birds – Page 5 – Birding with a Sketchbook

April 2022, birds, Monthly Summaries, Spring 2022

Highlights April 2022

1st May 202225th Oct 2022 chrisbutton1

A frustrating run of cold northerly winds seemed to last all month slowing up the arrival of migrants and making this key sea watching period along the Solent very poor.

Small groups of Eider were moving back and forth on the sea early in the month and a female Red-breasted Merganser was still around on the 3^rd. Dunlin and Turnstone were also hanging on at the month end. On the WeBS count early in the month there were impressive numbers of Mediterranean Gulls with 298 almost all adults gathering in their normal spot south east of Inchmery Quay.

Brown Hares continued to be in evidence including this obliging individual which trotted towards me showing the rufous colour, long legs, dark-tipped ears and also the tail held low unlike the Rabbit which holds it up flashing the white more obviously.

A small passage of Green Sandpipers moved through early in the month. They are on their way to breed in Finland and Russia having spent the winter in southern Europe or possibly Africa.

The male Dartford Warbler I first found in mid-January was singing for most of the month unable it seemed to attract a partner. I did see it with another male on the 5^th and then I finally saw a female with one of the males on the 16^th. Both males stopped singing in the last week of April. I’m hoping to find evidence of breeding in May.

The Little Ringed Plover pair continued to split their time between the muddy fringes and the shingle overthrow where they bred last year. They also flew over to De L’Orne Scrape to feed on several occasions. I saw them mating twice around last year’s nest site but it wasn’t until the 29^th that they finally settled on a spot and I found the first egg.

Wheatears were fairly thin on the ground this spring with only three sightings so far compared to 12 last year, my first was on the 3^rd April.

There were two Spotted Redshank on the 3^rd but none were seen after this date. They head off to northern Scandinavia to breed. Greenshank, however, were still around at the month end. Those that linger are more likely to breed in Scotland as opposed to Scandinavia.

Also on the 3^rd on the private side of the Park Shore fence the wintering Purple Sandpiper was associating with Turnstones. It seems likely to be heading back to Norway or Iceland soon. On the 16^th I saw it again on the beach near Mary Monts with other lingering winter visitors, Grey Plover and Turnstone.

I tried out a new Emperor Moth pheromone lure. People have had good success with these in other places this spring. Emperors Moths are reasonably common in the New Forest but difficult to see well as they rarely land. I attached the pheromone-impregnated rubber bung to my tripod and stood upwind of several decent areas of heather and gorse but it wasn’t until my third try when I was on the beach at Park Shore that I got lucky.

He buzzed me several times before settling on my ruck sack and then my head! I managed to cup it in my hands and it stayed for a quick photo. This is the first ever record for Needs Ore/Park Shore and also the first ever record for the whole 10km square (SZ49). I saw other male Emperors at Mary Monts on 23^rd and at the Wardens’ Hut on the 30^th.

The 9^th of April finally brought me first Merlin of the year. A large looking female dashed out across in front of me when I was at Wheatear Corner and then landed on the up-turned tree roots on the shingle ridge. She will be heading north soon to breed on the moors in Wales, northern England or Scotland.

The adult Spoonbills headed back to the Netherlands mid-month leaving a second calendar year bird on its own for the rest of the month. His ring NBNZ confirmed a Dutch origin and that he wintered in Poole Harbour.

It was great to hear a Willow Warbler singing mid-month around Black Water. This is a declining bird especially in the south and they haven’t bred at Needs Ore for five years or more.

A Herring Gull mid-month showed an uncharacteristically wide black band on P5 and even a small black mark on P4. Several commentators online felt that this was a classic Yellow-legged Gull wing pattern but the bird in question turned out to have pink legs suggesting that a single feature taken in isolation (wing tip pattern) is not always indicative.

The drake Garganey remained in the De L’Orne area for most of the month but was unable to find a female. He left just after the 16^th.

