• Thursday, June 25, 2009 - Garden "purple patch" continues with a White Admiral
It's all happening in June, and most of my excitement is from the garden! This lunchtime, a White Admiral glided through the back garden most unexpected, and three Ravens soared high over the village.
Checked out the birdguides free quiz at: http://www.birdguides.com/iris/quiz.asp
Result below.. I'm "above average".. Hallelujah!
So.. for every 10 Pipits I see: two I get wrong, or more likely think "What the hell were those two!"
(No one likes to admit to getting anything wrong!)
A bit concerning that the average is only 1 more than a monkey randomly hitting keys! Would be interesting to know what identification criteria was being used. Apart from habitat, song, call, and time of year which weren't much help in the photos, I only know the pencil thin lines on the flanks as a diagnostic feature off the top of my head, but that was good enough 8 times out of 10!
Looking at some of the birdforum identification threads, I often wonder if people try to look "too" close sometimes, often citing really obscure, unreliable, or "almost impossible to interpret in the field" identification features, or even hallucinating things they want to see or hear. Worrying thing is we could all be unconsciously guilty of that! Did I actually hear a Nightjar two nights ago, or was it a central heating extractor fan?! (Luckily I saw them the following night, so the answer to that one is "yes"!)
Take a look at http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=142133
and post num.18. I can see a thin bill.. but the other features, sure they depict a Willow Warbler, but can you make them out from the photos?! I'll give him the thin bill, but green upperparts, orange base to lower mandible, and emarginations on 3 Primaries?! Having said that, he is also correct by the look of it.
This evening, I returned to the nearby woodland which had a churring Nightjar last night. Got there just at sunset and immediately had a Woodcock , and what looked like a Hobby in the distance. The Nightjar first announced it's presence by a series of wing clappings and brief views above the bracken. A few minutes later it was joined by a female and I got superb views of both birds hunting for Moths. The male occasionally flew into a dead tree and Churred. Captured in the mp3 file below, but needs the volume turning up high. There is also a nice series of Woodcock calls in the clip. The Spectogram snippet below contains the low frequency Churring of the Nightjar, and a higher frequency call of a Woodcock.
• Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Nightjar from the garden.
A real unexpected highlight last night that left my Girlfriend and I "high-fiving" in the back garden!
I was just finishing watering some plants, and heard a very brief burst of a Nightjar in the distance. Was extremely lucky that there was no traffic and the bird was emitting the loudest / closest burst of song just as I turned towards it. Called Kathleen, and sure enough, it was going full blast in the distance, but only detectable when there was no traffic, and only heard when cupping our ears to the source. Grabbed my recorder and headed off towards the bird, but it was too dark to go into the woods. The dog walkers' paths are hard enough to find in the daylight! Instead, I had to make do with slightly closer calling, a brief view of a Fox trotting into the village, and a Woodcock calling in the same woods. By listening from two streets, I was able to work out roughly where he was calling from.
Will have a better chance this evening, when I intend to head out at dusk, and stake out the most likely clearing. I have been here before in previous years with Nightjar in mind, but have never recorded one in this location before, and haven't noticed any historical records either. It's only midday, but I am really looking forward to this evening, and hopefully a glimpse of one of Hampshire's star birds..
• Friday, June 19, 2009 - Mallard added to garden list, and Bubo lists
A new species for the garden list earlier this week when the Wildfowl jinx was finally broken with a Mallard scooting over the house. No idea where from, or where it was heading to!
Had a look at my lists on Bubo.org today. what is surprising, is the number of personal milestones I am close to reaching:
The Western Palearctic life list is just 10 species shy of 500, the self-found version 14 short of 450.
My British self-found list is an agonising 5 species short of 250.
I also know from memory that my world life list is just "A couple of days out in Florida" short of 1000! However, I've been waiting 5 years for those two days!
Yes.. it is a quiet day at the office!
One target I have reached is "False" UK400.. That is counting UK species seen anywhere in the world! This seems like cheating, but is relevant to me as there is no way I'm going to travel to see a species I have seen thousands of in Europe. It certainly makes me appreciate the dedication of people with huge "True" UK Lists, even if I don't aspire to the same goals myself. I stopped counting at 400, but suspect there are a couple more American species that I saw in Ecuador many years ago to be included. bubo summary page below..
• Sunday, June 14, 2009 - Festoon at the Moth Trap
Had a decent session on the Moth trap last night. A downpour at dusk, and a cloudy night may have helped. First Insect to visit was a huge Hornet that was angrily prodding the lamp. He was later joined by a cat, so I decided to turn off the lamp until these unwanted guests moved on!
