Author: chrisbutton1

I watched Water Rails and Redshanks mating as I headed over to the hides. The Black-tailed Godwits, 19 of them, were again feeding on the edge of the flood near DL’O hide although they appeared nervous in the long grass. On the scrape there were 20 Avocet and the Pale-bellied Brent Goose was accompanied by around 100 Brent Geese. There was no sign of the White-fronts.

While I was walking back from the hides, at just before 9:30, Joost found a female Garganey on the water’s edge near the entrance to MMs house. I was five minutes away and thankfully it was still there when I arrived. It was in a place where you felt it wouldn’t stay long, perhaps it was newly arrived on the final leg of its journey from Africa. At around 9:45am it flew off west but appeared to land on the other side of MMs house, perhaps on G Marsh and so I decided I would try P Shore later.

Garganey

I hadn’t seen the Peregrine pair on G island on my last two visits and so I was pleased to see them soaring high above the cottages, the male looking noticeably smaller. Last year in late spring several lockdown picnickers landed on G island, the adults abandoned the nest and the chicks starved. This year we are organising a rota to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Peregrine

My first two butterflies of the year appeared in a warm burst of sunshine near the cottages, a Peacock and a male Brimstone. There were also several Buff-tailed Bumblebee queens keeping low to the ground looking for next sites.

At the weather station a couple of birders reported a Red Kite, there is a small passage through Hampshire at the moment. Later I did see a Buzzard missing or moulting several central tail feathers giving it a kite-like tail but no sign of a Red Kite. As I got back to the car a quick scan of the sea produced a pair of Eider heading east.

Reed Bunting, Pheasant and Marsh Harrier photos by Ian Williamson

I decided I would head to P Shore to see if I could relocate the Garganey on G Marsh. On the way through I stopped at the Reedy Ditch to photograph a pair of Mute Swans and their reflections.

Now that winter tit flocks are no longer moving down the hedgerows it is more difficult to catch up with things like Coal Tit and so I was glad when a brief stop at the pines at the top of P Lane produced one in the hedgerow opposite. At P Shore a male Kestrel was hunting for voles diving regularly although usually without luck.

There were five Snipe in one of the larger damp areas but unfortunately there was no sign of the Garganey. The final bird of the day was a Raven honking over the pines near the car park.

There was an obvious heavy movement of Meadow Pipits throughout the day with at least 100 coming in off the sea in groups of 10 or so. Aside from the pipits there was little other sign of spring migration, just a handful of Chiffchaffs singing around the reserve.

Meadow Pipits

On the walk to the hides a group of seven Black-tailed Godwit were feeding near DL’O hide, they are quickly acquiring their summer chestnut tones. Three Spoonbill were resting around JV and nine Avocet were on the scrape.

One of the highlights of the day was watching a majestic Goshawk powering over G island and then on towards Inchmery. In the rest of the New Forest they are shy and elusive with most views being distant displaying birds in the spring. Here they are seen regularly and sometimes quite close. The powerful proportions, very long neck, heavy hips and pregnant look are all obvious in these photos. The heavily marked underparts and unmarked face make this a juvenile bird.

Goshawk

Other than the geese the most vocal birds were the Oystercatchers and the Redshank. There seemed to be fewer Teal and Wigeon, perhaps some have already headed back to their breeding grounds in Iceland, Scandinavia, the Baltic and Russia. I was hoping to see a Sand Martin or a Wheatear but no luck.

While watching the scrape from the gate to the south I noticed a Merlin on a raised mound near the waters edge. After spending 20 minutes watching the activity all around it the Merlin launched into the air pursuing a flock of Meadow Pipits. It came very close to catching one on several occasions but the pipits just evaded it. Soon afterwards the Merlin returned to a post along the estuary fenceline and was slightly closer.  

Merlin top photo by Ian Williamson

At least one Slavonian Grebe was still present on the sea with 24 Turnstones turning seaweed and stones along the high tide line, my highest count at NO so far. A Dartford Warbler sang briefly near NP hide but I couldn’t track it down.

One final shot for the day. A Barn Owl in the darkness with the thermal camera. You can see how much blood supply there is to their face, more than with other birds.

Turnstones and Barn Owl with thermal camera

A rare birding trip away from NO. On Sunday 15^th March a drake Baikal Teal was found on Ripley Farm Reservoir south of Ringwood in the Avon Valley. The news was kept to a handful of observers. One of these people added their record to eBird and as a result the news services, RBA and BirdGuides, reported it the next day.

The bird wasn’t seen on the Monday but Ian rang me on Tuesday to say that the bird was showing again and so I headed down there. Just as I was leaving home the Hampshire Rarities WhatsApp group reported the news, given this I was surprised by how few people were on site when I arrived, no more than half a dozen. The bird was asleep with Wigeon on the far side of the reservoir. It woke up occasionally during the next hour or so.

Baikal Teal photos by Ian Williamson

I saw an adult drake in Cambridgeshire almost exactly two years ago. This bird was also with Wigeon and eventually headed north but remained in the UK at Druridge Pools, Northumberland until July, I think the record has been rejected as a result. Time will tell as to whether the Hampshire bird shares the same fate, it may even be the same individual.

A sea-watch with Ian first thing produced almost nothing only partly ‘saved’ by a male Eider heading east.

Meadow Pipits were singing in the cattle field on the walk to the hides, the Greenshank showed beautifully again in front of DL’O hide and the Black-headed Gulls continued to show interest in the rafts. The count of 24 Oystercatcher on the scrape was my highest yet, perhaps breeding birds returning.

Nearby the four Russian White-fronted Geese and 13 Spoonbill were resting on the water’s edge at JV. There were five Pintail here and another three out on the estuary. I later saw the White-fronts on the fields south-west of the Reedy Ditch layby. Although I’ve seen a few Chiffchaff in the last week today was the first time that I’ve heard one singing.

Oystercatcher photo by Ian Williamson and Chiffchaff

I checked the sea while at the Sailing Club and found a Great Northern Diver loitering further east. Six Bar-tailed Godwits roosted at Inchmery with the Pale-bellied Brent Goose pulling up eelgrass in front of them. The Peregrines were active on the island.   

A pair of Goldcrests flitted around the bushes near the cottages with the male flashing his intense orange crown to his partner. At the Reedy Ditch Ian found an Otter spraint, greenish in colour and smelling of jasmine tea! A Pheasant appeared to be playing dead as a Marsh Harrier drifted over.