MONDAY
OCTOBER 31 - 2016
Two
Spotted Redshanks
I spent about
an hour at Nore Barn from 2pm this afternoon watching
the tide slowly fall from high water at 11:30. There
were very few birds about at first, though they
started to arrive as the tide fell. The first birds in
the stream were two Pied Wagtails that spent
most of the time splashing and preening.
The regular Spotted
Redshank was the next on the scene feeding in the
stream, but there was no sign of its usual Greenshank
feeding companion. After a few minutes I noticed a
second Spotted Redshank further down stream,
gradually making its way upstream towards the first
Spotted Redshank. Eventually, the two met and fed
quite happily almost side by side until they were
disturbed by a person walking along the shore. This
was my first sighting of two Spotted Redshanks this
winter session, though two feeding in the stream have
been fairly common in previous years. Sorry about the
lousy picture, but my camera can't cope with bright
sunshine.
Later a flock of about
50 Wigeon arrived, but no sign of any Teal with them.
I also spotted two Black-tailed Godwits.
Coots
return
Brendan
Gibb-Gray counted 24 Coots on Slipper Millpond this
morning, the most seen there so far this autumn. These
will be the first of the migrants arriving to spend
the winter on the pond and in the nearby harbour. Some
years numbers build up to more than 150, though that
is dependent on cold weather up north.
Here is part of a
gathering of Coots near Emsworth Quay a few years
ago.
Shore
Lark on Hayling
At 17:00 on
Friday 28 October, ace birder Andy Johnson discovered
in Hayling Bay, Eastoke what I think was the first
Shore Lark seen in Hampshire for 4 years. Andy says he
watched the bird until 18:00 on the beach/promenade at
the south end of Nutbourne Road. The area was heavily
disturbed by walkers, cyclists and dog-walkers, but
the bird remained in the vicinity.
The Shore Lark was seen again in the same area by
several birdwatchers over the next couple of days. The
sightings are on the HOS Bird Sightings web site. One
person said, "You won't get a better view of a Shore
Lark than this, particularly in the beautiful
conditions. Park in Nutbourne Road, walk towards the
sea, then left and it was on the sea wall and around
the embankment". Grid Ref: SZ741981.
Yesterday (Oct 30), Colin Vanner went down to have a
look and came back with this cracking photo of the
Shore Lark in question, which was still showing very
well. There was no sighting today on HOS.
Here is a photo of the
last Shore Lark seen in Hampshire in January 2012
taken by Tony Wootton - this one was at Hayling
Oysterbeds. Prior to that the last one was in 2009 and
before that in 2003.
The Shore Lark is a
scarce passage migrant and winter visitor to this
country, mainly to the North Sea coasts. It rarely
gets down as far as the South Coast. Birds of
Hampshire describes it as a rare late autumn migrant
and winter visitor. It nests on moors and mountain
plateaux in Scandinavia.
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 30 - 2016
Bosham
Harbour
Jean and I had
a walk around the harbour at Bosham this afternoon at
low water. My attention was caught by masses of bright
red plants on the edge of the saltmarshes, including
both Glasswort species and Annual Seablite.
I also noticed a few
flowers of what looked like a Sea-spurrey though the
flowers were white not the usual pink.
Ash
Dieback?
In response to
my comment about possible Ash Dieback in trees on
Brook Meadow, Chris Oakley has also found what appears
to be the same disease in some self set Ash saplings
in his garden. In contrast, Chris says, the parent
tree on the other side of the road is in its seasonal
golden glory and completely clear of any rot. Chris
thinks this is the norm for Chalara dieback which
affects the Ash tree, saplings are highly susceptible
to the disease whereas many of the adult trees appear
immune.
Langstone
Mill Pond
Peter
Milinets-Raby visited the Warblington shore this
morning from 6:54am to 9:52am - tide slowing pushing
in - misty to start. Ibis Field held 8 Moorhen.
Conigar Point was devoid of birds caused by two
shooters sitting out in the channel shooting at
everything that flew over and trying to call in
Mallard with their comical sounding "Mallard quack
Lure". I noticed they had bagged 4 Teal and 3 Wigeon.
When they came ashore I chatted to them and they
happily boosted of their very recent White-fronted
Goose prize. It sounded like it was shot in the Pagham
area! Such a shame.
Eventually after 40 minutes some of the wildfowl
returned: 41 Wigeon (numbers drastically down on a
couple of weeks ago), 20 Teal, 117 Brent Geese, 5 Grey
Plover, 24 Dunlin, 2 Shelduck, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, a
pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, a single Sandwich
tern was fishing.
In the Tamarisk hedge a Cetti's Warbler was singing
occasionally. 13+ Skylark over, 9+ Meadow Pipit
over.
Off Pook Lane: 174 Brent Geese, 182 Teal (some
probably displaced from Conigar Point), 60 Wigeon (As
there were only 2 birds here a few days ago, then all
of these birds were probably displaced from Conigar
Point), 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 49 Dunlin, 6 Grey Plover,
33 Shelduck, 7 Greenshank (RG//- + YY//-), 16 Lapwing,
7 resting Sandwich Tern, Female Red-breasted
Merganser, Female Pintail. Kingfisher dashing over the
salt marsh, occasionally hovering.
Horse paddock: 4 Moorhen and 4 Stock Doves.
Langstone Mill Pond: 70+ Goldfinch flock in alders.
Water Rail heard. Little Grebe being very elusive and
very shy. Took me a lot of patience to get a photo.
New sea defence wall
at the end of Wade Lane path is now complete and looks
okay (see photo).
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 29 - 2016
Short-eared
Owls
Colin Vanner
was at Farlington Marshes today where he was delighted
to see Short-eared Owls again. He says they were
showing well in the end field. He got some typical
excellent photos despite the poor weather.
He also got this
female Kestrel.
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 28 - 2016
Ash
Dieback?
While I was
collecting plants on Brook Meadow this morning for
display at this evening's AGM I noticed that the large
Ash tree on the railway embankment that partially
overhangs the north path had lots of brown withered
leaves. The small sapling on the river bank by the
path was similarly affected. I was immediately alerted
to the possibility of Ash Dieback disease which has
been spreading from the Continent over the past few
years. Here are a couple of photos showing some of the
leaves on the large tree and those on the sapling.
None of the other Ash trees along the north path
appear to be affected. I would appreciate other
people's views about this.
Garden
Woodpecker
I was very
pleased to see a male Great Spotted Woodpecker
feeding on the fat balls in my town garden this
afternoon. This was the first Woodpecker sighting for
almost a year, the last one being in November 2015.
Since I saw both male and female birds on the feeders
regularly through the winter last year, I hope to see
them back again this year.
