An afternoon birdwatching in Warsash

Posted on 12th December 2020 by Richard

Birdwatching along the banks of the River Hamble

I often link going to Warsash to link in with seeing my daughter at her workplace in Hamble. I park the car in the free car park and catch the Pink Ferry over the river to Hamble, this saves a 20 – 25 minute drive and paying for a car park the other side. At the weekends I’ll often meet up there to walk her dog. Luckily the nature of the Path, mud, reeds and tides prevents any of our four legged friends getting to the birds !

Common Buzzard (in Bishop’s Waltham)

Luckily the tide was out when I arrived and this brought about much activity. If you being blessed you can often see a Seal coming in on the tide on it’s way upstream for a bite to eat, then see it returning as it’s going back out. Not today though. Needless to say the Pink Ferry ‘Captain’ say’s he see’s it daily !

Redshank – Greenshank – Ringed Plover

Beside the photos shown, a Kingfisher appeared briefly and over 100 Dunlin were present but a tad too far for my lens. Speaking of my daughter, I took her birdwatching here for the first time and the very first bird we say was the Kingfisher sitting on the bank no more than 20 meters away. Sometimes it happens like that !

Black Tailed Godwit, must have been 60+ there

Curlew

Warsash can be hit and miss, I’ve been there a few times and seen nothing. More to look out for there are Rock Pipits, Brent Geese, Kestrels, Mumjacs in the gardens on the other side of the Reed Beds and much more.
If nothing about, catch the Pink Ferry to Hamble and stroll left to some woodland and marsh where the River meets Southampton Water.

Around & About in March

Posted on 27th March 2020 by Richard

Lockdown begins, bad for us, good for nature

After some weeks of the Coronavirus Pandemic spreading itself across the U.K., the Prime Minister announced what would be a virtual shutting down of the Country, we were told to stay at home with only essential shops remaining open.
Luckily we were allowed daily outdoor exercise and although officially limited to one hour, where I go for walks is mostly to places where people don’t go. In other words, further out into the horizons.

Kestrel

The town of Bishop’s Waltham has many walks and close by places to explore. The houses on the north side of the town border the South Downs National Park and to the south it’s mainly fields with streams flowing into the River Meon. North and south I have about 6 variations of circular walks ranging from 4k to 8k, so depending on my general state of mobility, this is a nice variation.

Jackdaw – Goldcrest – Deer

Song Thrush – A late Fieldfare (early March) – Common Buzzard

There are some benefits of being indoors so much and that is to look out the window more and see what’s going on nature wise more closely than usual maybe.
Outside mt window, we’ve had Long Tailed, Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Goldcrest (right outside my window), Starlings, Jackdaws, Goldfinches and not forgetting Blackbirds and Robins of course

There’s always one close by !

Not only has Bishop’s Waltham the fields and River, but also a derelict Abbey (or Palace) and two large ponds no further than a 200 meter walk from my Flat.
Both are separated by the Winchester Road; the North Pond is largest more natural with varying depths of water which attract Herons and Cormorants, the south Pond was man made back in the day solely to farm fish. This attracts fewer water birds but does attract Kingfishers, Grey Wagtails and Gulls.

Much to see in the coming months !

Late March Butterflies and incoming Birds

Posted on 29th March 2019 by Richard

Late March, the first sightings of Butterflies

As usual, the first Butterfly to appear was the Orange Tip, one day you saw one, the next day, a dozen!

After that along came the Peacocks, Speckled Woods and Small Tortoiseshells.
Claylands Nature Reserve, just a 300 meter walk from me, has some very nice ‘wildlife maintained’ meadow, hedge, woodland and a low pasture where damp prevails. All in all a great place for Invertibrates and Reptiles.

The Peacock

Titchfield Canal Buzzards and a Willow Warbler

As Spring gets deeper, the Canal at Titchfield is producing some great wildlife.
Highlight for me was the dark coloured Common Buzzard resting on a tree no more than 40 meters away. After a good 5 minute pose, off it went on another hunt, no doubt to beat the Marsh Harriers to it !

