I’ve been monitoring various Lapwing chicks over the last few weeks and it was great to see four of the chicks now flying and therefore much safer from predators. Two of these fully mobile chicks were on MMs Pools and another two were on Gv Marsh.

A late Whimbrel flew overhead as I was checking the Avocets. There were two chicks on Gt Marsh, I think it is the same two that I first saw eight days ago, they were looking significantly bigger. Later I saw four Avocet chicks on DL’O. It looks like a different four to the four that were there a week ago as they still looked quite young. The Great Black-backed Gulls probably predated the first four.

The female Little Ringed Plover was still settled on the nest and just as I left to head towards Gt Marsh the male flew past me. I later saw him feeding in the north-west corner of the scrape. It is 22 days since I found the nest with four eggs already laid. Average hatching time for Little Ringed Plover is around 24 days and so they should be hatching soon. The Beach House residents were around and there was a lot of human and dog activity near the nest and so she was constantly on and off the eggs. Once they’ve hatched she’ll hopefully lead the chicks away from danger and towards Gt Marsh – Adam later confirmed that at least three of the chicks hatched on the 1^st June. As I headed back to the car a distant Red Kite circled over P Shore.

Back near S Hide clouds of Blue-tailed Damselflies lifted up from the ditch as I walked along the edge of the rushes, they included the pink form violacea. The Lesser Whitethroat singing near the Viewing Gate was wearing a metal ring on its right leg.

While collecting my Trail Camera from the back of B Water I came across a patrolling Hairy Dragonfly. This is the first hawker species of the year and a patch tick for me. I’d hoped to see one on a sunny day towards the end of May, they’re obviously not abundant here and so I was really pleased to catch up with one. I was even happier to see it land on some nearby brambles allowing some decent photos. You can see the hairy thorax and abdomen which gives it its name.

Over on JV Island three Ravens landed in the trees causing a commotion and scattering various ducks, as they flew off an angry Oystercatcher mobbed one of them.

A new patch bumblebee species for me was Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum). A small worker was busy looking for nectar amongst the broom flowers, she rejected them all before finally finding one which she seemed to like. It was only then, when she paused, that I could see the two yellow bars which meet at the join of thorax and abdomen. Most of the other bumblebees were White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) or Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) which as workers are almost impossible to separate from each other.   

Insects continued to make up a significant part of today with two Small Heaths, a Small White, four Speckled Wood and a single Small Copper all on the wing on what was the hottest days of the year so far. 

I photographed a colour-ringed Oystercatcher at the Sailing Club which could possibly be at least 23 years old. Before he could be certain, Pete Potts who ringed it, asked for a better photo of the ring on the left tarsus. It looks yellow but we couldn’t be sure. I’ll need to keep a look out for it again at the Sailing Club.

Two Sanderling and three Dunlin were in amongst several mobile Ringed Plover flocks which dashed past us at the Warden’s Hut. The Peregrine watch was fairly eventful with a particularly ignorant and arrogant paddle boarder ignoring Ian’s repeated polite request to turn back from his route which was taking him straight up the creek which runs in front of the cottages. Ian had walked to the water’s edge to be within 10 yards of him yet he paddled on without even turning his head. After another 30 yards he saw us reach for cameras at which point he reluctantly turned around.   

Another paddle boarder dragged her board across the narrow shingle swatchway which separates the Solent from the Beaulieu River. She was very apologetic saying that she couldn’t cope with the current and wind out on the sea and did it as a last resort.

The silver lining was that a very inquisitive Grey Seal followed both of these paddle boarders and allowed us some close up photographs.

A noisy family group including at least four juvenile Long-tailed Tits flew across W Lane in front of me while a pair of Ravens drifted over G Camp Field. A Cuckoo called from the NP hide area, I’ve now heard a Cuckoo calling on nine different mornings since I heard my first on the 18^th April.

A flock of gulls and terns were feeding off MMs, they included 11 Common Terns and a Sandwich Tern. I later saw the Common Terns on the new wooden groynes which have been built to stop New Forest Ponies getting across from P Shore at low tide. There was also a 1^st summer Little Gull in the feeding flock and that makes at least one 1^st summer Little Gull on five of my last eight visits. I’d imagine some of these young birds will return to Russia but perhaps not breed.