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 26 - 2016
Dipper
in the Hermitage Stream?
Responding to
yesterday's blog entry about a possible Dipper
sighting in the Hermitage Stream at Bedhampton, Peter
Milinets-Raby says that piece of stream is very good
and is potential Dipper winter habitat. Peter always
visits the stream for his annual "January 1st Day
List" for Kingfisher and Cetti's Warbler. He will look
out for Dipper, but thinks Susan's bird was most
likely to be a Green Sandpiper of which there are
often two in this section of the stream.
Here is a photo of a Green Sandpiper taken a few years
ago on the Deckhouses Estate pond, North Thorney.
There is no doubt that
Green Sandpiper fits Susan's description of a bobbing
bird with pure white under-parts much better than Grey
Wagtail does. I did not think of it at the time. I
phoned Susan this morning and, having consulted her
Collins Bird Guide, she agreed wholeheartedly about
the Green Sandpiper. She was never very happy with my
Grey Wagtail theory!
Ladybird
invasions
After seeing
so many Ladybirds yesterday, Roy Hay Googled
"Ladybirds" and got a link to a Plymouth newspaper
where residents were also experiencing a mass invasion
of Harlequin Ladybirds. A fascinating story.
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/ladybirds-invade-plymouth/story-29840062-detail/story.html
My only experience of
such a swarm of Ladybirds was on Friday 8th October
2010 when walking along the main avenue in Stansted
Forest with my wife, Jean. We encountered hundreds of
them, they were simply everywhere, on clothes, hands,
faces, arms, etc. We felt a few bites, but not
serious. The insects varied considerably in pattern
and colour, but were unmistakably Harlequins. Here is
a photo I took at the time of Jean with another lady
walker who was similarly plagued with Ladybirds.
These insects vary
considerably in colour and pattern, but the most
common ones are black with red spots and most have
bright white cheeks. Here is a typical example on my
wife's hand in Stansted.
The sudden appearance
of Harlequin Ladybirds at this time of the year is not
unusual. It is an annual event in which thousands of
them seek places to hibernate over winter. Harlequins
are not native to this country and first arrived in
the UK in 2004, but are now widespread through the
country and apparently threatening our native Ladybird
species. Originally from Asia the Harlequin Ladybird
was introduced into the USA to control aphids, but
spread rapidly to become the dominant Ladybird on that
continent. The lesson here is do not introduce an
alien species without fully understanding the impact
it might have on native species.
Pesticide
action conference
Pesticide
Action Network UK is holding a Pesticide-Free Towns
Conference in Brighton on the 18th of November. Aimed
at Councillors and Local Authority Officers, the event
will provide talks, information and practical guidance
on how to go pesticide-free in your local area. The
Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, East Sussex,
BN1 1YD. Date: 18th November, 2016. Time: 9.30- 17.00.
Price: Free to attend. Lunch will be provided.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 25 - 2016
Dipper
in the Hermitage Stream?
Yesterday, I
had a phone call from a lady named Susan to say she
thought she had seen a Dipper in the Hermitage Stream
at Bedhampton. I explained to her that Dipper was an
extremely rare bird in our area. In fact, I could not
find any mention of it at all in the Birds of
Hampshire. Doing a search in Hampshire Bird News
revealed only one authentic Dipper sighting at
Fordingbridge in December 2012. However (just in
case), I agreed to meet Susan at 10am this morning at
the site, though I was fairly sure the bird must have
been a Grey Wagtail.
We met in Meyrick Road Bedhampton and walked over to
the stream where almost the first bird we saw feeding
on the edge of the canalised stream was a Grey
Wagtail! Susan reluctantly agreed that this must have
been the bird she saw. It was an easy mistake to make
for someone not familiar with these birds and their
habitats.
Here
are Grey Wagtail (taken on Brook Meadow) and a Dipper
(taken in Scotland) for
comparison.
As I was not familiar
with this area, I was pleased to accompany Susan down
the public footpath as far as Mill Lane. The path runs
adjacent to the stream, though is shaded from it along
most of the way, so not much can be seen. However, we
did get a good view of 6 Gadwall (males and
females) feeding in the stream just past the main
waterworks.
Susan explained that
the small area of grassland between Meyrick Road and
the stream had been set aside as a wildlife open area
by the developers of the nearby housing estate and
that there had been a translocation of Slow-worms to
the site, much as happened on Brook Meadow. She
pointed out the rather fine Slow-worm
interpretation board which unfortunately was large
hidden from view by vegetation. This area needs a
conservation group to look after it.
On the way down the
path Susan pointed out an old and gnarled Mulberry
Tree just inside the fence of the waterworks at
Grid Ref: SU 70511 06271 which she says she gathered
fruit from this summer.
Nore
Barn
I called into
Nore Barn on the way home at 11:15 which was about 3
hours after high water. There were a good number of
birds feeding in the stream, including Spotted
Redshank, Common Redshank, Greenshank (G+GL), 5
Black-tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher and Little Egret.
I was surprised to see the Spotted Redshank and the
Common Redshank feeding closely together as the former
does not normally tolerate the latter. However, after
a few minutes I saw the Spotted Redshank chase off the
Common Redshank. There were 146 Wigeon in the main
channel with a few Teal mixed in and 40+ Black-tailed
Godwits in the creek, but too far to read any rings.
Hedge
Cutting
When I got
home I found a HBC (Norse) team of chaps busy cutting
the old Beech hedge on the edge of Bridge Road car
park. I was very pleased to see them doing this as the
hedge was badly overgrown with brambles hanging over
the footpath. They have done a very good job as shown
in the photo.
I asked the men about
cutting the wayside on the other side of the car park,
but was firmly told they were not allowed to touch it
as it was 'a wildlife area'! Well, at least, the
wayside is now recognised for what it is. However, it
does need its annual cut which I believe will be done
by the Hollybank Woods group.
Ladybird
plague
Roy Hay and
his wife were walking near the Trundle at Goodwood
this morning and found themselves covered with
ladybirds. Then this afternoon when they got back home
to Fishbourne, Ladybirds were on and in the windows.
They are clearly all Harlequin Ladybirds, probably
gathering for hibernation. Has anyone else seen
Ladybirds in this number recently?
Roy also got his first
sighting of a Water Rail near Fishbourne
Meadows since last winter. We have seen nothing on
Brook Meadow so far, but keep looking!
MONDAY
OCTOBER 24 - 2016
Brook
Meadow
I had a walk
through the meadow on a rather bleak and chilly
afternoon. No special observations. I checked the
Lumley Stream as usual, but no sign of any Water Vole.
The Pepper-saxifrage is still in flower on the east
side of the Lumley area. A hoverfly was actively
feeding on the flowers - it looks like a Marmalade
Fly (Episyrphus balteatus) which
typically fly all year round in the south of England
and just love umbellifers.
