Saturday, May 10, 2008 - Moths, Bats and Duke of Burgundy. (No Birds!) |
Ran the Moth trap Wednesday night and recieved a shock the next moring with about 8 Cock Chafer Beetles inside.. really gross looking things, and together with a fairly lively Wasp made emptying the trap no fun at all! Not too many moths inside, but my first Pale Tussock and Muslin Moths made it worth while. Need to think about changing this trap somehow as most of the moths seem to sit outside it, and the trap gets a pretty small catch at the moment. First sign of sunlight and I may be missing the odd Hawkmoth or Geometridae.
Also experimenting with my bat detector: Have now purchased a Zoom H2 to record from the Detector. A good feature of the H2 is that is can be used to record directly into the PC via USB. So with a 10 metre Phono cable from the detector into the H2, I can sit in the house at my PC running Audacity Software, while the Detector is outside picking up bats! Was quite busy last night with Common Pipistrelle, Natterer's, Noctule and Serotine all making regular appearances.
Called in to Noar Hill on Saturday afternoon and was lucky enough to catch up with about 4 Duke of Burgundy Butterflies. Got excellent views in the bins of this first for me. Was surprised how small they were, which tells you that I didn't do my homework too well! |
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Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - Bank Holiday local round up |
The Moth trap didn't live up to expectations.. Just a Pebbled Hook Tip and a couple of unidentified Pugs the next morning!
Also, the farmland around the village was struggling to produce anything after the rain on Sunday. 5 Lapwings on territory about the only highlight, plus plenty of Whitethroats, and a few Swifts and House Martins overhead.
Listened to the bat detector in the evening, and picked up Noctule, Serotine and a few Common Pipistrelles from the garden.
Strange thing about this Spring locally is that I have seen some nice passage migrants (e.g. Redstart, Firecrest, Red Kite, Osprey), but haven't seen a single passage species that I saw locally last Spring (e.g. Nightingale, Grasshopper Warbler, Wheatear, Whinchat, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, or Little Ringed Plover)! |
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Saturday, May 3, 2008 - BTO Timed visit. |
Completed my "Early TTV visits" for the BTO atlas survey this morning. Managed about 35 Species on farmland in the North West of Hampshire, the highlights being Stone Curlew, 2 Corn Bunting one of which was singing in someone's garden, albeit on the edge of a large Crop field. Also plenty of Yellowhammers, 4 Grey Partridges, and many Whitethroats. Also a noticeable passage of Swallows throughout the morning, all heading North.
Sewage works at Middle Wallop had a couple of Grey Partridges in the adjacent field, but not a lot else.
Running the Moth Trap this evening and it promises to bring in a bumper catch. Already a few Pugs clinging to the window and walls, and a very smart Lunar Marbled Brown picked up. |
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Sunday, April 27, 2008 - Portland Bill, a few Bats and a Firecrest. |
Friday:
Spent most of the morning at Portland Bill.
Weather was very overcast with some mist and a light South / South West Wind.
Most of the day's excitement was from the sea watch, but I fancied the walk from Southwell to the bill and back, so missed out on Pomarine Skua, and one or two other sightings. I did see a good passage of Gannets offshore, Fulmar, Kittiwake and a small number of Manx Shearwaters really close in during my brief seawatch.
The grounded land birds wasn't that bad, just missing the bit of quality that you hope to find at the Bill.. let's just say I've had worse days there! My tally for the morning was:
14 Wheatear, 2 Tree Pipits, 1 Siskin, 2 Chiff Chaff, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 White Wagtail, 3 Blackcaps, 2 Whitethroats.
Overhead there was a strong passage of Swallows which was probably the most memorable part of the day for me. I managed a single Sand Martin, and a single House Martin amongst them. The Swallows were all flying with the wind.. something I don't recall ever seeing before. I am more used to seeing them battling against a wind, no matter how strong it is.
