A couple more shots of the 2w Iceland Gull at Camber Dock, Pompey

A couple more shots of the Shore Lark at Hayling Island Oysterbeds yesterday

Shore Lark and Iceland Gull - 30th January

 I popped down to Hayling today to try and connect again with the Shore lark at the Oysterbeds and did so immediately, it was showing well at the closest end of the shingle island.

 With time to spare I thought I would try my luck again with the Camber Dock 2w Island Gull and 3^rd time lucky I connected very quickly. It showed very well in flight and then perched up nicely too giving me the chance to get some photos and video. See below.

Avian Anomalies - 29th January

I spent a few hour this afternoon in the Langstone Harbour area just general birding really but certainly with the hope of finding a white winged gull given the current influx. Sadly that wasn’t to be and it was generally very quite though there were two highlights, none of which are likely to spark a twitch! 

Budds sewage farm held little of note but I was able to pick out a Ferruginous Duck hybrid. This area has a long history of records of these hybrids but the long returning bird is very Ferruginous Duck like with some subtle anomalies. This individual looks like a straight forward 50/50 male Ferruginous Duck X Pochard hybrid. It’s also known in the area along with a 50/50 female.

Next was bird of the day an absolutely stunning male Blackbird! (I’ve never said that before!) Blackbirds are one of the more common or at least obvious suffers of leucism a condition where pigment cells fail to develop, I have seen a similar leucistic Blackbird to this before as well as plenty that only suffered from lack of pigment in a few feathers. The colour of this bird’s legs has also been affected. In case anyone cares it was frequenting the edge of the Sinah golf club car park on Hayling Island.  Photo and video below:

Patchlisting - 22nd January

Well the plan was to spend the day on my patch, but since I’ve been wittering on about the immature Iceland Gull at Camber Dock, Portsmouth, and given that stupidly I’ve voiced an opinion based on low res pics on the net, I thought I really should go and see it, maybe take some photos and set my mind at ease. General opinion seems to be that it is a 2^nd winter bird and I'm pretty sure that is the case but to me at least it didn’t seem 100% clear cut. Anyway there was no sign of it and a flyby blue lightening bolt of a Kingfisher was no consolation, however the Old Speckled Hen was!

By early afternoon it was back to plan A, out on the patch a very quiet Binswood did produce Nuthatch, Coal Tit and Marsh Tit all of which were patch year ticks somehow! However still not a sniff of Siskin, Redpoll or Brambling. The Green Sandpiper was still present on King Johns pond and as I headed back towards Kingsley sandpits a Little Egret flew over my head and I later relocated it on KSP south, nice one! Next I decided to target Owls over dusk, Little Owl and Tawny were as expected not a problem but I am quite concerned that the Barn Owls I’ve been watching in this area for maybe a decade have been obliterated by the harsh winter periods of the last two years, snow cover was thick and complete up here and that must make hunting very hard.

Hampshire ticks just keep on coming - 16th January 2012

A Shorelark was seen yesterday at Hayling Oysterbeds late in the afternoon and reported to Birdguides this morning. I had already made plans to visit the coast this afternoon if I had time and so with not especially high hopes I arrived at the Oysterbeds. After a brief exchange of conversation with a Dorset birder we parted ways to look for the bird. Just a few minutes later I picked it out distantly on the shingle island, the first Shorelark I have seen in Hampshire and my fifth new Hampshire bird this year.
There is no way I’ll keep up this momentum!!

Unfortunately only two other birders were able to connect before it disappeared followed by the appearance of various familiar faces hoping to see it. I gather it didn’t show again until late in the day around dusk, but at least its still there.

Ferruginous Duck – 12th Jan 2012

Having seen two Hampshire Megas with time to spare I figured I may as well take another look at the Blashford Ferruginous Duck since I had such poor views before. The bird was asleep much of the time among a raft of Pochard but occasionally stuck its head up, preened or swam a short distance. 

Here are a few record shots I took of the bird last Thursday, it appears to be a typical Ferruginous Duck in most respects. Plumage wise it seems fine, the contrast between flanks and breast was barely noticeable (though in other pictures it seems quite obvious!).The bill looks good with all the dark mostly restricted to the nail. 

The eye is pale white, though can look yellowish!The head shape is round though can appear to be slightly peaked but never as peaked as in this photo from my archive, of a presumably typical male Ferruginous Duck, taken in captivity. 

 

Male Ferruginous Duck, Photographed at Arundel WWT

 The bird shows no white spot under the chin, but appears in some photos to have a pale lore spot. The overall size of the bird is good it is smaller than a Tufted Duck.

I did not see the bird in flight but I assume the wings are as typical Ferruginous Duck. 

There seems little doubt that the bird is mostly, if not completely genetically a male Ferruginous Duck and if it isn’t what mixture of genes could cause the head shape anomaly? 

Junco revisited – 12th Jan 2012

It seemed rude not to pay the Dark-eyed Junco a visit over lunchtime after I had had my fill of the Sparrow. Unfortunately the light was bad and it started drizzling, it showed briefly though with perhaps a dozen Reed Bunting and there were a few chaffinches knocking around the area too. I was reasonably happy with this picture which was the only keeper of about 6 I fired of as it showed in the open briefly in the usual area among the fallen pines.

It was great to be able to just drop in and see a bird like this for a second time when there’s no pressure to see it and have it show pretty quickly and well all be it briefly. 

Spanish Sparrow, Photographs - 12th Jan 2012

Spanish Sparrow, Calshot, Hampshire - 12th Jan 2012

Big thanks to Bruce Gwynn for allowing birders into his girlfriends home to see this bird today. It showed in the hedge along the road mid morning and then moved to the garden feeders later on and seemed pretty reliable, sticking to a small area though at times it was elusive. My 4th Hants tick this year, which isn't bad for the12th January. 