Hermitage
Ponds
I checked both
Peter Pond and the Gooseberry Cottage pond, but there
was no sign of the male Mandarin Duck that has been
seen there recently. Over on Slipper Millpond we still
have the pair of Mute Swans back on their breeding
territory with one of their original three cygnets
still present. The other two have probably joined the
swan flocks in the harbour.
Garden
birds
I had three
Chaffinches in my garden for the first time for
several months. Here is a shot of a male on the bird
table.
In his recent wildlife
diary Ralph Hollins reports large movements of
Chaffinches on the continent, including a report of
118,932 on Oct 16 at one site in the Netherlands, so
more should be expected.
Ralph also heard his first Dunnock song in his
neighbours garden, just enjoying the sunshine, he
thinks, or maybe warning off continental Dunnocks
looking for a good place to spend the winter. I have
not heard one as yet, though one has been a daily
visitor to the garden over the past week or so.
Langstone
Mill Pond
Peter
Milinets-Raby visited Langstone Mill Pond this
lunchtime (Noon to 1:45pm tide out)
Off shore: 2 Greenshank (G//R + BRtag//-), 103 Teal on
the mud - an increase over the last visit. 16 Sandwich
Tern, 5 Common Gull, 1 adult winter Mediterranean
Gull, 2 Wigeon, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 adult Mute Swans
with 8 juveniles still hanging around, 121 Brent Geese
(close enough to check - only 3 juveniles - a family
group - early days yet), 25 Shelduck, 10 Dunlin, 4
Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Grey Plover, 12 Black-tailed
Godwits, 18 Lapwing, 2+ Skylark over, 1 Meadow Pipit
over, 1 Kingfisher dashed across the mud.
On the pond: 22 Teal, Water Rail heard several
times.
Horse paddock: pair of Pheasant, 1 Buzzard on post
(see photo). 51+ Goldfinch, 56 Brent Geese off Conigar
Point.
A safety fence has
been erected alongside the fallen wall at the end of
the Wade Lane footpath. I spoke to the workmen and
they will spray a special marine concrete on the wall
with a metal mesh underneath. It will only take a few
days. They are not putting the bricks back. Sounds
good! See photo before the work starts.
Colin
Vanner on Autumnwatch
Congratulations
to Colin Vanner on having his photo of a Swallow in
flight included in the BBC Autumnwatch programme this
evening. Colin has been a fairly regular contributor
to this blog with many excellent photos. Here a
Swallow from my files that Colin took at Farlington
Marshes in July 2011 - not the same as the Autumnwatch
one, but just as good!
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 21 - 2016
Langstone
Mill Pond
Peter
Milinets-Raby had another visit to the shore alongside
Langstone Mill Pond this morning (9am to 10:22am - low
tide). But hardly any waders around this morning. What
a difference from yesterday.
Off shore: Just 8 Sandwich Tern resting on the mud, 51
Teal, 16 Dunlin, 53 Brent Geese, 5 Shelduck, 17
Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Lapwing, 41 Golden Plover.
Langstone Mill Pond: 14 Teal up-ending (see photo), 1
Little Grebe (hanging around), 2 Grey Heron. Reed
Bunting female - nice and close for 10 seconds and
just long enough for a photo. 5 Chiffchaff. Water Rail
heard. Male Siskin feeding with 15+ Goldfinch in the
Alders.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 20 - 2016
Brook
Meadow
It was a very
nice morning for the regular 3rd Thursday in the month
work session on Brook Meadow with a good turn out led
by Wally Osborne. The main job was cutting and
clearing the Lumley area.
For a full report
along with more photos go to . . . http://www.brookmeadow.org.uk/conservation-news/
The Lumley area is
probably the most valuable area on the meadow from a
botanical view as it houses most of the sedges and
rushes as well as flowering plants, such as, Ragged
Robin and Pepper-saxifrage. In fact, Pepper-saxifrage
was still in full flower on the east side of the area
and I made sure this rare plant was avoided by the
cutters. Michaelmas Daisies are also putting on a good
show immediately behind the Pepper-saxifrage.
The large number of
reptile mats that had been scattered around the meadow
were collected up as the survey was finished. The
results showed a good population of Slow-worms, both
adults and young, but no Common Lizards.
During the cutting two
frogs were discovered and were moved to safety to the
edge of the area. I also rescued a rather handsome
snail from the cutting.
I was interested to
see a number of plants still in full flower. In
addition to the already mentioned Pepper-saxifrage I
found Common Comfrey, Charlock, Guernsey Fleabane and
Wild Angelica.
The seed heads of
Hemp Agrimony are also showing well on the
orchid area.
I also found several
grasses flowering on the north meadow, including, very
surprisingly, Meadow Foxtail ( usually a spring grass)
and Cocksfoot which are shown in the photos below.
Langstone
Mill Pond
Peter
Milinets-Raby visited the Langstone Mill Pond this
morning 9:25am to 11:16am - tide very low, then coming
in.
Off shore on the mud:
19 roosting Sandwich Tern (good count), Female Pintail
with rings, 76 Teal, 55 Brent Geese, 10 Grey Plover, 4
Little Egrets, 2 Wigeon, 9 Common Gull, 3 Grey
Wagtails with 2 Pied Wagtails on the mud! 10 Shelduck,
4 Greenshank (RG//- + YY//- & G//R + BRtag//-), 29
Bar-tailed Godwits, 66 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 adult
winter Med Gull, 3 Meadow Pipits over, 9+ Skylarks
over, 128 Golden Plover dropped in - nice views and
every individual checked! 10 Lapwing with 29 over
heading NW over Southmoor, 10 Dunlin. 2 Adult Mute
Swans with just one juvenile out in the channel. In
the distance off Conigar Point: 92 Brent Geese, 7
Wigeon.
I heard Redwing
passing over, however, when I looked up all I saw was
a flock of 50+ Fieldfare heading quickly north inland
(I didn't see any small thrushes amongst them, though
they passed over within seconds - I note on Going
Birding that probably the same flock of Fieldfare was
noted going over Leigh Park at roughly the right
time!
Langstone Mill Pond: 1
Little Grebe - so uncommon on the pond, 1 female
eclipse Shoveler, 2 Teal, 4 Grey Herons, Water Rail
heard squealing several times.
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 19 - 2016
Nore
Barn
11:00 - 12:00
- I went over to Nore Barn this morning to catch the
rising tide to high water at 14:13. When I arrived I
could see plenty of Wigeon and Teal in the channels
along with clusters of Common Redshank and the odd
Curlew and Oystercatcher here and there.
