Author: chrisbutton1

Ian texted me at just after 10am to say that there was a Barnacle Goose on Venner. They are a declining feral resident with up to 30 or so wandering in Hampshire and nearby counties. This is the first one to be seen at NO since I started visiting. Sarah and I were due to go out for a drive to Stewarts Garden Centre in Christchurch and so I suggested we detoured via NO first.

We arrived an hour later, I made my down the walking trail to find Ian and Clay at the start of the Boardwalk Field. Ian’s scope was trained ready on the sleeping Barnacle Goose. It immediately woke up and took to the water to swim around JV Island before getting out to feed on the edge of the Wigeon Fields.

Barnacle Goose

I headed back to the car and just before getting back to the road I noticed a couple of Swallows on the wires. I managed a ‘flight’ shot just as one of them lifted off.

Swallow

There was still another patch tick waiting for me back at the parking area. Ian and Sarah had heard several Whimbrel calling while I was watching the goose. Thankfully another called loudly soon after I arrived back at the car and I watched it lift up from the saltings before heading purposefully east. My camera was off but thankfully I had just enough time to boot it up, switch to continuous auto tracking and get a few flight shots.

Whimbrel

Four pairs of Shelduck were flying around NP Marsh. Hearing them calling to each other is a treat. The male closely pursues the female with an amazing discordant whistling call with the female calling ‘gagagaga’ back to him. You only here it when they’re close and they seem to fly around endlessly calling to each other.

Alan texted me to say that he had found a Little Ringed Plover on DL’O scrape, perhaps Joost’s bird from yesterday. He said it was displaying. Ten minutes later I was in DL’O hide and watching it, distantly, throwing its breast forward, head towards the ground and with its tail held high behind. It also appeared to be nest scraping. It will be interesting to see if it hangs around. Nearby Phillip F has been watching two displaying birds at Lepe and Adam is planning a shingle island out from DL’O hide which would be ideal for Little Ringed Plover.

On the other side of the hides I noticed the 1^st year Russian White-fronted Goose with Greylags on B Water just out from NFOC hide. I wonder if it will attempt to follow the adult birds back to Russia, I last saw them almost a month ago.

Around the edge of JV a mixed group of small gulls fed actively, at least 25 of them were Mediterranean Gulls. Another six birds were on DL’O scrape. The birds on DL’O suffer from Great Black-backed Gull predation and menacingly an adult was stood nearby watching them. Earlier, on G Marsh, 21 Avocet were paired up ready for breeding with several of them already on the islands that Adam created a few years back. Two pairs of Pochard were on B Water. They occasionally breed here so I will keep an eye out for them.

There had been a definite increase in Swallow numbers with birds lingering over B Water, at least 20 with a single House Martin amongst them. A quick sea-watch produced a patch tick, a Sanderling heading east. I haven’t seen any all winter, the best chance is no doubt during passage. A summer plumaged Great Crested Grebe also lingered off shore.

Great Crested Grebe photo by Ian Williamson and Ringed Plover

I’d seen two different Red Kites around B Water over the last week and today I watched two together heading over towards Inchmery. They could be the same two individuals but it’s equally likely they are new birds passing through.

Linnet and Meadow Pipit

I did my Peregrine monitoring with Dad and Dimitri. Not long into the session the two adult Peregrines saw off a young Goshawk who was sat on the ground in the middle of the island probably quite close to the nest. We watched high speed dives from the male with the young Goshawk throwing its talons up to meet the diving Peregrine. The female joined the male and together they drove off the interloper. I’d seen this brown immature Goshawk a few weeks ago patrolling over G Island.

On a shortened visit today I headed to the beach first but couldn’t resist the pink twilight sleeping Mute Swans at Reedy Ditch.

On the walk to the beach an immature Goshawk broke through the trees near the information board being chased by a smaller Carrion Crow. There were still 10 Turnstone on the shoreline, only a few remain into April and May.

Oystercatchers were mating and it was clear that there had been a further clear out of Brent Geese, Teal and Wigeon. There were 11 Avocet on DL’O scrape and, later, a similar number on G Marsh. Linnets and Reed Buntings were singing in the NP area.

Linnet and Reed Bunting

With the recent northerlies there appeared to be no significant increase in spring visitors with five Willow Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler and 2 Reed Warblers singing round the reserve. A male and female Marsh Harrier were both seen carrying nesting material down into the reeds at the back of B Water and at one stage the female mobbed a Red Kite who had appeared suddenly.

female Marsh Harrier carrying nesting material and later mobbing a red Kite

The Red Kite broke away and quartered over DL’O lagoon and was then mobbed by the Black-headed Gulls who have settled on the rafts. Based on primary moult, breast markings and tail wear this appears to be a different Red Kite to the one I saw last Thursday.

Red Kite

A lovely fresh Small Tortoiseshell was basking on some flattened reeds, my first at NO and the only butterfly I saw all day.

I relocated the female Garganey on the edge of JV and Ian dashed across from the beach for a patch tick. Soon afterwards the constantly moving Garganey was off again.

female Garganey on the edge of JV, right hand photo by Ian Williamson

Eight Swallows and a House Martin passed through heading east and a Stoat, my first here, ran across the road near the parking area.

Joost was in the car park when I arrived and so we headed down to the beach together to see if yesterday’s Little Ringed Plovers were still around. Just down from NP hide we walked the length of the ditch and unexpectedly flushed a Jack Snipe. I’m sure it must be newly arrived. It flew silently and low and I could just about tell where it landed. I used my thermal camera to try and relocate it before we got too close so that we could get a photo without flushing it. Unfortunately the Jack Snipe was hiding deep within thick grasses and I couldn’t see its thermal image and managed to flush it again. Nice flight views but not the photo I’ve been hoping for.

The Little Ringed Plovers had moved on but a ringed Dartford Warbler showed nicely in the morning sun while a Sedge Warbler was singing energetically from the reedbed and a new Wheatear flitted along the beach fence-line.

After a quick coffee in the car I headed over to the hides. Ian had seen one of the Russian White-fronted Geese yesterday and I managed to relocate it swimming on JV. I assumed all four of the birds had headed back to Russia and so this was a surprise. It looks like it is the 1st year bird who has been left behind.

Collared Dove, Linnet and Chiffchaff

Just behind me a snatch of song was clearly a Willow Warbler and I turned around to see it working its way through the sallows.

On the way back along the walking trail Brown Hares were playing chase in the adjoining fields and I heard a very close and quiet sub song which I thought was a sylvia warbler maybe Blackcap. I followed the sound and glimpses of the bird as it moved slowly back down the other side of the hedge. I decided to walk further ahead of it to the end of the hedge so I could look back along the length of it. The bird flew past me and it was the first Whitethroat of the year and my earliest ever.

distant Whitethroat, first of the year

At around 11am Dad and Ian arrived and we walked the beach loop again. Three Bar-tailed Godwit were new for the day and a flock of 100 Dark-bellied Brent Geese showed that there were still a few around. We were almost back at the car when a Green Woodpecker called in the distance.

During our three hour Peregrine watch a young Mediterranean Gull and a young Spoonbill both flew close by and a House Martin was new for the year and along with lots of this year’s common spring migrants it was my earliest ever.

immature Spoonbill photo by Ian Williamson and 1st year Mediterranean Gull