This evening I visited Southmoor shore and Budds Farm pools.The pools held the usual selection of wildfowl including 24 Teal, 11 Shoveler and 3 Gadwall, plus a singing Cetti’s Warbler.Most of my time was spent scanning the harbour from the top of Southmoor Hill which gives a great view across the area.The light was fantastic, it was calm and unseasonably warm, and I could see for miles!With the tide just rising after the low water period conditions were perfect to search for diving waterfowl.A total of 85 Great Crested Grebes were scattered across most areas of the harbour, but with concentrations in the area between Southmoor and Hayling Oysterbeds.Two Black-necked Grebes and two Red-breasted Mergansers were also in this area.Also of interest to me was the presence of 450 Wigeon and 10 Pintail feeding along the edge of the channel that connects Russell’s Lake with Langstone Channel north of Baker’s and South Binness Islands (i.e. the channel midway between Farlington Marshes and Hayling Oysterbeds).This is relatively unusual for these species to be feeding in that area at low tide in the autumn (usually preferring Mallard Sands area south of Farlington Marshes).
Little Egrets were flying past in increasing numbers as dusk approached as they headed for their night roost at Langstone Mill Pond just to the northeast.I counted 60 but probably missed some as I would expect many more to be feeding in LangstoneHarbour at low tide at the moment.
Having made a search for an online map of LangstoneHarbour showing names of the islands and shoreline locations, as mentioned above, I am disappointed that I couldn’t find one in the time available.Sorry about that!Oh well, something else for me to do during the coming winter…
I would like to point out that Southmoor Hill is in the process of having a facelift.Some greatly needed improvement work is currently ongoing.Already the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, working with a group of students from HighburyCollege, has installed a couple of benches and undertaken some vegetation control and removal.Currently some old broken steps up from the shoreline to the top of the “hill” on the west side are being replaced / reinstalled by the Probation Service Community Payback Scheme.The BTCV group are due to return to Southmoor Hill to install information boards and complete further habitat management work.It’s already looking much better and more inviting for people to spend their time their.
Today I helped with the Tuesday team of Farlington volunteers to cut vegetation at The Deeps. Mostly grass, to be precise. The long, now parched, grass and flowering stems are always in need of an annual cut at the Deeps to make the grassy areas more attractive and suitable for Wigeon to graze. Wigeon prefer short grass on which to graze. At the Deeps we expanded work done last week (and last month) and ended up with a nice large area which, given some rain, will have a flush of nice short green grass by the end of the autumn. A few other areas, and some stray bramble clumps, were also whittled away. It's important to keep any bramble growth on the main fields in check as they would soon begin to fragment the open character of the marsh while at the same time site lines for the birds would be lost. The twelve volunteers who turned up, including myself, got quite a bit done. I am very sure that, eventually this autumn and winter, the birds will be making use of the areas we have prepared for them.
One species in particular caught our eye while having lunch - Clouded Yellow butterflies. There were a couple of them feeding on the Hawkbit flowers (see previous post) but they were very active and rarely staying still for long. They are certainly profiting from the very dry and warm conditions at the moment. Other species may not be. Unfortunately both the Deeps and the Scrape are close to drying up of water completely. Even the ditch feeding the Deeps is almost dry. This is not so good news for some of the invertebrate species that live in them and even some of the vertebrates will be having a hard time. Six Little Egrets were gorging themselves on the easy (concentrated) pickings in the last of the patches of water this morning.
The drought has concentrated all the reserves' wildfowl on the lake and stream. This evening I counted 357 Teal, 36 Shoveler and 38 Gadwall here. There were also some Mallards, Pintail and Wigeon. The latter are now visiting these areas in large numbers during the early morning to drink and bathe. Today I counted 350 before they flew off into the main harbour where they are currently feeding on marine algae and grasses. Pintails are always a feature of the lake (and adjacent harbour mudflats) in the autumn. I have counted up to 45 recently. A couple of "stock" images are below (they were taken by me, only last year!) - Wigeon on left, Pintail on right. .....
At this time of year the flowering plants on Farlington Marshes are dominated by those which have YELLOW flowers.I’m not entirely sure why yellow is the colour of September-flowering plants, maybe someone can tell me and I can report back…Anyway, here are a few images I have taken over the last few days which gives an indication of the range that you can see.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
High tide 15.31 (4.4m)Low tide 08.42 (1.3m)
F2-3 NW breeze, warm, sunny (but cloudier whenever my camera made an appearance)
I was late in getting out in the field today and it soon looked like it had cost me a good morning for visible bird migration (vis-migging for any birders reading this) as even at eleven o’clock there were Meadow Pipits moving overhead when I arrived at Farlington Marshes.Never mind, it’s not like I haven’t seen it all before….