Looking eastwards, I could see a gathering of around
200 Brent Geese near the Emsworth Sailing Club
building, so I walked along Western Parade to have a
closer look at them. Most of the Brents were too
distant for aging, but I went through a group of 25
which were fairly close to the shore and found two
small families, each with just one juvenile. Here is a
digiscoped photo of a juvenile (with white wing bars)
with one of its parents that I took today.
By the time I got back
to Nore Barn the stream was filling up, but a lady was
launching her boat so there was no chance of any
waders. The only birds in the stream at that time were
a Mute Swan and a pair of Herring Gulls. No sign of
the Spotted Redshank.
Out on one of the fast
diminishing mudflats, a flock of 36 Black-tailed
Godwits were feeding. I had a good view of them
through the scope and found two colour-ringed
birds:
W+WN (left - white; right - white over black) - ringed
05-Sep-10 Farlington Marshes. It has been seen
regularly in Emsworth Harbour since then. Total
sightings = 63.
R+LG (left: red; right - lime over green) - This bird
has been seen in Emsworth Harbour for the past 3
winters between Oct and Dec. It then probably moves
further south. Total sightings = 9. Peter
Milinets-Raby has also recorded it at Warblington.
My digiscoped photos
of these Godwits today were terrible, so I am
including some taken of the two birds in previous
years.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 18 - 2016
Cormorant
with Eel
Barrie Jay
witnessed a not uncommon sight on Emsworth Millpond
today when a Cormorant caught and consumed a very
wriggly Eel. Barry added, "It swallowed it so quickly
and after looked very pleased with itself!" Barrie's
excellent sequence of photos captures the action
perfectly. I must admit Eels often put up a much
sterner resistance than this one appeared to do, but
all succumb in the end.
MONDAY
OCTOBER 17 - 2016
Meeting
with Nick and Jayne
I bumped into
Nick Medina and Jayne Lake (of HBC and now Norse) at
Slipper Millpond this morning. They were mainly
discussing watercourses and flood defences. I asked
Nick about the disappearance of the north raft on
Slipper Millpond; he said it had disintegrated and
would be replaced. The centre raft, which had moved,
would be repositioned - in time for the nesting Great
Black-backed Gulls no doubt!
Brendan Gibb-Gray arrived and had a discussion with
Jayne about the decorative boat that had been planned
for the south entrance to Bridge Road car park. We all
thought it would be an attractive enhancement for the
area.
I accompanied Nick and
Jayne through Brook Meadow to the north-east corner to
examine the Environment Agency flood defence wall. I
pointed out to Jayne the bolts protruding from the
barrier, where vandals had removed some of the cement
bags and which are a risk to walkers.
I also asked Jayne if
she could have a word with Andy Skeet about clearing
the Willow branches that had fallen across the river
after the pollarding of trees by the Artec factory.
Jayne asked about the
waysides project which I said was now run by Jane
Brook. Jayne said she would like to meet up with us
both and maybe have a tour of the waysides to
familiarise herself with the locations and any
problems regarding management. Hopefully, Norse might
be able to help with the cutting.
Juvenile
Brents
I mentioned in
last night's blog that there had been no sightings of
Brent Goose juveniles so far this year, but I had not
read Ralph Hollins diary entry which indicated that 7
juveniles were among a newly arrived flock of 53 in
Christchurch Harbour on Oct 14 and another 4 juveniles
in Pagham Harbour on Oct 15.
In addition, Tom
Bickerton e-mailed me that on Oct 15 he saw some
juveniles among a flock of 920 Brent Geese during his
WeBS count on South Hayling, but he thought they were
well below 3% of the total flock (ie less than 27)
which would be a poor year. However, it is early days
and Brent Goose families often arrive later than the
main flocks.
Here are a couple of
juvenile Brent Geese that I photographed at Nore Barn
a couple of years ago. They show the white wing bars
which are distinctive of juveniles.
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 15 - 2016
Emsworth
to Langstone
Peter
Milinets-Raby did a very comprehensive bird survey of
the shoreline from Emsworth to Langstone early this
morning from 7:10am to 10:10am with tide pushing in.
Here are his main observations. It is good to see
Brent Geese are now back in numbers, but there is no
indication as yet of any juveniles. Also, good to see
Black-tailed Godwit numbers building up.
Emsworth Harbour
at sunrise, from 7:20am (see photo). 4 Greenshank,
5 Little Egret, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 113 Brent
Geese, 7 Turnstone, 2 Canada Geese, 4 Grey Plover.
Off Beacon
Square from 7:48am: 75 Teal, 15 Wigeon, 2
Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Brent Geese.
Nore Barn from
8am: 206 Teal, 35 Black-tailed Godwit, 152 Wigeon, 3
Mute Swan, 12 Brent Geese, 1 Buzzard over, 1
Greenshank (G//R + GL//-), 1 Spotted Redshank.
Warblington
8:25am: 27 Collared Dove on wires over the farm.
Ibis Field
contained 1 Moorhen and 1 Grey Wagtail.
Conigar Point:
68 Brent Geese, 23 Wigeon - gun shot heard this
morning at 7:15am from this direction, so no wonder
numbers were down, 15 Teal, 8 Shelduck, 7 Grey Plover,
2 Great Black-backed Gulls, 13 Dunlin, 2 Bar-tailed
Godwit, 1 Chiffchaff and Cetti's Warbler heard and
seen from Tamarisk Hedge - see photo.
Off Pook Lane
from 8:49am: 14 Shelduck, 3 Knot, 23 Dunlin, 5
Bar-tailed Godwit, 27 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Grey
Plover, 70 Brent Geese, 64 Teal, 19 Lapwing, 8
Greenshank, 3 Little Egrets, Female Pintail with
rings, 1 Snipe - first this year, 1 Kingfisher -
dashed back and forth over the incoming tide line,
hovering occasionally, dived just the once, before
flying back t the pond. 1 Stonechat, 1 Chiffchaff in
hedges
Horse paddock:
pale juvenile Buzzard being mobbed by a single Jay
(see photo), 2 Song Thrush.
Langstone Mill Pond: 1
Grey Wagtail, pair of Shoveler - still in eclipse
plumage, 1 Teal, 15+ Goldfinch with 1 Siskin amongst
them.
'Star
bird' of Emsworth
The Havant
Wildlife Group walked from Warblington to Emsworth
this morning. When they reached Nore Barn they were
rewarded with what Heather called the 'star bird' of
Emsworth - with its friends Greenshank and Common
Redshank. What an excellent group photo by Derek.
This Spotted Redshank
is now back in Emsworth for the 13th winter running.
First seen this year on Oct 11, a bit later than
expected. But it's here and we all celebrate! For more
on the history of this bird and photos go to . . .
http://familyfellows.com/x-spotted-redshank.htm
Derek also got this
excellent shot of a Grey Wagtail leaping over the
stone wall at the head of the Nore Barn channel.
