Patchlist 2012 - 22nd April

Very few chances to get out on the patch in the last few weeks have meant that there are probably several migrants i should have seen there by now. However i have managed a few hour over the last week and have added Swallow unsurprisingly. More surprising though certainly hoped for is a semi resident Common Tern that's been present for a few days at Kingsley south pit, interestingly it is sporting a ring. I had hoped this pit would be good enough to attracted Terns and I know hope there will at some point be more than just this one species!!

Patch meanderings

Grey Partridge

Various meanderings locally over the last couple of weeks have produced little of note except a trickle of the first summer migrants. Chiffchaffs have been everywhere for a while now and i have had two singing Blackcap and Firecrests seem to be in every bit of vaguely suitable woodland in the Hants/Surrey/Sussex border area, however it took me until yesterday to find a male singing on my patch! I also picked up the first Sand Martins at Kingsley sand pits where they will no doubt be a continued feature through the summer since they are likely to breed here.

Another resent highlight was a daytime Tawny Owl which I located due the local Jays and Chaffinches kicking off over its presence, a shame it wasn’t a LEO!

Grey Partridge seem to be cropping up in various places around the patch, so it's good to know they are around in what seems to be good numbers.

Iceland Gull, Broadmarsh

My favourite shot of the Broadmarsh Iceland Gull

Rose-coloured (and uncooperative) Starling, Hordle, 11th March

Nice bird to see but unfortunately, as you could guess from the video, it never showed very well for me.
For better pictures see basically anywhere else......

Going gullistic - The Iceland Gulls....

The Immature Iceland Gulls in Hampshire, Jan-March 2012 

Iceland Gull, Broadmarsh, Hampshire - March 2012

Firstly I am basing a lot on little experience, and features which may not be concrete, bear in mind I do most of my birding in Hampshire and I Hants ticked Iceland Gull this year, so I have not seen many. I also admit to not fully understanding how and when these birds moult, but I now believe the Broadmarsh bird could well be a 1^st winter bird and that the Camber dock bird is certainly a 2^nd winter. Anyone following this may realise that they were both aged as such publically after there initial discovery and in both cases I challenged that opinion! What a numpty! Anyway over the course of my journey all round the houses and back I have learned a lot and I hope you have too.

The Camber Dock Iceland Gull
Photographed on the 30^th January 2012

If you except that the Camber bird has a darker iris than is typical then everything else fits 2w. The books suggest that the iris colour is a good feature to use to age birds in their first two year but that it can be variable. In general we are lead to believe that the iris of a 1w should be dark and in a 2w it should be pale.

The above photo has been deliberately darkened to enhance and clearly show the presence of grey feathers in the mantle and scapulars of this bird. The argument falls apart If a 1w Iceland Gull can appear this advanced but surly it can’t. So coupled with this and a clearly bi-coloured iris, the pale greenish ivory (not pink) coloured base to the bill with a dark band and a pale tip, the white head, breast and primaries and otherwise very pale appearance it has to be a 2w.

The Broadmarsh Iceland Gull 
Photographed on the 5^th , 12^th and 14^th March 2012


This bird superficially looks very similar to the Camber bird and could be thought to be in 2w plumage. Add to that its dark eye (a feature apparently unusual for a 2w) and it is unsurprising that I and others initially suspected it to be the same individual as the Camber Dock bird. On inspection of photographs it became clear that this was not the case.

In strong sunlight the iris of the Broadmarsh bird can look yellowish, but in general it appears dark as in this photo. 

The bill base is pink (not greenish ivory) with an all dark band and tip. The head and breast are white but particularly in flight the wings, tail and upper body have a brownish milky tea colouring. 



There is no sign of any new grey feathers in the mantle and scapulars. 

It is not a typical biscuit coloured juvenile but I believe this bird has a dark eye because it is a faded, worn juvenile (or 1^st winter).

If you have got this far then you must be at least vaguely interested in these birds and their age.
What do you think?

Thanks must go to Alan Lewis, Andy Johnson and particularly to Jason Crook for helping me to get my head around these gulls…

Cheers

Woolmer tick - 12th March

Not just any Red Kite, a Woolmer Red Kite  

Not only that the first I have ever seen at Woolmer (my proper local patch) in at least ten years of regular birding there. Having now seen six Red Kites locally in a month, which is more than i had ever previously seen in total locally, it seem this is the year they become a regular site round these parts....!

Iceland headache

On studying my photos from today of the Broadmarsh Iceland Gull it is clear that it is different to the Camber Dock bird, though at first glance similar. There is a difference in bill pattern, the Camber bird has a pale tip, and the eye looks nothing but dark in any of my photos of the Broadmarsh bird, where as the Camber bird’s eye though dark for a 3cy is pale/bicoloured. The Broadmarsh bird doesn’t have any grey/un-patterned mantle/scaps feathers, the Camber bird does. So the Broadmarsh bird is quite unlike the Camber 3cy in many ways but it is not a brown coffee coloured, dark billed juvenile/2cy. So is the Broadmarsh bird a faded, spring juv/2cy…?
Or should I just stop looking at Gulls?!?!
Comments welcome!

Patchlist: 75% Woodcock - 24th February

Well the Malthouse Farm area is fast becoming one of my favoured areas of the patch; there is a good view over a large area that takes in farmland, woodland and views of Sleaford reservoir. So far the Goosander and Ruff have been found from here and yesterday I picked up another Red Kite, tens of Buzzards and managed a new high count of ten Goosander.

Just about got all ten in one picture, they're Goosander believe me!

Tonight I was there again for an hour at dusk with a view to targeting Barn Owl hunting the farmland. Sadly that was not to be though at Sleaford Res a pair of Goosander almost certainly roosted along with 7 immature Mute Swans and 45 Canada Geese. Both Little and Tawny Owl were calling and two Woodcock flew over me and out into the farmland to feed. Species no. 75 so three quarters of the way to my original target for the year before the end of February!