Left the lamp on overnight and had my first Heart and Club, Birch Mocha, and best of all a Festoon Pictured below, which was first noticed as a moth by my 5 year old daughter (I had seen it twice, and thought it was just a dead leaf or something!). Festoon is a nationally rare species, although it is present from Dorset East to Kent, and appears to be fairly well established in Hampshire.
Finally made it out to Hurst Castle this morning, and despite a tiring walk from the Cut Bridge, and a thorough search, couldn't pick up any Glanville Fritillarys. Weather was windy, which is the only reason I guess for them not showing. Did see a few other Butterfly species: Common Blue, Small Heath, Large White and Painted Lady. Also saw a few Cream Spot Tiger Moths which were quite cool, and a Cinnabar.
This was a big dip as I only manage one trip to Hurst a year if I am lucky! Also, the Hurst Castle Fritillarys could be on borrowed time as their food plant is getting scarce. Apart from Hurst, the only UK Glanvilles are on the Isle of Wight! We'll wait and see what next year brings.
Sea-watching prior to the butterfly hunt was also a bit tame, though I did manage 2 Fulmars, 1 Peregrine, 4 Common Scoters, and Little/Sandwich and Common Terns. A decent number of Gannets near the needles was impressive. A quick count got at least 70.
A Raven was hanging around near the Castle amongst Carrion Crows.. difference in size is truly amazing.
• Saturday, May 30, 2009 - Painted Lady migration hits the brakes, and a rare Moth
Took part in the UK Painted Lady migration survey this morning.. Weather was perfect, but guess what?! Yep, not a single sign of any migration. Unbelievable given the previous days' numbers, in two hours we had 1 Painted Lady fly North, then presumably the same one head back south a few minutes later! A shame if all the data from the last week wasn't captured in any structured form, but maybe I was just unlucky, and they are still moving around further North.
Ran the Moth Trap overnight, and although numbers were fairly small as is often the case, there were two new ones for me: a Small Fan Foot, and a fairly rare Moth.. A Barred Umber, picture below.
The Barred Umber entered the trap at about 11pm, and after realising how rare it was, opened the trap to get a photo or better look.. I probably won't do that again late at night, as I was immediately blasted with tiny flies and insects! The Barred Umber was still quite active and I only succeeded in moving it to a better position for a photo. Next morning I was able to study it in a nature viewer before releasing.. He didn't hang around. Looking at Hampshire Moths, this species is widespread but quite rare with only 8-10 records a year typically.
• Monday, May 25, 2009 - More Butterflies, and a Hobby
The Painted Lady migration across England was very noticeable this morning.. A trip to Hilliers Garden Centre in Romsey saw 3 in a cluster of butterfly friendly shrubs. I bought one of the shrubs!
Back home, and we were averaging 180 per hour all afternoon, with remarkably constant numbers. Almost to the point that you could count 30, and look at your watch to see 10 minutes passed by, give or take! We put the shrub in the front garden, still in it's pot, and at least one Painted Lady visited it. I've now planted it next to a Buddleia for maximum effect in years to come!
Quite surprising that I didn't see a single Painted Lady yesterday in Dorest, and up Hod Hill.
Ran the moth trap last night to see if any unusual Moths were passing through, but no evidence of any migrant species. Did get 3 Lifers though! Orange footman, Foxglove Pug, and White-Pinion Spotted.
Early Afternoon, A Hobby was hawking distantly from the garden, and a distant Duck flew over which I failed to ID.. would have been a garden first whatever it was.. North Baddesley doesn't do Wildfowl and Waders!
• Sunday, May 24, 2009 - Attention turns to Butterflies
Visited my parents' house in St.Helens and had great views of Bullfinch plus a Redpoll on the garden feeders. Sunflower kernels seem to be doing the trick for them with plenty of Greenfinches and Goldfinches there as well.
My garden is quiet these days but a Painted Lady was a nice surprise in the last week.
Spent the Bank Holiday weekend with the family, and we ventured into Dorset on the Sunday. A nice walk up Hod Hill, Marsh Fritillary was easy there. The first within a minute of climbing the hill, and several more good views of a beautiful insect. Celebrated with a pub lunch afterwards. Only 2 Southern England butterfly species left for me to see... Glanville Fritillary which are on the wing at Hurst as we speak, and Lulworth Skipper.
• Saturday, May 16, 2009 - Summer Plumaged Knot at Keyhaven.