A great bird that I am relieved to have now seen, though lets face it not going anywhere. 

Spanish Sparrow, short Video - 12th Jan 2012

Hayling Island - 8th January 2012

After an interesting! evening in the pub for the Hayling birders Christmas curry and drinks, I found myself birding Hayling from mid-morning with a slightly hazy head. ACJ and I had what I considered a good variety and quality of Hants birds including 3-4 Razorbill, 9 Slavonian Grebe, 1 Red-necked Grebe and 6 Red-throated Diver from Sandy point. The thousands of waders at the Black Point roost was also an impressive site, and the café up the road does a very good fry up.

Patchlist 2012 - 7th January

I gave the patch its first proper bash today and concentrated on the sand pits and the farmland. No sign of the Wigeon that was around after Christmas which was a pity. Grey wagtail was reasonable and saves me worrying about that one. Otherwise things were very quiet particularly out on the farmland where I hoped i'd bump into a few finches, maybe there will be some when winter starts! It seemed quite spring like at times and I had a drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker.

Late afternoon things stepped up a gear when I realised I could scan Sleaford Reservoir FROM my patch, though this small reservoir does not fall within it. Making full use of the in, over or from rule I thought it may be good for a Pochard or alike. I was very pleased to pick up a drake Goosander on here, Brilliant!!! This is a scarce bird locally and an unexpected bonus for the patch. There are two small sections of heathland on my patch that I don’t know well but that I planned to target for Woodlark in the spring. Shortly after the Goosander I was back on my bike when I flushed three birds from the edge of a ploughed field at Malthouse Farm, before I had dismounted there calls gave them away as Woodlark, excellent.

Patchlist 2012 - 5th January

I had my first real chance so far this year to visit my patch for a couple of hours, the main goal was the wintering Green Sandpiper that may prove to be a key bird. Hopefully waders won’t be hard to come by in the spring but I have not really birded the Kingsley pits before in migration seasons so its all new, which is nice. The Green Sand was present and also of note was a Cormorant and a good count of 270 Black-headed Gulls on the north pit with one Common Gull. Gulls seem to use this pit most when it’s windy as a place to shelter, a similar thing was happening in the autumn with a wider variety of species. Anyway they never seem to roost here overnight but I have high hopes of getting 6-7 gull species here over the year.

Hampshire birding 1st & 2nd January 2012

With the first two days of the year available to go birding and a determination not to yearlist this year I had intended to devote some time to starting my patchlist. However on the evening of the 31^st Dec news broke of a Dark-eyed Junco in the New Forest, and along with recent news of a Ferruginous Duck at Blashford and an Iceland Gull at Gosport it seemed Hants ticks were on the cards.

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Hawkhill Inclosure, The New Forest, Hampshire.2nd January 2012 

I woke on the 1^st having surprisingly stuck to my guns and had very little to drink the night before. I decided to make the Junco site (Hawkhill Inclosure) my first port of call hoping to beat the crowds and see the bird as reported feeding in the car park. By mid morning there was no sign of it and a surprising lack of people looking, though news on site seemed positive and dispelled thoughts of a possible hoax. There was little else of note in the car park aside from a few Crossbills.

Around mid morning I decided on a trip to Blashford for the Ferruginous Duck which was not as reported on Spinnaker Lake but thankfully had relocated not far away on Ivy Lake. Unfortunately shortly after catching up with it the heavens opens and I only really had distant rain encumbered views of it, a little unsatisfactory but a Hants tick in the bag none the less. The weather scuppered other Blashford birding that I could have considered though I did pick out a Bewick’s Swan in the meadows at Harbridge. With few options left to consider in this weather I figured I may as well be getting wet were there was a chance of seeing a Dark-eyed Junco and so I returned to Hawkhill Inclosure, where for most of the remaining afternoon I was 50% of the people looking for the bird. Clearly everyone had the sense to be elsewhere though some reward for persistence and a soaking came in the form of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at around 16:00.

The 2^nd Jan dawned a very different day in all respects, clear skies and sunshine all be it pretty cold. I had arrange to meet  Andy Johnson and catch up with a few of the good Hants birds on offer (we both claim to be ‘not yearlisting’) and with any luck catch up with the two Hants ticks I still needed (Iceland Gull and the Junco). The Cattle Egret was still showing at Warblington but we were soon on the way to Gosport to attempt to see the Iceland. We had no joy but the Ring-billed Gull showed nicely at Walpole Park and during this period news that the Junco was showing had reached us.

On arrival at  Hawkhill Inclosure, which seems like a different place due to the different weather, we learned that the bird had been showing sporadically with Reed Buntings NW of the car park in a cleared area, though as everyone present was aware it was difficult to pin down. Thankfully a phone call in the early afternoon saw everyone heading for a group of pines and birch where the bird and been seen a few minutes previously still associated with Reed Bunting. It was some while however before anyone got views and several people had dispersed including me. I had unsatisfactory flight views as it moved around between ground cover and trees but eventually I was in the right place to see it well and take a few photos. Phewww!  

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Hawkhill Inclosure, The New Forest, Hampshire.2nd January 2012

Hants tick number two and a cracking bird under my belt. The Junco was seen again more distantly shortly after this and apparently a few more times in the afternoon but unless it settles down in the car park to feed on the seed that has been placed there it will remain a difficult bird to see.


With not much daylight left another attempt to see the Iceland Gull at Gosport on the way home seemed the only option and with frankly low expectations we arrived in Harbour Road to news that it was showing! Good but distant views were had of a cracking adult Iceland Gull, my third Hampshire tick in two days, on the pipes of the fuel jetty where it was also accompanied by the Ring-billed Gull.

A couple of pints ended an overall cracking day of  Hampshire birding, but I’m not yearlisting J