Saturday:
Ran the moth trap overnight. Pretty quiet! the highlight being a Pebble hook tip. Also 2 Hebrew Characters, and a smart looking Brimstone. Later on in the day an Early Tooth striped showed up on a wooden fence. Towards dusk an Early Thorn made an appearance. This had obviously been brought in by the moth trap but gone undetected through the day. Had a brief look along Hoe Lane after shopping but nothing noteworthy. spent the evening out on the back patio with the bat detector! Was a good night for Pipistrelles with constant passes of Common Pips picked up on the detector. A Noctule passed over which doesn't happen too frequently from this garden ( we get more Serotines).
Sunday:
A day of DIYing, but did take the binocs out during a trip to B&Q (sneaky!) and had a look along Hoe Lane. Stopped off at the East end to scan a sheep field but not much there apart from a Stock Dove and Mistle Thrush. Woodland on the other side of the road was filled with birdsong, and I picked up a Firecrest singing high in the canopy. Eventually got a good look at him, and better views as he came down to head height. As this is an area I haven't checked before, I've no idea how long he has been there, however he was constantly feeding, and was probably a freshly arrived migrant. No sign of him later in the day when I went with sound recorder to try and record the song. |
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008 - Male Redstart South of North Baddesley |
A quick scan on Hoe Lane after work this evening.
Pheasant Cover on Hoe Lane was quiet again with just a few Blackbirds rummaging in the soil. Dog Walkers's field was also quiet but a smart looking Male Common Redstart near the horse paddocks was a nice surprise. Watched him for 10 minutes catching insects. He looked very bright in the sun. |
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Sunday, April 20, 2008 - Red Kite over North Baddesley |
Checked out a few fields around North Baddesley this afternoon..
Tried the area of paddocks around the Golf Course along the Chilworth Gap, the flooded field on Luzborough Lane, and the mixed farmland north of the A27 near Halterworth. Very little at any of these areas, although 4 Lapwings guarding territories was good to see.
Headed along Hoe Lane, but again not a great deal about. West end of the lane has a very overgrown area that is probably only good for Linnets and Goldfinches right now. Rest of the West side is Oil Seed Rape, so not much potential.
Last winter's Pheasant cover at the central section looks good, but nothing there today.
So it was left to the Dog Walkers's field at the Eastern end to rescue the afternoon, and it duly obliged with a superb close view of a Red Kite at tree top height along the edge of the field. It then gained height and drifted north with a Crow in close Proximity (this was around 4pm). There was also a small flock of Linnets and a Stonechat on the field.
Still haven't seen a Wheatear yet this spring! |
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Saturday, April 19, 2008 - The Full Monty |
Paid a visit to one of my favourite parts of the Wiltshire Downs on Thursday. Too far for a day trip from home, but as I was en route to my parents back in Merseyside, I was able to stop for an hour or two. I was hoping that the migrant Wheatears etc. that are presumably flying straight over North Baddesley and continuing North at the moment might be landing about 40 miles north, but this didn't prove to be the case!
Headed to an area that looked promising on Live Search, but the distance from the lay by to the "promising area" was further than it looked! In addition, the cold Easterly wind that has hit us for the last couple of days was extremely cold along the hilltops. Birdlife was fairly minimal with just a Lapwing, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard, plus two Marsh Tits. The habitat did improve at the end of the walk with a nice sheltered hillside and cows grazing, plus a line of trees and bushes.. looked ideal for Chats, and maybe a Ring Ouzel, but not a thing today.. However, I caught a glimpse of what looked like a gull disappear down into the valley. What followed left me totally speechless as a beautiful Male Montagu's Harrier drifted up and elegantly glided past me at pretty close range. Followed him for about a minute before he dropped down over a hill and out of sight.
What with Long Eared Owl, 2x Osprey, and now the Montagu's Harrier, I feel like I have had about 5 years of Birdwatching good fortune this year!
Returned back to Hampshire via the M40 this morning, and had the typically awesome views of Red Kites along the Motorway. |
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Thursday, April 17, 2008 - BTO Survey - Chandlers Ford |
A quick walk for my 2nd local BTO atlas survey this morning. Still clear skies, still no migrants around, but good to see that the local Whitethroats were displaying this morning on wasteground. Also a couple of Stonechats, a Meadow Pipit, and 4 Linnets there.
