SE Nature Notes w/e 3rd October

5 October 2009

Portsmouth & Portsdown

A count of 20 knot on 12th September at Farlington was the highest anywhere in Hampshire so far this autumn. On 30th there were some 300 black-tailed godwits and 9 greenshanks on the reserve Lake. Wheatears, blackcaps, yellow wagtails, bearded tits, peregrines and a clouded yellow butterfly were also seen. The following day an avocet was on a pool at the Deeps by the eastern sea wall and probably the same bird was with a spotted redshank among the waders on the Lake on 2nd October. A juvenile hobby was on the reserve north of the road.
On 2nd October single marsh harriers were seen at Farlington Marshes and Titchfield Haven. Many people are seeing buzzards across the whole of our area.
A very speckled partial albino jackdaw was feeding in front of the Widley shops on 3rd October.
Restharrow, lucerne and ribbed and white melilot are still flowering at Eastney; and devil's bit scabious and autumn gentian on Portsdown.

Havant hayling & Emsworth

The night roosts of little egrets in Langstone and on Thorney Island held respectively 120 and 174 birds on 24th and 29th September. Near the Thorney Island roost there were 2 green sandpipers. Two little owls in the area were probably dispersing young.
On 29th a flock of godwits seen from Langstone Bridge was tentatively identified as bar-tailed.
A juvenile white-winged black tern was an exciting sighting at Black Point Hayling Island on 29th. The following day an arctic tern was at Sandy Point.
Three gadwalls were on the Budds Farm pools on 3rd October. The eclipse male garganey was still on the Sinah GP on 30th. It frequents the eastern end of the pool but can be elusive in the middle of the day.
Two grey wagtails and a long-winged conehead were at Brook Meadow on 1st October.
Around 400 Brent geese were in the Emsworth Channel on 4th October but the main arrivals have still to come. However there are plenty of wigeon. On 30th 450 were seen from Budds Mound as were 10 pintail, 2 red-breasted mergansers and 2 black-necked grebes.
Plants hanging on in the Havant area this week included yellow-horned poppy on South Hayling; narrow-leaved pepperwort by the Langstone roundabout; round-leaved fluellen at Warblington; burnet saxifrage in St Faith's churchyard; and pale toadflax in the gorse north of the Inn on the Beach at Sinah.
New flowers included early dog violets in the Havant Eastern Road cemetery and sweet violets in South Hayling.
Cock's egg is at its peak of flowering at its well known Sinah Common site.