On the 16th I heard my first Cuckoo calling and as I walked along Warren Lane it flew across in front of me. This is two days earlier than last year. I heard Cuckoos on every visit during the rest of the month including a male coming in off the sea at the month end.

Sea watching mid-month produced the first trickle of spring passage, a Common Scoter pair west and seven Common Terns and the first Whimbrels heading east.

Common Tern passage picked up towards the end of the month including a tight fishing flock of 50 birds on the 20th. At times they streamed through at more than 30 per hour and then there’d be three or four hours with very few. The passage of Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit seemed a bit more consistent with counts of 50-70 of each species on two separate sea watches in the final week of the month. Some of the Whimbrel stopped to feed inland in the fields but the Bar-tailed Godwit tended to keep moving.

Sea watching highlights included three 1^st summer Little Gulls on the 29^th.

Butterfly highlights included the first Green Hairstreak of the year on the Broom and Gorse bordering Gravelly Crossroads.

Lots of Speckled Woods flying along the hedgerows now and also good numbers of Peacock and the odd Comma. A butterfly patch tick on the 29^th, my first Orange-tip on the reserve.

The Peregrines were seen mating on many occasions during the month but there was no evidence of a breeding attempt. They male and female are away from Gull Island a lot.

A highlight on the 21^st was seeing my first odonata of the year, a Hairy Dragonfly quartering near Great Marsh. A few days later I later watched another patrolling the ditch opposite the Shore Hide.

On the 23rd it was great to watch a Hobby flying all of the way across the Solent making landfall before heading over Shore Hide and then on towards Black Water.

My first Little Terns of the year on the 27th were very distant, their amazingly rapid clockwork-toy flight action made identification easy despite the long range. On the same day a single Black-throated Diver headed east, there is a small spring passage of divers along the coast here, mainly Red-throated Divers and Black-throated Divers.

My first Gannet of the year on the 27th was a slight surprise and it came much closer than they normally do.

It’s always a treat seeing the Green-winged Orchids springing up in Spring Meadow during April.

My first damselflies of the year were Blue-tailed Damselflies which I recorded in three different places around the reserve on the 29^th.

As I was heading down Gins West Bank on the 29^th a Yellow Wagtail called above me, I didn’t see it which is a shame as they are pretty spectacular at this time of year.

Yellow Wagtail calling over the Gins

birds, March 2022, Spring 2022

March 12th to 19th 2022

19th Mar 202213th Apr 2022 chrisbutton1

A period of settled light southerly winds looked hopeful, the most obvious migrants were singing Chiffchaffs with at least six around the reserve.

At the Sailing Club I arrived to see the male Peregrine dashing up the river. I then noticed the 2^nd calendar year female on a favourite fence post below Exbury. Later the two joined each other on Gull Island and displayed, high stepping and neck lowering within a few yards of each other.

The two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls were still in the river mouth, the darker bird with the small mirror on P9 and the paler bird with no mirror on P9 (see images from previous blog entry). A young gull came close to the Sailing Club with very dark secondaries and a very weak inner primary window. I initially wondered if this was a 2nd calendar year Lesser Black-backed Gull. However, reviewing the photos I think the chequered greater covert bar, the oak leaf pattered tertials and the very subtle primary window mean that this is within the normal range for Herring Gull. Olsen’s Gulls states that “there is large individual variation and some (mostly E Baltic Sea) may show…..almost uniform flight feathers (with much less window than expected)”

2nd calendar year Herring Gull with a weak primary window

I had given up hope of seeing any spring Dartford Warblers and so I was really pleased to see one on Gravelly Marsh with a ring on its right leg. I got an awful photo but thankfully Ian got an excellent one of the same male singing a few days later. Last year I saw a Dartford Warbler near here on the 18^th April but there was no subsequent evidence of breeding and I didn’t hear any singing. Will be interesting to keep an eye on breeding activity this year.

singing male Dartford Warbler photo by Ian Williamson

There are at least four female type Marsh Harriers on the reserve, often around the Venner area, but only one definite male, the three year old below.

