A day too late...

After PW's explicit directions it seemed rude not to have a drive over for Lymington's Marsh Sandpiper on Normandy Lagoon, a site I've never visited and a species I've only seen twice in the UK and neither in Hants.

Just before getting ready to depart on Wednesday the cool weather and morning's forecast had me re-thinking and opting for Thursday. Big mistake!! Arriving today after a tedious drive through the M27's seemingly continuous roadworks and slowed by a stranded Porsche in the outside lane, it was soon apparent that the bird had either moved locally or, more likely, departed permanently overnight. Lots of birders scoping in all directions and generally chin-wagging. Oh well.

Still, a Lesser Whitethroat singing on arrival plus a little sunshine and things could be worse. Cetainly the view out to the Island, Hurst Castle and the Needles is pretty neat!!

The lagoon  had plenty of raucous terns including my first Littles of the year, always a delight. An earlier Curlew Sandpiper had gone to ground but a nice range of Bar-tailed Godwit plumages and, best of all, this summer plumage Spotted Redshank; also a mix of Dunlin plumages and the odd Whimbrel '7 whistling' out on the salt marsh.

An inbound Raven looked to be carrying an egg, presumably from a Black-headed's nest on the salt marsh; it stirred up all the Avocets as it went over.

Stonechat, song-flighting Meadow Pipits and a few Linnets were the only passerines of note.

Wednesday was just a chore day with a local walk although it was nice to see a Common Seal from the car on the way home. On the patch a hover popped into view and turned into this Dasysyrphus tricinctus, not a species I see too often; this Misumina vatia was polishing off a fly on the same patch of Alexanders.

A Green Woodpecker was very vocal in the roadside trees but mostly invisible and alerted me to this male Sparrowhawk,  a bit distant for a macro lens!! It was in the same clump as last year's pair so maybe there's a nest nearby or in the offing. Later it or another was harassed by a gull and stooped down into the island's largest tree as I've seen them do before. A single calling Swallow went overhead.

Both male and female Melanostoma scalare and this Green Shieldbug, Palomina prasina were in the hedge adjacent to the tarmac path.

It was too cold for bees with just a few A.flavipes, a few worn and unidentifiable individuals,  plus singles of A.fulva and A, haemorrhoa neither of which were keen on being photographed.

Local stuff

Lassioglossum spp (calceatum group?) on Dandelion 'clock'

Slightly worn male Anthophora plumipes 

Sawfly, Aglaostigma spp and

Nomada goodeniana

WWT

Red Mason Bee, Osmia bicornis

Alder Fly, Sialis spp

Rhingia campestris on Red Campion

Sand Martins and Oystercatcher

Pulborough 

Nomada marshamella

Orange Tip

Anthomyiidae spp on Stitchwort

A few miners....

 

Thursday, PHP and QECP were poor in grey, misty conditions with just Firecrest (1 and 3 respectively) Great Crested Grebe at the former and Grey Wagtail at the latter.

Today, better weather today produced a few more insects.

Andrenas - flavipes, haemorrhoea, scotica and fulva. Nomada goodeniana

Butterflies - Speckled Wood, Brimstone, Small White, Peacock and Comma.

Dark-edged Beefly

Parent Bug - Elasmucha grisea

Hoverflies - Myathropa florea 

Beetle (above) - Agonum spp

Titchfield today and back to cloud and wind:-

Just five sedge Warblers NfY, about 75 Avocets, single Little Gull and both harriers, the male displaying. Others had a couple of Garganey and a Hobby at Posbrook.

Still struggling but birds arriving..

 

The day started with a Sparrowhawk setting off the Starlings on the way around to the paper shop. 

Then off to Pulborough; grateful to not being west-bound - another chronic morning's traffic due to an early morning accident towards J11 and subsequent barrier repairs.

Arrived at PB in time for a coffee spot on opening at 10:00 am; probably a mistake as the first coffee is never hot!!

A calling and visible Cuckoo was a nice start, dropping off the fence line to feed and then perching up whilst being dive-bombed by unhappy Meadow Pipits!!

The usual suspects later at Westmead with a very distant White Stork and both eagles being shadowed by diminutive looking kites. Two Snipe were playing hard to see but appreciated by many including a delightful family from Forest Row. Four Avocets and twenty odd Black'wits trailing a single Grey Plover and a heard-only LRP rounded out the waders. 

Two Great Crested Grebes were displaying distantly. 

Four Whitethroats and a single Willow Warbler were NfY and numerous Blackcapscand Chiffchaffs were calling.

The above Adder was in the usual spot and the Common lizard caught me out; I didn't notice the OOF grass stem which has given it a green face.

Sadly the new macro lens didn't make it out of the box.

Others had Orange Tip butterfly but it/they eluded me.

A late visit to WWT was thwarted by 'last entry 3:30 pm' but I managed to get in, out of the rain and have a coffee, rather better than this morning's. No Kingfisher action.

Is it really spring??

 

Pretty much little this week. 

A jaunt over to Chi to p/x some camera gear saw one of the Peregrines, the female I think, circling the spire during a shower and watched through the cafe's glass roof. On leaving it was on the sheltered east side.

A brief stop at Broadmarsh was Osprey-less and just another Peregrine launching off the dead trees. And finally at least fifteen Avocets from the car going over the bridge.

Locally, three singing male Blackcaps, one on the north side doing some Reed Warbler phrases. A Cetti's was strident in the scrub backing onto the extended gardens on the south side of the field. A Swallow was the first local bird of the year and was heading north like a bullet with a strong tailwind.

Insects were thin on the ground with the above Helophilus pendulus and Epistrophe eligans being first for the year.

The above local Bluebells had a photo-bombing 14-spot Ladybird which made a change from all the 7-spots.

Little beauties...

 

A couple of Little Gulls had been on Titchfield's south scrape for a few days so yesterday I popped over for a look. A coffee in the company of a charming local couple who are, like most of us, are hoping for a new cafe onsite was the start to the day, although the gulls were quickly year-ticked from the raised veranda, prior to a drink, just in case they disappeared.  I shouldn't have worried because they performed all morning until I left at least. The second calendar year bird was more obliging, at least with my short lens.

Three Blackcaps on the east side, all singing males, and twelve reasonably close Eiders were the best of the rest. Med Gulls amounted to thirty or so on site but plenty more overflying so I birdtracked a minimum of fifty.

Insects were pretty much absent.

Today, near home, two broods of Mallards (two and six) were the first of the year and this heron above, one of two, was stalking for prey - maybe not the best place to be a baby duckling!! 

Butterflies were limited to singles of Peacock (tatty), Speckled Wood (flighty) and this Comma, above, sheltering from the wind. Seven-spot Ladybirds were the most obvious insects along with the usual stuff and these two Beeflies were obliging.