Titchfield Haven, Rough Bank and Chappetts Copse - 26th-29th May

A much needed free weekend after a very busy period at work saw Tobias and I venturing to Posbrook Flood and Titchfield Haven on 26th May. A Squacco Heron has been presented at Posbrook Flood since 24th May and as this was a British tick for me I was keen to try for it. Parking at the Bridge Street car park we walked south along the canal path to the main viewing area looking east to the rather obscured floods. A Treecreeper showed well as it fed its chicks in a hole in an oak at a height of only 1.5m, this entertained Tobias for a while. We eventually had rather brief views of the Squacco Heron as it fed in the reeds and grasses of the flood and a brief view as it took flight and flew to the back of the flood and into deep vegetation. Tobias was bored and wanted to go and look for Terns at Titchfield Haven and so we drove round to the coastline. It was extremely windy and the wind and kite surfers were out in force and after watching them for a while we wandered onto the reserve. From the Meon Shore hide we watched around 15 Common Tern at close range but the numbers of Black-headed Gull in the colony seemed very low. There was little else to be seen but we enjoyed a couple of Avocet and an Oystercatcher incubating its single egg. We decided it was time to head home.

Treecreeper -  Canal Path, Posford Flood

Common Tern - Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve

Oystercatcher - Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve

On 29th May I had a survey to do in the Cotswolds and after this was completed I popped to Rough Bank, a Butterfly Conservation Reserve. The weather was pretty dreadful and I only stayed a short while but it is a superb site. Highlights were Lesser Butterfly Orchid, White Helleborine, Small Blue and Adonis Blue. The butterflies were all sheltering atop of grass blades in the cold and windy conditions.

Rough Bank Butterfly Conservation Reserve

Greater Butterfly Orchid - Rough Bank, Gloucestershire

Greater Butterfly Orchid - Rough Bank, Gloucestershire

Another day, another survey and another bit of Orchid twitching. Firstly, I popped to a site on the outskirts of Guildford where at least 30 Man Orchid were at their peak of flowering, a species of Orchid that I had not seen before. Their stunning stiff flower heads topping the surrounding vegetation and making them conspicuous in the sward.

Man Orchid - Guildford

Man Orchid - Guildford

Man Orchid - Guildford

Sainfoin - Guildford

View from the downland at Guildford

I then went to the Hampshire Wildlife Trust Reserve of Chappetts Copse where adjacent to the small car park were two Bird's-nest Orchids. A short way along the main ride were half a dozen tiny Fly Orchid. The star here is Sword-leaved Helleborine, a rare and declining species in the UK which has one of its strongholds in the copse. The white flowers of the plant speckle the otherwise dark floor of the beech woodland in profuse numbers. I wandered amongst the plants for a short while before heading back to the office.

Bird's-nest Orchid - Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Bird's-nest Orchid - Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Fly Orchid - Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Sword-leaved Helleborine - Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Sword-leaved Helleborine - Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Sword-leaved Helleborine - Chappetts Copse, Hampshire

Chappetts Copse

Pennington Marsh - 21st February

On a bright sunny morning I had a few hours to spend at Pennington Marsh. It is sometime since I had been down to the marsh and so I was looking forward to my time here. I walked a pretty standard route taking in Butt's Lagoon, Fishtail Lagoon, Jetty Lagoon and out to Oxey Lagoon. As expected there were excellent numbers of waders and wildfowl to be seen on the falling tide with highlights being 250 Golden Plover off Pennington Lane, four Ruff, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, the long staying Purple Sandpiper on the mudflats just east of the jetty, two Slavonian Grebe off Oxey Lagoon and also a Red-necked Grebe off Oxey Lagoon. Also just off Oxey was a seal, I didn't see it very well but I think it was a Common Seal, and a little more surprising was a recently dead Common Dolphin, see here.

