Pix

 

First couple of Common Terns,  Red Dead-nettle, Turnstone, Andrena cineraria, Buzzard, Adder, Blackcap, Stitchwort

Park visit

 

A sunny but breezy April day at the start of Easter break ensured wall-to-wall people and the continued closure of the bottom path so some time spent along the upper part of the 'butterfly slope' where lots of bee flies taking advantage of Ground Ivy including one Dotted, first of year, which didn't stay for a picture and plenty of these Osmia bicolor females. The males are a very early bee and nowhere near as distinctive. Curiously not a single butterfly here nor on the grassy slopes adjacent to the Oxenbourne gate. Just this Buzzard above, one of three. A Raven went south and two possibly three Firecrests were active just before the park house.

Pulborough

Busy tomorrow and the next few days so, with it being dry, not too windy and the possibility of a few (short) warm spells, it seemed an opportunity to visit Pulborough.

Passing Waltham Brooks, I saw a couple of birders in the distant and so I stopped just in case the Garganey was showing but, as not, I continued on to PB where, over a coffee, the sky was alive with raptors. Not exactly Batumi but seven Buzzards and two Red Kites - during the day there were always Buzzards in view so who knows how many were knocking about. Other than two Kestrels, no other BoPs unfortunately.

Chatted to G and M in West Mead with little other than Stonechat on show.

Further round male Adder AA71 was in exactly the same place as on March 21st. Spent time pointing him out to at least eight visitors.

With little time and, as usual, no scope only four Avocets were seen on the north brooks although it was nice to see so many Primroses around the upper paths - don't  recall such a good showing.

Spent a little time at the feeders and later tried to find some interesting early hoverflies on Salix but just Merodon equestris to show for it and some well-dusted Honeybees.

Sadly, the little amount of Cuckooflower was devoid of Orange Tip butterflies although GT had his first of the year a little later as the weather warmed a little. A few Bee Flies was all I could manage and a single Comma.

(Blue Tit at feeding station, Chiffchaff - one of many, male Andrena haemorrhoa on no-entry sign)

Should've stopped at Ivy Lake on the way back as the Bonaparte's Gull was still present!!

A quick look off Broadmarsh before returning home saw a distant Osprey-shaped blob on the Long Island post where it was reported yesterday and again either side of my visit today. But frankly, with no scope, it could've been anything. 

More daylight but too cool by far

(Andrea spp maybe flavipes, Helophilus pendulus, Colletes cunicularius, Common Quaker, Pale Pinion, Black-tailed Godwit x3, Lapwing and Green Woodpecker)

April 1st seemed to pass by without too many typical 'ruses'. I'm guessing it's becoming harder to keep adding to the vast amount of untruths peddled on the internet although I was caught out by Batumi raptor counters new AI software for ID and counting!!  I'm  certain everyone is pretty exhausted at the world situation for the last few years.

March has been mixed weather wise although never that hot and recently only just above freezing. Little wonder that inbound migration has been so thin. 

Still plenty of enthusiasm for Bempton's albatross, back for its third year and the long staying White-tailed Lapwing, now a little further south in Lincolnshire.

Sussex continued its winning streak with a one day Desert Whestear and a well watched Bonaparte's Gull, possibly still present as I write this. Hampshire has remained pretty much bird-free apart from MF's brief encounter with an Alpine Swift.

Best two birds for me were a nice ring tail Hen Harrier at Pulborough and, strangely better still, this female Green Woodpecker above, the first on local patch for a long time although I've heard them occasionally. The 60mm macro lens doesn't really do it justice!!

A nice catch-up with Jackie at Blashford saw pretty little bird life other than 3-4 kites and a few remaining Goosanders. The Andrena vaga colony seemed to be busy and there were a good number of Spring Colletes near the 'Beewolf clump' and a few moths above in the trap, the best being Oak Beauty (not shown here). The Colletes above was a singleton on the path at Titchfield. Speckled Wood was the best of the butterflies and the usual hovers were out and about although only a single Epistrophe eligans.

Local Sunday

A couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers (male and female) were in adjacent trees calling and showing well along the roadside hedge and presumably looking for a nest site; the previous visit's Green Woodpecker was, unsurprisingly, absent. A Cetti's was calling just below them.

This pair of Sparrowhawks were calling and displaying around the same few trees and so busy that they sat up very close and buzzed around just above head height. Probably closest and best showing birds in some years. Maybe they are also looking for a nesting tree which will certainly ensure the woodpeckers look elsewhere. 

Epistrophe eligans and Syrphus spp plus Chiffchaff and Bee Fly.

Finally, finally, finally

A day at TH was hardly filled with promise but the harriers were good value and two calling and displaying Sparrowhawks were presumably looking to nest in the same part of the reserve as usual. Whilst watching the harriers and generally scanning the distant skies for my first hirundine of the year revealed something larger  - a White-tailed Eagle, distant but still nice to see. Put out on WhatsApp and, according to subsequent messages, it headed up the river towards the abbey. Meanwhile, back at reception, two more were putting on a great flying display over the harbour before gaining height and drifting east. They drew in two Buzzards from the south which gave the scene some scale before disappearing out of sight. An hour later three were over Blackfield near Calshot - our birds or three others ?? Who knows.

Tha latter two must have been much lower over Brownwich judging by MF's pictures.

The only downside was missing a rapidly inward-bound Osprey just before I arrived.

Better weather

 

Jackdaw, Adder, Periwinkle (Vinca spp), Musca autumnalis, Pheasant, distant Peregrine and cider)