Painted
Lady migration
Ralph Hollins
tells me he was not overly impressed by the scientific
calibre of the two main presenters of the recent BBC
TV programme on the Painted Lady migration. So, he
decided to ask Google what it knew about 'Painted Lady
Migration'. Well, it confirmed that each year Painted
Ladies do migrate north to the Arctic Circle over
several generations and then shoot back to Morocco in
one high speed high altitutude flight. However, far
from being the 'new discovery' trumpeted by the TV
programme, this was the conclusion of a large study
conducted 7 years ago in 2009, the findings of which
have since been accepted by the BBC, Butterfly
Conservation and the scientific community as a whole.
The documents cited by Google are well worth looking
at to appreciate the amazing journeys made by these
tiny insects.
http://butterfly-conservation.org/5183-2342/painted-lady-migration-secrets-revealed.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19991550
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Vanessa_cardui
Here is a Painted Lady
that Malcolm Phillips recently got on Brook Meadow,
maybe on its way to Morocco? But with wings in that
condition, I find that hard to believe!
FRIDAY
OCTOBER 14 - 2016
Malcolm's
final news
Malcolm
Phillips sent his last photos before he leaves
Emsworth on route for his new life in Cuba. He wished
they had been at Emsworth but they were from Havant.
Nevertheless, it was good to see him leave with two
cracking photos of his favourite wildlife, namely
Water Voles. But how poignant that they were not from
Brook Meadow where they are no more.
To send Malcolm on his
way, I thought I would include a few of my favourites
from Malcolm's early Water Vole photos on Brook
Meadow, all were taken in 2012. PS Malcolm used to
tempt the voles with apples. Those were the days!
One final photo that
Malcolm got today in Havant shows a charm of
Goldfinches vigorously bathing in the stream. Adieu
Malcolm and all the best for the future.
Langstone
Mill Pond
Peter
Milinets-Raby visited Langstone Mill Pond today at
9:05am to 10am (high tide). He caught the last of the
waders on the salt marsh before they flew off towards
Thorney Island. 2 Greenshank, 73 Black-tailed Godwit,
3 Lapwing, 2 Sandwich Tern, 25 Brent Geese, 6
Teal.
On the Pond: Cetti's Warbler singing and seen (first
he's heard for many months. None were present this
summer. One was singing in the Tamarisk Hedge on
Wednesday). Water Rail calling and seen flying across
the pond from one reed bed to another. 1 Grey Wagtail,
Pintail female, 62 Teal, Female Shoveler, 1 Mistle
Thrush, 29 Goldfinch.
The highlights from
Peter's Wednesday visit were 99 Black-tailed Godwits,
27 Grey Plover, 61 Bar-tailed Godwit and 8 Knot. 108
Wigeon off Conigar Point (his equal highest count for
that area. He thinks they have turned up this winter
in larger numbers than usual - weather permitting he
will count the whole area this weekend ahead of the
early morning high tide).
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 13 - 2016
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm
Phillips had only a short time on the meadow today,
but got a couple of good shots: A Red Admiral with
broken wing feasting on the Michaelmas Daisies on the
Lillywhite's patch and an adult Slow-worm under one of
the mats.
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 12 - 2016
Nore
Barn
I went over to
Nore Barn at about 11.30am with the tide falling.
There were plenty of Wigeon and Teal on the mudflats
along with 44 Black-tailed Godwits - the best
count so far this winter. I spotted one bird with a
white flag on its right leg; I could not see the other
rings clearly, but I think it is WO+LW flag
(white over orange on left leg and lime over white
flag on right leg). This bird has been a regular
visitor to Emsworth since the winter of 2010-11 and
always turns up in early October. It is a male ringed
in Langhus, north Iceland by Ruth Croger and Pete
Potts on 13th July 2010. Here is a photo I took of the
bird at this time last year.
The Spotted Redshank
was feeding in the stream along with the colour-ringed
Greenshank G+GL, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and
a Little Egret. It is looking as sprightly as ever.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 11 - 2016
Nore
Barn
I got down to
Nore Barn at 10am this morning which was about 2 hours
after high water. A lovely autumn morning with little
wind. Waders were already gathering in the stream area
including 13 Black-tailed Godwits. There was one
colour-ringed godwit with three rings on each leg,
marking it as a bird ringed in Kent. I think the
colours were OYL+RLR which I have not seen before. I
will need to check this combination with Pete Potts.
Most important was the
first sighting of the Spotted Redshank which I
have been waiting anxiously for the past few weeks. It
is much later than last year when I had my first
sighting on Sep 27 and bucks the trend for
progressively earlier arrivals. This will be the 13th
winter that this bird has come to Emsworth. Here it is
feeding in the stream along with the colour-ringed
Greenshank and two Black-tailed Godwits. Spotted
Redshank is second from the left.
Chris Berners-Price
happened to arrive on the shore and we both were able
to enjoy this wonderful bird. There was another
unringed Greenshank in the stream, but it was chased
off by the colour-ringed bird. Other birds in the
stream were two Little Egrets, a Common Redshank and
some Black-headed Gulls.
For
the full history of the Spotted Redshank in Emsworth
go to . . .
http://familyfellows.com/x-spotted-redshank.htm
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm
Phillips did not find much of interest on the meadow
today, though he did send me this nice shot of a male
Common Darter which are simply everywhere at the
moment.
Thorney
Ospreys
Colin Vanner
went over to Thorney Deeps on Sunday and got some
superb images of the Ospreys in flight
Ring
Ouzel
Tony Wootton
spent 4 hours on Butser Hill today looking for Ring
Ouzels and he got his just rewards with this cracking
photo of what he thinks is a male.
MONDAY
OCTOBER 10 - 2016
Brook
Meadow
I walked over
to the meadow this morning. Lovely sunshine, but a
chilly easterly wind. I met Malcolm Phillips who had
just seen a Grey Wagtail and a Blackbird bathing in
the river near the north bridge.
Malcolm confirmed that
he would be leaving Emsworth this weekend for good, so
this might be our last meeting. He will be staying
with friends in Wales until his flight to Cuba at the
end of October. He told me that his house in Cuba was
safe after the hurricane, though there had been damage
to others in the village. I told him how much we
appreciated his help with the wildlife and took a
final photo of him taking aim with his camera.
Goodbye, Malcolm and good luck!
We passed by
Gooseberry Cottage where the male Mandarin Duck
was on the pond with a number of Mallard. Malcolm also
spotted a Kingfisher fly past.
