We continued in the run of northerly winds and so spring passage on the Solent was light although it was good to see a tight fishing flock of 50 Common Terns on the 20^th including several who had settled on the sea. Other highlights included eight Common Scoter also heading east.

Common Tern numbers were a bit up and down. A sea watch one afternoon produced more than 100 Common Terns heading east (30+ per hour) but another sea watch in the morning in similar conditions produced only 15 (4 per hour).

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 during the week. Many of the Bar-tailed Godwits are in summer plumage now and quite a lot of the Whimbrel flocks included a single Bar-tailed Godwit.

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

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.

The Little Ringed Plover pair continue to move between the muddy fringes and the shingle overthrow but have not selected a precise nest site yet, there are several bowl like impressions close to where they nested last year and I’ve seen them mating here several times.  

The female Dartford Warbler was seen again this time in close proximity to one of the males. I think she may be paired up with the male whose territory is to the eastern side of Gravelly as opposed to the male who is nearer to Great Marsh.

There are around 50 Avocet across the reserve. The 35 Avocets on De L’Orne are now egg laying, early in the week 11 eggs were seen in 4 nests with at least three other newly made nests ready. There were 11 sitting birds by the end of the week. There are smaller numbers of Avocet on Great Marsh, around 15-20 with no nests evident yet. In previous years they have attempted to breed on De L’Orne before moving to Great Marsh, probably having failed due to predation from the De L’Orne Great Black-blacked Gulls.

The young Spoonbill was still splitting his time between Great Marsh, De L’Orne and Venner. His ring reveals that he is a Dutch bird.

Six Sand Martins headed east over the Flooded Fields while a single House Martin was over Venner. These are the only ones I’ve seen this spring. Swallow numbers are also still low in what appears to be a late spring for hirundines.

A family of two Egyptian Geese and six ducklings was on Venner Wigeon Fields and nearby Green-winged Orchids are starting to flower in Spring Meadow.

Butterflies included several Peacocks, Small Coppers, one or two Brimstones, a Holly Blue and lots of Speckled Woods.

My first Green Hairstreak of the year was on the Broom and Gorse bordering Gravelly Crossroads.

There are at least 15 nesting pairs of Meadow Pipit on the reserve and the parachuting display of the males is a common sight and sound at the moment.

A Red Kite flew up over the Flight Pond West field on the 21st and there was an obvious arrival of Lesser Whitethroats the same day with five singing males around the reserve. There are plenty of Reed Warblers now including this one with a richly varied song.

A male Sedge Warbler was singing at the northern end of the Gins. Greatly outnumbered by the 10 or more singing Reed Warblers it would be great if he finds a mate and breeds here.

On a very similar date to last year the first Lapwing chick was seen on the 21^st. There was only one chick and so the rest of the brood may have been predated already.

Bad news from the five sample Lapwing nests we have been monitoring. Four have failed. Three were predated with four eggs in each of them, a Badger was suspected for two of them and a Fox for the third. A fourth was abandoned with 1 egg. Pretty depressing and shows you the incredible pressures ground nesting waders face.

Having found two possible Linnet nest locations I had a closer look and found both nests in the canopy of the gorse bushes. On Thursday both nests had one egg in each and by Sunday I could see that the females were incubating which they only do once they have a full clutch of 4 or 5 eggs. They should hatch around the 8^th May which is around 2 weeks after the last egg was laid.

A highlight mid-week was seeing my first odonata of the year, a Hairy Dragonfly quartering near Great Marsh. Any hawker seen in spring and early summer is certain to be this species. This individual had shiny silvery wings indicating that it was newly emerged or teneral. Needs Ore is a key site for this uncommon species. I later watched another Hairy Dragonfly patrolling the ditch opposite the Shore Hide, it landed only once.

After a month hoping to attract a female it looks like the male Garganey has moved on.

The Stonechat nest I’ve been watching now has both adults returning with food items. When the parents had moved away to feed, Graham and I had a quick look and were delighted to see five chicks. They were 3-5 days old and a perfect age for Graham to ring them.