On Gt Marsh the two Avocet chicks were still feeding along the far edge with parents close by and on nearby Gv Marsh a Fox watched me from just beyond the safety of the hedge while a pair of Roe Deer trotted through the shallow water. 

The young male Marsh Harrier drifted over Gv Marsh scattering the Shelduck, Gadwall and Lapwing. When everything had settled again I picked out two small and two larger Lapwing chicks.

In the last week a male Nightjar had been flushed near the NP Hide by Ian and then a few days later by Joost. I took my thermal camera to see if I could see it without disturbing it. There appeared to be no thermal signature from the fence line or from the ground nearby, I carried on walking and was surprised and frustrated when the Nightjar flushed from a few yards to my right. It was obviously roosting in the new fence around the Nightingale plot. Thankfully it landed in a nearby tree and I was delighted to get a decent photo.

Soon afterwards the Cuckoo, which had been calling all morning, landed on the roof of NP hide and gave me a few seconds to grab an image. Remarkably, he will already be thinking about returning to Africa.

It was the warmest day for weeks and I finally saw my first dragonfly of the year, Blue-tailed Damselflies were on the wing in large numbers although the wet channels near the car park and along B Water didn’t produce any patrolling Hairy Dragonflies. A Small Heath butterfly was also enjoying the warmth and was my first at NO.  

mating Blue-tailed Damselflies and Small Heath

Over on DL’O scrape Sunday’s four Avocet chicks had reduced to two. It’s the first time for a few years that chicks have hatched here. The Great Black-backed Gulls and Herons will likely take a heavy toll on whatever chicks do hatch.

On the stream that divides G West and G East a family group of four very young Lapwing chicks had been brought to the water’s edge by their parents and nearby a male Pied Wagtail was feeding two recently fledged juveniles.  

At the Warden’s Hut I checked in on the Peregrines. It does appear that the chicks have survived the recent 65mph gales as a parent bird brought in an Oystercatcher chick to the nest. I assumed it was an Oystercatcher as there were two frantic Oystercatchers chasing him. I saw Miranda at the Warden’s Hut and she mentioned seeing a Green Hairstreak near MMs. I pulled over on my way home and found one just where she’d said basking on a south facing bank of Bramble, Broom and Gorse.

In the river mouth a group of seven Turnstone, three Dunlin and a single Grey Plover were all birds which may have decided not to head north to breed. The Pied Wagtails had fledged from the Sailing Club eaves which meant that we could shelter from the cold wind, while Peregrine monitoring, and not worry that we were disturbing them.

Pied Wagtails, female, male and juvenile. Left and top right photos by Ian Williamson

The Ringed Plover who is incubating four eggs continues to stick it out on the nest which is no more than a metre from the road. Half the time she tolerates a passing car but other times she scuttles off. She always runs off whenever anyone gets anywhere near on foot. I hope she can keep going despite the disturbance, thankfully, I could see the eggs were very warm through my thermal camera. The Sailing Club gets much busier from early June so I hope the eggs hatch and she can walk the chicks away before then.

Highlight of the day was seeing an Avocet on DL’O scrape kneeling down with eight tiny legs dangling down form her breast feathers, pretty soon four tiny Avocet chicks appeared. They are precocial and so instinctively know how to feed and they are fully mobile straight out of the egg. There were also six Bar-tailed Godwit waiting out a squall around the back of the island out from DL’O hide. A very close Cuckoo flew across the water 30 yards in front of me while I was stood in the area of JV hide. 

The Little Ringed Plover was incubating safely and I began to wonder if the male was still around, I hadn’t seen him for a week or more. A Dunlin landed close by and the male suddenly appeared out of nowhere flying straight at the intruder. I’m next visiting on Wednesday and I’m hoping for chicks by then. I also checked the Avocets on Gt Marsh and there were another two chicks here.

A sea-watch was reasonably productive although showing signs of the end of the season. Six Common Scoter headed east and single Gannets, Fulmar and Kittiwakes were nice to see while eight summer plumaged Sanderling scampered along the beach.

A very brief visit to NO today. I checked DL’O scrape, Gt Marsh and the Little Ringed Plover nest. There was a 1st summer Little Gull on DL’O scape and another different 1^st summer Little Gull on Gt Marsh.

The Little Ringed Plover was safely on the nest but no sign of chicks yet and also no sign of Avocet chicks on Gt Marsh. A well-developed Lapwing chick was on Gv Marsh.

Stonechat and Lapwing