I am currently away from HMS York on a training course in HMS Collingwood. Today was a lightly loaded day so I thought I would pop over the border to Sussex
to see if I could catch up with the Parrot Crossbill that has been in the Black
Down National Trust area for the last few days. I arrived at the site and after
a pleasant 400 metre walk I came across half a dozen birders looking through
their optics towards the top of a Pine Tree. It is always a reassuring sign to
see birders with one eye fixed to their scopes and sure enough the bird was
showing well if a little distant against a rather dull sky.

This cracking shot of a Parrot Crossbill was taken by Martin Lofgren courtesy of Wildbirdgallery.com     Many thanks Martin for allowing me the use of the image.

It was difficult to make out detail but the size difference compared to the neighbouring Common Crossbills was quite evident. If it had been on its own the id would certainly have been very tricky. It then flew a little closer and against a background of trees which gave us a little more resolution. The bird was quite a greyish green colour especially around the face. Many of the birds were dropping down to a small pond to drink, including the Parrot. As we watched a male Common flew up from the pond and perched right next to the Parrot and again the size difference was very noticeable. I could not make out the bill too clearly as I only had bins, but the chaps nearby were remarking on the deep bill feature and the fact that the lower tip could not be seen. I was about to ask for a gander through the nearest chaps Swarovski, when the birds all took flight on hearing a flushed blackbirds alarm call and all disappeared deeper into the wood. Over the next hour many Common Crossbills came back to the same area but unfortunately I did not pick up the Parrot Crossbill again.

In true Amigo’s style here is the habitat shot of Black Down. Hopefully the other birders managed to connect before too long.

Steve Copsey

This afternoon I once again participated in the monthly New Forest Winter Bird Survey.  On this occasion I was given Bratley Plain and Milkham Bottom, located just North of the A31 to walk round.  In general it was extremely quiet and I only spotted five of the species on the record sheet during my four hours in the field.  The best of the ‘birding’ was on the heathland adjacent to the A31 underpass [SU216082].  On my approach from the Trig Point I regularly heard a bird call from the heather, but despite it sounding familiar I just couldn’t recognise it and nothing was visible.  I then spotted six Lapwing further on that took flight and drifted over the dual carriageway before settling again nearby.  As I continued along the footpath the proximity of the A31 was such that the drone of the traffic blotted out everything else.  Consequently, I decided to turn round and find an alternative track through the heathland.  It was then that a flock of Golden Plover took flight and flew low and fast over the heather.  They made several passes over the area before gaining height and braking out into a looser formation.  I counted twenty-three birds and realised that it was the call of Golden Plover that I had heard earlier.  The flock then closed up again and dropped down to make several more high speed passes over the area before they finally settling out of sight amongst the heather.

The Three Amigos (from left to right Mark, Steve and Tony), Blashford Lakes HWT-6 Jan 12

Good birding,

Tony T   BSc (Hons) GeoSci (Open)

Walked the canal path this morning, not a great deal about to be fair although a calling male Bullfinch brightened up a dull start when I picked him up near Posbrook
Bridge. Gradually the weather lightened and the sun was shining by the time I arrived at Meon Shore. Most of the usual down the path with plenty of calling Tits, Finches and a few Cetti’s Warblers in good voice.  From the front I heard the mew of a Buzzard and sure enough a single bird was seen a few hundred yards into the reserve. However as I watched I picked up a further five Buzzards in a spiral gaining height around the Frying Pan area. I managed a record shot but they were too distant otherwise. My wife picked me up from the front and as we drove along Knights Bank Road a party of four Buzzards came over the road at a relatively low height and disappeared in the direction of Lee-on-Solent. Unfortunately as I grabbed my camera they disappeared into the sun.  I am assuming these were four of the five I saw up the reserve. We then drove around the back of Stubbington and just past the cemetery I picked up another three Buzzards again in a lose spiral heading in an easterly direction from Oxley’s Copse. Fortunately I was able to jump out and get shots of two of the birds. That makes a minimum of nine in the area possibly more. Also on the subject I had three Buzzards pretty much over my house yesterday lunch time. Same three as the Oxley’s birds this morning? Who knows?

The above images are the same bird. The bird below is a different bird and slightly darker

Steve Copsey

HMS LIVERPOOL is visiting London this weekend as part of an around UK trip, the ship’s last tour before she goes to the great ship graveyard in the sky.  I had a spare half hour on the approach to the mouth of the Thames so decided to check out the sea for birdlife.  I was quite surprised to find about 50 Kittiwakes following the ship, dipping in and out of the ship’s wake.

