SE Nature Notes w/e 12th December
14 December 2009
Portsmouth & Portsdown
On 4th there were 2 Dartford warblers in the Point Field at Farlington Marshes and a short-eared owl lingered there before flying off south.
On 5th December a spoonbill was with a flock of avocets on Little Binness Island close to the Farlington Marshes eastern sea wall. There have been up to 32 avocets about. The visiting marsh harrier was seen again on 5th and 6th.
A male blackcap (left) has been visiting a Portsdown garden since Sunday 6th.
A shag was seen in one of the Naval Base basins on 8th.
A very pale pheasant was seen in the Southsea rock gardens on Friday 11th.
Havant hayling & Emsworth
A peregrine spent some time resting on a pole north of Black Point Hayling Island on Tuesday 8th.
On the same day a black redstart was seen along the Sandy Point reserve fence before it flew to the houses on the promenade.
A shag was fishing off the old railway embankment at the North end of the Hayling Billy Trail on 8th.
A count of 25 knot off Emsworth on 8th was unusual for that part of the harbour. A whimbrel was in the area on 9th.
On Wednesday a chiffchaff was among goldfinches in a Warren (Leigh Park) garden.
Two common sandpipers were on the mud by the Hermitage Stream gravel quay on Thursday 10th.
A flock of 600 golden plovers was in the air over Pilsey Island (Southern tip of Thorney Island) on 10th.
On 12th 2 long-tailed ducks were again in the north of Langstone Harbour where up to 270 shelducks have been recorded.
Water figwort is in flower by the Hermitage Stream at Bedhampton.
Fareham and Gosport
A velvet scoter was off Hill Head on 7th and was still there 2 days later. Also on 9th a great northern diver was a little further west off Brownwich Cliffs and the eider flock in the area was up to 70 by 11th. There were also at least 100 great crested grebes between the two sites.
A comma butterfly was at Browndown Gosport on 10th.
On Friday a kingfisher was feeding from the sea wall and in a drainage ditch at Portchester.
The Gosport Walpole Lake ring-billed gull was present on Friday and at Stokes Bay there was a Mediterranean gull.
A bittern (right) dropped into Titchfield Haven on Friday (11th) afternoon. The regular cackling goose (Half sized Canadian goose) and 5 barnacle geese were back at the Haven.
A waxwing has been reported from Seafield Park, Hill Head.
Waterlooville and South Downs
A group of crossbills in the car-park at West Walk on 8th included a smart male.