This was a perfect autumn day in terms of light and visibility.And the sickly-sweet aroma of decaying blackberries everywhere on the reserve was almost overriding the sensual headache of the noisy A27.Well, not quite!Insects were very visible today, notably dragonflies, with loads of Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers making the most of the sunny conditions.
A very slow stroll around the bushes area, mostly to photograph plants, revealed a few migrants.Top billing goes to the male Redstart, but there was also at least one LesserWhitethroat and three Common Whitethroats plus the usual Blackcaps.The sound of calling YellowWagtails near the cattle had me trying out my digiscoping luck.I have always found photographing wagtails to be endlessly difficult and today’s results were little better than previously.The best of my efforts are here:
As the cattle moved close to some bushes, and away from the open area, the wagtails departed over the fields.I thought there were six of them feeding.Eleven flew off!
Kestrels were very active this afternoon and at least three hunted over the reserve.The same number of CommonBuzzards, all in one group, drifted over high westwards.Later in the afternoon a trickle of Swallows, 42 in total, belted through north-eastwards; a further hint of missed opportunities this morning.
Chiffchaffs were scattered in the usual “migrant hotspots” including three together in a hawthorn bush at the junction of the farmtrack and east sea wall path.A variety of chats were also new in (obvious increase since yesterday) with nine Wheatears, three Whinchatsand three Stonechats.One of the Whinchats posed nicely on a bramble bush in the point field allowing me to take its picture:
Earlier I had discovered a concentration of newly-emerged Painted Lady butterflies – at least four or five feeding on Creeping Thistle and Fleabane in the northeast “slip field” (images below).It was here that I had a close encounter with a very young Pheasant chick which ran over the track I was walking along.Only a day or two old its high-pitched contact calls to its mother (just a few metres away) was the stuff for a Disney cartoon soundtrack (Tweety comes to mind!).Pheasants only started breeding on the reserve a few years ago and less than a decade ago they were a very scarce bird indeed, only just about annual.
Another species of migrant butterfly, a Clouded Yellow, was along the north-east seawall.I have seen this species most days recently so I think they are temporarily resident on the reserve, although random in appearance and location.
I walked around the seawall at high tide and decided to count the Great-crested Grebes: a total of 47 were split between two main areas (Chalkdock 36 and Russell’s Lake 11).There will be others in the harbour though.The only reliable way of getting THE total would be to count birds at a dusk roost gathering – a low-rising tide off Southmoor shore used to be the favoured place.Other notable birds on the harbour water today were few, although 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese were together, albeit rather distantly visible, off the west side of HaylingIsland.
The lake held the usual roost gatherings of waders but it had been disturbed (presumably by a passing raptor) before I reached it so small waders were all but lacking.The SpottedRedshank was lurking with the Redshanks again, and there were 29 Greenshanks together towards the back of the lake.I had previously seen eight of them circling the harbour to the south and, as I left the lake, ten got up and did likewise.I suspect these will depart the harbour tonight.The weather (and date) is typical and perfect for their departure and their incessant calling added to the feeling of imminent migration.
The stream held a juvenile Little Stint (also present yesterday) but time was not on my side to take good pictures so I took some bad ones instead (it's with a Lapwing in the left image):
PS If someone can tell me what the hoverfly is that I inadvertently "caught on camera" in one of the Painted Lady images I would be very appreciative (and impressed!).
The weather has turned cooler and distinctly autumnal for the last three days with an increasing north-easterly breeze.The area of high pressure causing this air flow has yet to reach Scandinavia so the hoped-for migrants (including rarities) from the east have yet to start arriving in southern Britain, never mind Hampshire!Farlington is clearly the place to be regardless of the bird forecast so I dutifully spent a good few hours wandering around from mid-morning.
The bushes area held the expected selection of commoner silvia warblers including a couple each of Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat amongst the Blackcaps, plus two Chiffchaffs.A Sparrowhawk put a flock of 20 Meadow Pipits up from the ground beside the main lake as well as three Common Snipe.Like yesterday a small passage of swallows and martins was taking place overhead so I positoned myself along the main path through the bushes area to get a good view across the reserve.Groups of House Martins were arriving from the west and stopping very briefly to drink in the fresh water along the stream before continuing eastwards.Smaller numbers of Swallows and a few Sand Martins were also mixed in with them.This passage continued for about an hour but soon died away and thereafter a thin trickle of mostly Swallows was noted throughout the rest of the day.