In my time in the RN the regulations on disposing of rubbish at sea have changed a lot and rightly so.  In the old days when we used to throw our waste straight over the stern of the ship, gulls would often be seen diving for tidbits but as this was not the case, I am unsure what the Kittiwakes were after.

Kittiwake (adult winter), River Thames Estuary

However this was a great opportunity to grab some images.  Of all the birds that were present I only saw one immature.

Kittiwake (1st-W), River Thames Estuary

Mark C

On Sunday I decided to head back early with Mrs T and the girls to rejoin IRON DUKE at Portland and try my luck at connecting with the Hume’s Leaf Warbler and Richard’s Pipit at nearby Wyke Regis.  After stopping off on route for lunch we parked up in Camp Road early in the afternoon and headed West along the footpath that skirts the Bridging Camp.  Although I kept an eye out for the Richard’s Pipit my priority was the scarcer Hume’s Leaf Warbler that had been regularly reported further along the footpath [SY649780].  Unfortunately though, the wind was strong and blew in straight off the sea.  Although Mrs T and the girls where quite happy entertaining themselves on a bench in the lee of some scrub, I was stood on the well trampled mound beside Post 13, where I was exposed to the full force of the strengthening wind.

Conscious that I had the family in tow I gave it forty minutes, during which I saw just two Goldcrest (one with a metal ring on its right leg), before I headed back towards the Bridging Camp.  There I was joined by the only other two ‘birders’ present, one of which spotted the Richard’s Pipit just inside the western perimeter of the Bridging Camp [SY650775], where it gave good views before flying off further into the camp and out of site.

Bridging Camp, Wyke Regis-22 Jan 12

Fortunately the Richard’s Pipit was relocated and eventually flew onto the grass, beside the camp’s northern perimeter, to allow a few record shots that I am unable to download until Friday.  Despite its drab colouration it was in fact a rather smart, elegant bird and its legs appeared to glow yellow when the Sun came out.

Richard's Pipit, Wyke Regis-22 Jan 12-Canon SX10IS

Richard's Pipit, Wyke Regis-22 Jan 12-Canon SX10IS

Richard's Pipit, Wyke Regis-22 Jan 12-Canon SX10IS

Other noteworthy sightings at the Bridging Camp included two year ticks in the form of Black Restart and Stonechat (pair).  All in all it was a cracking, if short weekend, and after dropping me off at the ship Mrs T arrived back home in time for ‘Dancing on Ice’.

Richard's Pipit and Black Redstart, Wyke Regis-22 Jan 12-Canon SX10IS

Good birding,

Tony T   BSc (Hons) GeoSci (Open)

On the afternoon of Sunday 8 Jan 12 I received a couple of texts from fellow Hampshire ‘birders’, to inform me that a male Spanish Sparrow had been confirmed in Calshot, Hampshire.  Although I passed the text on, I personally had no chance of connecting with the bird in the short-term as IRON DUKE was under ‘Sailing Orders’, to depart the following morning from Portsmouth for THREE weeks.  To my good fortune the bird kept being reported each day and an unexpected weekend alongside in Portland meant that I was able to get home a week earlier than planned.  Consequently, I got up early this morning and arrived on site at Calshot at sun rise.

Initially there was no sight or sound of a single Sparrow, but after ten minutes the first ‘chirps’ could be heard.  After a further ten minutes a shout went up from one of the thirty ‘twitchers’ present and I had my first view of the male Spanish Sparrow in the roadside hedge.  It showed really well before flying across the road into the hedge on the other side of the road in front of the houses.  Unfortunately, although it remained visible it was perched in the middle of the hedge where it began to preen itself.

Spanish Sparrow (male), Calshot - 21 Jan 12 - Canon SX10IS

Eventually it started to move through the hedge and it managed to fly out unseen to reappear back in the roadside hedge right in front of three observers.  From there it flew back to the opposite hedge where it showed really well before flying off over the houses presumably to garden feeders.

Spanish Sparrow (male), Calshot - 21 Jan 12 - Canon SX10IS

A Spanish Sparrow's view of a very familiar landmark, Fawley Power Station - 21 Jan 12

When I arrived back home I was informed by my eldest, before I had even got out of the car, that the Shore Lark had just been reported on Hayling Island.  Therefore I set off again and within thirty minutes I had a second Hampshire tick for the day.  Initially the Shore Lark was sheltering from the strong wind behind some pieces of wood lying on the top of the island embankment.  Every now and then its head would pop up into view before disappearing again.  However, it wasn’t too long before it emerged from behind the wood to show really well although no black horns were visible.  When a brief ray of sunshine broke through I managed a record shot but I didn’t have maximum zoom selected.  School boy error.

