After getting back from Cyprus I think we suffered a little from after holiday blues and it wasn't until the 2nd April that we managed or felt the need to gets some birding in. In fact we met up with friends over the border at Bolderwood in the New Forest. The walk was very nice in good weather and was possibly the reason why we didn't see too many birds, the highlight was probably the many Firecrest that were singing otherwise it was a quiet morning. Jackie and I popped into Eyeworth Pond at Fritham on our way home and had a bite of lunch whilst waiting for Marsh Tit to show, which they did and the first addition to the year list for April.
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| Pink-footed Goose - Swineham © Nick Hull |
On the 9th along with Fran, David and Anthea we went on one of the Birds of Poole Harbour boat trips going from Poole Quay up to as far as Ridge where the boat turns around to make it's way back to the harbour. Though we had a little off-piste sail up the Wytch Channel in an attempt to get closer to an Osprey that was hunting around the Middlebere Lake and Ower area. Unfortunately it flew off towards Goathorn but none the less it was a good enough view for Jackie and I to add to our harbour year list.
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| female White-tailed Eagle - Poole Harbour © Nick Hull |
So back on track we headed back into the Wareham channel which turned out to be a fairly productive trip for us as we managed to see the Pink-footed Goose, a scarce visitor to the harbour and Dorset, which was with Greylag and Canada Geese at Swineham Point. On the water meadow pools I picked up a pair of Little Ringed Plover scurrying around on a rather dried up pool. White-tailed Eagle, Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk. Spotted Redshank, Sandwich Tern and Spoonbill were all good bonus birds to see and we had a few Swallow moving through over the harbour which made it a very enjoyable trip.
Our next trip out on 21st was just a drive around the local area to try and add a few more of the returning migrants. At Wild Woodbury we heard our first Cuckoo and Whitethroat, at Stokeford meadows our first Sand Martins.
Next day 22nd we went over the border into Hampshire again this time to Blashford Lakes in the hope there were Little Gull still present. Unfortunately they were not but we added Garden Warbler, Common Tern, Common Sandpiper and just up the road at Ibsley Bridge, Sedge and Reed Warbler.
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| Sedge Warbler - Ibsley Bridge © Nick Hull |
We had lunch at Garston Wood where we had a look around for orchids and only found four Early Purple amongst all the Blue Bells, Dogs Mercury, Wood Anemones and plentiful Wild Garlic. We also added a hooting Tawny Owl to our year list.
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| Early Orchid - Garston Wood RSPB © Nick Hull |
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| Lathbury's Nomad Bee Nomada lathburiana © Nick Hull |
I also found a hoverfly species which I haven't come across before Eurasian Copperback Ferdinandea cuprea and as you can see it is basking on a Oak tree trunk which is how the book says where you will find them,
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| Eurasian Copperback Ferdinandea cuprea © Nick Hull |
On the 23rd we had a little patch twitch to catch up with Wheatear which Ian had found in the Whimbrel Field on his morning walk around the Lytchett patch. We managed to find it in the top corner of the field though it took a while before Jackie managed to locate it. We also added Whimbrel to our patch list at the same time.
On the 24th Jackie and I were up fairly early and out onto Rempstone Heath. In fact this is an area where Forestry England has recently felled all the trees in a very large area and we have been allocated this area to survey for heathland birds for the Purbeck National Nature Reserve as part of the National BTO survey. It started very well with two singing Woodlark and later we added a fledged family party of five feeding along one of the track. After seeing, or rather hearing, our first Tree Pipit fly over here last month we found nine singing males and a real bonus was a singing Redstart in a clump of remaining pine trees, we will find out on our next visit if it's on territory or a migrant and has moved on.
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| Juvenile Woodlark - Rempstone © Nick Hull |
I had my Moth Trap out on the night of the 24th I didn't have an amazing number just 15 moths of 10 species three of which were new for the year Eudonia angustea a small common micro a Silver Y another fairly regular moth I find in the trap the last was a Blossom Underwing a new species for me which is always nice but it is also a fairly scarce species to be found in the county.
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| Blossom Underwing © Nick Hull |
Jackie had booked us into the Warners on Hayling Island for a couple of nights so we could visit a few of the West Sussex bird spots that we haven't visited for s few years. So on the 28th we headed off to visit Pagham Harbour and Church Norton before heading to our accommodation on Hayling. Around the RSPB centre at Pagham there was lots of singing Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and on the Ferry Pools there was a small selection of Wildfowl, Avocet, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Ring Plover, Shelduck, Mallard and Lapwing. I was also able to catchup with Ant Smith who is warden at Pagham who I first met at Arne when he was on the RSPB team there. He told us how to get to Medmerry another part of the reserve, so off we went. When we arrived we sorted out which way we had to go but in the heat of the day and that I am suffering from a calf injury and Jackie decided not to use her scooter we didn't get too far and returned to the car. Even so in was an interesting walk with Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Linnet, Raven and Stonechat.
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| Whitethroat - Medmerry RSPB © Nick Hull |
Next day (29th) we visited Pulborough Brooks RSPB the last time we visited here was probably when it first opened as an RSPB reserve in 1992. So it was an interesting day to see how the reserve has progressed and developed over that time. We had an excellent day and recorded 52 species, 3 of which Hobby Lesser Whitethroat and no less that 6 Nightingale were new species for the year. We also saw a flock of 72 Ruff which is probably the largest flock I've seen in many a year.
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| Flock Ruff - Pulborough Brooks © Nick Hull |
Whilst having our lunch by the cafe looking over valley with a Nightingale singing close by I picked up a large raptor. I knew before I put my bins up what it was going to be, White-tailed Eagle soaring possibly a couple of miles away but it was obvious what it was and as it banked in the thermal it's bright white tail was unmistakable gleaming in the the sun. We watched it until it was so high it disappeared in to the distant heat haze.
We also came across a day flying micro moth Adela reaumurella which has the amazingly long antenna usually found on leaves of bushes as we found them or dancing up and down in the sun.
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| Adela reaumurella - Pulborough Brooks © Nick Hull |
Next day we were undecided what to do the choice of going back to Medmerry which was going to be along hot walk to get out to the hide or revisit Pagham. Our decision was made by news of a Temminck's Stint on Ferry Pools, Pagham Harbour which was a perfect bird to finish a few days birding in West Sussex.
After we checked out Church Norton where we had our first Little Tern for the year though a little distant and had good views of Whimbrel and Curlew. We also had a leucistic Blackbird which looked a tad odd.
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| Two Whimbrel with a Curlew (centre) © Nick Hull |
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| Leucistic Blackbird - Church Norton © Nick Hull |
I finished the month with another moth trapping in the garden unlike on the 24th the numbers were improved with a catch of 30 moths of 24 species 15 of which were new species for the year. Best of the bunch was my second record of Dark Spetacle and Waved Umber, 3rd record of Ringed Carpet, 5th record of Gold Spot and though my 5th record of Flame Wainscot it was the first since 2020 of this Nationally rare species.
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| Dark Spectacle © Nick Hull |
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| Ringed Carpet © Nick Hull |
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| Gold Spot © Nick Hull |
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| Flame Wainscot © Nick Hull |
On the whole a pretty good month wildlife wise and with this dry spell to last for a little longer hopefully May is going to turn up a few more things to enjoy.
