Nature Notes for SE Hampshire w/e 28th November
30 November 2009
Leaches Petrels
Recent weather has produced lots of these along our coast with sightings from Chichester Harbour to Hill Head. Up to 10 were seen at Lee on the Solent. Many of these birds were predated by gulls and peregrines. Hopefully the northerly winds on 30th will allow them to get back to sea and safety.
Portsmouth & Portsdown
A spoonbill was at Farlington Marshes on 22nd.
A clouded yellow butterfly was seen by conservation volunteers on Portsdown on 25th.
A colour ringed grey plover seen at Eastney this week is there for its 7th successive winter. There were also 186 sanderlings there that day.
A ‘comic' tern, i.e. one which was not sorted to arctic or common, was seen at the Langstone Harbour entrance on 26th and a Sandwich tern on 27th.
On 27th a great northern diver was swimming close to the Eastney shore in the harbour entrance.
On 28th there were 9 purple sandpipers and 2 shags at Southsea.
On the same day a marsh harrier was at Farlington Marshes and a black redstart between the Portsmouth Outdoor Centre and Kendall's Wharf.
Four frogs and 2 newts were in a Portsdown pond this week. Although the pond was being cleaned out the frogs at least seemed quite active. Other frogs were seen in South Hayling.
Havant hayling & Emsworth
A marsh harrier flew west over the Northney Marina on 22nd November.
A fieldfare was eating haws in an Emsworth garden on 24th and redwings were present mid-week in Staunton CP. A roost of between 10 and 20 thousand of the latter has been located in the New Forest.
On 25th there were 13 greenshanks on the shore at Nore Barn.
On 28th there were 2 great northern divers and 2 black-necked grebes east of Long Island in Langstone Harbour.
Little egrets are moving inland more as the winter grips us. Six were feeding north of Wade Court on 27th.
A geese flock in SE Langstone Harbour on 28th had a single black brant and a pale bellied Brent.
There was a brimstone butterfly in Stansted Forest, a peacock in a South Hayling garden and a red admiral in central Havant this week.
Havant area plants showing flowers this week included meadow buttercup in the field between the Royal Oak and the Billy Trail; garlic mustard in Langstone village and dogs mercury in Pook Lane Warblington.
Fungi in the area include dark-scaled knight in Havant; common ink caps by the A259 north of Warblington Farm; oyster mushrooms in Langstone; Neobulgaria pura and Jews ear on a fallen elm in Pook lane.
Up to 10 roe deer have been seen in the north Hayling fields this week.
Fareham and Gosport
On Saturday 28th a spoonbill was seen on the Wicor (Portchester) shore.
Brent geese have been on the HMS SULTAN fields since at least 16th November but the first report of a black brant among them was on Sunday 29th.