Shore (Horned) Lark, Hayling Island Oyserbeds - 21 Jan 12 - SX10IS (not on full zoom)

The only previous sighting I have had of the species was at Landguard, Suffolk back in Apr 08 during a visit to family.

Good birding,

Tony T   BSc (Hons) Geosci (Open)

We left the Shore Lark and popped down to Sandy Point via Delia’s Diner, (they do a very nice Sausage and Bacon Baguette, and free  refills of tea which for a Yorkie is a bonus).

Slasher couldn’t resist showing off his ‘new motor’

 We arrived at Sandy Point and picked up the female Eider that had  been reported earlier, she was busy feeding on this side of the entrance  channel. We scoped the channel and Slash turned up another Hampshire first for  himself in the form of Razorbill. A bit like my Guillemot this had been a bogey  bird for him. The Razorbill was mid-channel and like the Eider was busy  feeding. Spending about 80% of it’s time underwater gradually working towards  the open sea. We then bumped into a  couple from Portsmouth who were after a Razorbill.  Unfortunately although it was only a few minutes since we had the bird we could  not re-locate it. The lady said she thought she had just had a Slavonian Grebe  in the channel and sure enough when we got the scope on it we had good views of  one of our rarer Hants Grebes.  We left  the couple and walked towards the lifeboat station and immediately picked up  what I presume was a different Razorbill swimming out of Chichester Harbour.  Fortunately the couple had not gone far and enjoyed good views of the Auk. This  Razorbill came closer to shore than the first allowing me to nip down to the  shore and get some shots in-between dives.

Razorbill, Hayling Is, 17 Jan 2012

Razorbill, Hayling Is, 17 Jan 2012

Steve Copsey

After the Shore Lark we decided to go Sandy point. As soon as we got to the corner of the harbour a quick scan with the scope and I had picked up a bird that has managed to elude me in Hampshire for the 24 years that I have live here -  a Razorbill. As we moved up the harbour for a better look we met a couple who pointed out another good bird, a Slavonian Grebe a little way out. Another Razorbill was seen as well as a  female Eider.  With a few more hours to kill we decided to look for the Cattle Egret at Warblington.  I had visited a couple of days before without any joy and initially the bird could not be located in the usual field.  After some searching and “discussion” about what a cemetery extension actually looks like we located the bird behind the church in the field to the east of the new cemetery area.

Little Egrets were also in attendance and made a nice comparison.
A check of my records showed that a Cattle Egret had been in this exact area in early 2006, could this be the same bird ? Seems a strange co-incidence.
Mark C

Popped along to the Oysterbeds this morning on HaylingIsland, to hopefully catch up with a British and obviously Hampshire first in the form of Shore Lark. Not sure who found this great bird but is was certainly most welcome. We arrived just after nine
and there were already a few birders present overlooking the island in the
middle of the Oysterbeds. We walked over and set up the scope to see the Lark
feeding in a small area on the island. The shot below demonstrates how the bird can disappear among the shingle.

It appeared quite settled as it probed for seeds among the shingle pretty much constantly without moving more than a few feet from its original position for the hour or so we were present. The bird was a little distant for the 100-400 lens but I am quite pleased with the shots I managed. We were soon joined by Russ Tofts whom I had not seen for about six years before yesterdays meet at the Iceland Gull and Mike Wearing
another Hampshire birding face to add to the memory. Whilst at the Oysterbeds we
also scoped into Langstone  Harbour and came up with 17 Black-necked Grebes in two parties of twelve and five. Along with several parties of Mergansers. As we left the site we had a good chat with Colin Allen, and as we arrived back at the car, Dave Wallace pulled into the car park. A good selection of Hampshire’s finest birding folk and another great bird into the bargain. Just noted that the Shore Lark was Hants bird 250. I’m coming after you Mr Wallace.

Steve Copsey

Iceland Gull, Camber Dock, 16th Jan 2012

Spent an hour over an early lunch break at Camber Dock in
Old Portsmouth. I was hoping to catch up with the Iceland Gull that has been
frequenting the area of late. I met up with Russ Tofts around the dock and
together we circled the area; thankfully Russ picked up the bird coming in and
landing near the mouth of the dock. We watched for around twenty minutes or so before
the Gull took off and headed into the dock towards one of the fish warehouses.

It then perched near the ferry terminal not flying again before I had to leave.
The bottom two shots are taken whilst the bird was in the same position perched
near the ferry terminal. Interesting to see the difference between the shots
depending on the pale background being in the shade or the sun.

Steve Copsey