Portland, Lodmoor and Pennington Marsh - 25th September

I had planned to go to Portland today but the weather forecast was bad with rain until 08:00, heavy showers thereafter and a F7-8 west wind. I was hesitant until in the car at 06:00 and semi-committed to the journey, rain lashed the car as I drove and the trees were being thrashed by the wind. It was my Birthday today but I struggled to find any optimism that I would find a rare bird - always my aim on my Birthday. 

Arriving in the car park at the Bill at 08:00 I began the morning with a seawatch, large numbers of Gannet were offshore, around 25 Kittiwake passed, there were good numbers of Razorbill and Guillemot and a single male Common Scoter passed east. I gave it around an hour but there was little to excite. I then wandered around the Bill area and out to Culverwell. I recorded 17 Wheatear, 35 Swallow moving west, around 75 Meadow Pipit moving west and a single Chiffchaff at Culverwell. It was very slow going and the wind was not abating. At 11:30 my parking ticket was about to run out and I decided to head to the east coast of Portland where I birded the Pen Castle and Church Ope area but saw little but for a couple of Goldcrest and a Yellow Wagtail passing south. I decided to start heading towards home via Lodmoor. 

Comma - Church Ope, Portland, Dorset

Raven - Portland Bill, Dorset

Common Kestrel - Portland Bill, Dorset

I spent around an hour at Lodmoor where there had been a long staying Long-billed Dowitcher but I had no luck with this bird. I wandered along the west path there were three Great White Egret, five Yellow Wagtail, a couple of Sandwich Tern, 25 Mediterranean Gull, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, five Dunlin and a white headed Ruff.

Sandwich Tern - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Ruff - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Mediterranean Gull, a first winter bird less advanced to winter plumage than the 

next two birds - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Mediterranean Gull, first winter - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Mediterranean Gull, first winter - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Mediterranean Gull, second winter - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Mediterranean Gull, second winter - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Great White Egret - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

Great White Egret - Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset

It was 13:15 and I decided to head back to Hampshire and spend an hour or so at Pennington before collecting Tobias from school. I walked from Lower Pennington carpark out past Fishtail Lagoon, along the southern edge of Butts and Jetty Lagoon and back past Shoveler Pools. It was very quiet, I saw 10 Lapwing, a single House Martin and nothing much else. The lagoons were devoid of birds. I called it a day, headed for a coffee, collected Tobias from school and chilled with Sarah for the evening.

Pennington Marsh - 11th September

Sarah was in London today and so it was my duty to collect Tobias from school. Heading off from work a little early I spent a couple of hours at Pennington. I had, unintentionally, coincided my visit with the passing of the remnants of Hurricane Dorian that had passed, so devastatingly, over the Caribbean last week before tracking up the eastern coast of the USA and crossing the Atlantic passing to the north of the UK but creating windy and damp conditions further south. It was very windy and grey and difficult conditions in which to bird. Parking at the car park at the bottom of Lower Pennington Lane and walking over the Old Landfill it was evident that there was a small but steady stream of hirundines, mainly House Martin and Sand Martin but a few Swallow, moving west into the wind. A single juvenile Whinchat showed briefly on the dump but despite looking the bird had vanished. I set my scope up to the north of Butts Lagoon and scanned across the mud and water, there were small numbers of wader, mainly sheltering behind the reeds, with a single juvenile Little Stint, four Greenshank, three Spotted Redshank, 50 Black-tailed Godwit, 30 Lapwing, a single Snipe and a handful of Ringed Plover and Dunlin. I wandered onto Fishtail Lagoon but it was almost devoid of birds, a distinctive 'tip, tip' overhead and the Little Stint dropped onto the lagoon with three Dunlin and a Ringed Plover and showed fairly well, if a little distantly for such a small wader. I wandered onto Keyhaven Lagoon where a Wheatear showed well along the path but on the lagoon there was little but for 18 Teal.

