SE Nature Notes w/e 26th Sept

28 September 2009

Portsmouth & Portsdown

A mystery bird seen over Portsmouth allotments this week could have been one of the glossy ibises that have been at various UK locations recently.
A holly blue was seen in an East Cosham garden on 17th. Peacock butterflies were active in the lanes north of Portsdown on 25th and a small copper was seen on 26th by Friends of Langstone Harbour by the cycle track across the top of the harbour.
In the E Cosham garden a great-spotted woodpecker is using a nest box as a roost.
On 27th corn marigold and flax were in flower on the Fort Widley nature trail.

Havant hayling & Emsworth

A total of 49 Brent geese were in Langstone Harbour on 18th. Nineteen in the Thorney Channel on 20th seem more likely to be the summer resident group.
A group of 14 shags was seen on the sea at the mouth of Chichester harbour on 20th. A high tide roost of waders on the shingle beach of Hayling Bay that day held 200 ringed plovers, 50 sanderling, 7 dunlin and a curlew sandpiper.
A female merlin was seen over Thorney Island on 20th September. Also on Thorney Island that day 35 bearded tits were seen including flocks flying high probably on dispersal flights. 3 days later a flock of 10 birds dropped into the reeds at the Little Deeps.
The loud song of a Cetti's warbler was heard at Brook Meadow on 20th.
Yellow pimpernel had new flowers in Southleigh Forest on 21st and yellow-flowered strawberry had new flower buds in Juniper Square Havant on 22nd.
Two black-necked grebes were seen off the west shore of Hayling Island on 20th and again on 27th September.
There were 34 wigeon and 52 teal on Nutbourne Bay on 21st.
A flock of more than 30 golden plovers were on mud in the Emsworth channel on 23rd.
At least 120 little egrets flew into the Langstone Pond trees to roost on the evening of September 24th.
A honey buzzard was sighted over Havant thicket on 24th. Another observer reported seeing a rough-legged buzzard ‘talon locked' with a common buzzard.
On 25th a young or female garganey was spotted on the Budds Farm pools. The Sinah eclipse male bird was still there on 25th.
A pectoral sandpiper was showing very well on a small pool by the Billy Trail around 300 yds south of the oyster beds car-park on 25th and 26th.
On 26th a juvenile marsh harrier was seen over the Little Deeps on Thorney Island.
There was a flock of a dozen yellowhammers in the East Park at Stansted.
The Havant Wildlife Group on their Saturday walk found some interesting fungi including chicken of the woods, lumpy bracket and an example of the rare Creolophus cirrhatus.