Patchlist: Kites are like Buses - 21st February

Record shot

I had a wander around the part of the Straits Enclosure, Alice Holt Forest that is included in my patch yesterday with little to report though there were several Marsh Tit. It will definitely be worth coming back to this area in the spring and summer as I have had Turtle Dove and Lesser Whitethrout here in the past and it must also have a chance of harbouring breeding Firecrest so a bit of a rekey more than anything.

Today I briefly stopped in at Sleaford Res to check on the Goosander, still three birds present. Even better though I stopped by a road on the western side of my patch and had a scan around for raptors. Straight away I was pretty sure I had a distant Red Kite and scoped it to confirm, a nice patch tick that I was pretty sure of getting but they are still a scarce bird locally. I hung around a little longer and got the total up to four with three of those together. It seems they’ll be a common site soon then, I’ve seen as many today as I had seen in my corner of Hampshire ever before!

Patchlist 2012 - 18th February

I had a couple of damp hours on the patch today with not a great deal to show for my trouble. At Kingsley sandpits I had several Mandarins and a Cormorant along with the female Wigeon again, though it flew of and I later relocated it at Stubbs Farm ponds where there was also Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Tufted, Gadwall, Canada Goose and Mute Swan so as good a selection of waterfowl as anywhere on my patch. The most interesting bird here however was a hybrid Tufted x Pochard which I suspect is the same bird mentioned at this location in the 2010 Hampshire bird report, so it has been around for years and I am therefore surprised that I have never encountered it before on any of the other local water bodies. Anyway I still need Pochard so does it count as half a tick!?

Patch Mega - 16th Feb

A brief spell on the patch today was really productive. The footpath that runs west from Malthouse farm is mostly within my patch and affords good views to the north over the Straits enclosure, part of Alice Holt Forest and the surrounding farmland. It is also possible to stand in my patch here and scope Sleaford reservoir. By doing this I had already found a drake Goosander last month. Once in position I started to scan the area, really with a bonus raptor in mind and concentrated on the sky. There were plenty of Buzzards around but the hoped for Red Kite has yet to be seen. After a while I scanned the reservoir and picked up a drake Goosander straight away but another bird slipped out of view before I could id it, though it later appeared and proved to be a female, nice a pair! Before long another drake slipped into view, and by the time I had left I had managed to see six Goosander here which included 4 drakes, there may be more. Goosander is a scarce bird locally though perhaps not anymore!

There were at least 100 Skylark in the stubble here 30+ Linnet and a few hundred winter thrushes too. As I had arrived I had noticed a flock of Lapwing south of the reservoir but not paid them too much attention, they were occasionally getting up in the air and flying around, I stuck my bins on them and noticed a smaller wader among them, initially I took it for a Golden Plover but as I watched it spiral round with the flock at some distance something didn’t fit. 

I noticed the birds feet extended beyond its tail and as it descended the white tail sides were obvious, it landed and quickly started feeding actively quite unlike the Lapwings and everything fell into place, a Ruff, an almost unheard of bird locally and another patch mega!!! 

Patchlist 2012 - 6th-15th Feb

Last week I did manage a few hours on my patch over two or three days. I added Snipe at Shortheath Common thanks to Tony Davis’s detailed knowledge of the site and also Reed Bunting at two different sites. Other highlights were a Little Egret roosting at KSP south and a pre roost flock of 140 Linnet in Oakhanger as well as 26 Golden Plover and 200+ Skylark in one flock near Wyck.  On 15th I also added Red-legged Partridge and Yellowhammer, two in a  Chaffinch flock in a stubble field with 5 Reed Buntings and the first singing Yellowhammer I have heard this year a few hundred meters away. So things ticking over nicely and some interesting hard weather birds bring me up to 72 species.

Patchlist 2012 - 4th Feb

It seems winter has arrived so a few hours out on the patch this afternoon seemed in order since more than a few winter birds are still missing from my list, due to the mild weather. Hopefully things will change in the coming days as the weather around the country moves a few birds around. Just as I was about to leave the house I had a text from Andy Davidson to say that 12 Golden Plover were near Kingsley and within my patch. There is usually a local wintering flock but I had yet to catch up with them and so I made these my first stop. 12 Golden Plover (later 30) with a few Lapwings, nice.  

The northern pits at Kingsley were quite frozen but I was pleased to find a good count of 39 Gadwall keeping a small area ice free in the company of 5 Mallard, 3 Lt Grebe, 3 Coot, 1 Teal and best of all a Wigeon probably the same female that was around at the end of last year, where has she been! The big south pit was ice free?! and attracting a lots of BH Gulls (180+) and a Common Gull to bath, the expected waterfowl were present but 15 Mandarin is more than usual on this pit. It started snowing around 16:15 so visibility was poor but I tried a few places for Barn Owl all the same, with no success, good views of Little Owl and a Tawny sat on the hedge was nice though.

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

Hayling Island - 24th December

I had a brief visit to Hayling Island again today where two Great Northern Divers were showing quite well around the pontoon at the Ferry Boat Inn, where they were feeding mostly on crabs. One of the birds is a first winter and the other a winter plumage adult showing a small amount of remaining summer plumage. 

Juvenile Great Northern Diver 

The only other birds of note that I found were in Chichester Harbour from Sandy point where what is presumably the same adult winter Razorbill I saw last week was seen briefly close in before it moved further out into the harbour. Later there was a winter plumage Guillemot in the same area. 

Is was rather quiet otherwise so I had a little play with the camera and took some photos of the sea and beach using the Finepix HS20EXR and a neutral density filter.