Small birds, especially migrants, often gather to feed in the same areas in the more sheltered parts of the reserve to feed when it’s windy.Today was no exception and a collection of such birds, probably all newly arrived, was to be found in the field edge in the lea of the north-east seawall.A single Redstart was probably the best, followed by three Whinchats.There was also a Garden Warbler, a Common Whitethroat and two each of Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler.
It was now almost afternoon so I toured the seawall in my usual clockwise pattern.The Deeps provided no new birds at all, although the family of Oystercatchers that I had seen there previously were feeding on the parched grassland looking for invertebrates to eat.The family comprised two adults and a juvenile.As is typical for this species the juvenile, althogh fully fledged, was still heavily reliant on the parents for food.Locally raised young birds learn foraging and feeding skills from their elders.The parents were typically attentive, and while I was watching it was the male that was being shadowed by the learner.I could still hear the high-pitched chick-like contact / begging calls given by it.Finding invertebrates in the grass or top soil at this time of year has possibly been made more difficult by the continuing dry conditions.Finding worms in the harbour mud would probably be much easier and is what many young Oystercatchers do.They do also feed on shellfish, mostly cockles and mussels (rather than oysters) but the skills required to break into the hard shells to extract the animal inside is one learned slowly. Below is a short video clip of the juvenile feeding with one of the adults at Farlington:
The dry weather (we have barely had any rain since July) has resulted in the Deeps being less than its namesake.It is currently a very shallow pool that has mostly dried up.The Little Grebes on it have only just about enough depth to dive into.Mostly they “snorkel” in search of food – head down into the water peering into the murky shallows in much the same position as the two juvenile Shelducks use to feed (although they are sifting the water for much smaller animals).Today two Little Egrets are also wading about with one seen to take a small fish (probably a stickleback).
The main LangstoneHarbour islands, Baker’s and South Binness, have a Peregrine each, including the dark adult male that I have noted recently.
The two juvenile Ruff, first seen on 6th, are still on the lake, along with two Avocets, 14 Greenshanks, six Knot and 130 Grey Plovers amongst the usual species.Todays total of 442 Black-tailed Godwits was the highest I have seen on the reserve this year so far and included 17 juveniles.There were also at least 31 different colour-ringed birds in the flock including a bird that was marked as a chick in Iceland in 1999 during one of the first annual summer trips to that country by representatives of the Farlington Ringing Group.You can learn more about this long-running scheme, which is international in organisation and participation, and now called Operation Godwit, from the following video by Jim Wilson:
In short, each bird caught is marked with a unique combination of coloured rings which then enable anyone, with a good view and through optics, to record it where ever it goes.Many of the birds have long and fascinating life histories which have contributed to building a useful database of re-sightings.We now know much more about this species then when the scheme started in 1991, everything from population size, migration routes and survival strategies, to wintering distribution and longevity.
F3 Southerly breeze, very warm, a typical June day…
It’s always enjoyable being able to do some worthwhile conservation work around LangstoneHarbour and today proved to be no exception.A small team of volunteers, including myself, plus Jamie Marsh (Solent Reserves Officer, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust) worked at West Hayling for several hours.Our task was to clear the lagoon islands of as much taller vegetation as possible.Traditionally this has been done in the early spring (in preparation for summer visiting nesting terns) but this year I wanted some of the vegetation to be cleared now in order to provide a viable alternative site for roosting waders on the reserve during the highest of spring tides.And so it was, with the loan of the local RSPB’s boat, we set float…There is a lot of annual vegetation to clear this year and the amount of material was impressive to say the least.We will be continuing our mission on a future date, so watch this space (and better still, tell me if you see any waders roosting on the cleared areas this winter – species and numbers please).
