April – Wildlife around Bishop’s Waltham

Posted on 21st April 2020 by Richard

Lockdown kicks in – the wildlife love it

Less traffic and less pollution seems to be bringing much benefit to humans and wildlife alike, but of course, we’d rather not be in the middle of a pandemic.
In some ways I guess it’s easier for us senior citizens, we don’t need to worry about losing our jobs or not getting our full income like many who’ve been furloughed.

I’m walking on average about 25k a week and getting much solace through scenery and just listening to the birdsong everyday.

Hedgehogs under the bird feeders

Two Hedgehogs have appeared in the Garden, so hopefully both will survive and presuming they’re male and female will produce some young ones.
There’s no mistaking the noise when they arrive, loud grunts and the scraping of any leaves on the ground !

Mistle Thrush – Red Damsel Fly – Orange Tip Butterfly

Butterflies are starting to appear again with the usual Orange Tips and Brimstones. I’ve also seen a few Speckled Woods and Peacocks.
Around the Garden here, some Starlings are busy looking after their eggs in the guttering above my Flat, right racket !

Grass Snake

Bee Fly

Life plods on and it’s not easy for many but it is very nice to see people walking in the countryside. I’ve spoken to quite a few and all say it’s so nice to have some time to explore their surrounding and quite keen to learn bird species and just watch what’s going on.

They say that from something bad, good will come. I haven’t a crystal ball to see where all this is going to end but it has been a wakening to what’s good outside our door and awareness of the need to preserve it.

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 !

Wildlife highlights January

Posted on 4th February 2019 by Richard

Mid winter sent me, as well as my usual two wildlife patches around Bishop’s Waltham just to Titchfield Haven, Totten and the New Forest.

Around the Patch included 100’s of Redwing. Not unusual at this time of the year but maybe unusual in the fact I didn’t see any Fieldfare. Of special interest to them were the Football Pitches, medium height and quite soggy most of the time.

It’s surprising how many wild Deer you get around here. They keep you on your toes because you never seem to know where they’re going to spring out from. When they do make a run, it’s a hopeful grab of the camera. On the rare occasion, this works quite well !

Redwing – Song Thrush – Waxwing

Waxwings don’t often appear in this part of the Country. Suddenly quite a large flock turned up at Totten where they stripped the trees in the Asda Car Park dry. Shoppers were quite bemused by some 30 Birders a day turning up, they even attracted BBC South who gave them good coverage !

Black Tailed Godwits

Titchfield Haven sported the usual Waders including quite a few Black Tailed Godwits and Avocets.
The Turnstones which congregate along the beach opposite the Visitor Centre and Restaurant attract many visitors and they integrate with the passers by in a very tame manner.

All in all it was a pretty much normal January here in South Hampshire although a number of Ospreys were spotted around the coast and a good number of Goshawks within the New Forest.

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Winter’s day birdwatching at Godmersham

Posted on 19th January 2018 by Richard

As I said in my previous post, the small village of Godmersham is only two miles from my place and I seldom go there bird watching.
I’ve certainly, up to the last week, missed out this winter, beside the wonderful appearance of Hawfinches, there’s an array of small birds about with a constant chorus of song.

Goldcrest

The busiest day this week was Wednesday, no sooner had I got out of the Van did I see three Goldcrests jumping between a Yew Tree and the Graveyard wall, then looking upwards, a Grey Wagtail sitting on the roof of the Church.

Goldfinch – Long Tailed Tit – Grey Wagtail

Mistle Thrush – Treecreeper – Greenfinch

Walking along the Lane I encounted two Nuthatches and 4 Treecreepers which although not rare, not often seen so much in the open, if seen at all !

Long Tailed Tits and Goldcrests were most in number, never seen so many in one area.
Add to that 4 Greenfinches and two Mistle Thrushes, you just couldn’t find anything negative on a beautifully sunny Winter’s day.
One Lady arrived from further down the Lane and said she was watching a Blackbird foraging when a Sparrowhawk came down and took it away in one foul swoop.

Nuthatch

One thing which did surprise me was a few of the Birders remarking on Coal Tits. I never knew they are maybe one of the lesser seen birds. Without sounding too much of a show off I told them I have about a dozen in my Garden every day!

Male Chaffinch

Little Egret in River next to Church

All in all, a special morning out and with the Hawfinches as well has to go down as one of the best days as well.
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Swallows arrive back down the Lane

Posted on 17th April 2017 by Richard

It really is a good time of the year for bird migrants and to see two Swallows sitting on the Cables at the end of my Garden this week was a real joy.
They have been seen in Dungeness and other coastal places for a couple of weeks now, but over their rest for a while they’re returning to their haunts of previous years.
South Africa is a long flight !

Speckled Wood Butterflies

To add to my already seen Small Whites, Tortoiseshells, Peacocks and Orange Tips, are the Speckled Woods which at present are mainly seen in pairs doing their frisky mating dances along openings in the driveway and Lawn.
To photograph them it’s just a case of waiting. Sooner or later, they’ll have a break !

More activity round the Garden and Lane

Every year about this time sees an increase of Squirrel raids around the Bird Feeders. Try as one may, you’re usually on a losing battle to save your peanuts, the only good news is the Birds are now finding their own natural food sources and the Peanuts can be stored away until Autumn.

However, Greater Spotted Woodpeckers are pretty active now and it won’t be long before we see the parents and young ones at the Feeders for the Fat Balls!
There’s a pair of Green Woodpeckers about as well, nothing like hearing their laughing call!

Lastly, the evening song is alive, resident Song Thrushes fight it out with Blackbirds, Robin and the ever tuneful Chiffchaff.

Song Thrush

With a few cold days forecast next week it will be interesting to see how everything fairs, including my Vegetables !

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On the fields in late April

Posted on 29th April 2016 by Richard

A blowy and overcast late April day but nice to walk around the fields at the end of the Lane.
In just half a mile I have a stream, fields and a River to play around in, so it’s quite rare not to spot something flying about or creeping through the undergrowth.

Today produced a Mistle Thrush scurrying around on the footpath and looking at me with a rather satisfying but cautious look! We don’t seem to get Song Thrushes here and it’s not every day I see a Mistle Thrush. All’s the pity, lovely Songbird.

Just to the other side of the field there’s a rather scruffy hedgerow. When I say scruffy I mean it’s supposed to be, the Farmer is associated to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and the required 15 meter wild buffers around his fields together with strict guidelines on hedge maintenance, gives a green light for many birds to visit.
Prides of place at present are Yellowhammers and Linnets, fine beautiful birds.

The Rapeseed (thank heavens I don’t suffer with it) seems to be attracting many Whitethroats and are often seen sitting on the top of a Plant blowing around in the wind.
From a distance it’s hard to determine them from the Skylarks which rule the fields down here.

Plenty of song but little actually seen.

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