From the Reedy Ditch, in the half light, seven Little Egrets flew over from their roost to the west heading towards JV. The weather was worse than forecast with strong winds and rain clearing slowly. The wind was westerly and so the sailing club would provide perfect shelter, I headed there first.

I prefer a rising mid tide to watch from the point, at a height of 3m the waders are grouping together on the remaining islands and most are mid-channel. This means that they are at a closer range than they will be at higher tide when they move further away to G Island and to the Inchmery and Lepe side. On the remaining islands around 30 Knot jostled with the Grey Plover and Dunlin.

There were five large groups of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and I was pleased to see that one of the Pale-bellied Brent Geese was in the closest group. I found the first hrota on the 29^th December and today was the fourth time I’ve seen at least one of them but today my photos were slightly better as the birds were closer.     

Pale-bellied Brent Goose

From the sailing club I could see that two Slavonian Grebes were directly opposite the cottages and were very close in shore huddling closely together in the shelter of the natural bay. In the same direction a female Merlin was also sheltering in the lee of one of the weathered trees which are dotted along the shingle spit. Adam had mentioned that the Merlins have moved further west, to G Marsh and P Shore, to escape the Peregrines, and this may be why I hadn’t seen any between 4^th November and 23^rd January.

He also told me about a Barn Owl roost site. He asked me to keep the precise location quiet and so I won’t disclose it here. I managed to see one of the owls exactly where Adam had said, a patch tick for me. Nearby I picked up a calling Marsh Tit wearing a metal ring on its right leg while a Goshawk was calling from the main group of trees back towards the entry gate.  

Long-tailed Tit and Marsh Tit

I finished by checking the geese flock at the top of P Lane. The brents were fairly close but unfortunately the Pale-bellied Brent Goose was right at the back of the flock. For the third consecutive time at this location I heard a Crossbill calling overhead.

A Tawny Owl was calling as I pulled over next to SL’s Barn. With the thermal camera I managed to track it down in the large trees north of G Lane. It’s difficult to identify species from their thermal signature especially at this range but I could see the owl throwing it’s head forward and its tail down as it was hooting.

At the Reedy Ditch and still before sunrise a male Goshawk powered over the reed bed and on towards B Water House, soon afterwards a distant ‘keea-keea-keea’ was probably the female calling.  A large headed and short-tailed finch flying towards JV revealed a broad white wing bar to confirm it as a Hawfinch, perhaps there is a roost nearby. Just before I moved on the four Russian White-fronted Geese flew over the car heading towards P Shore. 

Firecrest and distant Tawny Owl (thermal camera)

I headed to the hides first. A crest was calling in the hedge next to the cattle field gate and eventually showed the stripy head and bronze shoulders of a Firecrest. The call was harsher and slightly lower pitched than the Goldcrest.

Gadwall photos by Ian Williamson

In the distance a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker somewhere near SL’s was the first I’ve heard this year. A Greenshank called in alarm as I pulled over at the sailing club. I wound the window for a photo and thankfully it didn’t flush.

A female Red-breasted Merganser was feeding as distantly as I could see in the mouth of the river and a new record count for me of 15 Spoonbills resting on the river estuary. When they flew I could see that there was only one 1st winter bird (black primary tips).

By using the thermal camera I was rewarded with some very close views of an otherwise unnoticed Rock Pipit which would have flushed in another two steps. 

At MM’s I watched four distant Slavonian Grebes, the joint biggest count in Hampshire this winter while a Raven tussled with four Buzzards overhead.

Buzzard and Raven

I headed to the top of P Lane to check the geese flock. Unfortunately the brents were over the hedge in the furthest field and so they were distant and not all in view. After a fair amount of effort I managed to locate two Pale-bellied Brent Geese. The Russian White-fronted Geese were also in the flock and for the second time I heard Crossbills in the pines near the house. I couldn’t see them but they flew over ‘jupping’ with a bleating Siskin for company just about close enough for me to capture them on the sound recorder.  

To finish, I hoped to see a Barn Owl leaving SL’s Barn at dusk and so I set up next to the bench. No luck again but I was rewarded at sunset with a dashing Merlin suddenly appearing low over the barn before charging down G Lane towards Inchmery. The first one I’ve seen since early November.

If I’m driving down W Lane close to sunrise I usually scan for Barn Owls at the Reedy Ditch. Unfortunately, no luck again today but I did get good views of a very vocal Marsh Tit and Greenfinch was new for the year.  

On my way to the hides I usually set up the scope at the gate before the main cattle field. On this occasion I picked up the three adult Russian White-fronted Geese swimming from the back of JV island, the 1^st winter bird soon joined them. I watched them for a while before a hunting Peregrine put everything up. The Peregrine flew straight past me fairly low and as the geese and ducks settled back down there was no sign of the White-fronts.

A male Marsh Harrier, an altogether more leisurely hunter, quartered over DL’O while Redwing and Fieldfare called from the trees along the path. 

Back at MM’s a pair of Sparrowhawks were displaying and the male drifted over towards me on the beach. The only action on the sea were waders moving from P Shore, they included a Bar-tailed Godwit in a flock of Grey Plover and Dunlin.

A walk around the wet areas south east of NP hide failed to produce any Jack Snipe despite the help of a thermal camera. I’m pretty sure there aren’t any here at the moment. I did manage an un-ringed female Dartford Warbler in the same area.  

male Marsh Harrier, Dartford Warbler and female Marsh Harrier

From the sailing club the distant high tide wader roost contained at least 15 Knot and a final stop at the Reedy Ditch produced a single Greenshank. The Russian White-fronts were back again with the Greylags and Canada Geese but they left without me noticing, presumably to roost over at P Shore.

Russian White-fronted Geese

I left a bit earlier than normal as I wanted to try and see Woodcock feeding at dawn with the thermal camera. I also hoped to bump into a Barn Owl. An hour before sunrise I pulled over next to the gate 100 yards before the Reedy Ditch. Ian had seen a Woodcock in this field a week ago. Tawny Owls were calling. Through the thermal camera I could see lots of white hot spots including Roe Deer, Rabbits and Red-legged Partridges and another white dot I couldn’t identify. It was difficult to resolve the shape at this distance but when the bird flew it was obviously a Woodcock.

From the beach a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers headed west and a close Great Northern Diver on the sea was followed by another distant bird flying east and then a third also heading east but much closer. This juvenile rounded the corner and into the river mouth and I later saw it very closely from the Sailing Clubhouse.

Also from MM’s a Slavonian Grebe swam west diving constantly and I then saw another 100 yards away. At first I thought it must have moved without me noticing but I was then pleased to see that there were definitely two in what has been a meager winter for Slavonian Grebe on the Hampshire Coast.

Great Northern Diver, Mediterranean Gull and Slavonian Grebe

A Dartford Warbler called from MM’s grounds and a juvenile Sparrowhawk powered through the trees close by. On the walk back a mobile Long-tailed Tit flock contained a couple of Goldcrests and a Treecreeper struggling to keep up.

Goldcrest and Treecreeper

I finished at the Reedy Ditch and an hour before sunset I was delighted to watch a ringtail Hen Harrier arrive from the east before heading straight over the car and off towards the beach house on P Shore. It looks like an adult female and is likely the same bird that Ian had seen yesterday and which appeared to fly to the Isle of Wight.

Hen Harrier middle photo by Ian Williamson (harrier heading to the Isle of Wight)