Meanwhile, back at Farlington I receive a report of a Marsh Sandpiper on the main lake!These are mega rarities and I think there have only been three previous accepted records for Farlington, and the last of those I missed.There were (after a swift phone call) other people looking for it, and doubtless if it was still present would be relocated before I got back with the other volunteers to Farlington.Well not that I had been there earlier, but that’s not the point.And now to the point:despite several hours of searching for it from late afternoon I didn’t see the aforementioned rarity.A search by others, including Andy J of Hayling who I joined for some time, also drew a blank.Well not quite, as the main lake held two juvenile female Ruff, a Spotted Redshank, four Common Snipe and a Common Sandpiper, as well as a few Greenshank and a Curlew Sandpiper which I didn’t see but Andy did.We had actually completed a circuit of the reserve which had also yielded two Avocets on the Deeps and an adult Osprey eating a fish on the southern tip of Baker’s Island in the harbour.There were also over 100 Common Terns fishing in the middle of the harbour, albeit rather distantly.
Later, during the early evening, the stream was seen to be crammed with Black-tailed Godwits and a few Greenshank before the tide dropped and they all flew away, helped on their way by a lingering Sparrowhawkk whicvh seemed to be omnipresent this evening.Seven Whinchats were fly-catching from the tops of the reed and up to 100 Swallows gathered in preparation to roost.A group of seven Yellow Wagtails flew over and a Kingfisher whizzed past.A bit later, after another look at the main lake (still hoping!) the last of the evenings Wheatears appeared on the seawall making a total of at least seven.
Monday, 07 September 2009
High tide 13.46 (4.6m) Low tide 19.09 (0.9m)
Overcast, light SW breeze, warm
Now Farlington is at it’s best for getting unforgettable views of large numbers of waders gathered, in a multitude of different plumages, during the autumn.The gathering on the main lake is really quite a spectacle and must be seen!September is arguably the best month for this.I visited the reserve this afternoon to correspond to the period of high tide so that I could enjoy this very same thing.I wasn’t disappointed.The lake held an impressive 508 Grey Plovers, 19 Knot, 125 Dunlin and 370 Black-tailed Godwits along with many hundreds of Redshank.Scarcer waders included a Spotted Redshank, two Avocets, a Common Sandpiper, a Common Snipe and four Greenshanks.Being overcast, and without too much heat haze, I managed to take some passable video clips of some of the roost later which can be seen here (each clip shows Grey Plover, Knot, and Dunlin):
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I say later as my attention was taken up by a Kingfisher which paraded itself on the old rotten posts at the front of the lake just down from the official viewpoint.At the same time, and vying for my attention, was a male Marsh Harrier that had appeared over the middle of the reserve and was now low over the reedbed and disappearing fast.I persisted with Kingfisher as this was a good opportunity for taking pictures of it.I seem to remember suggesting to the birder I was with at the time that Marsh Harrier was no match, in points at least, for Kingfisher in the “want to see” stakes.Well see for yourself – pics below (of just the Kingfisher of course…. I’m very biased in these things and wish for everyone else to be too!No, the reality was that the flying harrier, a smart male, was never going to be an easy subject for digiscoping).
I would say that although the overcast conditions had helped me with getting record video clips of the waders, it wasn’t doing many favours for showing up the real vivid colours of the Kingfisher.This really does have to be seen to be believed: electric blues, metatllic greens and bright oranges are merely words to describe what IS the most colourful resident British bird.
Light to moderate W to SW breeze, sunny a.m. cloudier p.m., warm
Although I arrived too late for the early-morning rush of migrants it quickly became apparent that there were few new migrants in the bushes area but I still found myself wandering aimlessly around.It sometimes becomes a habit for the “patchworker” to look into empty bushes just for the satisfaction (though that’s not quite the right word) that you haven’t missed anything.Which is quite ridiculous at Farlington considering the amount of scrub could hide a herd of elephants and it would be perfectly possible not to see them!In fact, I have known one or two wardens that have struggled to find the herd of cattle…
Birds were, erm, everywhere of course it’s just that there weren’t many migrants.There was a thin scattering of the usual Blackcaps, and a meagre three each of Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat and Chiffchaff.Two Cetti’s Warblers tried to sing to each other and a trickle of Meadow Pipits headed northwest overhead.A group of 50 Swallows belted through low southwest over the main fields.A group of 40 finches circled around, comprising 3:2 Greenfiches and Goldfinches.One of the bomb-crater ponds held a very showy Sedge Warbler clambering around the rushes therein, while three more accompanied Blackcaps out from the reedbed further on.My first Pied Wagtail in four visits to the reserve this week flew over – perhaps the first migrant one of the autumn.
