Author: chrisbutton1

A Cuckoo called at just before 7am as I was heading to count the Avocets. A few Sand Martin drifted east and a Dartford Warbler churred just up ahead. One or two Lesser Whitethroats were rattling away, several Whitethroats were singing and there were so many mobile Linnets that it became tiring checking every bird!

I counted 29 Avocet on Gt Marsh including AX and a double green lime/yellow but no sign of the pair of Little Ringed Plover from Thursday. The two pairs of Redshank spent most of their time looking agitated and half a dozen Teal were still around. A quick look on the sea behind me and I could see that Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit were going past in small numbers.

I headed back to MMs sea-watching bush and on the way Alan reported from Milford Shelter that a Bonxie had gone through the narrows into the Solent and so likely would be heading my way. Clay and Ian were both on their way and within 15 minutes we were all watching the Solent hoping for the Bonxie. Unfortunately there was no sign, perhaps we all missed it, or it turned back or it was sat on the sea.

There was a strong passage of Common Scoter off Milford but apparently they were circulating in the bay and as is often the case none of them came up the Solent. We did see three Gannets and two groups of Common Terns and a blunt-nosed black auk species was close enough to identify as Razorbill.

I also picked up a distant diver heading rapidly east. It appeared slender necked and white headed with rather deep wing beats. Undoubtedly a Red-throated Diver and probably the bird that Alan had seen heading into the Solent. Thirty late straggling Brent Geese also headed east.

I looked over my shoulder while sea-watching and noticed a smart White Wagtail feeding around MMs Pools. I got closer by crouching and approaching slowly behind a tussock of grass. My third of the spring so far and soon afterwards a female type Marsh Harrier flew low over Pullen.

White Wagtail

On our monitoring a young Peregrine dashed over the Island but didn’t draw the attention of the adult birds. My guess is that she is one of the young from the 2019 nest, she headed off back west along the shingle ridge.

A male and female Wheatear ran along the edge of the gorse near the Warden’s Hut and showed well for 30 minutes or more until a Sparrowhawk dashed over the gorse line weaving between the bushes. The first two House Martins of the day appeared and the steady easterly stream of Swallows continued.   

I saw at least 200 Whimbrel and 50 Bar-tailed Godwit during the day but the best views were of grounded birds. A group of 25 Bar-tailed Godwits gradually walked south down the edge of the river and I used the wooden structure near the slipway as a hide.

As I was heading back home the car proved to be a useful hide for close views of the Whimbrel who were feeding in Droveway South.

At the Reedy Ditch there were Egyptian Goose chicks, Greylag goslings and Mallard ducklings.

On the drive down W Lane I paused at BW House to watch a male Kestrel who was perched on the Dovecote, they are nesting here. I headed to MM’s Pools but a Marsh Harrier beat me to it and as a result there were few birds around when I arrived, only a Little Egret enjoying the early morning sun.

Next stop was Gt Marsh and Gv Marsh. Linnets were everywhere. I saw my first Dartford Warbler for two weeks, it was a male in the Ringing Area and a pair of Bullfinches showed well nearby including a ringed bird which Graham first trapped four years ago.

Highlight of the day was a Cuckoo calling at 6:45am. It called again at 7:15am but not again all day. It reminds you of the benefit of heading out early.  Greenfinches aren’t particularly common here but they showed well today and a Whitethroat was singing constantly but moving between song posts in the gorse and scrub adjoining Gt Marsh.

An Avocet wearing yellow flag AX was with 19 other Avocets, down from the 36 I had seen on Thursday although I later saw another eight on DL’O scrape. AX was last seen at Titchfield Haven in July last year. It was ringed as a chick at Gt Marsh in the summer of 2018 and at 3 years old it is now mature enough to breed.

Our Peregrine monitoring was from 8am to 11am and passed without issues. A Sparrowhawk flew over the river towards Exbury and a Whimbrel was close by in a marshy creek.

Once we’d finished we headed to the hides and on the way found another five Whimbrel feeding in the Wedge Field. In the warmer weather there were more butterflies on the wing with fresh Speckled Woods, a Peacock and a couple of Large Whites. Several Buff-tailed Bumblebees were also looking for nesting holes.

The Reed Warbler at B Water gate was singing constantly but again failed to show for a photograph, maybe next time. The juvenile Russian White-fronted Goose was still present on Venner Island with a pair of Wigeon lingering and a pair of Pochard perhaps thinking about breeding. I wonder if the juvenile White-front may stay here for the summer. I know that Roseate Terns, for example, stay on their wintering grounds in Ghana during their first summer before heading north to breed when they are two years old.

A Chiffchaff jumped out in front of us giving excellent views. You can see the short primary extension (obviously shorter than the tertial length) which is a good ID feature separating this short range migrant from the longer range Willow Warblers (who have longer wings)

I checked the AudioMoths and thankfully both were still flashing green meaning that the batteries had lasted and everything was still working. It may well be, however, that there will be few Nathusius Pipistrelle records given the colder weather we’ve had. I reset the timer, inserted new batteries and new SD cards. I was just about to head to Lepe to sort out the AudioMoth there when I heard that there was an issue at G Island with paddle boarders sunbathing very close to the Peregrine nest.

I headed back and arrived to hear that the intruders hadn’t heard the Loud Haler siren and also didn’t hear the shouts. The Harbour Master was called but they aren’t insured to go out on the Solent and as the paddle boarders were on the seaward side of G Island there was nothing they could do. Thankfully they left after about 30 minutes.

While we were chatting near the Warden’s Hut I heard the classic rippling call of several Whimbrel and looked up to see 45 heading east in a classic goose like V-formation, an impressive sight.

A male Shelduck was head throwing in display on NP and a female Pochard swam low hugging the reed bed. Shelduck will certainly breed here and the Pochard may try although not many do in Hampshire.

There was a further increase in Avocet numbers with 36 now on G Marsh. They included the 7 year old who was ringed as a chick at NO and which I saw here on the 1^st April. A pair of very vocal Redshank were running around in a courtship chase.  

Pochard, Redshank and Egyptian Geese

On Venner South a huge flock of 141 Mediterranean Gulls, mostly adults, were resting on the grass. There were perhaps 250 in the general area and local breeding for some of them seems likely. In 1968 G Island was the first place where Mediterranean Gulls bred in the UK.

A pair of Little Grebes came very close to us in B Water hide and with the sun still low behind us the colours were intense. I caught the male while singing, the babbling trill that is part of the soundtrack to spring at NO.

The Marsh Harriers were actively displaying and repeatedly dropping into the base of the reeds near the trees which border the northern side of B Water. This is the same place that I saw a male and female carrying nesting material last week. At one stage two female types tussled mid-air.

Marsh Harriers

While in B Water hide I watched the White-tailed Eagle lift up into view over the Gins. I first saw it in this general area two weeks ago but this time it was much closer. On Tuesday it had spent most of the day on the ground near the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, roughly in the direction we were looking. This bird is a 2019 released male.

White-tailed Eagle

There was no obvious arrival of migrants with unchanged numbers of Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs. The juvenile Russian White-fronted Goose was still on JV Island with the Barnacle Goose resting only a few yards away.

Barnacle Goose and Russian White-fronted Goose photos by Ian Williamson

A lingering group of 8 Great Crested Grebes floated off shore from MMs house. The Egyptian Goose pair shepherded their eight chicks into the reeds at the back of the Reedy Ditch and a smart White Wagtail was new on the Warren Flash side of the ditch.

White Wagtail