The Deskbound Birder: Marsh Harrier

Showing posts with label Marsh Harrier. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 March 2017

Pennington Marsh - 23rd March

I was longing to get out birding as Spring is starting to feel like it is setting in and so after dropping Tobias at school in Lymington I headed to Pennington Marsh for a short walk. I stopped at the corner of Lower Pennington Lane where I had a coffee and scanned the marshes. There were a few Teal and Wigeon hanging on and small numbers of Brent Goose while singing from the willows were at least two Chiffchaff while overhead there were two House Martin, my first Hirundine of the year. Lapwing were displaying, what a fantastic sound they make, and I could see a few birds incubating within the grassland.

A wander to Efford Lagoon produced 15 Tufted Duck, a single Ruff and around 30 Pied Wagtail while gulls included Great Black-backed, Herring and around 75 Black-headed Gull.

A walk onto the seawall and there was a biting west wind blowing so I hurried towards Fishtail lagoon picking up a Slavonian Grebe, eight Pintail and small numbers of Turnstone, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Black-tailed Godwit. At Fishtail Lagoon a 1st summer male Marsh Harrier flew east and showed well flushing many of the Teal and Wigeon and at least three Snipe from the Lagoon. Best of all though were four Bearded Reedling busy nest building, two of the males showed very well along the reed edge and I spent some time enjoying these fabulous birds.

Bearded Reedling - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Oystercatcher - Pennington Marsh

Brent Goose - Pennington Marsh

Kestrel - Pennington Marsh

Meadow Pipit - Pennington Marsh

Great Black-backed Gull - Pennington Marsh

Turnstone, just entering summer plumage with some rufous appearing

in the scapulars- Pennington Marsh

Marsh Harrier (1st summer male) - Pennington Marsh

Tuesday, 21 February 2017

Beaulieu Road Station and Romsey - 16th February

I paid a brief visit to Beaulieu road Station today in beautiful spring like conditions. There were at least two territory holding Woodlark singing along Bishop's Dyke and small groups of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll were conspicuous in the Silver Birch. The Great Grey Shrike showed rather distantly behind the main pool on Bishop's Dyke where there were also around 15 Teal in full display. These were spooked by a Marsh Harrier - the first I have seen at this site. Around the main pool there were hundreds of Common Frog in chorus - a raft of spawn had been produced measuring at least 10 square metres, I don't think I have ever seen this quantity of spawn before.

Woodlark - Bishop's Dyke, Beaulieu Road Station

Great Grey Shrike - Bishop's Dyke, Beaulieu Road Station

Marsh Harrier - Bishop's Dyke, Beaulieu Road Station

Back at home in Romsey two Chiffchaff were feeding on the first insects of the spring, they occasionally broke into song - spring is arriving.

Chiffchaff - Romsey

Thursday, 7 April 2016

Beaulieu Road Station and Pennington Marsh - 1st and 2nd April

I had worked a long week despite the Bank Holiday and so on Friday 1st April I finished at 14:00 and headed to Beaulieu Road Station for a walk. I parked at Shatterford and walked south, along Bishop's Dyke and back via Denny Wood. Stonechat numbers seemed to be up, with 12 birds seen, returning summer migrants? Then a definite migrant and my first migrant of the year, a male Redstart frantically foraging in the Silver Birch at Bishop's Dyke. I think that this is the first time ever that my first spring migrant has been a Redstart. Other than that, four Wood Lark (2 at Denny wood and 2 at Bishop's Dyke), 2 Redpoll and a couple of singing Chiffchaff were the highlights. Still, it was great to be out on a lovely spring afternoon.

Male Redstart - Bishop's Dyke

On 2nd April I spent a few hours at Pennington Marsh and walked the full loop out past Fishtail Lagoon, past Keyhaven Lagoon, along Iley Point and back along the Ancient Highway taking in the balancing pond to the north of the Ancient Highway. It was a glorious spring morning but with a cold north-west wind. Three Chiffchaff sang around the car park and Mediterranean Gull called overhead. Numbers of wader and wildfowl and now definitely on a significant decline as birds move north with only around 75-100 Black-tailed Godwit the commonest species. I spent some time overlooking Fishtail Lagoon and enjoyed 5 Spoonbill as they flew in from the north. Also present here were a couple of Ruff and around 12 Snipe. A short seawatch at the point at Butts Lagoon produced a couple of Sandwich Tern. At Keyhaven Lagoon my first Swallow appeared with a second at Iley Point. I walked to the fields to the north of the balancing pond where a male and female Wheatear were my first of the year. Two Marsh Harrier showed over the reedbed and around 20 Sand Martin fed around the balancing pond. As I walked back along the Ancient Highway my final spring migrant of the day was a Willow Warbler which sang from the bramble scrub.