Bearded Tits could be heard calling in the reedbed and, as I walked past the information building, a smart adult male Kestrel landed on the fence behind but flew off before I could get my camera attached to the telescope.Never mind.Moving onwards a little group of chats – two each of Wheatear and Whinchat - perched on the fenceline along the track caught my attention.I was soon engrossing myself in a little bit of digiscoping with mixed results:
The north-east “slip field” held another Chiffchaff and a Great-spotted Woodpecker, the latter disturbed from the bottom of a dead-looking Hawthorn tree.The best sighting in this area was of a juvenile Kestrel chasing a Kingfisher, although I use the word “best” loosely as I would be the first to admit that I didn’t want the falcon to catch the fisher. And so it was:Kingfisher 1, Kestrel 0. Chalkdock held a total of 22 Great-crested Grebes and 5 Wigeon (my first in that area this autumn) floating about on the water, and the head of a Harbour Seal bobbing around a little further out.I’m sure it’s body was under the surface somewhere it’s just that I couldn’t see it – now look, I’m only reporting what I actually SAW!A Common Buzzard was being mobbed by a party of three Kestrels just to the north of the harbour.
The tide was already quite high and the saltmarsh areas of NorthBinnessIsland were attracting the usual Grey Herons and Little Egrets.As I walked southwards along the seawall path I flushed a Common Sandpiper from the shoreline which flipped across the near creek onto North Binness Island but later ziz-zagged ahead of me twice to be flushed again, and then again from along the seawall.Common Sandpipers are the Wheatears of the wader world in that they tend to fly ahead of you and don’t learn fast enough that it’s better to back-track behind you to avoid being flushed again rather than landing just in front!But I’m very sure that, if you ask a Common Sandppier his or her perspective on things you might get a rather different opinion!
Scanning across the saltmarsh areas, including both North Binness and LongIslands, I counted ten Grey Herons and 19 Little Egrets actively hunting for food as the tide reached its peak and flooded all the various creeks and leeks.I didn’t stop very long to watch but I have noticed before that they tend to catch a combination of invertenrates and fish, the former being flooded out from their hiding places in the saltmarsh and the latter brought in by the tide.Although doubtless the herons might take anything that moves, including voles.
Another 14 Great-crested Grebes were on the water to the south of NorthBinnessIsland.And then I looked out to Baker’s Island and was greeted with the sight of a couple of sail boarders that had landed there.Great!Now let’s be clear here:these islands are part of a nature reserve and have huge NO LANDING signs on.They are also the major high tide roost for many of the waders and wildfowl that live in LangstoneHarbour.As it was the hundreds of Curlew that otherwise would have been on Baker’s Island had been displaced to Long Island and NorthBinnessIsland.The only notable gathering of birds left on Baker’s Island was of Cormorants – 31 stood on the near shore - but virtually none of the other expected birds were to be seen in that area.Even the usual Osprey was flushed by the sail boarders and was seen heading southwards to HaylingIsland.Three Shelduck, two Dark-bellied Brent Geese and several Little Egrets later the sail boarders went on their flushing way but only to be replaced by a kayaker paddling himself very close to the islands…
Looking inside the seawall at Farlington again the Deeps now invited my attention.Stood around one of the last remaining areas of water on this side of the reserve was a group of 13 Little Egrets and 5 Grey Herons, with another of the latter flying over.Various small birds flicking about here included Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Yellow Wagtails and Wheatears.Feeding on the muddy areas at the front of the deeps were three Dunlin, four Black-tailed Godwits, while asleep was a Shelduck and three Oystercatchers.
Moving on to the southern point of Farlington I relocated the Osprey on one of the shorter posts in the harbour off the distant west side of HaylingIsland.There were single Turnstone and Dunlin on the shingle here but the tide was too high for anything else.Rounding the corner of the seawall I could see that Little Binness Island was brimming with Oystercatchers.There were at least 900 of them, occasionally flying around when one of the many boats in the harbour today came a bit too close.As I approached the main lake I counted another 480 Oystercatchers there, so getting on towards 1500 on or around the reserve today.Others had remained uncounted with the Curlew on Long Island earlier.
Four Whinchats were in their usual place on the fenceline near the lake but I didn’t stop long to look at them.There were waders on the lake to look at, and my lunch to eat!The lake held a good roost of birds, including 271 Grey Plovers and 18 Knot.Scarcer species were two Common Sandpipers, a Common Snipe, a Spotted Redshank, up to 15 Greenshank and, the best by far, two Ruff.The latter were small juvenile females, also called Reeves, one asleep amongst the 471 Redshank, and the other feeding with a group of Dunlin.Both were very brightly coloured buff almost all over, and typically scaly-looking on the back.Various other odds and ends flew over the lake, including a group of 17 Yellow Wagtails and two Sand Martins.