Headed to Keyhaven, first thing this morning. Weather was cold and overcast, but the recent East Winds had swung round to Southerlies, and despite heavy rain when I set out, 30 minutes nearer the coast the sun was threatening to break. Also, quite bizarrely, there was a high tide, despite the BBC tide table stating it would be low tide in the morning! Not sure if the weather influences the height of the tide, or maybe the wierd double high tide that the Solent experiences was in play, but it didn't make too much difference to my morning. A good reason for me not to get into sailing though!
A few species I missed from last week's personal record attempt soon raised their heads!.. Curlew, Turnstone, House Martin, Goldfinch all found within an hour.
A near certain Arctic Tern over the first big lagoon didn't hang around, and emphasised how tricky fairly distant Terns in flight can be for me. Elsewhere, Waders were at a premium this morning. Eventually latched onto a few small gourps of Black Tailed Godwit.. the last group included a nice Summer Plumaged Knot which I got good views of before it flew. Not much else around, and Passerines were particularly thin on the ground, although there was a noticeable increase in Sedge Warblers since last weekend.
As I was leaving good numbers of Birders were streaming towards the lagoons.. Never a good sign!
• Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - Nightingale at the Dog Walkers' Field
Species we missed at the weekend continue to haunt me by appearing this week!
Green Woodpecker and Nuthatch have both been seen around the garden, and I received a message from another local Birder of a Nightingale singing in a corner of the nearby Dog Walkers' field. (The corner nearest to the private field I have been regularly checking for Nightingale!)
I stopped briefly yesterday evening but could only manage a Robin and a Greenfinch making a half decent imitation as they both sang in unison! This morning however, there was no mistake, as the Nightingale was belting out his beautiful song. The day can only go in one direction from here!
• Monday, May 11, 2009 - Failed record attempt, and a Pectoral Sand!
A full on weekend in Hampshire trying to better my previous personal best of 89 species in a day. Logistics meant that we were running Friday night to Saturday evening, (so cheating a bit !), and in the end we manged 87.. two short! Some really common birds let us down too, including Blackcap, Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker, House Martin and Turnstone! The last three species to add to the list were Stonechat, House Sparrow and Collared Dove!
Reading that list, you might be thinking, "how did you miss those, and what DID you see?!"
Well, Friday evening, in the north of Hampshire, 4 Stone Curlews showed pretty well albeit distantly, and Yellowhammers, Grey Partridge, Skylarks, and Whitethroats all gave a nice evening chorus. No Corn Buntings though which was a pity. Hope they aren't declining even further. This particular area was a pretty safe bet for them in previous years.
Saturday Morning we headed into the Forest and done really well with great views of Wood Warbler, Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Redstart, and Garden Warbler, plus flyover views of Crossbill and Hawfinch and a heard Firecrest.
Keyhaven, just after high tide let us down for a really good total, with many waders failing to show on the day including Greenshank, CURLEW! and the recent Spotted Redshank. It was at Fishtail Lagoon that we had our quality bird of the day.. a very distant Wader leapt out as something out of the ordinary. I eventually got a prolonged view of it after collapsing my tripod to get below the wind, and thought Pectoral Sandpiper. The size was right, the breast streaking ended abruptly even at the extremely long range, but surely it couldn't be. Not in Spring!! At this point I bottled it completely thinking, "there's no way I'm putting that out to the news wires! but there is nothing else it can be! It's a Pectoral Sandpiper! Oh hell!!" It flew briefly, and I even got the black bar down the centre of the tail to confirm further, before losing it.
I contemplated going round the lagoon to a couple of other birders to discuss, then thought I'd just check my mobile for the day's birdguides sightings. Sure enough.. a Pectoral Sandpiper was already reported new in that morning. Quite ironic that I've now "found" the rarest bird on my UK self found list TWICE in 6 months!
I've read that this bird was initially down as a Temminck's Stint by the Original finder. People might think, "WHAT!?", but believe me, when it's just you, the bird, and a decision to make, it ain't easy. I got the ID right, but was seriously bottling going public!
Rest of the afternoon was fairly tame with a steady stream of new birds including great views of a Lesser Whitethroat, before Bieulieu Road let us down completely, and we ended up feasting on Steak in a pub instead of looking for Nightingales!
So, better luck at getting into the 90s next year!
• Friday, May 1, 2009 - Tree Pipits on Baddesley Common
Took a lengthy walk around the common this morning.. had considered going further afield but the weather forecast seemed to hint at fog, which would have been really frustrating.
The Common was hard work as always, with plenty of quiet spells. Also got harrassed by the largest horse I have ever seen.. it was well over 6 foot on all fours! and kept licking my scope. Really annoying, really irritating. People moan about the barbed wire fence across the common but if it keeps that horse away from the footpath, then it is fine with me (I was the wrong side when i was getting licked!). There.. "horse" and "licked".. that should boost my hits for this page!