Finally, we both clambered over the wire fence onto
the Lillywhite's patch next to Gooseberry Cottage and
stood for several minutes watching the butterflies and
the hordes of bees that were feeding on the Michaelmas
Daisies. We saw at least three Red Admirals,
but no Painted Lady though Malcolm did see one very
briefly. There were lots of Honey Bees and small
Bumblebees, but the best was a large queen
Bombus terrestris with a distinctive dirty
white tail. These are my pictures.
Slipper
Millpond
The Mute Swan
pair was back on their breeding territory on Slipper
Millpond with just one of their cygnets, the other two
having been jettisoned already.
The north raft has
sunk, its position is marked by a buoy. The centre
raft has also moved far more into the centre of the
pond. The south raft remains in the same position. I
will try to find out if these changes are deliberate.
Nore
Barn
I popped over
to Nore Barn in the late afternoon to catch the rising
tide. I counted 176 Common Redshank on the edge
of the main channel along with a few Black-tailed
Godwits. In the stream were a Little Egret, a Common
Redshank and the regular colour-ringed Greenshank
G+GL, but no Spotted Redshank.
This does not look
good for the return of the Spotted Redshank, but there
is still hope. The first sightings in 2012 and 2013
were Oct 9 and Oct 11 respectively, so keep looking!
Ring
Ouzels
Mike Wells was
very excited to read in last night's blog entry about
the Ring Ouzels at Butser, as he has never ever seen
one! So off he went to Butser this morning and saw
about 5-6 of them, mingled in, he says, with the
Blackbird and Song Thrush 'decoys'.
Tony Wootton went
searching for the Ring Ouzels which had been reported
on Portsdown Hill. He spent a couple of hours mainly
above the chalk cliff but to no avail. However he did
find this rather sorry looking Painted Lady and
wondered if it was really going to fly back to France.
I doubt it, Tony.
Southsea
Seal
Joyce Sawyer
and her husband were sitting at Southsea Castle
looking at the sea when a Seal's head popped out of
the water close to the shore. As soon as it popped up
it slid back into the water so they were unable to get
a picture, but it really made their day. Here is a
great shot of a Seal doing just that taken by Tony
Wootton in Chichester Harbour in February 2010.
Warblington shore
After being
stuck indoors all weekend, Peter Milinets-Raby was
delighted to get out, but all the birds had gone! He
visited the Warblington shore this afternoon 1:15pm to
2:52pm - low tide. 6 Stock Doves in fields that used
to contain corn on the cob, now just dry earth, well
flattened.
Conigar Point: 8 Brent Geese, 2 Black-tailed Godwits,
4 Grey Plover, An adult winter plumaged Med Gull
(first I have seen for two months!), 42 Teal, 10
Wigeon, 14 Shelduck, 1 Greenshank, 1 Great
Black-backed Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern, Female Pintail, 2
Common Gulls, 1 Kestrel.
2 to 4+ Chiffchaff in Tamarisk Hedge.
SSSI Field - male Stonechat and 3 Meadow Pipits - lots
of berries, but no Ouzels
Off Pook Lane: 62 Bar-tailed Godwit, 158 Black-tailed
Godwit, 16 Grey Plover, 2 Greenshank (B//R +LO//-), 23
Dunlin, 16 Knot, 4 Lapwing, 7 Brent Geese.
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 9 - 2016
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm
Phillips has been very busy with preparations for his
move to Cuba. However, he did manage to visit Brook
Meadow this morning and got a splendid selection of
photos. Butterflies are still feeding on the
Michaelmas Daisies on the Lillywhite's land by the
Gooseberry Cottage garden. Here are Red Admiral
and Small White.
But best of all
Malcolm captured both the underside and the upper
wings of a Painted Lady. Painted Lady is a
migratory butterfly, but is unable to hibernate
unlike, for example, the Peacock, and will perish once
winter arrives.
Malcolm also found
this Chiffchaff still active on the meadow.
Unlike the Painted Lady butterfly it will probably
head off fairly soon for the Mediterranean area where
it spends the winter. However, a few do tend to hang
around provided the winter is not too cold.
Thorney
Deeps
Tony Wootton
reported on the Saturday morning walk by the Havant
Wildlife Group during which they saw 2 for sure and
possibly 3 ospreys and a marsh harrier. For full
report go to . . . http://familyfellows.com/hwg-walk-reports-2016.htm
Ring
Ouzels bonanza
John Clark
says, "The records on Going Birding today suggest we
may be experiencing our biggest ever autumn influx of
Ring Ouzels. I took the opportunity to visit the
Butser Hill car park this evening, where 35-50 were
reported this morning, but unfortunately the weather
was very inclement, with heavy downpours! There were
several Ring Ouzels showing well in the berry laden
bushes around the car park and I did see at least 7
apparently fly off NW to roost. There's also lots of
Blackbirds and Song Thrushes there as well. Some other
birders I spoke to who'd been around the area all day
said there were Ouzels all over the area and thought
the count of 35-50 was a bare minimum. It obviously
worth checking all high points with berry-laden bushes
tomorrow, and also the traditional spots in the New
Forest. Someone who covers the Butser Hill/QEII
Country Park area thoroughly tomorrow could well get a
very high total."
Ring Ouzels are so
rare in our area that I had a real trawl through my
files to find a photo of one taken locally. I found
this one taken by Caroline French at Stoughton on
18-Apr-2013 showing the very characteristic crescent
shaped white bib. Ring Ouzel is often referred to as
the 'mountain Blackbird' which breeds in the northern
hills and mountains and is only seen down here when on
migration in spring and autumn.
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 6 - 2016
Baffins
Pond - Feral Pigeons
While in
Portsmouth this morning I managed a quick visit to
Baffins Pond. There was nothing of special interest on
the pond, but I was attracted by the rich variety of
plumages of the 300 or so resident Feral Pigeons. What
a joy they are! Here is a shot of some of them on the
edge of the pond.
Real birders tend to
turn their noses up at these gone-wild descendants of
domesticated Rock Doves, but personally I love them,
not only for their colourful glossy plumage, but also
for their gentle and loving nature and crooning voice
with which they court one another. Here's a close-up I
got of one at Baffins Pond today.
I am not surprised to
read in the recent 'Birds of Hampshire' that Feral
Pigeons are grossly under-reported given their
so-called 'plastic' reputation which means that data
on their numbers is sketchy. This probably accounts
for the absence of the Baffins Pond flock in this
erudite tome, though to my knowledge they have been
resident at the pond for at least 30 years. They must
be one of the largest flocks in the Solent area?
Nore
Barn
I called into
Nore Barn on my way home from Portsmouth. On my
arrival I was dismayed to see a dog playing around in
the stream with the owner standing nearby encouraging
the activity. Forgive them for they know not what they
do.