Of the four female types there are three 2^nd calendar year birds (hatched last summer). The shoulders on the bird below are fairly well marked but this is still a 2nd calendar year individual because of the buff tips to the primaries and secondaries, the buff coloured head and the chocolate coloured tail (not pale rufous).

The other recent young Marsh Harriers include the missing primary feathered bird and the modestly marked individual, both photographed in the previous post.

Three Garganey had been found swimming on De L’Orne Scrape, a female and two stunning males. This is just two days earlier than the female which was found at Mary Monts last year. I headed over to De L’Orne and luckily the Garganey were still there although now resting with Shoveler and Wigeon on the bank at the back of the scrape. It’s a changing of the seasons with these newly arrived ducks from North Africa swapping over with winter visitors who are about to leave.

Black-headed Gulls were gathering and displaying around the nesting platforms on De L’Orne and twenty nine Avocets were on the Scrape. Also present here were five Redshank and one of the wintering Greenshank.

One of the Avocets was colour-ringed – Green/Blue, Blue/Lime (G/B-B/L). It was ringed at Needs Ore (at De L’Orne) as a chick in July 2014. In September 2014 it was seen at Cliffe Pools in Kent and then not recorded until May 2018 when it was seen at Orfordness in Suffolk. It is thought to have bred there and was also seen there in May 2019. In May 2020 it was also thought to have bred in Suffolk this time at Hollesley Marsh . I saw it again at Needs Ore in May 2021. Nearly eight years old is a good age for an Avocet, a typical lifespan is six years.

Eight year old Avocet photo by Ian Williamson

There were 12 Spoonbill resting on the edge of Venner South and later there were three on the river. A little later a fourth bird flew in to join them and I noticed its black primary tips, this is a 2nd calendar year bird.

Three adult and one 2nd calendar year (2nd from right) Spoonbills

Once it landed the black primary tips were hidden and so it was the lack of head plumes, the washed out pinkish bill and the lack of vivid red-orange throat patch which separated it from the adult birds.

Three adult and one 2nd calendar year (right bird) Spoonbills

The Avon Valley 2nd calendar year Redshank was still present in its favourite spot near the Sluice Gate. Compared to when I first photographed it in the autumn you can see that it has now grown new anchor-tipped adult scapular feathers. I imagine that it will be returning to the Avon soon, they often breed in their first summer – I later heard from Lizzie that this bird had indeed returned to the Avon Valley field that it had hatched in. She saw it on Monday morning, I had seen it at Needs Ore on Saturday afternoon. The BTO say that only 43% of Redshank survive their first winter.

colour-ringed Redshank now back at the Avon Valley

There were around 500 Brents on De L’Orne South and one of the Pale-bellied Brent Geese was with them. A pair of Red-breasted Merganser drifted off shore from Mary Monts and a single male Eider headed west.

I’m hoping to catch a clear recording of Grey long-eared bats this summer and so I’ve set up five detectors around Black Water and the Gins. If I get enough possible recordings then the County Recorder will help with possible trapping. While on the Gins the Spotted Redshank showed nicely before flying back past me towards De L’Orne.

Heading back home via the Reedy Ditch a juvenile Goshawk caused anxiety amongst the Crows and Woodpigeons before it headed off back towards Stagg’s Wood. The same juvenile was photographed at the top of Park Lane by Simon a few days later. Close by the resident breeding Kestrels were calling and displaying near Black Water House.

juvenile Goshawk photo by Simon Colenutt

Ian had seen an Egyptian Goose pair with a single chick on the very early date of 18th March. I watched it feeding with its parents on Warren Flash. The Larsen Traps are now being set up and one was close by. Perhaps the Carrion Crows had already predated the rest of the brood.

Egyptian Geese pair with a single chick photo by Ian Williamson

birds

March 5th to 9th 2022

11th Mar 202213th Apr 2022 chrisbutton1

In the first part of the week the wind was from the north-east and so it felt brutally cold especially at the Sailing Club. Sunday’s WeBS count from Inchmery Quay, where you look south and south west, was more sheltered.