Most of the birdlife was along the furthest stretch of the common to the village. At least three Tree Pipits were singing, along with a Garden Warbler, and Cuckoo, new for me for the year. Only had a single fly over Woodlark today, and also a Wheatear is still on the common.
Other highlight was a Slow Worm on the path. Think he had been caught out by the sun going behind clouds as he looked totally dormant. Beautiful animal though.
One that got away was a very long tailed small warbler which flitted into gorse, but didn't re-appear. My initial thought was Dartford, but there was nothing to back it up. Later, I saw a Whitethroat about 50 yards away which could have been the same bird I guess.
Certainly struggling this year. When I think by this time last year I had found LEO, Montagu's Harrier, Osprey over the house, Firecrest, and Red Kite. It just doesn't seem to be happening for me this year.
I can ill afford "the one that got away!"
Up at 5am! out by 5:30am. Weather looking foul as advertised, with lashings of rain.
Arrived at Keyhaven at 6:15am to be greeted with blue skies and scorching sunshine!
I don't think I can blame the weather on not seeing much out of the ordinary this morning. As we know, it is in the lap of the gods whether we have a blinding day or not. The seawatching crowds down the road from me also had a (relative) stinker too this morning.
Still, Keyhaven was deserted.. not a soul about, except for the very occasional jogger. The first thing that struck me was that there seemed to be a few Whimbrel about. 6 got reported by someone else, which sounds about right. They were very mobile and very high profile, so it felt like more.
Plenty of other Waders including Greenshank, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit amongst the Black-wits at Fishtail lagoon, and bird of the day: a near Summer Plumaged Spotted Redshank. Also really close up views of Little Terns, lots of Sand Martins, a couple of Wheatears, a Lesser Whitethroat singing, and several Cetti's Warblers singing. Was put on to a Little Owl on a perch.. Wonder how many times I have walked past that one before!
Blimey.. the Test Valley (the same Test Valley that struggles to bring down a Wheatear for weeks at a time if the weather is fine!) has had a Common Crane, Red-Rumped Swallow and Alpine Swift reported in the last week.. All single observer sightings, none staying put, and one birder seeing two of the three, if that makes sense!
The best birding decision I ever made was to quit the twitching scene, and all the controversy, crowds and tension, and believe me, these 3 have controversy ;).. They can be seeing Albatrosses and Penguins.. Unless I find it, it doesn't matter to me.
So it's good to be immune to stuff like this, but still quite amusing to read about the associated banter!
Meanwhile, a look at the weather forecast is certainly appetising for the weekend.. South / South East winds, clear skies overnight, followed by a band of rain coming in from the West on Saturday morning. Where to go? OUT! Anywhere.. just get out there!!
And this is where the non-twitching/find it yourself philosophy does get painful.. It's like you are out there, and sometime in the day, a plane is going to fly over Southern Hampshire and drop a couple of £1000 notes somewhere.. and I try to be the one who catches them.. no chance!
So, bring on the Rain. I expect to get drenched tomorrow..
7 minutes 44.. I rarely get to the end of this song, but what an amazing intro!
• Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - Hyde Park, of all places!
One more try at the overgrown meadow for Nightingale on Sunday evening, but no joy. Really is a nice undisturbed area. I'm not sure if I am tresspassing to view it away from the road.. no signs, but still it feels uncomfortable climbing the gate! Once in position, I am out of sight to anyone which is fine! Did see a couple of Sparrowhawks engaged in a mid-air grapple briefly.
Best sighting this week was completely out of the blue: En route to a work meeting in London, I cut through Hyde park and noticed a really smart male Garganey on the lake. Ducks on inner London lakes can usually be taken with a pinch of salt (for example the Feruginous x Tufted hybrid, and the Red Crested Pochard on this lake, and just about every North American duck species in Regents park lake!), but I figured a Garganey in April could be genuine. Really stunning views whatever it's origin, and sure enough, it is reported on the bird alerts this evening, from a local London Birder who knows the resident escapees from his migrants on his patch.
• Saturday, April 18, 2009 - Grasshopper Warbler and Wheatear on Baddesley Common
I've posted local news onto the village website forum for many months now. Two other locals visit the Common and miss quite a bit of the wildlife, so asked me to show them the birds they are missing. I agreed, slightly worried that either we'd see nothing, or half the village would turn up for a guided "wildlife ramble"!