As a consequence, all birds that normally feeding in
the stream area had moved out to the far channel.
These included a mixed flock of Wigeon and Teal and
the usual Common Redshank. I was particularly pleased
to see 4 Black-tailed Godwits (no rings) and two
Greenshank with colour-rings. YO+YY - Ringed 8 Sep
2013. Last seen on 07-Oct-14 at Nore Barn). G+YG -
Ringed 08-Sep-13. Last seen on 12-Aug-15 in Emsworth
Harbour.
Wild
Clary at Hayling
The only local
Wild Clary I know about is the colony on the grass
verge in Christopher Way Emsworth. However, Ralph
Hollins has discovered another one currently freshly
flowering at the southern end of Langstone Bridge
beside the path which connects the main road to the
old rail line at approx SU 7192-0392 on the southern
shore of 'Texaco Bay.
Ralph gives the following directions: "The quickest
way to see it if you go by car is to cross Langstone
Bridge and continue south past the Texaco Garage then
make a difficult right turn to enter the shoreline car
park. After parking, walk south and turn right on to
the path heading towards the Billy Line but as soon as
you emerge from the shade of the trees, and before
reaching the first sharp left turn in the path, look
for the lone Clary plant growing by the north edge of
the path you are on".
Thorney
Ospreys
Juliette Leach
says she just couldn't resist returning to Thorney
deeps (West side) with her camera today. She says,
"The Osprey took a while to appear but when it did it
came zooming in from nowhere. I had a new 250mm focal
lens and a new contraption - a doubler so I could zoom
in on my prey! Unfortunately, the double meant that
most of my photos were out of focus and I had to focus
manually but of the 180 photos that I took I was
pleased with a couple of them! The Osprey made several
attempts to dive (which were quite spectacular) but
bombed out at the last minute. However on its 3rd
attempt, I knew it was going for it, the legs came out
and in it splashed! It caught a small fish in its
talons which it proceeded to eat on a fence post at
the far end of the water. Watching on, a few fences
posts down was another Osprey (they had been circling
together earlier).
Here is
Juliette's sequence of photos of the Osprey diving
On her way home
Juliette heard some small bird squeaking from the
reeds only to see a Kestrel ploughing headlong into
the reeds and out popped a Kingfisher in terror!.
Firecrest
at Stansted
Brian Lawrence
had a couple of hours at Stansted House this afternoon
and got this excellent shot of a Firecrest in the
Dutch garden. This is the first Firecrest photo of the
year for the blog!
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 5 - 2016
Langstone
Mill Pond
Peter
Milinets-Raby visited the Langstone Mill Pond this
morning in very strong east winds (10:54am to 12:04pm
tide half in):
The highlight of the visit was encountering four
birds of prey. The first was a Buzzard
species beating hard against the wind flying from
Hayling Bridge towards Conigar Point (Should have been
easy to ID, except that it was in the sun glare and
virtually a silhouette - the long "head" troubled me
and longish narrow looking wings confused and it was
difficult to gauge jizz as it was flying very
awkwardly into a very strong breeze - a possible
Honey, but again will have to let it go unidentified -
I should of tried to grab a photo, but just too
windy!
Next a female Sparrowhawk flew across from
north Hayling and kept very low over the mud before
dashing up the Wade Lane footpath.
A Peregrine next (looked like a juvenile)
dashed through the waders, failing to connect, but
scaring off everything.
And, finally, in the distance over Thorney Island I
had brief views of an Osprey trying to hover
and plunge dive, but pulling out each time.
Other birds of note were off shore: 18 Sandwich Tern,
8 Common Gull, 36 Teal, 3 Greenshank, 30 Black-tailed
Godwit, 2 Lapwing, 6 Knot, 5 Bar-tailed Godwit, 4
Dunlin, 4 Grey Plover, 147+ Redshank, 1 Lesser
Black-backed Gull, Female Pintail with rings, A single
Brent Goose.
On the pond were: 8 Little Egrets, 4 Grey Herons, 7
Teal, 3 male & 2 female Shoveler in eclipse, 1
Linnet, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Meadow Pipit,
4 Pied Wagtails.
Brian's
news
Brian Lawrence was at Langstone this afternoon and did
manage to get a photo of one of 4 Buzzards that he saw
over the field by the pond - definitely a Common
Buzzard.
Brian also saw the
large flock of Redshank and got a photo of a few of
them.
Thorney
delights
Juliette Leach
and her mother were very excited to get a great view
of an Osprey today over Thorney Deeps and over
their heads on the footpath. It was being harried by
crows and seagulls but seemed unperturbed. They also
saw two Crested Grebes fishing in the deeps at the
water inlet and had a great view of a Kingfisher
flying along the stream.
On the shore side as the tide was receding they saw a
lone Grey Plover - the first either of them had
ever seen so naturally they were very excited by that
too. Nice one.
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 4 - 2016
Stansted
This morning
Jean and I went to Stansted for coffees in the
Pavilion Cafe. While there we were pleased to meet up
with Chris Cope and Marion Harrington, members of the
Havant Wildlife Group, who told us they had been
friends for nearly 50 years!
After coffee we walked through the avenue of
Michaelmas Daisies in the walled garden. These late
summer flowers are excellent sources of nectar for
late flying insects and today were attracting a
variety of bees, including this magnificent
white-tailed Bumblebee - probably Bombus
terrestris - queen or worker? This species
often nests late in the year.
Jean and I also had a
walk round the arboretum during which we were
constantly accompanied by the cries of Buzzards
soaring overhead. I can never resist picking up a
handful of bright brown conkers from the ground,
though sadly kids don't play with them any more. Here
is one I found just emerging from its prickly case. I
find that just magical!
While walking through
the arboretum, we came across a notice advertising the
'Tree of the Month' - called Henry's Lime
(Tilia henryana). The notice from
Head Forester, Michael Prior, informs us that Henry's
Lime was introduced to Britain by the plant hunter
Ernest Wilson in 1901 and named after Augustine Henry
who first discovered it in China in 1888. This
particular specimen in Stansted Arboretum is rather
special as it was grown from wild seed collected in
China by a specialist nursery and was planted as a
small transplant in 1991. Michael says that modern
nursery produced stock these days has a much tidier
shape than this tree.
The small ivory
flowers appear in the autumn in clusters of up to 20
and have a rich perfume and abundant nectar for late
bees.
Brook
Meadow
Malcolm
Phillips had an hour on the meadow today and got
several interesting photos, as always. Most
interesting was a very furry orange caterpillar which
I think is usually referred to as a 'woolly bear'.
