January 2022 – Birding with a Sketchbook

January 2022, Monthly Summaries, Winter 2021/2022

Highlights January 2022

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On the 1^st January a bird race around the reserve produced 97 species, an amazing total for January. Highlights were three Glossy Ibis found by Ian going over the Reedy Ditch before they headed over to Park Farm. I saw one of the Glossy Ibis again on the 10^th flying over the Reedy Ditch.

Also on New Year’s Day four Brambling were calling close to the Reedy Ditch and sea watching produced an unexpected Kittiwake. Around midday a bat was seen flying near Long Pits Gate, I didn’t have my Echo Meter but assume it was one of the pipistrelle species.

Brambling calling near the paddock and Reedy Ditch

On the 6^th seven Red-throated Divers flying west was the highest ever count at Needs Ore.

On the 10^th I watched a Woodcock, via thermal camera, feeding in Long Pits prior to dawn. Shortly afterwards Little Owls were heard calling from the western end of the reserve and a Barn Owl was quartering over the reeds towards Park Shore. The same day Otter spraints were found on the boardwalk bridge.

Little Owl calling

In the gardens at Rye Errish (Park Lane) on the 10^th a Siberian Chiffchaff was discovered wintering with two Common Chiffchaffs and several Firecrests and Goldcrests. I saw the Siberian Chiffchaff again on the 13^thand the 23^rd but despite visiting on at least four other occasions it wasn’t heard to call.

On the 13^th a Crossbill was seen flying over Rye Errish and an unseasonal Red Admiral settled on a tree near Shore Hide to bask in the sun.

The Pale-bellied Brent Goose was with the large Brent Goose flock on the 16^th and later that day a ringtail Hen Harrier (initially found by Nigel) was quartering along Warren Shore.

A pair of Goosander flew west on the 19^th and then another five flew west on the 27^th.

86 Black-tailed Godwit on the 23^rd is my highest count on the reserve although I can see from historic records (10-25 years ago) that there have previously been counts of 500 or more.

25 mobile Eider were off shore on the 27^th and over at the hides 63 Golden Plover appeared from the north and were spooked by one of the White-tailed Eagles before landing on the Gins.

Two pairs of Mandarin Ducks were unexpected and brief visitors to Black Water on the 27^th. This is the first Mandarin Duck at Needs Ore for three years and a patch tick for me.

A Spotted Redshank was heard calling at the Sluice Gate on the 29th, my first definite winter record since December 2020. Park Shore hosted 53 Mediterranean Gulls on the same day with just one 1st winter bird amongst them.

Birds present all month included the wintering Avocet group whose numbers had increased to 17.

The two Cattle Egrets remained close to Park Farm. Dartford Warbler numbers appeared to fall in the month and the last one I saw or heard was on the 19^th. Razorbill and Guillemot numbers also appeared to decline towards the end of the month.

The 1st winter Purple Sandpiper remained on Warren Shore throughout January and was also seen with the roosting Dunlin on Inchmery Saltmarsh on the 29^th.

Purple Sandpiper photo by Brian Fairbrother

The number of wintering Slavonian Grebes increased to five during the final week of January and the wintering Spoonbill group remained at 14 adults. The first winter female Scaup remained on Black Water throughout the month.

January 2022, Winter 2021/2022

Saturday 29th January 2022

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A sea watch first thing was quiet other than the five Slavonian Grebes, a single male Eider, the customary Razorbill or two and at least 10 Great Crested Grebes strung out along the Solent.

From the Sailing Club 10 Spoonbill were loafing on Inchmery Saltmarsh and just in front of them the Purple Sandpiper (see arrow below) was resting in the Dunlin roost.

Over at the bottom of Exbury Fields the juvenile Peregrine was in one of her favourite trees. I’ve spoken to two birders this week who have both said that they have seen two Peregrines around the point which suggests that at least one of the adult birds is still around but I haven’t seen either of them myself.

Also on the other side of the river the male White-tailed Eagle G393 appeared to be checking out a nest site. As the oldest of the eagles we get at Needs Ore his bill is looking pretty yellow now.

While watching De L’Orne Scrape from the Sluice Gate a Spotted Redshank called once as it flew over my head. I’ve had a few late autumn/November records but this is my first January record and my first definite winter record since 30^th December 2020.

Spotted Redshank over the Sluice gate

Nearby an adult Herring Gull was sat on the number 5 post. Some adults retain streaked heads into February although most are white-headed by now.

While scanning the Brent flock from Park Lane a Treecreeper called from the trees at the bottom of Rye Errish Copse. With a decent image you can separate Common Treecreeper from Short-toed Treecreeper. Here you can see the buff markings half way along the primaries create a clear blackish right angle (see arrow below) whereas on Short-toed Treecreeper these buff marks are uniformly stepped to create more of a smooth buffy edge.

I regularly see a pair of Kestrels here and the male posed nicely for me today.

Eight of the Spoonbills headed west past Park Shore and there were at least eight Red-breasted Mergansers just off shore.

There was plenty of shooting going on nearby and large flocks of dabbling ducks had escaped to the safety of the sea. On the shingle islands there were 53 Mediterranean Gulls all facing into the wind. Most were adults (49), three had the black primary tips of 2^nd winter birds and there was just one 1^st winter bird.

Park Shore gets a few larger gulls mainly Herring Gulls and I often photograph them to double check that other similar but rarer gulls aren’t appearing. On this 2nd winter individual you can see the clear pale window on the inner primaries, brownish (as opposed to blackish) centres to the secondaries, a thick tail band which doesn’t particularly contrast with an off white rump which has dark marks and a head that is not particularly white.