The nest inspection and ringing was done under the appropriate licenses and with consent from Natural England. This type of ringing gives us and the BTO good information on clutch and brood sizes and this year Graham, Ian and myself are surveying the Linnets and Stonechats across the reserve in order to gain a more complete picture of breeding numbers and fledging success. More on this later.

Only my third Wheatear of the spring gave me excellent views on Gravelly Beach.  

Warmer weather and wind from the south started to bring in migrants from the middle of the week and the warm spring days, cooler nights and light south-westerly winds also produced some misty starts. 

Sea watching early in the period produced the first trickle of spring passage, a Common Scoter pair west and seven Common Terns and the first Whimbrels heading east. During the subsequent week a few more Whimbrel stopped to feed inland in the fields around Warren Farm and then small groups followed off shore including a tight flock of 25 heading east on the 16^th. Throughout the period increasing numbers of Sandwich Terns were very visible and audible.

Ringed Plover are starting to display around the Sailing Club.

They’ve been in short supply this spring but a Wheatear flicked along Gravelly Beach early in the week. The black ear coverts and lores indicate that it is a male and the wing feathers being paler brown indicate that it is a 2^nd year bird (hatched last summer).

In amongst the 20 odd pairs of Black-headed Gulls which are using the rafts on De L’Orne Lagoon there has been a pair of Mediterranean Gulls. They seem to be hanging around and it makes me wonder if they are thinking of breeding here.

I found a Stonechat nest on the 12th. Both the male and the female are birds that Graham ringed and so they haven’t ventured far. She repeatedly returned to the nest area without nesting material and later flew a short distance, shook her feathers and defecated, all of which suggests that she is already incubating.

However, I later saw what I assumed was the nest and it was still empty. I wondered if they had abandoned but on two subsequent occasions I watched from long distance with a scope and both birds return to the area before the female dropped into the gorse while the male stood on guard on a nearby exposed branch. Not sure why she may be taking some time before laying.

The Dartford Warbler was still singing throughout the week and for large parts of the day. I’d been hoping to see a female ever since I first found the male in mid-January. The closest I’d come was seeing another ringed male earlier in April.

I was delighted, therefore, to finally see a female on his territory. I think she must be newly arrived, hopefully they will pair up.

Linnets are breeding all over the reserve with perhaps 30 or more nests. I found three likely nest locations with each female returning regularly with large pieces of nesting material suggesting that they are at the start of nest building. The female does all the nest building while the male accompanies her everywhere. I didn’t approach but I’ve got good directions and photos to enable me to check progress.

This Herring Gull showed an uncharacteristically wide black band on P5 and even a small black mark on P4. These are features which might suggest Yellow-legged Gull but they are also just about within the range for Herring Gull. The red spot on the bill doesn’t bleed onto to the upper mandible and although it’s difficult to say for certain the legs do look pinkish. Mantle colour is difficult to judge but perhaps this is too pale for Yellow-legged Gull. Overall, this suggests that this is a Herring Gull and that a single feature taken in isolation (wing tip pattern) is not always indicative.

The Little Ringed Plover pair spent most of their time feeding on the muddy fringes but regularly returned to the shingle overthrow where they bred last year. This is where I have seen them displaying, mating and sitting briefly. No sign of eggs yet and I think they are getting disturbed by people and dog walkers. Hopefully after the bank holiday weekend they may get a chance.

There are around 50 Avocets on the reserve with 35 on De L’Orne. A few were sitting on the islands although I think this is resting in the warm weather and not incubation. They tend to lag behind Lapwing with egg laying.

The number of White-tailed Eagles on the reserve has dropped significantly. It may be that our established older male has moved away and taken some of the younger birds with him. I saw only one during this period, drifting over the Reedy Ditch on the 12th.

My first Blackcap was singing near the Flycatcher Tree on the 12^th with three or four more appearing over the subsequent few days.

At the viewing gate on the 16^th a Sedge Warbler flew across in front of me before landing in the bushes at the end of the Main Hedge. Soon afterwards a Lesser Whitethroat started singing before showing itself briefly. This is a favoured spot for Lesser Whitethroat, they bred here last year. A bit like Willow Warblers, Sedge Warblers aren’t easy to see at Needs Ore and I don’t think they bred here last year despite the apparent perfect habitat.