Today was the day, and two keen Villagers turned up for a wildlife ramble with me! Spent a good 3 hours walking around the Common and Emer bog, and it went really well. The rain just about held off, and there was plenty of birds, most of which hung around long enough for the three of us to get excellent views through my scope.
From the offset, it was apparent that migration was in full swing today. A steady trickle of Swallows were battling over the common, and it wasn't long before we found a Wheatear in the grass. 2 Woodlarks overhead was a bonus, and we added all the expected species including superb views of a Woodlark, Chiff-Chaff, Willow Warbler, Linnets, Yellowhammers, a second Wheatear, and Stonechats. It was as if the birds knew there was a PR opportunity at stake!
I was taken to a good area for reptiles, and we saw a small family of Slow Worms, but no Adders. I was also shown a couple of nests that they had stumbled across last year.. A very low Green Woodpecker, and a ridiculously sited Blue Tit nest.
Highlight for me was a fairly faint Grasshopper Warbler reeling on the return leg, which my fellow ramblers unfortunately, couldn't pick up. So a good morning, and nice to do a little something to promote the local birdlife.
• Thursday, April 16, 2009 - Green Sandpiper, Luzborough Lane
Have visited a small overgrown paddock a few times this week in the hope of hearing Grasshopper Warbler or Nightingale.. the field has held both briefly in the past but no luck so far this spring. In fact, a dawn walk to this paddock and around the Dog Walkers's field got me very little. A small group of Wheatears had been seen in the dog walkers' field a day or two ago.. I saw a brief tail end of one.
The day turned out ok though, with two Ravens over the house midday, and a smart looking, very distant, Green Sandpiper at the flooded field off Luzborough Lane. It took my 50x eyepiece to nail decent views of it. Nice that this pond has finally produced something after all the visits I have made. The water level seems to be holding up well this spring, so still time for more birds to drop in, especially since the Skidmore fields were completely dry last time I looked a couple of weeks ago. Surprised that Yellow Wagtail is such a rarity round the village, and indeed the Test Valley in general. This field probably has a good chance of one.
Decided to try my luck in the hills this morning, hoping for maybe some migrants. Started well enough with two Male Tawny Owls heard negotiating their territories just south of North Baddesley. Add to this a female heard calling last night, and it seems the Tawnys are busy at the moment.
Called in at Middle Wallop sewage farm, but a pre-dawn fog had descended and I struggled to see much. A Grey Wagtail was all.
Continued to Milk Hill in Wiltshire, but the fog was worrying. It did however, clear as I got to the car park and the hills looked beautiful, bathed in dawn sunshine. Started the climb listening to a distant Raven, and felt like the gamble had paid off, only to look behind and see a thick cloud following me up the hillside. Pretty soon, I was enveloped again, and the outward walk was written off with thick cloud obscuring everything except a few yards in front of me!
Cloud eventually lifted as quick as it had descended, and the stunning views continued. Unfortunately, there was a complete lack of Migrants, despite some extensive searching. Did manage loads of Yellowhammers, Skylarks, a few Linnets, a Tree Sparrow, and a decent flock of 25 Corn Buntings. The only Summer visitors on show were a couple of Chiff-Chaffs and a Singing Willow Warbler. Finally found a couple of Wheatears on the last descent to the car park, after 4 hours searching.
• Friday, April 10, 2009 - Early Morning on Baddesley Common
Had a couple of hours early this morning on Baddesley Common and along Hoe Lane.
Wanted to check out the "New Pond" that has been dug in the north east corner of the Common. It is a decent size, I guess a tennis court size, and very bare and muddy around the edge. Bearing in mind the complete lack of any open water anywhere for about 5 miles in any direction, maybe it will pull something in.
All quiet today though, with just the local Canada Geese starting to home in on it. Pity it is just about impossible to view the pond without being right on top of it, but you never know. I've certainly seen Green Sandpipier and LRP in less suitable places!
Elsewhere, the common was very quiet at the Checkpoint Charlie end, but more lively towards Emer Bog with Woodlark, Lesser Redpoll, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Green Woodpecker, a couple of Yellowhammers, Linnets, and Stonechats. Plenty of Chiff-Chaffs and WIllow Warblers singing too, plus a Mistle Thrush over.
Returned home along Hoe Lane, but the fields are very quiet now. The Dog walkers' field did at least have a Whitethroat, Blackcap, and Linnet plus the usual Kestrel , Stonechat, and Meadow Pipit.
Conditions overnight looked good to pull in some migrants, but maybe still a week or so too early.. seem to have been in a suspension between winter and spring for several weeks now!
