Hirundines galore..

Well it was always going to be cold and grey so back into winter buff, lined trousers and down jacket- and May just two days away!!

After yesterday's news of many hirundines at Posbrook it was no surprise to see 3000 or so of three species plus 125 Swifts over Ibsley Water hawking with 30+ Common Terns. Sadly, nothing else of note and just seventeen Black-tailed Godwits which dropped in.

This Goldfinch was one of four feeding on the ground but also taking advantage of this dead Black-headed Gull for downy feathers for nest lining.

Over the road a quick look at the moth trap with John and Tracey was pretty fruitless being virtually empty.

Woodland Hide was birdless and like the 'black hole of calcutta', Ivy South also birdless. This Garden Warbler did sit up nicely for a portait but the camera just wouldn't lock focus so the above was very distant.

With so little happening I left, did some chores and had a quick look at PHP which, apart from 80+ hirundines was birdless. The Reed Warbler was again singing from brambles presumably until there is substantial reed growth although the bird near the terrapin logs has found itself a dense enough patch. This patch of Honesty was pretty much the only colour all day.

Bu**er it !!

Got back from TH to commit the unthinkable by deleting all the day's photos before downloading whilst chatting and not paying attention!! Not much missing but probably the best summer plumage Dunlin portraits I've got. Damn!!

Far too cold for insects although at least it was fairly calm. The Cuckoo was perched prominently for a while, both harriers were out and about and the Ruff was marginally closer but the Nightingale on the west side had gone quiet. Six Little Terns on south scrape briefly were nice to see and the first I've seen this year but sadly, the Arctic Tern perched on the pink buoy had vanished.

Strangely, from the main hides and out to sea probably just 30+ Swallows and no swifts nor other hirundines; whilst seeing nothing from south hide with another birder, up on Posbrook were 6500+ individuals of these four species!!!

The metal corrugation held four Slow Worms including two three-inchers, small than worms and presumably from last year.

EDIT. Tried to get Kevin to recover the photos from the memory card but he wasn't sure after formatting just what might comeback and it was going to be £30 - £50  so I scrapped that idea, although he did recommend a program called Recuva for future use maybe. Hopefully lesson learnt.

Blowy day at TH..

Pretty fruitless really in such a strong South-Westerly with nowhere out of the wind. Twenty or so hirundines of three species but no swifts, just the male harrier, eight Common Terns hunkered down on south scrape and the Ruff , still ruffless but colouring up nicely. The reception scrub was busy with Andrenas (nigroaenea, flavipes at least), some bright, fresh Osmia bicornis plus this Holly Blue - they seem to like this hedge. Further up towards the end of the path this Rhingia rostrata was a new for year hover.

On the west side a sudden gull 'dread' and silence was due to an exocet-like Sparrowhawk flashing by just feet from the hide in its typical 'wings in' mode.

Grey-cowled Wood-rail was a life tick (!) today, sadly on the Panama Feeder Cam.

Batman returns..

Locally, Myathropa florea, common but always photogenic and Episyrphus balteatus on deteriorating Ramsons, only the second I've seen this spring. Melanostoma scalare female also seen plus E.pertinax, E.elegans,Syrphus spp.

Half in bed and half out....

A short visit to a very busy PB curtailed by late-lunchtime rain.A couple of Buzzards and a Kite were high over the western part of the reserve and an unseen Cuckoo was calling from Holly Bush Hill. The Orange Tip stopped briefly above but was distant, backlit and only still for a second.This female adder was sunbathing on top of the corrugation with its head tucked underneath and the baby Grass Snake (last years) was warming up nearby. Hovers were pretty much E. pertinax and a few R.campestris plus the odd Nomada bees.

From the viewpoint the Black-winged Stilt was still sharing the pool with two Avocets and a godwit; others reported Wood Sandpiper and Whimbrel. One or two Nightingales were singing sporadically and I finally laid eyes on a Whitethroat. Probably 40-50 hirundines and Swifts, approximately equal numbers of all four.