The rest of the survey was pretty quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary. Looks like a good week to get the breeding surveys out of the way with very few distractions! |
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - Calm before the storm! |
This April seems to be going the same way as last year with clear nights, sunny days (albeit with a few heavy showers thrown in), and very little birding excitement around the village. Either the migrants are passing straight over, or are biding their time on the continent. Looking at the longer range weather forecasts, I don't think we'll have too long to wait before a few migrants start to drop in.
Nothing noteworthy in the skies today despite a fairly good scan in the morning. A Buzzard having a scrap with a Kestrel about the only sighting. Did have a heart stopping moment when I thought a Black Tailed Godwit was flying past the house.. turned out to be a Woodpigeon with a long straight twig coming out of it's beak.
Headed over to Baddesley Common early evening.. Can safely say that this site has hit rock bottom this week with not even a Stonechat to be seen. A Little Egret was still knocking about along the boggy Western edge, and a Little Grebe was lurking in the largest pond in Emer Bog. There are quite a few recently ploughed fields West of the common, between Baddesley and the Luxborough pub. At least one had a couple of Lapwings visible as I drove past, so maybe worth a quick scan in the next few days.
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Sunday, April 13, 2008 - BTO Atlas Breeding Survey (Lots of Skylarks!) |
A Little Egret in a horse paddock was the only surprise during a lunchtime walk around Baddesley Common. A few Migrants have arrived though and it was good to hear Willow Warblers and Chiff Chaffs calling throughout the Wooded areas.
Sunday morning, I ventured north for a BTO survey. The morning started well with a Cuckoo, Grey Wagtail, and Willow Warbler around Middle Wallop Airfield. Was fortunate that the mist cleared just as I started the survey, and I subsequently saw good numbers of breeding farmland birds on the survey..
Skylark 56, Corn Bunting 5, Lapwing 9, Grey Partridge 2, Barn Owl 1, Linnet 14, Yellowhammer 13.
The Skylark count is my biggest ever in the UK, beating 52 in the same area last February!
Also, found a small collection of Owl Pellets by the side of the footpath, and looking up noticed that I was standing under an "Old crow's nest" which set alarm bells ringing! However, on closer examination the pellets looked more like those of a Barn Owl.. Black and glossy, and fairly thick. |
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Sunday, April 6, 2008 - Quiet around North Baddesley |
| Plenty of snow first thing this morning. Well, plenty by Southampton standards! Checked out some local venues after lunch, but the area immediately west of North Baddesley seems to be having a quiet period so far this spring. The flooded field on Luzborough Lane looks good, but nothing of note today. The West and Central sections of Hoe Lane were totally devoid of birds too. However, the Dog Walkers's field at the Est end of Hoe Lane at least had some wildlife.. 2 Kestrels hunting close to the ground, 2 Stonechats, 1 Chiff Chaff, and a small flock of Meadow Pipits. |
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Saturday, April 5, 2008 - 2nd local Osprey, and some garden sightings |
A week off from work, which started well with an Osprey seen high over Skidmore on Monday morning. Was circling a thermal with Buzzards for comparison, and drifted South West into cloud.
Rest of the week, was spent around the house.. Highlight was a female Brambling in the garden on Wednesday (my first ever April Brambling!) and 5 Siskins still visiting the feeder until Thursday.
Ran the Moth trap and got some new species.. Frosted Green, Brindled Beauty, Small Quaker, and Clouded Drab. Haven't ran the moth trap very often in the early spring, so much of what I find is new for me. |
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Thursday, March 27, 2008 - Osprey over North Baddesley |
Noticed from early this morning that there were "bits and pieces" flying over, all viewable from the front windows, and all originating from the South and East into a very mild North West Wind.
First up were a couple of Buzzards at 8am haeading West, too high and too purposeful for the local birds. These were soon followed by a Cormorant which is fairly unusual here, a very high and very large looking corvid, and a Grey Heron. 56 Woodpigeons headed over, and eventually the local Buzzards and Kestrels made an appearance in the local airspace.
Highlight of the day was an Osprey gliding over the house in a perfect Northerly direction just after 10am. Looking on the OS map, I suspect this bird came up Southampton Water and continued North, possibly via the Itchen for a short spell. Although only a brief sighting, this was a real bonus, and good to know that not all the migration goes straight up the Test Valley missing the house by about 2 miles!