A Bar-tailed Godwit seen flying up the river on the 12^th wheeled around and landed briefly nearer to the Sailing Club. It’s almost certainly a newly arrived spring migrant, they are a different population to the wintering birds.

Lots of Speckled Woods flying along the hedgerows now and also good numbers of Peacock and the odd Comma.

The insect highlight, however, was undoubtedly at Park Shore where an Emperor Moth was attracted to a pheromone lure which I had attached to my tripod. 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. They are very difficult to see well but more common than you’d think although having said that this is the first ever record for Needs Ore/Park Shore and also the first ever record for the whole 10km square (SZ49).

There are at least 10 singing male Reed Buntings mainly around Black Water. Where females were seen there didn’t seem to be any nesting activity yet, no collection of nesting material.

There was also a good arrival of Reed Warblers mid-week with at least nine singing males around Black Water.

Although not singing or calling yet a Whitethroat on the 14^th was 10 days later than my first last year, yet it was still the earliest seen by anyone on the reserve, another indication that spring is a little later this year. Two days later there were a few more Whitethroats about and with some of them singing.

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.

Greater Stitchwort is now flowering in the hedgerows.

The Peregrines were seen mating again mid-month. She still seems to be spending lots of time away from any nest which makes me think that she hasn’t laid any eggs yet.

Oystercatchers are now clearly paired up with at least six pairs around Black Water, Venner and De L’Orne. There are lots more on the spit and Gull Island which will be counted in the next few weeks.  

The drake Garganey is still present now appearing to split his time between the Gins and De L’Orne Flood. Females can be elusive but over the four weeks of his stay (he first appeared on the 19^th March) if there was a female around then someone ought to have seen her by now.

Lapwing nests on both the Gins and on Wigeon Fields were found predated, both were empty of eggs where there had been four eggs in each six days earlier. Badger and Fox are suspected.   

At the end of the week 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.

Further up the lane Cuckooflower was flowering in Spring Meadow, so named as it often flowers in the same week as the Cuckoo arrives.

Five months after I first saw it the Purple Sandpiper remained on the beach near Mary Monts with other lingering winter visitors, Grey Plover and Turnstone. There are still at least two pairs of Pochard on Venner and Pullen. Despite being a very uncommon breeder in Hampshire they look likely to breed here again this year.  

A run of cold northerly winds continued to slow up the arrival of new migrants. By this time last year I had seen Sand Martin, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and House Martin, none of these so far this year.

Small groups of Eider were moving back and forth on the sea, a female Red-breasted Merganser was still around as were small groups of Dunlin but other than Mediterranean Gulls and Black-headed Gulls there was very little spring passage on the sea. On the WeBS count there were impressive numbers of Mediterranean Gulls (298) almost all adults gathering in their normal spot south east of Inchmery Quay.

A Brown Hare trotted towards me near Mary Monts and allowed some photos as it headed away. You can see the rufous colour, long legs, black-tipped ears and also the tail held low unlike the Rabbit which holds it up flashing the white more obviously.

On the Breeding Bird Transect I walked along Gravelly Marsh to the Flight Pond and just like a week ago there was a Green Sandpiper, this time a pair flew up away from me. I managed a distant photo as they landed on the far end of the Flight Pond. 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 was still singing in the same patch of gorse in the private areas. I also saw a singing male Dartford Warbler displaying in the gorse 200 yards to the east of there. He had flown in from further east and so if this is the same male he is having to venture further and further afield trying to find a female. At some stage he will give up if he’s not successful. 

A few days later and after willing the singing Dartford Warbler to find a female he did finally find another Dartford Warbler but unfortunately the new bird was also a male and also a ringed male. They sparred with each other. Graham had ringed two males in the autumn and this is no doubt the same two males.

For two consecutive visits to the private area around Great Marsh there had been no sign of the Little Ringed Plover pair. It’s still early in the season and so I assumed that they had gone to check out other possible sites, last year we didn’t find the nest until the 9^th May. At the end of the week, however, I was delighted to relocate them feeding on Great Marsh.

