From the Reedy Ditch I watched a female Marsh Harrier carrying nesting material over P Shore View before dropping into the reeds. They haven’t bred here recently and it seems that NO may be attracting young birds who go through the motions, perhaps they are practicing. I later saw a male Marsh Harrier quartering in the NP hide area. They are difficult to age but he looked like he was in his fourth summer and so ought to be old enough to breed. 

I headed over to MMs Pools where a vocal Lapwing pair were obviously anxious about something and then I noticed their three chicks who quickly headed for the cover of the rushes. They usually have between two and four chicks but do well if more than one survives. Two red-headed Coot chicks were close by in the edge of the reed bed and a Yellow Wagtail, my first of the year, called as it flew overhead. A Blue-headed Wagtail was seen here on Tuesday.

Grey Plover were calling as I walked over to Gt Marsh. I heard several overhead today, they don’t breed in Hampshire but a small number do stay for the summer, the majority head to the Arctic to breed.

There were 29 Avocets on Gt Marsh and five of them were sitting on eggs. They paid me no attention as I stood on the raised bank near the beach house. Once they have chicks they will be less tolerant of my presence and I’m likely to be mobbed. A quick scan around the rest of the marsh and I was pleased to see the Little Ringed Plovers again. They may attempt to breed and the habitat looks suitable, looking forward to checking on their progress.    

Reed Warblers photos by Ian Williamson and Brian Fairbrother

There were also single Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit feeding on the marsh. The Bar-tailed Godwit was the only one I saw all day which is surprising given how many were around last week. Forty Whimbrel were still feeding in various fields around the reserve, hopefully yesterday’s rain will help them penetrate the ground!

As I got back to the car for a coffee three noisy Common Terns wheeled overhead. We’re hoping that they use the rafts which have been built for them on DL’O lagoon. A tape of their calls is playing on a loop. They bred successfully in 2019 but the lockdown meant that rafts weren’t put out in 2020.

On the way to the hides a Yellow Wagtail picked up from the flooded fields near the boardwalk. I followed it as it landed on V South and I managed some photos although the distance and the heat haze made them no more than record shots.

Yellow Wagtail

An obliging Willow Warbler was the first I’d heard for a while, they are hugely outnumbered by Chiffchaffs here. He was singing from just outside B Water hide. There were seven Reed Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, three Lesser Whitethroats and 15 Whitethroats singing around the reserve.

It was flat calm and a bit of sea-watching produced two Little Terns heading west, a patch tick for me. Twenty Sandwich Terns were also off shore plunge diving and amongst them five Common Terns were also feeding. Along the shingle spit a Turnstone was still hanging around and a Sanderling was a nice find on the beach.

Little Terns

On the way home a brief stop at the Reedy Ditch produced a mixed flock of twenty hirundines and an unexpected Green-winged Orchid in the middle of Warren Flash, I needed my scope to identity it!

A Cuckoo called again this morning as I headed over to the beach. A seawatch first thing with Ian in encouraging conditions was really disappointing with two Common Terns and a passage of easterly heading Swifts being the highlights. Two very distant divers remained unidentified in the heat haze. I think the first was Great Northern and the second Red-throated although we couldn’t be certain.

Swift

There were six Reed Warbler singing around the reserve and a similar number of Whitethroats but no Willow Warblers which appear to just pass though at NO. Thursday’s two Lapwing chicks were still on Three Fields South and I located another two chicks on Three Fields North, the parent birds looking permanently stressed. Greater Stitchwort was flowering in the hedgerows.

Two Greenshank were roosting on DL’O scrape with a dozen Bar-tailed Godwit. Back at the car I checked the ditch for Hairy Dragonfly which occurs here and is the first hawker of the year, no sign today. A female Wheatear, probably yesterday’s bird kept us company around the Wardens Hut while Dimitri and I watched G Island for paddle boarders and canoeists.

Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits were again all over the reserve but there were fewer than yesterday moving on the sea.

A Small Copper was basking on a warm log in the gorse bushes at the point while a fully laden White-tailed Bumblebee worker was nectaring from the gorse flowers. I checked the area for Green Hairstreak which are on the wing by now but it seemed a little exposed in the strong easterly wind.

Another eight Common Terns passed off shore just as I was finishing the Peregrine watch. Dimitri texted me news of four more Lapwing chicks on Droveway South which I pulled over to watch on the way home. That made eight chicks in all today.

A Cuckoo called at just before 7am as I was heading to count the Avocets. A few Sand Martin drifted east and a Dartford Warbler churred just up ahead. One or two Lesser Whitethroats were rattling away, several Whitethroats were singing and there were so many mobile Linnets that it became tiring checking every bird!

I counted 29 Avocet on Gt Marsh including AX and a double green lime/yellow but no sign of the pair of Little Ringed Plover from Thursday. The two pairs of Redshank spent most of their time looking agitated and half a dozen Teal were still around. A quick look on the sea behind me and I could see that Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit were going past in small numbers.

I headed back to MMs sea-watching bush and on the way Alan reported from Milford Shelter that a Bonxie had gone through the narrows into the Solent and so likely would be heading my way. Clay and Ian were both on their way and within 15 minutes we were all watching the Solent hoping for the Bonxie. Unfortunately there was no sign, perhaps we all missed it, or it turned back or it was sat on the sea.

There was a strong passage of Common Scoter off Milford but apparently they were circulating in the bay and as is often the case none of them came up the Solent. We did see three Gannets and two groups of Common Terns and a blunt-nosed black auk species was close enough to identify as Razorbill.

I also picked up a distant diver heading rapidly east. It appeared slender necked and white headed with rather deep wing beats. Undoubtedly a Red-throated Diver and probably the bird that Alan had seen heading into the Solent. Thirty late straggling Brent Geese also headed east.

I looked over my shoulder while sea-watching and noticed a smart White Wagtail feeding around MMs Pools. I got closer by crouching and approaching slowly behind a tussock of grass. My third of the spring so far and soon afterwards a female type Marsh Harrier flew low over Pullen.

White Wagtail

On our monitoring a young Peregrine dashed over the Island but didn’t draw the attention of the adult birds. My guess is that she is one of the young from the 2019 nest, she headed off back west along the shingle ridge.

A male and female Wheatear ran along the edge of the gorse near the Warden’s Hut and showed well for 30 minutes or more until a Sparrowhawk dashed over the gorse line weaving between the bushes. The first two House Martins of the day appeared and the steady easterly stream of Swallows continued.   

I saw at least 200 Whimbrel and 50 Bar-tailed Godwit during the day but the best views were of grounded birds. A group of 25 Bar-tailed Godwits gradually walked south down the edge of the river and I used the wooden structure near the slipway as a hide.

As I was heading back home the car proved to be a useful hide for close views of the Whimbrel who were feeding in Droveway South.

At the Reedy Ditch there were Egyptian Goose chicks, Greylag goslings and Mallard ducklings.