Another brief look thorugh the bushes as I left revealed two Redstarts calling to each other but remaining frustratingly difficult to see.I did evntually manage to see one of them well but all too briefly. I wonder what else I had missed in this area earlier?!
Tuesday, 01 September 2009 High tide 10.28 (4.1m) Low tide 15.47 (1.8m) Moderate/fresh SW breeze, showers, warm
I arrived at Farlington rather late in the morning and spent the next three hours or so wandering around “the bushes” – the area between the car park, stream and information building – in an attempt to relax and see some birds. Initially sunny, it turned showery later, which probably meant that the bird activity lasted longer into the morning than would otherwise have been the case. I had decided to leave walking around the seawall until later especially as the main lake was still full up with water and there would be few birds on it. Anyway, the first birds I saw were Great Tits, followed by a Redstart…and then another. One was calling, perhaps agitated at the other’s one’s presence (or mine!). Sylvia warblers (the “sylvia” referring to the genus aka as scrub warblers) were calling away around me – the first of six Lesser Whitethroats showed nicely, along with several Blackcaps. Next was a Spotted Flycatcher which whizzed past but stopped not too far away on the next available perch. Nice. As is typical of early September there were Robins in almost every bush (or so it seemed) with much “ticking” calls to go with them. Not much happening around the Old Pond but two Wheatears were on the fence line to the south posing nicely. More sylvia warblers included the first of only five Common Whitethroats and the ear-piercing song of a Cetti’s Warbler was soon amply heard! A Reed Warbler crept around in a blackthorn bush and another couple of Lesser Whitethroats chased around a half-dead hawthorn.
The birds assembled on the main stream then caught my eye and I stopped to have a better look at them. Top billing goes to the 37 Greenshank stood together, some with colour rings of which the light made reading difficult but I tried. Ducks then demanded attention as there was a count record to beat… that for Gadwall on the reserve. I could see 42 which was just shy of last weeks count (but read on for an update). A distant Osprey had diverted my attention briefly and I toyed with the idea of delaying the Gadwall count but I persisted (!). No sooner had I completed the count of Gadwall the Osprey, a fresh-plumaged juvenile, came over the marsh from the east and followed a westerly flight path right over the stream and right over my head. Now where are those photographers when you need them? This blog could have been so much more visually appealing! These really are superb birds, and they are being seen with ever increasing frequency on passage in Langstone Harbour as the British population increases.
The birds on the stream had been temporarily spooked by the Osprey but soon re-settled. This gave me a chance to count the 310 Black-tailed Godwits and 10 Wigeon and search through the Teal for any with blue (or even blue-ish) wings. Without success this time I continued onwards through the bushes area and enjoyed the butterflies. I had already seen Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Small Heath but my list suddenly lengthened as both Common Blue and Small Copper appeared in a sheltered area to the lea of some bramble. There were several of each here, and I managed to photograph one of the Small Coppers:
The skies were now threatening the first rain shower of the day so I skirted some of the scrub that would provide refuge when it became damp.Putting one of several small moths up from the longer grass I stopped to take a closer look at one of the beasties from under foot (almost literally). The moth turned out to be a Rush Veneer (thanks to Andy J for the heads up on my ID, as I’m not too good at identifying moths) - see picture left. Usefully Andy provided the following note to his ID: “Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella, [is} a migrant that is relatively plentiful at the moment, and easily disturbed during the day. They have a characteristic long and narrow look, with wings held flat.” Maybe I won’t forget this one now.
While on hands and knees I was more aware of the constant noise of Long-winged Conehead bush-crickets – which sound like someone winding up an old-fashioned wrist watch all day – and while trying to find one my nose almost hit a large spider called Edith…. no actually its called Pisaura mirabilis. This beastie had built a nursery web for it’s tiny offspring around a bramble twig and entrapped numerous other bits of vegetation including a thistle seed complete with its plumes. My attempts at an arty-type picture can be seen to the left but won’t win any prizes.