Common Buzzard

Willow Warbler

Further down the Canal Path I saw a couple of Birders who had heard about the Willow Warbler. If not only for the lovely bird I stayed around for a while.
As always for Birders, no sooner had they gone and out it came flitting from small tree to bush to small tree.
The photo doesn’t really do the beautiful yellow pink colour justice.

Small Tortoiseshell – Speckled Wood – Greenfinch

I’ve lived down this way for a year now and still not visited everywhere I should. I’ve ventured to the New Forest, Titchfield, Warsash / Hook, the Forest of Bere and Fishlake Meadows, but still not Farlington and around the coast from Lymington to Christchurch. Hopefully soon.

All in all it’s going well, the bird species spotted number is going up by the week and I look forward to a late Spring and Summer of adventures new.

Young Common Buzzards

Posted on 25th August 2017 by Richard

Buzzards buzzing and busy!

I’ve been trying to photograph the young Common Buzzards for a few weeks now, my attempts of finding them in the wood opposite was a failure.
Then, after several rushes for my Camera after hearing them flying above, I finally got to get a few shots this morning

It would seem there are two active, the same as last year.
Winter usually offers the best views of these magnificent creatures though and as you may have seen, they often enjoy sitting on the telegraph cables at the bottom of my Garden or following any Tractors for any snippits on the fields on both sides of the Lane.

I’va also noticed the shrieks of a Sparrowhawk around and about as well. In fact, I was sitting in the Garden a few weeks back and jumped at the sudden noise inside the Laurel Bush outside my Shed door.

A Sparrowhawk had obviously gone for a Blackbird, failed and landed on the grass no more than 5 meters away.
Alas, by the time I sneaked in to fetch my Camera it had gone.
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Common Buzzard in the field

Posted on 15th December 2016 by Richard

We get quite a few Common Buzzards around here, in fact there’s a large Nest in the Woods 50 meters away where I’m hoping some new ones will be born next Spring.

Today I did my normal walk around the Patch, two and half miles and nothing to either see or photograph really, mainly Blackbirds, Robins and Gulls. Not even a Lapwing to be seen for a change.

Just as I came back through the hedgerow by the Stream at the bottom of the Lane I noticed a Buzzard resting in the field behind my Garden.
“Perfect shot and position” I whispered to myself but knew I’d have to creep along the Hedge behind my now empty but overgrown Chicken Run. Normally this sort of creeping generates the Bird to fly away just as you’r about to click !

Obviously this was not the case today, the Buzzard seemed quite content on just sitting there nibbling at some invertebrate or other which had just been foraged from the growing crop.

Of the most common Predators, the Buzzard (and Kestrel) are the least worry to Farmers, they will feed on some of the Crop Thieves such as Crows and smaller Gulls tending to leave the smaller birds alone quite often. They’re more the Sparrowhawks domain.

It seemed I timed it well, there it stood for about 15 seconds before some short runway steps and up, up and away.
They always amaze me, they’re usually heard before they’re seen when flying, the cat like high pitched ‘meow’ often mistaken for a fighting Cat.
Then, when they do make the sound, they’re usually 3 or 4 hundred feet up.

This one made my day, just 40 or so meters away and posing well!

Sometimes it pays to stay at home and bird watch

Posted on 14th November 2016 by Richard

Yesterday I went for ‘the long walk’ around my patch, down the Lane, over the fields to the River and back. Besides the Fieldfares there was very little about either with Birds or other wildlife.

I got home and thought I’d wrap up, pull out my Garden Chair and see what comes along – it was quite delightful.

Observation of the back garden bird feeder seems the Tits have a kind of rota system; the Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits all seem to come at different times right after each other.
All of them mix well with the resident House Sparrows and Dunnocks and take little notice of the invading Starlings and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Also visiting were a Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtails and a Jay, all of which were camera shy and seemed to avoid the lens at all costs.
However, a Yellowhammer did sit on the Clothes Line for just enough time for me to get a shot.

Pride of place though was a Male Common Buzzard perching on the Electricity Cables above the back hedge. I was especially pleased with this as it’s usually only the female which I see gliding about.

Some Lapwings on the wasteland, overall upwards of 200

Everyday it seems will spring up at least one surprise, but even if it doesn’t it’s a joy and a great learning curve to just sit and observe who’s where and what’s what.