After a couple of hours on the marshes I headed into the New Forest and spent an hour at Denny Wood seeing little but for the standard resident woodland species many of which were in full territorial song. A Red Kite soared overhead, still a relatively uncommon species in the forest.

Purple Sandpiper - By the jetty at Pennington Marsh

Roe Deer sporting fine fresh velvety antlers - Pennington Marsh

The Lapwing are just starting to display on the marshes - Pennington Marsh

A fine male Pintail - Pennington Marsh

Red-breasted Merganser - Oxey Lagoon

Red-breasted Merganser - Oxey Lagoon

Red-breasted Merganser - Oxey Lagoon

Red-breasted Merganser - Oxey Lagoon

Red-breasted Merganser, male displaying to the female - Oxey Lagoon

Red-necked Grebe - Off Oxey Lagoon

Slavonian Grebe - Off Oxey Lagoon

Brent Goose - Pennington Marsh

Red Kite - Over Denny Wood

Treecreeper - Denny Wood

Coal Tit - Denny Wood

Mistle Thrush - Pig Bush

Pennington Marsh - 7th April

This first half of April has been fantastic, like mid-summer come early, after an early morning breeding bird survey where the highlights were a couple of Song Thrush and a Willow Warbler I spent a couple of hours at Pennington Marsh. Spring really is here and there were Blackcap singing from the scrub, fair numbers of Chiffchaff and at least six Willow Warbler. On Efford Lagoon the Little Ringed Plover have returned and one bird gave good views on the near shore as it ran amongst the Black-headed Gull - now in their spring finery. I walked out past Shoveler Pools but it was fairly slow going. A while scanning out to sea produced none of the hoped for returning tern but around 150 Dunlin, 30 Grey Plover and six Knot kept me interested. The Bearded Reedling were still frantically nest building on Butts Lagoon and there were at least four male and two female present. On Fishtail Lagoon there were two Spotted Redshank, still in their winter plumage, three Ruff and a fine, but skulky, summer plumaged Water Pipit.

Little Ringed Plover- Pennington Marshes

Black-headed Gull and Little Ringed Plover- Pennington Marshes

I wandered out to Keyhaven Lagoon but there was little to be seen, 15 Shelduck and a single Greenshank while in the scrub a Dartford Warbler sang and a Willow Warbler showed fairly well.

Dartford Warbler - Pennington Marshes

Willow Warbler - Pennington Marshes

Willow Warbler - Pennington Marshes

It was time to head back to the car, the gorse is just starting to flower in full fervour and the heady coconut aroma filled the air. Chaffinch and Linnet were singing from the golden fronds of the gorse while Cetti's Warbler gave only brief glimpses as at least four birds chased one another in territorial dispute. A single Swallow flew rapidly north but it was the only hirundine of the morning. As I wandered back to the car a pair of Mediterranean Gull flew over calling, always fantastic birds but particularly stunning against the deep blue sky. A final look at Efford Lagoon produced a pair of Great-crested Grebe in display, they swam to the shore side and it was evident tha,t as the female flattened her body, they were about to copulate but unfortunately the local Coot disturbed them but they went back to displaying fairly close to the shore but unfortunately a little distant for the camera.

Chaffinch - Pennington Marshes

Linnet - Pennington Marshes

Chaffinch - Pennington Marshes

Mediterranean Gull - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe, this display seemed to be the female encouraging the male to copulate - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe, the male was a bit sheepish when the female adopted this obvious 'come-on' pose - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe, the pair went back to this head shaking display before heading back into the centre of the lake - Pennington Marshes

Great-crested Grebe - Pennington Marsh

Great-crested Grebe - Pennington Marsh

Wren - Pennington Marsh

After grabbing some lunch and a coffee at Waitrose I headed to Denny Wood for a short wander and to see if the Redstart were back. There were at least four Redstart on territory but all were very elusive at the tops of the trees. It was time to head into the office but it had been a lovely morning out birding.

Treecreeper - Denny Wood