At Mary Monts I was hoping to see the pink littoralis Rock Pipit again or the colour ringed Redshank which I saw only briefly on Tuesday. No luck with the pipit but the Redshank appeared again and I was able to confirm an orange ring and a white flag with ‘CEJ’.

This Redshank was ringed as a juvenile on 11th September 2021 at Freiston on the Wash and this is the first sighting since ringing. The project helps monitor the survival of Redshank and get a better idea of turnover of juvenile Redshank passing through the Wash in autumn. Interesting that this Redshank may be flying back to Scandinavia soon via the Wash when there is suitable habitat right here with up to 15 pairs breeding on the reserve.

There was almost nothing on the sea, a familiar story recently.

The Avon Valley colour-ringed Redshank was still on Sluice Gate Saltmarsh and the 1st winter Peregrine was sat on Gull Island, facing away into the biting north-easterly wind.

At this time of the year it’s difficult to ignore the aggressively loud display of the hunch-backed Oystercatchers. Fifteen pairs were recorded last year including seven pairs along the spit and two pairs around the Sailing Club.

At the Sailing Club a 3rd cycle gull drifted over, the darker grey mantle and large size looked interesting and so I got some photos. Although the mantle colour looked good for Yellow-legged Gull the wing pattern and scruffy head weren’t right, I think the brutish appearance and dark mantle indicates argentatus Herring Gull, the nominate race from Scandinavia.

probable argentatus Scandinavian Herring Gull

Below is a similar aged British race argenteus Herring Gull taken at the same time. You can see that the Scandinavian Herring Gull above has a darker mantle (even allowing for lighting differences) is more retarded in its moult with a black tail pattern and no grey adult feathers across the wing coverts. Angles can be deceptive but the argentatus bill also looks longer giving a more pinched out snouty expression.

A largish bird dashed into view from over the river, it was great to finally see an adult Peregrine again, over three months since my last sighting. This was a male based on his size and proportions, he flew across in front of the Sailing Club and landed on the shingle just beyond the Warden’s Hut.

The 1^st winter female Peregrine was still in view now on the other side of the river. She flew over and joined the male, sitting within a few yards of him. Although I didn’t see it Val confirmed that they subsequently mated at least twice on Gull Island.

Female Peregrines do occasionally breed at one year old and so there is a chance that they may be successful. Perhaps this is our original male and the new young female may be from Calshot or Keyhaven. I first saw the young female on 11th December.

Not a regular sight here so it was nice to see two separate adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying down the river towards Lepe. You can see that one has a darker mantle than the other demonstrating the considerable variation in mantle shade with British graellsii. The Scandinavian race intermedius is usually considerably darker than my darker bird. The paler bird may be the same individual that I saw on De L’Orne Scrape on 17th February.

On the walk to the hides I was surprised to see a large flock of Dark-bellied Brent Geese feeding on Droveway East and later on Droveway South. It is great to see them using these fields, there were 450 altogether. On the flooded fields the regular Greenfinch flock lifted up from the vegetation near the boardwalk bridge. There were also 11 Meadow Pipits here and my first singing Chiffchaff of the year was near the gate at Black Water.

The wintering Spotted Redshank was on the grassy fringe just in front of De L’Orne hide. I opened the window as slowly and as carefully as I could but as soon as the window angle changed the glinting of the glass flushed it sending it over to the roosting stones on the scrape. I later saw it on Gins East and given that this is a private area it may well explain why there can be long gaps in between sightings.

The numbers of Avocets continues to increase with 32 now on the reserve, 26 on De L’Orne and 6 on Great Marsh. Avocet AX was on De L’Orne scrape and at least two other Avocets were mating. There were two other yellow-flagged Avocets, probably VI and a newly arrived bird but they were too distant to read. Three of the Avocets flew over to De L’Orne giving closer views.