Morning continued with 3 more Buzzards very high, and apparently moving East to West.
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Sunday, March 23, 2008 - North Salisbury Plain.. Night Safari! |
Went out in search of Owls along the Northern edge of Salisbury plain in a fairly brisk north wind. Wasn't quite as successful as previous evenings, but still managed about 6 Barn owls, and 3 Tawny owls. The highlight was a Badger seen well along a minor road.
Started at dusk just North of Tidworth, but the area I chose was very quiet. In hindsight it probably gets a fair deal of disturbance from Tank maneouvres so perhaps wasn't the best choice. I think this slow start while the light was still good ruined all hopes of a large number of sightings. On the subsequent route, I managed to find some good locations for future daytrips.
Earlier in the day, briefly visited the Sewage works near Middle Wallop Airfield.. The recent Pied Wagtails were joined by a few Meadow Pipits and Chaffinches.
A garden Brambling was last seen on Friday, and the Siskin numbers seem to be well down now. Perhaps 4 or 5 birds left. |
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Monday, March 17, 2008 - Around Middle Wallop |
Spent Sunday afternoon / evening around Middle Wallop in a fairly strong North / East Wind, and drove home after dark via Mottisfont.
A fairly sheltered field near Middle Wallop airfield was full of Starlings and Fieldfares. Plus a few Chaffinches and Yellowhammers. Wasn't able to pick out anything else amongst them, but the nearby sewage works had a reasonable number of Pied Wagtails. This is the first decent looking sewage farm I've found in Hampshire for birds! Most others are either out of sight, or "sealed".. This one looked ideal for Wagtails and other Migrants, and might be worth checking out more frequently despite the obvious down side.
In nearby bushes were 2 Chiff-Chaffs. Could have been migrants, but difficult to say with certainty. I don't see many wintering Chiff Chaffs round these parts, but if there are a few, then a sewage farm would be a good place for them. Headed to farmland west of the Wallops near dusk, and saw 2 Grey Partridges, 2 Barn Owls, 2 Foxes and 2 Roe Deer.. all showing really close. Also 2 Linnets flew over and a few more Yellowhammers were in the hedges. A few Lapwings started to call after dark. Guess there could be an outside chance of hearing Stone Curlew, but no such joy on this occasion.
Drove home via some back roads and was able to add 1 more Barn Owl and 3 Tawny Owls. Braked to avoid a Hedgehog in one of the villages, and briefly held up a car behind me while he scurried to safety. Hedgehog disappeared into the verge before I became a victim of road rage!
Have devoted March to searching for Owls, and have 1 weekend left to go searching. Salisbury Plain, West of the Avon could be my next stop, or the north of the New Forest. The weather for next weekend looks appalling, with snow forecast even for Southampton! If I can time my trip to be after the worst of the weather it could either be very slow, or really good! Not sure how a thick layer of snow would affect the sightings. Suspect there will be less activity, but a better chance of seeing them. |
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Sunday, March 9, 2008 - Marsh Tit and a Badger's Sett |
Waiting on some real bad weather to hit us overnight / tomorrow morning, but this afternoon was very mild, so I headed into North Hampshire. Went on one of those walks that you begin to wonder where all the wildlife is! Scenery was ok, but very little birdlife..best I could manage was a Marsh Tit. Also found a Badger's Sett which looked like it could be watched from about 100 yards east, therefore usually downwind of the Badgers. Saw the run of flattened grass from the sett into the nearby woods, complete with bristles caught on the barbed wire.. all classic signs! I took the bristles off the wire, so next time I pass there, I should be able to confirm that the sett is still in use, if new bristles have been snagged.
Spent dusk at the BTO tetrad, and *may* have heard the Long Eared Owl hooting in the distance. It was very faint, and not conclusive. Also heard something that might have been wing clapping shortly afterwards! Then the rain started, and other than a point blank Barn Owl heading back to his shelter, the day was finished. So still not sure if the Long Eared Owls are resident on this tetrad.. returned about 4 times with no conclusive evidence now. If they are still in the area, they are one elusive species! and sadly it looks like there isn't much chance of getting prolonged views, and studying these birds. Won't give up just yet though.
