Brief TH

Light poor so no photos.

A Hobby from the car over Western Way was a decent start to the day.
Defintely Autumnal on arrival with some big black clouds scudding away north west of the reserve.

Only bothered with MSH and, naughtily, didn't pick up a ticket for the first time. Five Ruffs performed well although the Little Stint was not as obliging. Everything was upset twice by a passing juvenile Sparrowhawk which made a brief pass at a Teal. Two Kingfishers chased each other over south scrape and about a dozen Snipe popped in and out of cover. The Water Rail was present but not particularly obliging.

Finally a single Red Admiral was blown west.

At last!!

Ibsley Water was pretty quiet with the masses of hirundines down to 25+, all looking like Sand Martins. Thirteen Little Egrets and Walter ( or possibly another GWE) were at the far end with many herons. Two Foxes were in the same area, one stalking, the other flaked out having a kip. A Hornet was busy hunting just in front of the hide.

No sign of the Ferruginous Duck although it did show later apparently.

On the silt pond a single Kingfisher and nine Siskins flew over.

On Ivy Lake nothing until a bunch of coots exploded from under the far trees followed by lots of Herring Gull alarms, albeit from one bird - a juvenile Osprey hove into view did a couple of turns and went off north although not back to Ibsley. Photos showed a BTO ring on the right leg and a blue darvic on the left but was sadly too distant to read. There seems to have been far less Osprey activity so far than in previous years.

A noisy mixed group of tits and Nuthatches plus the odd Chiff plus about forty House Martins high overhead. Four Cormorants flew in, but with all their boat perches being actively rowed around, they carried on southwards.

The insect patch had just Comma, the Bee Wolf spot empty apart from this Silver Y.

The patch of Ivy near the restaurant was insectless but the patch stretched around the single tree at the south end of the link fence was very busy with Ivy Bees and Honey Bees plus other stuff I couldnt ID.

Finally, this Southern Hawker perched up adjacent to the very full carpark but a bit too distant for the macro lens.

Long journey south (ish)

Yesterday a few Swallows headed south locally and today a similar number were heading north all put into perspective by 1000+ per hour in East Sussex and 150,000(!!!) mixed martins and Swallows at Sandwich Bay. Obviously ideal conditions for the long haul southwards.

No spaces at north end carpark, so down to south end.

Stroll north produced just flyover M'ipits and Swallows plus Chiffs and Blackcaps. Harbour very quiet unlike last visit and just six Great-crested Grebes from the bench over lunch. All very calm, flat and warm with no sign of Osprey.

On the Billy flood, just three each of Dunlin and Redshank plus the Grey Phalarope, unfortunately a little too far away and into the sun for pictures, but still a lot closer than the Blashford bird.

A walk round PHP after 'house-check' was slow and uncomfortable.
Still 30+ Martin spp of both species, mostly House but including the odd Swallow. Cormorants now up to seven on boats, Canada Geese up to 175+ and a pair of Egyptian Geese with two fluffy youngsters, maybe 10+ days old.

Still a few calling and singing Chiffs, maybe 10 or so plus Comma and Migrant Hawker

Pleasingly, the Ivy edged path near the cafe had a couple of Ivy Bees plus a few hovers including Sercomyia silentis and  unsurprisingly Eristalis and Red Admiral.

Back in the car park Noon Fly and Tachina fera plus probably Mellinus arvensis and Eupeodes luniger. Camera and macro lens would have been a better option than bins today.