From the De L’Orne viewing screen I picked up a very distant Red Kite over Exbury. Ian and I later saw it on our WeBS count at Inchmery and we then had much better views as it came close over Venner. March appears to be the best month for Red Kite here with birds moving though in early spring.

Around Venner there were three female type Marsh Harriers. I had recently spoken to Graham about them, he has seen two female types together on several occasions here but my third bird today, a 1st year female type with a missing primary on the left wing is new. This bird can be aged confidently as a 1st winter by the buffy head (rather than whitish) and the primaries and secondaries which are clearly buff tipped.

1st winter Marsh Harrier with a missing primary and White-tailed Eagle below

Graham suspects that the two other birds which he has seen regularly are a sub-adult female who has extensive creamy shoulders and a 1^st winter bird. Graham saw the younger bird well yesterday and it had a dark iris suggesting that it is also a female. Today I watched this younger bird (see photo below) interacting with the older female talon grappling and mock food passing and constantly flying closely together.

You can see this is also a 1st winter bird but with worn feathers so that only a few of the secondaries still have buff tips, these feathers are almost a year old. The buffy head has also bleached and is nearer to the blonde of an older bird, however, an older bird would show more extensive creamy shoulders and would show different ages of feathers within the wing. Also none of the primaries or secondaries would have buff tips and the tail would be paler rufous-brown as opposed to chocolate brown.

The three year old male Marsh Harrier I have seen on several occasions may be old enough to breed but we ought to have seen evidence of food passes and nest building by now.

While in Venner Hide a pair of Roe Deer charged down Gins West Bank, dived under the barbed wire in front of us and then disappeared down the track that runs along the southern edge of the Gins.

The Dunlin didn’t seem quite so active as they’ve been on previous WeBS dates and with the wind lighter and the sun behind the clouds conditions were good for counting. Dunlin numbers were still high at 726 and almost 500 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were still on the river.

An impressive 400 Mediterranean Gulls were settled in the river mouth and on the muddy islands as the tide rose. Along with my count of 405 in late July these are the highest ever counts at Needs Ore. There was also a site high count (for me) of 38 Common Gulls which is the highest count by anyone for over three years.

On the way back from Inchmery to complete the Needs Ore part of the WeBS count we stopped briefly at the Reedy Ditch. A Goshawk appeared suddenly over Warren Flash and then drifted up higher tussling with a Carrion Crow. The wide hips, bulging secondaries, protruding cuckoo-like head and heavy powerful chest were all good features. It was actually slightly smaller than the Crow and so almost certainly the male. There is a breeding pair in Stagg’s Wood and this is the best time of year to see them especially on sunny days with a breeze.

On Gins East several Black-tailed Godwit were roosting and they included a lovely summer plumaged bird. Most of the other godwit are nowhere near this advanced. The bill looks particularly short on this individual suggesting that it is a male, males are also more colourful. Black-tailed Godwits will be heading back to Iceland in the coming weeks. Some studies have suggested that Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits that winter in Portugal moult earlier than British wintering flocks.

There was also a good count of 12 Snipe hiding together and most of the remaining Teal also seem to be here. This is a private area but a key route on the Breeding Bird Transect which starts later this month and runs for 12 weeks. It was good to see that waders and wildfowl didn’t seem too perturbed by my presence.

birds

Wednesday 19th January 2022

19th Jan 20229th Feb 2022 chrisbutton1

Adam, Matt and I arranged to meet to do some work on the scrape at Great Marsh. The Avocet Islands have sunk gradually since Adam created them four years ago. The aim of today was to add another 6-9 inches of mud onto the raised areas so that they wouldn’t be submerged even after heavy rain and high tides. We also created several additional large islands. This should give the Avocets and Black-headed Gulls more opportunities for breeding.

Before we met I spent an hour watching the sea and another 45 minutes after we’d finished. There were three Slavonian Grebes and nine Great Crested Grebes strung out along the Solent. Three Razorbill and one Guillemot were also on show but the highlight was a pair of Goosander heading west. A Dartford Warbler was calling from Great Marsh scrub just before we started work.