I watched them feeding for a few minutes and then doubled back so as not to disturb them, soon afterwards I heard them calling and when I got back to the shingle I noticed that they had dropped in very close to where they bred last year. The male started displaying and they soon mated and the female started sitting, a few seconds later they changed places. Over the next hour or so they moved away from this area to feed. As they didn’t return to the marsh I decided not to investigate the nest site especially as it seems that they are early in the process.  

Mediterranean Gulls are moving through the reserve in goods numbers and they often settle on Great Marsh where they were nicely front lit.

On the private side of the Park Shore fence the confiding Purple Sandpiper was associating with Turnstones. It seems likely to be heading back to Norway or Iceland soon while the Turnstones will be heading back to the Scandinavian coast. When I walked back to the groynes later in the week there were 59 Turnstone together but no sign of the Purple Sandpiper.

As it was a little warmer towards the end of the week I tried out a new Emperor Moth pheromone lure. People have had good success with these in other places this spring. Emperors Moths are fairly common in the New Forest but difficult to see well as they always seem to be dashing off somewhere. I attached the pheromone-impregnated rubber bung to my tripod and stood upwind of several decent areas of heather and gorse but unfortunately no luck today.

I finally had a Merlin for 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. Once the clouds covered the sun the heat haze softened slightly and I could get a record shot. She will be heading north soon to breed on the moors in Wales, Northern England or Scotland.

The pale phase Buzzard appeared again looking nicely backlit.

Two Sandwich Terns were patrolling the river and one of them showed dark primary coverts which made me wonder if it was a 1^st summer bird. This would be unusual as the vast majority of terns (including Sandwich Terns) remain in their winter quarters (including Gambia and Senegal) during their first summer. Having spoken to Graham, I think that this may be an adult which has, unusually, retained several dark primary coverts, the rest of the wing looked clean and the tail was all white.

I watched a Linnet bringing back nesting material to a gorse bush near the Warden’s Hut. I didn’t investigate further at this stage as it’s easy for them to abandon during nest building. Later in the week I spent some time with Graham who helped me assess the birds behaviour in order to find Linnet nests without causing any stress for the birds. We found a definite nest site but watched from a distance. 

Along the spit near the Warden’s Hut new flowers included Danish Scurvygrass and Sea Campion.

A Whimbrel called from near the Sailing Club and I picked it up heading west along Warren Shore, this is four days earlier than last year. New Butterflies for the year included Brimstone and Speckled Wood.

My first Wheatear of the year was on the 3^rd April in Three Fields South. Last year I recorded 12 bird days in the spring (starting on the 28^th March) and 50 bird days in the autumn. I think this is still the only Wheatear seen by anyone at Needs Ore!

As I got back to the car a Red Kite drifted over the Main Hedge and a White-tailed Eagle flew over really high, the first one I’ve seen for a while. At the end of the week I saw another Red Kite at the Reedy Ditch. It was deliberately dropping a prey item, bird carrion I think, from a good height so that it could practice swooping, it actually looked like it was having fun.  

Nearby, the female Kestrel was perched in the Bee-eater trees. Although it’s a large area I think there is only one breeding pair of Kestrel at Needs Ore. They breed near Black Water House and the female is often nearby as I drive past. She may well be on eggs now as she rarely ventures far but the male is seen regularly all over the reserve finding food to bring back to her.

The drake Garganey showed even better today straight out from De L’Orne hide.  It would be great if there is a female hidden away somewhere on the reserve. He has been here for three weeks now and I’ve heard him calling several times.

I also saw a pair of Garganey at Mary Monts on March 30^th although they seemed to be newly arrived and quickly moved on. By the end of the week our single male was looking a bit forlorn on De L’Orne Flood viewable from the Boardwalk Bridge. A Siskin called overhead as I walked the boardwalk.

The newer of the two Spotted Redshank was still on De L’Orne Lagoon feeding along the creek opposite the hide and the rather drab looking 2^nd calendar year Spoonbill was still on Venner, all of the adult birds seem to have left, some of them probably back to Holland.

Across the whole reserve my Breeding Transect walk suggested that there were 12 Redshank pairs/territories and 24 Lapwing pairs/territories. This included three Lapwing nests found with four eggs in each of them. Strangely the two sitting Lapwing previously seen on Three Fields South had disappeared, no Lapwing at all in these fields.