I then wandered back eastwards scanning the same areas as before, small numbers of Whitethroat were in the Brambles, on the sea were 15 Eider, two Sandwich Tern, an adult and a juvenile passed by, to the west, but it was fairly quite otherwise. Heading back towards the car via Jetty Lagoon, I stopped at the jetty and scanned the mudflats and sea, there were around 25 Grey Plover, some still in almost full summer plumage, as well as around 45 Ringed Plover and a similar number of Turnstone. I headed back towards the car and then birded the Ancient Highway for a short while, there were four Common Sandpiper on Efford Lagoon along with a single Egyptian Goose. On the highway the birding was tricky due to the strong winds and I recorded singles of Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat plus a trickle of Hirundines overhead. It was time to head off to collect Tobias.

Northern Wheatear - Pennington Marsh

Northern Wheatear - Pennington Marsh

Little Stint and Dunlin - Pennington Marsh

Eider - Pennington Marsh

Sandwich Tern - Pennington Marsh

Sandwich Tern - Pennington Marsh

Common Stonechat - Pennington Marsh

Slimbridge WWT, Hayling Island, Denny Wood and Pennington Marsh - 17th - 24th April

With the last days before my next foreign trip, work and family life have been hectic. The glorious, warm sunny Easter weekend of 19th April was spent decorating at home with some time on the beach with friends and family and enjoying the garden. Birding of late has been confined to a few short jaunts when time allowed. On 14th April we were at Cowley and so I spent a couple of hours at Slimbridge WWT reserve while Sarah was with friends. Highlights were six Sand Martin, two Willow Warbler, a single Swallow, Sedge Warbler and a few left over Wigeon, Pintail and Teal.

Avocet were showing very well from the Rushy Hide with 29 birds present - Slimbridge WWT

Avocet - Rushy Hide, Slimbridge

Black-headed Gulls were looking fine - Slimbridge WWT

After a breeding bird survey near to Bognor Regis on 17th April, where the highlights were my first Whitethroat, Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail of the year as well as good numbers of Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler, I stopped for a short walk along the Billy Line to the Oysterbeds on Hayling Island. The highlights here were three Whitethroat, 12 Whimbrel and Willow Warbler. I spent some time at the Oysterbeds enjoying the hundreds of nesting Mediterranean Gull and Black-headed Gull and my first Sandwich Tern of the year.

Whimbrel - Hayling Island

Whitethroat - Hayling Island

Nesting Black-headed and Mediterranean Gull - Oysterbeds, Hayling Island

Mediterranean Gull - Oysterbeds, Hayling Island

Mediterranean Gull - Oysterbeds, Hayling Island

Mediterranean Gull - Oysterbeds, Hayling Island

Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull - Oysterbeds, Hayling Island

Later in the day on 17th April I popped to Denny Wood where there were good numbers of Redstart on territory. Its always a great pleasure to see these stunning birds in the fresh green, spring leaves of Beech and Oak at Denny Wood.

Redstart - Denny Wood, New Forest

On 18th and 24th I spent a couple of hours at Pennington Marsh, on 18th I walked the Ancient Highway and back around the seawall to Jetty Lagoon and back to the car park. On 24th I walked out past Fishtail Lagoon and back to the carpark. There were many Reed Warbler and Whitethroat on territory as well as small numbers of Sedge Warbler. Up to seven Ruff were present including a stunning rufous necked bird. On both days there were up to six Spoonbill on Fishtail Lagoon. There appear to be two pairs of Little Ringed Plover breeding on Fishtail Lagoon this year. Other highlights included two Common Tern, two Little Tern, a partial summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper and a stunning summer plumaged Turnstone. 

Ruff - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Spotted Redshank - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Turnstone - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Time in the garden produced my first Holly Blue of the year and a couple of Orange-tip but despite scanning the skies over a few cold beers while revising for my trip there were no fly-over migrants.