It soon started raining so I retreated to what’s known locally as the “double ponds thicket” for a while. The resident Blue Tits and Great Tits were entertaining enough and had attracted a Lesser Whitethroat but my hoped for Pied Flycatcher, a species which often favours feeding from the inside of tree canopies, was nowhere to be seen. The sun soon reappeared and the birds put on a late morning fit of activity. Two Reed Buntings seemed to accompany the flock of Blackcaps on the edge of the thicket, while three Collared Doves, a scarce bird on the reserve, flew around it. Yet more Small Copper butterflies were disturbed from a patch of Fleabane flowering next to the path. Fleabane (picture right) is a common plant on the grassland areas at Farlington and is a great source of nectar for all sorts of insects at this time of year. It can be humming with them in calm conditions. Unfortunately today was now becoming increasingly windier so I moved swiftly on to the reserve’s information building. En-route I met a fellow birder who told me about a Whinchat which I never saw. In fact this was to remain a species that I wouldn’t see today, remarkable considering I would have once considered this species to be a relatively common migrant on the reserve in September. A look on the stream behind the building revealed five Little Egrets, curiously all juveniles, feeding in the shallows, along with a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit and a juvenile Common Sandpiper. Thinking about it the Teal and the Moorhen there were also juveniles…
One more Gadwall on the stream in front of the building didn’t quite break the record books, and neither did the 19 Canada Geese which is just as well really. Just east of the building, and part way along the track, there was a group of about 20 Swallows resting on the cattle crush fence being photographed by another birder. He told me that the Grey Phalarope was still present on the Deeps but was last seen looking poorly and resting on the seaward side of the seawall. This bird had arrived yesterday and, although clearly a bit “iffy” and with some damage to its left side, was actively feeding and flying around. Today it was less than happy which was to become all too obvious to me later.
The Swallows entertained me for a while and I managed a few digiscoped photos:
Further along the track a group of Blackcaps fed on blackberries and Greenfinch became the commonest species of bird with at least twenty exploding out of the bushes either side of me. More Speckled Wood butterflies were joined by a Comma and a Large White. The second Kestrel of the day sat on the branches of a dead hawthorn tree.
I ate lunch overlooking Chalkdock Lake, an area of the harbour between Farlington and Broadmarsh. The tide was falling fast and a group of nine Common Terns were fishing here. Two Sand Martins passed southwards (adding to ones seen earlier) and a single Knot stood amongst the flock of Grey Plover on the mudflats. Meanwhile a group of eight Gadwalls flew north from the harbour towards the pools at Budds Farm sewage works. After lunch a walk down the east seawall revealed little in the way of birds apart from three Wheatears on a fenceline, so I didn’t hang around too long here. The Grey Phalarope was back feeding on the water of the Deeps, vaguely in association with a group of juvenile Black-tailed Godwits. As noted by others before me it really didn’t look happy and at one time sat on the bare mud seemingly very uncomfortably. It was a bit difficult to be sure what was wrong with its left side and I couldn’t confirm whether the dark patch on it was oil or missing feathers around the leg area.
A lone Dark-bellied Brent Goose was feeding on the grass and the group of Canada Geese from earlier had moved in. A single Common Sandpiper was the only other wader on the pool. Walking around with another local birder the wind now made looking for birds on the open fields difficult. A female Sparrowhawk flushed a flock of about 2500 Starlings over the point field. It wasn’t too long before we had found our way to the lake, a full circuit in less time than it takes not to find a rarity! While counting the Mallards here, of which there were 62, a smart juvenile Whimbrel dropped in to bath. There was little else on the lake though so we didn’t hand around too long. The stream was grilled yet again for ducks. Two counts later and I had counted a magnificent 51 Gadwall! A record!! Brilliant!!!
Later in the evening after doing other things I checked out the Swallow and Yellow Wagtail roost which held 200 and 18 birds respectively. Both of these species roost overnight in the main reedbed. The reedbed at Farlington is a traditional roost site for these two species which have been using it for decades. The Swallows were gathering on the bare ground alongside the main stream but also sometimes on the shorter grassy areas and anthills in between feeding forays. Some were picking off insects from the anthills but the light was too poor by this stage to be sure of their prey although I suspect it might well have included Yellow Meadow Ants. These are common on the reserve and the owners of the aforementioned anthills (obviously).
This blog is about wildlife around LangstoneHarbour with an emphasis on birds. My favourite local patches are Farlington Marshes, a Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust reserve, and Hayling Island Oysterbeds.On some days I write a narrative, on others I am briefer!Wildlife is always interesting, and I hope this blog provides interest for you too...
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