Lunch with Pete and tales of South Korea followed by an early departure for home in heavy rain which at least meant the roads were quieter than normal.

Back at base the Cettis seems to have set up home on the island and both Willow Warblers seem to have departed. Just E.balteatus on Ramsons - I don't think Portevinia is ever going to occcur here. Lots of common hovers with E. eligans still the dominant species by number and the odd Nomadas and Andrenas.

Still thin at PHP....

With rain forecast there seemed little reason to go too far so a half loop and back round the pond punctuated with coffee and ciabatta produced a Garden Warbler from the carpark, the first this year but pretty much no other birds except a few mostly invisible House Martins and two or three unseen singing Reed Warblers (new in since last visit), one in the east side bramble clump.

The terrapins below were warming up in the odd patch of sunlight between clouds.

Looking for insects produced little other than the usual hovers with a single Eristalis intricaria the best, a few mostly uncooperative bees and two micromoths awaiting ID. This common lizard was reasonably obliging as was the Sarcophaga flesh fly - but then they always are - if only all insects were this photogenic. Orange Tip, all males were the commonest butterfly and a single Holly Blue was new for 2018.

On the bee front Nomada goodeniana and via FB Andrena nigroaenea and A. barbilabris (both male and female). First worker bumblebees were out but too quick for any pictures. Yet again the strong breeze tended to blow things away and out of sight.
It was also St Marks fly day with gazillions!!

An attempt to photograph a close-in Great Crested Grebe was thwarted by a plank throwing sticks into the pond for his dog - these people are numpties!!

PS Moths ID'd as Cydia ulicetana and Adela reaumurella.

Plastic fantastic..

WWT catch-up..

The initial fine morning was soon swamped with cloud but thankfully no rain.

At WWT caught up with Paul, Geoff, Alex (briefly and for the first time in a couple of years) and Tony and Jean.

Along the riverbank usual numbers of singing Acros plus two Lesser Whitethroats but only a single Common - hope I'm wrong but initial impression is that they are well down. Overhead all three martins, probably 25+ in total but no other decent migrants. Distant single Peregrine and Red Kite. Insect-wise Rhingia campestris was notable and Osmia bicornis (above) was using a bee hotel. Plenty of unidentifiable red/yellow/black Nomadas, just a single Large Red Damsel and NO butterflies at all!!

Dots at last...!!

At last after scrutinising beeflies for years, a lifer Dotted Beefly was amongst 30+ Dark-edged!!

Not too much on the bird front today but seven Swifts (up to 14 later via the BB) were the first this year and Reed Warblers were up. Eight species of hovers including this Rhingia campestris (above) but no other notable diptera; some Andrenas including cineraria and scotica (above) and several Nomads including above which just might be ruficornis. Sadly, and I shouldn't be surprised, but RC found Andrena vaga on site some time after I left -  a once very rare species which hopefully will be available still at next visit.

Moth-wise, Early Thorn (above), Nut-tree Tussock and this Scarce Prominent (above) - a lifer with a SW Hampshire distribution so not too likely in my trap!

Back-to-back scorchers..

Another warm one with a small increase in insects. The Marsh Marigolds had Neoascia spp for the first time but no other new hovers. Unsurprisingly Speckled Woods were out and a good few male Orange Tips all disinclined to land for photos and Green-veined White also flighty.

The raised beds behind the building had plenty of Andrena activity( at least some cineraria) but nothing still for photos; the Nomada marshamella above presumably has a relationship with them. A very bright Andrena looked like fulva but was gone in a flash.

Birdwise, Common Whitethroat was new and both Reed and Sedge Warblers are now singing in small numbers and the Cuckoo was calling distantly but no aerialists at all. Still a few godwits and 60+ Turnstones but no other waders of note.