Orange-tip - Romsey

Titchfield Haven - 6th September

After a short survey in Fair Oak I popped down to Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve just as the reserve opened to try for the Temminck's Stint that had been present since 2nd September. At the reserve entrance there were 25 Sandwich Tern and five Common Tern. On the South Scrape there were 15 Snipe, five Common Sandpiper, a single Green Sandpiper and around 75 Black-tailed Godwit. The Temminck's Stint was visible from the Pumfrett Hide on the South Scrape but was always distant and in very poor light. Still, its elongated shape and creeping nature were distinctive.

Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gull - Titchfield Haven

Sandwich Tern - Titchfield Haven

Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gull - Titchfield Haven

Views of the Temminck's Stint were distant and into the sunlight - Titchfield Haven

6th and 13th August - Pennington Marsh

A free Saturday morning on 6th August and I couldn't resist the pull of Pennington Marsh but a few beers the night before meant a slightly later start so I wasn't in the car park at Lower Pennington Lane until 08:00 by which time the dog walking hordes had descended. I wandered a short way along the Ancient Highway to view Efford Lagoon where three Common Sandpiper, six Swallow, 10 Sand Martin and a single Swift were the highlights. Gulls are loafing here in good numbers now with at least 12 Lesser Black-backed Gull, five Great Black-backed Gull, 60 Herring Gull, 250 Black-headed Gull, four Mediterranean Gull and a couple of Common Gull. I then walked out past Shoveler Pools where a Green Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper were present with three juvenile Little Ringed Plover and a single Yellow Wagtail, my first of the autumn. Cutting back along the north edge of the old dump there were good numbers of juvenile Willow Warbler (c.10) and Whitethroat (c.15) in the scrub.

Juvenile Reed Bunting - Ancient Highway, Pennington Marsh

Juvenile Willow Warbler - Pennington Marsh

I spent the best part of an hour scanning over Fishtail Lagoon, there are a lot of birds here and it is worth spending the time watching the comings and goings. The Wood Sandpiper from Shoveler Pools dropped in, around six Snipe, 125 Black-tailed Godwit, 30 Redshank, 25 Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plover were the best on show.

Roe Deer - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Black-tailed Godwit dropping into Fishtail Lagoon - Pennington Marsh

Black-tailed Godwit dropping into Fishtail Lagoon - Pennington Marsh

I then went out to the point of Butts Lagoon and spent another hour or so here. The conditions were fantastic, absolutely still and brilliant sunshine. Little Egret chased fish fry in the shallows and on the mudflats were c.200 Dunlin, 45 Turnstone, 15 Grey Plover, one Sanderling, six Whimbrel, eight Curlew, 30 Ringed Plover, 25 Sandwich Tern and 30 Common Tern. After such a still morning it was amazing how the wind suddenly picked up from the west. I decided it was time to make a slow move towards home - another quick scan of Fishtail Lagoon failed to produce the hoped for mega, maybe next time.

Little Egret chasing fish fry off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Little Egret chasing fish fry off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Little Egret chasing fish fry off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Little Egret chasing fish fry off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Dunlin and Ringed Plover off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Turnstone and Dunlin off Butts Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

13th August and another free morning so back to  Pennington Marsh. Today I completed the full loop, out past Shoveler Pools, back along the north edge of the Old Dump to Fishtail Lagoon then out to the point at Butts Lagoon, then out past Keyhaven Lagoon and around the Quay and back along the Ancient Highway. It was pretty slim going. The highlights of the morning were the first Ruff (2) of the autumn on Fishtail Lagoon, Wood Sandpiper on Fishtail, Tree Pipit (1), Yellow Wagtail (1)and  my first Wheatear of the autumn at Keyhaven Lagoon 

Reed Warbler - Efford Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Reed Warbler - Efford Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Reed Warbler - Efford Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Reed Warbler - Efford Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

A distant Ruff, the first of the Autumn- Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Juvenile Sandwich Tern - Pennington Marsh

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Sandwich Tern - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Wheatear - Keyhaven Lagoon, Pennington Marsh