A visit to Hill Head hoping for the recently reported Long-tailed Duck was immediately successful with the bird located distantly from the Cliff Road bench viewpoint. Descending to the HHSC to join up with Tony H found us watching it out near the red buoy briefly before it flew off towards Hook or beyond.
An attempt to relocate it an hour or so later was unsuccessful but did produce two Velvet Scoters, originally flying well out into the Solent to the east, but dropping down adjacent to the Darling buoy.
Twenty-six Eiders, mostly males, showed well.
Later, at Posbrook, the three Glossy Ibises were another year tick with plenty of Wigeon feeding up on the far grass bank plus a few Pintails and Tufted Ducks but no (obvious) signs of roosting Barn Owl.
Two Ravens flew over.
The next day was an opportunity to look for the previously reported Red-necked Grebe offshore from Southsea Castle and originally found by Paul R on the 19th of January. It didn't take too long to find it in the scope where it was pretty close to a Great Northern Diver. The Purple Sandpipers were either absent or playing hard to get and in a brief visit no Black Redstarts were seen although two were reported on the 1st of the month.
Monday, coffee in the PGC lounge with KM was pleasant where, despite golfers, the open areas held a couple each of Mistle Thrush and Green Woodpecker plus twenty or so Redwings; a kite soared distantly and a couple of Buzzards and three Kestrels were seen on the way back.
Yesterday at TH was too cold, sunny and choppy to locate anything offshore and on the reserve just a couple of Marsh Harriers, two Goldcrests and six Avocets, the latter being my first of the year.
And today, little at Stansted, just four Cattle Egrets south of Pook Lane, a year-tick Med Gull at Broadmarsh and seven Harbour Seals from Cockleshell on the way home.