Birds returning down the Lane after Summer breaks

Posted on 1st November 2016 by Richard

The last few days of the month have welcomed back a few birds down the Lane.
First it was the Chiffchaffs and Grey Wagtails and now the Pied Wagtails, some Chaffinches, Lapwings and the always welcomed Fieldfares.

The Fieldfares arrived last Sunday, about 30 or 40 to begin with, then the following day,probably 150 came in and have spread themselves across the fields along the half mile stretch from here to the Great Stour two fields down.

The Grey Wagtails are still bathing a lot in the Stream which at present is quite low due to a fairly long dry period. It will be interesting to see what happens when the water rises a bit. Not too much I hope.

In fact, on Tuesday, a walk down to the River afforded me not only the above but a Buzzard popping here and there on the field, a few Yellowhammers just meters away from the house and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Yellowhammer – Great Spotted Woodpecker – Lapwings – Pied Wagtail

From all the above only the Fieldfares are migrants from overseas, but there are many birds who seemed to leave in late Spring and now returning.

Of note is the huge increase in Blackbirds. As far as I can make out, none are migrants, so just flown further south to here for Winter.

Finally, Jay, again first viewing of one here since Spring when I regret to say had 4 or 5 fledgling Sparrows from the nest above the back door.
Always a great shame, but nature rules.

Here comes Winter and the weather this week seems to be confirming just that.

In the Garden mid September

Posted on 13th September 2016 by Richard

It’s supposed to be Autumn but with a temperature of 32.5 degrees centigrade today, it felt like mid Summer in the Med.
With the heat in mind I thought I’d just sit under the Laural Tree and see what comes along.

As always, nothing disappoints, there’s always something that catches your eye and hopefully makes for a decent photo.
First in line was the Juvenile Blackbird, she’s been around for a few weeks now and doesn’t seem to mind coming pretty close if there’s food involved. However, the food she seemed to fancy was a tad mission impossibly !

A little later I saw the first Harlequin Ladybird I’ve seen this Summer, there’s quite a few Seven Spotteds still here, mainly around the Holly Bushes, so nice to see this one. Change is as good as a rest and hopefully shows the Garden is attracting wildlife of any type.

This was followed with a Darter who certainly seemed to take a fancy to me.

Around 6pm I went inside the Shed and got that feeling something’s watching you. Sure enough there was the Fox who I’ve been feeding up after seeing the poor creature looking worse for wear a few weeks ago, sitting patiently watching the back door in wait for the evening sachet of Tesco’s Cat Food !

A quick stroll down the Lane to the field produced a Yellowhammer flitting around the Hedgerow. Lots of noise from what sounded like Long Tailed Tits and plenty of Swallows flying over.

Upon returning home I heard the distinctive call of a Chiffchaff in the front Garden which immediately brought back memories of Spring when one perched on the tree above my Shed giving it’s repetative call from dawn til dusk.

Busy times ahead !

Buzzards ruling the Skies !

Posted on 20th July 2016 by Richard

There are four Buzzards soaring over the the Lane on an almost daily basis at present, magnificent Birds, I imagine parents and two young.

The problem photographing them is they don’t seem to start their squawk until fairly high in the air and by the times I get the Camera out and fixed up, they’re just a dot!

Today however I was lucky enough to spot this one (by size I reckon to be a female) whilst strolling on the Hockey Pitches close by with my camera looking to see what took my fancy.
Taking my fancy was basically nothing ! Very few birds, just the odd Rabbit scampering about which I fear won’t be for long as there’s a Farm Hand, following the harvesting of the Corn crop, is culling many of them. A pity, but one has to respect Country ways I guess.

Yesterday I walked around Ash-in-Warsash in Hampshire and saw virtually nothing as well, too hot I think. Just the occasional Goldfinch
Even the Butterflies didn’t seem to want to settle, possibly because it was the hottest day of the year recording over 33 degrees.
I did see some Marbled Whites, but sadly couldn’t get a photo of them.

So in a way, seeing the Buzzard did partly make up for coming home, it was almost as if it was welcoming me back with it’s casual and flowing fly past.

Wonderful creatures indeed.

Wildlife Diary

Recording wild life through the year around Hampshire, Kent and elsewhere

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