrowhawk was a female. And what a great
supercilium she has!
Spotted
Redshank
Ian Mears also had the
pleasure of seeing the famous Emsworth Spotted
Redshank all on its own in the Nore Barn stream at
12:40. This was a useful sighting as I was not able to
get to Nore Barn to do my daily check as I had family
down to stay. The bird's departure from our area must
be fairly close now. The latest recorded date at Nore
Barn was Mar 24 in 2010.
Water
Rails at Baffins
Eric Eddles reports
the presence of three Water Rail on Baffins Pond; one
in the east reed bed with the trees and the two others
in the south reed bed, all showing very
well.
Emsworth
- Warblington
Peter Milinets-Raby
certainly picks some bad days to do his regular
Emsworth to Warblington walk. Yesterday (Mar 15) was
dreadful, but he ploughed on starting at 11:30am from
Nore Barn and walking along the shore, up Pook Lane
and back to Warblington.
The highlights were
two Spotted Redshank, one dark plumaged bird
(the regular) in the Nore Barn stream and the other a
lighter coloured bird in the pond at the end of the
creek. These were probably the same two that I saw in
the stream on the previous day. In the hedgerow at
Conigar Point were two very clean, newly arrived
yellow washed Chiffchaffs. Peter found hundreds
of Brent Geese on the fields south of the
cemetery. In one field were 573 Brent Geese, 4
Oystercatchers and 6 Lapwing and in the field next
door were another 218 Brent Geese, plus 6
Oystercatchers and 16 Curlew. Med Gulls were to be
everywhere with 6 singles seen and a pair in the
fields in Pook Lane.
The Glossy Ibis
was still present and in the big muddy field next
to it were 3 Buzzards on the ground feeding on
worms. Peter also sent a photo of a Black Redstart
that was his my Havant garden at 6pm, hence the
very dark photo.
Hollybank
Woods fungus
Ralph Hollins had a
close look at photo of the yellow fungus which I found
on the Silver Birch tree in the Holly Lodge clearing
in Hollybank Woods (see yesterday's entry). I thought
it might be Yellow Brain Fungus (Tremella
mesenterica).
Ralph says, "At first
I thought it might be a Crepidotus species as these
attach themselves to the underside of branches and
twigs (such as dead bramble stems) by the centre of
the cap (i.e. instead of having a stem coming up from
the subtrate to the centre of the underside of the cap
the attachment (not a stem) is to the centre of the
top of the cap). However Crepidotus is a gilled fungus
and even when I increase the magnification of your
photo to 200% I can see no hint of gills so I turned
to the resupinates among which some are only attached
to the substrate over part of their surface and have
'wings' sticking out free of the substrate and my best
guess is currently that it is a Stereum species
(perhaps Rameale though that is said to favour Beech).
It certainly does not show the globular, jelly-like
form or bright yellow colour of Yellow Brain
Fungus."
Despite Ralph's doubts
I am still inclined towards Yellow Brain Fungus
(Tremella mesenterica) based on its bright yellow
colouring. The Wikipedia entry has a photo almost
exactly the same as the one I took in Hollybank Woods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremella_mesenterica
For
earlier observations go to . . March
1-15