January 2022, Winter 2021/2022

Thursday 27th January 2022

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I hadn’t seen any Goosander at Needs Ore until 28^th November 2021 but I’ve seen three since then and then this morning a flock of five red-headed Goosander flew west fairly close in shore. Even in flight you can see the sharply demarcated brown heads and photos help with also seeing the neat white chin, the lack of black bar across the secondaries and the cleaner flanks.

Throughout the day there were good numbers of Eider on the sea. There was lots of comings and goings and so it’s difficult to be certain of numbers but I’d estimate 25. A single Slavonian Grebe was joined by three more arriving from the west.

Over at the hides 63 Golden Plover appeared from the north spooked by one of the White-tailed Eagles. The flock wheeled over the Gins for several minutes before appearing to land on Gins West. I later saw the flock on the flooded Gins looking north from Venner Hide.

Black-tailed Godwit photo by Brian Fairbrother

The Scaup was on Black Water with a pair of Pochard and as I scanned further right I was delighted to see two pairs of Mandarin Duck.

They were in the middle of Black Water looking flighty and I think they may have just arrived. Over the next 15 minutes they swam around the edge of the water flushing out anxious looking Teal from the reeds. Once the reed edges were clear they quietly disappeared into them and they weren’t seen again. This is the first Mandarin Duck at Needs Ore for three years and a patch tick for me.

There were 60 Brent Geese feeding in Middle Field, the first time I’ve seen them grazing in the fields alongside the Main Hedge.

On Gull Island the juvenile Peregrine was still present but again no adults. There were 57 Pintail on Inchmery and the two paired up White-tailed Eagles were together on the marsh. The male appeared to have a kill or carrion.

From the Sluice Gate I counted 32 Linnet on the fence overlooking De L’Orne Scrape and a male Sparrowhawk was watching from a post along Kingfisher Ditch.

Before heading home I dropped in to Great Marsh. I flushed five Snipe as I walked around the western side of the scrape. It also looked good habitat for Jack Snipe. A Red-throated Diver was out on the sea from the Beach House.

A quick stop at the Reedy Ditch produced a Treecreeper at Warren Farm and what may well have been the same bird followed me all of the way to the Droveway where I watched a Firecrest in a pine tree in the garden of Black Water House.

January 2022, Winter 2021/2022

Sunday 23rd January 2022

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I headed to Park Shore and my first drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year greeted me as I got out of the car. Just opposite, in the field towards Bergerie Farm, 24 noisy Egyptian Geese were squabbling and a Buzzard looked for worms.

I walked the lane between Errish House and Rye Errish House. There is a short line of conifers here and the copse opposite has been particularly productive for crests and chiffchaffs. There were at least two Firecrests and three Goldcrests and the group of three wintering Chiffchaffs were feeding in the conifers.

Every few minutes I picked out the paler beige-coloured Siberian Chiffchaff, a subtle green tinge was noticeable across all of the wing feather edges – greater coverts, primary coverts, alula, tertials, secondaries and primaries. Unfortunately it didn’t call although at one stage it did react strongly to a tristis recording I played. None of the chiffchaffs reacted to the standard collybita recordings and none of them called. The chiffchaffs appeared to be keen on this area as they were still here when I drove back several hours later.

I kept hearing a distant Fieldfare and eventually saw it in the tree tops. The two Cattle Egrets were in their normal field close to the horses around Park Farm and a Coal Tit and a Treecreeper were calling from the pines around Little Marsh Lodge.

female Marsh Harrier photo by Dimitri Moore

Down on the beach the shingle islands which are revealed at mid and low tides are particularly good for Mediterranean Gulls and there were at least 25 today. Out on the sea a tightly formed group of four Slavonian Grebes drifted back towards Mary Monts and a fifth bird was nearby, this is the peak count so far this winter. Auks were represented by single Guillemots and Razorbills. In the distance, just beyond the old wooden pier to the west, there were four Red-breasted Mergansers.

female Kingfisher photo by Ian Williamson

Back at Needs Ore a female Kingfisher was perched along Kingfisher Ditch and on De L’Orne scrape there were 86 Black-tailed Godwit. This is my highest count on the reserve although I can see from historic records (10-25 years ago) that there have been counts of 500+ in the past.

female Reed Bunting photo by Dimitri Moore

A female Reed Bunting perched close to Venner Hide and over on Venner Island a Little Egret was showing plumes on both the neck and the wings and so it is at least a 2^nd winter bird. Nape plumes if they were present (not visible in this photo) would make it an adult.

The first winter female Scaup was still on Black Water, she was first seen on the 27^th October and so has been with us for nearly 13 weeks. The number of Tufted Duck was up again slightly to 23.

Although this is clearly a Greater Scaup the stretched wing allows you to look for one of the key Lesser Scaup features. On Lesser Scaup the bright white bar across the secondaries ends abruptly and is replaced by a grey wing bar on the primaries. On Greater Scaup, as shown here, there is a gradual transition from white to grey.

At the Sailing Club a Grey Plover was standing on Sluice Gate Saltmarsh as I got out of the car. I often stop at the Sailing Club for lunch and it is almost always accompanied by this confiding Robin. I showed the image to Graham who commented that “it is difficult to be sure of its age. Six greater coverts are visible and uniform, but the ones out of view could be different. The alula looks pointed and a tiny bit frayed, which could make it a first-winter. I would leave it un-aged.”

Out on the sea four Eider were flushed by a speedboat, they wheeled around before heading west. The juvenile Peregrine was perched on one of the taller posts towards the end of Gull Island, she was facing away looking over towards Lepe. It’s now seven weeks since I’ve seen either of the adults.