However, as pointed out to me by Ralph Hollins a few
years ago (October 2011 to be exact), the common
woolly bear type caterpillars of the Fox Moth and
Garden Tiger Moth have some black hairs giving a two
tone appearance and also they go into hibernation
early in the summer. Malcolm's is almost certainly a
Ruby Tiger moth caterpillar which waits until the
autumn before it goes in search of a hibernation
site.
See the UK Moths web site at . . . http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/phragmatobia-fuliginosa/
Malcolm also got a
female Blackbird eating one of the Rowan
berries from the trees on the east side of the north
meadow. Caught in the act!
Malcolm also spotted
this interesting insect which looks vaguely like the
Caddis Fly that he got on Sep 28, though I hesitate to
give any pronouncement on this since I thought the
last one was a moth! My thanks to Tony Davis who
confirmed that this insect is also a Caddis Fly.
Wild
Clary at Hayling
I thought the
only local Wild Clary was the colony on the grass
verge in Christopher Way Emsworth. However, Ralph
Hollins has discovered another one currently freshly
flowering at the southern end of Langstone Bridge
beside the path which connects the main road to the
old rail line at approx SU 7192-0392 on the southern
shore of 'Texaco Bay.
Ralph gives the following directions: "The quickest
way to see it if you go by car is to cross Langstone
Bridge and continue south past the Texaco Garage then
make a difficult right turn to enter the shoreline car
park. After parking, walk south and turn right on to
the path heading towards the Billy Line but as soon as
you emerge from the shade of the trees, and before
reaching the first sharp left turn in the path, look
for the lone Clary plant growing by the north edge of
the path you are on".
Ospreys
on Thorney
Juliette Leach says she just couldn't resist returning
to Thorney deeps (West side) with her camera today.
She says, "The Osprey took a while to appear but when
it did it came zooming in from nowhere. I had a new
250mm focal lens and a new contraption - a doubler so
I could zoom in on my prey! Unfortunately, the double
meant that most of my photos were out of focus and I
had to focus manually but of the 180 photos that I
took I was pleased with a couple of them! The Osprey
made several attempts to dive (which were quite
spectacular) but bombed out at the last minute.
However on its 3rd attempt, I knew it was going for
it, the legs came out and in it splashed! It caught a
small fish in its talons which it proceeded to eat on
a fence post at the far end of the water. Watching on,
a few fences posts down was another Osprey (they had
been circling together earlier).
Here are some of
Juliette's photos of the Osprey diving.
On her way home
Juliette heard a small bird squeaking from the reeds
only to see a Kestrel ploughing headlong into the
reeds and out popped a Kingfisher in
terror!
MONDAY
OCTOBER 3 - 2016
Peter
Pond
I was passing
Peter Pond at 9.30am and was surprised to see a
Mute Swan family of one adult (probably female)
plus 3 cygnets. I assume they were from the Slipper
Millpond nest earlier in the year.
There was no sign of
the Mandarin Duck, but I counted at least 50 Mallards,
plus a few Coot and Moorhen. I spotted a Brown Rat
feeding on a bank of cut reeds which is where David
Gattrell probably leaves food for the ducks.
Nore
Barn
I nipped over
to Nore Barn at 11.00am to catch the rising tide. I
could see masses of Wigeon and Teal on the far
mudflats - a good 500 at an estimate. There was also A
good flock of 62 Redshank plus one Black-tailed Godwit
and a Curlew. Seven Mute Swans were in the stream near
to high water, but no waders. Four Greenshank were
resting on the mudflats. I tried hard to turn one of
them with rings on its legs into a Spotted Redshank!
I am getting a bit
anxious about the Spotted Redshank. Will it not be
with us for its13th winter running?
Emsworth
Harbour
Peter
Milinets-Raby had a look at the western harbour this
afternoon to see the waders arrive as the tide
dropped.
Beacon Square from 3:35pm: 1 Buzzard, 8 Sandwich Tern
resting on Buoys and flying around, 24 Teal. Meadow
Pipit heard flying over on three occasions.
16 Greenshank flew in at 4:08pm (G//R + GL//- &
B//R + BB//- & G//R + LY//- The BB could be GB, so
difficult to tell at distance.. Also had YO, but just
the one leg noticed. If there is only one YO, then
that's easy to work out).
Emsworth Harbour: 21 Turnstone resting on a yacht, 80+
Brent Geese deep in the harbour, 1 Great Black-backed
Gull.
Nore Barn: 10 Teal.
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 2 - 2016
Brook
Meadow
I went over to
Brook Meadow this morning for the regular first Sunday
in the month work session. It was a nice autumnal
morning with a chill in the air and a good group of
volunteers assembled with one new lady. Jennifer asked
Dan to lead the work session.
The main task was to
finish cutting and raking the orchid area in the north
meadow which was started on the last workday. It now
looks fine, all ready for next year's crop of orchids
hopefully.
Meanwhile, Jennifer
and Debbie got into the river to clear rubbish.
For Dan's report on
the work session plus more photos go to . . .
http://www.brookmeadow.org.uk/conservation-work/
Wildlife
news
Pam Phillips
told me she regularly sees two Kingfishers in
early morning in the Dolphin Quay area near Slipper
Millpond. These birds will have come down river after
breeding and will be around for the winter.
During the clearing of the orchid area one of the
volunteers came across a beautiful Four-spot
Spider (Araneus quadratus) which is
easy to identify from its round abdomen with four
spots on the top. After being well viewed by all the
volunteers and photographed by me, it was placed out
of harm's way in the bushes.
While walking around
the meadow I noticed several grasses were flowering,
including Tall Fescue, Annual Meadow-grass, False
Oat-grass and Cocksfoot.
Another Crack Willow
tree has come down across the south path, though one
can easily get beneath it.
Malcolm's
news
Malcolm
Phillips was on the meadow this morning and stayed
around until about 2.30. During that time he saw
three Buzzards soaring over the meadow,
probably from the Lumley Mill Farm site. Here is one
of them.
A Kingfisher
flew past him twice between the S-bend and north
bridge, but they were too quick for a photo. But
clearly Kingfishers are about as Pam said.
Malcolm also got a Comma on the Michaelmas
Daisies - we have not had one of those for a while. He
also got what I think is a male Migrant Hawker.
This dragonfly tends to fly later than the more common
Southern Hawker.
Finally, Malcolm had a
look at Peter Pond where he found the male Mandarin
Duck posing for a photo. Dan Mortimer whose house
overlooks Peter Pond tells me he sees this bird
regularly in the morning on the pond. But we have had
no further sightings of the female.
Malcolm tells me he
will be leaving Emsworth on Oct 16 to make a new life
with a new wife and house in Cuba. We wish him well.
As I have said before, Malcolm has made an important
contribution to wildlife records of Brook Meadow and
we shall miss his excellent photos.
For
earlier observations go to . . .September
1-30