The Brimstone was taken on the macro and the Speckled Wood at 896mm effective handheld!

D Day!! (Vitamin D that is)..

Started the day with an uncomfortably large car bill after MOT and service!
By far the best day of the year (-  hottest April day for 70 years!-) being hot, sunny but a bit 'squinty' without sunglasses. Disappointingly, both PHP and QECP were devoid of insects and pretty much no bees, wasps nor hovers at either site. Just nine butterflies of four species, an unsurprising male Orange Tip being the best. The water was pretty much devoid of birds other than two 'proper' Greylags and both GCGs; the sky much the same with just twelve Buzzards (plus two more on the way home and one over the garden) in groups of eight and four. Plenty of birdsong including Treecreeper and plenty of Blackcap including one above.

These terrapins, two of four were out basking.

At QE two invisible singing Firecrests was it!!

Rather like this giant Bee Home for giant bees!

Queen for a day..

.. A full moon would glow every night
And summer would be everyday...


The mewing of Buzzards is still a rare sound here so it was nice to hear one, throw back the curtains and see three, two normal and one pale, calling, dive-bombing and slo-mo flying high off to the west before drifting back northwards.

A  lot of irate Starling noise on the pond's island was a clue to a female Sparrowhawk which circled upwards disturbing all the pigeons and gulls; probably would have given a decent shot with the zoom lens.

Curiously the out-of-bounds area, after yesterdays little flurry of bees was pretty quiet despite less wind and better temperatures. Conversely the play-area scrub and that behind BPA was full of hovers, albeit mostly the same old stuff plus NfY Myathropa florea and more Bee Flies. Another Nomada spp disapeared before I could focus on it. Lots of sunbathing V. vulgaris queens.

The original Willow Warbler was still present with another one singing on the south side of the field. As I write this more gull alarm calls pointed to a Buzzard, presumably one of this morning's, circling silently - I wonder what the attraction is over the city??

Later in the garden some Honey Bees joined the H-fFBs mostly on Forget-me-not, the/a Bee Fly was sunbathing, this Salticus spp jumping spider and the first female Sphaerophoria spp was buzzing about.

Spring still AWOL...

No car today and tomorrow so little wildlife opportunities and very cold SE wind so all sunny south-facing local hedges etc blasted by wind. Any insect taking off being blown out of sight.
Four Lesser- and one Great Black-backed Gull, Cettis calling and probably 10 Meds, four seen and the rest heard only.
A few Bee Flies(pic 3), a Small Tortoiseshell, a couple of NfY hovers (Helophilus pendulus and Syrphus spp) and a few bees, mostly Andrena spp but including several Common Carder, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Ashy Mining Bee(pic 1), Orange-tailed Mining Bee(pic 2) and Gooden's Nomad Bee plus another reddish Nomad which got away in the breeze.

Bibio spp

It seemed unlikely that any of yesterday's Arctic Terns would have remained on Ibsley Water but I thought it was worth a punt as they are a bird I pretty much never see even when regularly seawatching in the past. And of course they had indeed departed!! Annoyingly the three Little Gulls were reported but not there when PW and I looked. The LRPs are still dashing around  and calling a lot but few hirundines (10SM/2 HM) and the only new bird for the year was a Common Sandpiper which kept its distance. Typically, a distant kite went south and one of the few Buzzards today was feeding on a Rabbit on the west side. Only two Goosanders and no Goldeneyes today.

By the centre at least eight Bramblings were point blank, great for watching but pretty horrible for photography with the ugly shingle path as background and side-lighting. A single Early Thorn was the only decent moth, Bombus pascuorum was again on Pulmonaria and Eristalis intricaria was the only new hover. The pink plant above may (depending on FB accuracy!) be Herb Robert, a question for RC next time we cross paths.
Edit : reidentified as Common Storksbill.

Also some monochrome fungi above made a nice shape - should have used some water to wash off debris and broken out the macro.