Remembered to take the bird feeders down this evening.. the last high wind completely emptied 3 feeders, leaving thistle seed all over the garden. |
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Friday, March 7, 2008 - Garden Finches |
| Plenty of activity from the back windows of the house.. 4 Bramblings the highlight, plus good views of Coal Tit, Nuthatch, and still plenty of Siskins, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, and a single Greenfinch. Hard to believe I didn't see a single Siskin or Brambling in the local area last winter. |
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Sunday, March 2, 2008 - Owl watching along Hampshire / Wiltshire border |
Decided a while back to go out on a few evenings in March, and see if I can find any Long Eared Owls in the North Hampshire / Wiltshire Downs. Fortunately, I stumbled across a couple on my BTO Survey a month or so back, so I'm not as desperate to find any now as I might have been!
Last night seemed like a good evening to try a few localities. I was hoping that after the poor weather we had on Friday, Owls would be active this evening, and this proved to be the case with numerous sightings of the commoner species. Did a circuit of the Wallops - Grateley - Collingbourne - Salisbury Plain (East of the Avon) - Danebury. The GPS taking me along some very minor roads, with waypoints marking stopping points to listen out for calling birds. Suspect it was too windy/cold for birds to be calling, plus they were pre-occupied with hunting. I didn't hear any calls between dusk and 22:30hrs.
Totals seen were as follows:
Barn Owls: 9 Seen thoughout the North Hampshire / Salisbury Plains area. Most on Roadside posts, or hunting in fields. Some excellent views.
Little Owl: 1 perched on a post East of Palestine Village
Tawny Owl: 2 seen. One near Mottisfont, 1 at Toothill.
The Little Owl means I've seen/found all 5 regular UK species this year. |
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Sunday, February 24, 2008 - Garden Brambling, and still Short Eared Owls at Yarnbury |
I'm still having a really good run of sightings, despite not much time spent out Birding.. A Brambling feeding on spilt birdseed on the front garden path was a really good surprise this morning. He didn't stay long, but suspect he may return with the local chaffinches. This is my first Brambling in this Garden, or indeed in any of my gardens.
Revisted my BTO tetrads Friday evening after work, but no sign of the recent LEOs or indeed any other Owls. Even failed to see a Barn Owl, but did have nice views of a Tawny Owl along Hoe Lane on the edge of North Baddesley as I returned home. Was surprised how small and lean this one appeared, though I suspect the cold windy weather may have given him a more compact posture!
Ventured out into Wiltshire on Saturday afternoon: Yarnbury Castle still had a few Birds of Prey, though not as spectacular as my previous visit.. 4 Short Eared Owls, and a single Buzzard this time. The Buzzard was very distant, and the Owls spent most of the time in distant fields, but I did have a couple of very close passes... One circled low, right over my head "Barking". Also about 20 Corn Buntings, and 4 Grey Partridge.. 2 of which lacked any dark markings on the underparts. maybe a late brood from last year, just making the transition from juvenile to adult plumage? |
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Sunday, February 17, 2008 - North Baddesley / Valley Park Atlas Survey |
Completed my winter BTO Atlas surveys this morning with a cold walk around my local tetrad. No real surprises, and the numbers of birds were fairly low again. Did see a few Siskins, and a Single Brambling on the edge of the Valley Park Housing estate. A Woodcock flew up from a woodland path in an area where I know they are resident.
Last night at Dusk.. Took a walk along the bridleway in the North of Hampshire that had roosting LEOs last weekend, but it didn't look good. The hedge had been cut through the week. Not drastically cut, and I daresay the hedge is still thick enough in places to hold them, but further evidence that this hedge is perhaps not the most sensible place to roost! Saw a single Barn Owl.
Listened out for calls in nearby woodland but nothing. May have heard wing clapping at one point, but not 100%. Did hear a few Lapwings and Golden Plover in the distance. Still early in the season for LEOs calling I guess, so I will give it another try on a couple of weeks.
Noticed a Wigeon on a small pond that could probably attract allsorts of unusual birds for this predominantly farmland area if it was watched regularly. |
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Diary of wildlife watching in and around North Baddesley, Hampshire.
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