February 12th to 18th

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.

Blashford, Blackwater Arboretum etc

Not the best of days being pretty grey but mostly mild and dry. Whilst there was nothing desperately exciting, the sheer numbers of waterfowl, mostly on Ibsley Water, were nice to watch - probably more Shoveler than I've ever seen here - and good numbers of Pintail and Wigeon. Goldeneye were in double figures with some nice displaying males  and the long-staying Black-necked Grebe was easy to find in the vicinity of the now collapsed Osprey post. Raptors were Buzzards, Red Kites, a single Peregrine over the lichen heath and a cream-crowned Marsh Harrier flushing ducks in the north west corner of Ibsley Water.

Round at Goosander hide six Goosanders included an adult male, lots of Pintail here and a typically photogenic Great-crested Grebe successfully fishing on several occasions. Always the way when the camera is at home!!

Ivy Lake was quiet with just 200+ Teal and slightly more Wigeon plus a few other duck spp. Highlight here was the two Kingfishers, male and female, sparring with each other and staying in view for a long while. Several other species, Redwing, Goldcrest, Treecreeper and Nuthatch showed well - the 12×50 Swaros really coming into their own for frame filling images.

Below spring Catkins and a phone camera shot of some of the wildfowl in front of Goosander Hide.

Later at Blackwater Arboretum very few birds; no Hawfinches. But some spilt bird food in the carpark was attracting several Coal, Blue and Great Tits plus singles of Marsh Tit and Nuthatch. The rain was getting heavier by 15:35 so I and another birder gave up.

It transpires that my previous visit here produced 12 Hawfinches but that was almost fifteen years ago to the day!!

Wednesday, up and away from Cadnam fairly early - I didn't think I could do justice to a £16 breakfast so yesterday's banana, a Belvita biscuit and tea in the room was order of the day.

A clear and still morning started with two Woodlarks singing overhead as I stepped out of the car, with one landing in the nearest tall birch twice over an hour and continuing to sing and give prolonged scope views until driven off by three Greenfinches! At times they were so high as to be difficult to pinpoint; you always think they're perched up rather than directly above you! As usual the 'backing track' was provided by Mistle Thrushes.

For the most part the next hour was birdless with the conditions not suitable for raptors; not even a Buzzard rose up out of the trees and the only large birds being one or two Ravens and 15+ Stock Doves.

Finally, as I thought of leaving, a single Hawfinch perched up in the nearest tall trees straight out and gave extended scope views in good light making up for yesterday's dip.

A brief stop at Cockleshell on the way back was too low a tide for waders and waterfowl but eleven Harbour Seals were hauled out in the usual place.

A brief local walk between chores found a single Chiffchaff in the vicinity of the tennis courts and in excess of six hundred Brent enjoying the refuge field.  Finally, irate Herring Gulls alerted to a Sparrowhawk dodging between the houses.