Nature Notes w/e 21st December
22 December 2009
Portsmouth & Portsdown
A red admiral has been appearing in a Cosham garden whenever the sun shines. Three were seen somewhere else in Portsmouth on 10th. On 14th a sparrow hawk was photographed eating a pigeon in an Old Portsmouth garden.
Havant, Hayling & Emsworth
Travellers joy was seen with flowers in the grounds of the office block by Tesco’s in Havant on 14th. Sweet violets had just a few flowers by the Billy Trail north of the oyster beds on 19th and at Langstone catkins had started to open. Three- cornered leek by the URC church in Havant also has flowers.
Two chiffchaffs were feeding on insects in the watercress in the Lymbourn Stream on 20th. A little grebe was on the pond in Wade Court grounds. Blackcaps have been present by the Lymbourn Stream and also in south Havant garden. Single common sandpipers were seen this week at the mouth of the Langbrook Stream and at the oyster beds. There were also shovelers at the latter site. It’s fairly unusual to see them on salt water. Golden plovers have been seen at Sandy Point (85), West Lane fields Hayling (70) and at HMS SULTAN Gosport (82). A Slavonian grebe was present on the oyster beds lagoons on 16th and 17th. Four were off Hill Head on 17th. On 19th a woodcock was noted near the gate of the Sandy Point reserve on Hayling Island. There were also 2 firecrests in the area. A drake mandarin duck and 2 redheaded goosanders were on the Sinah gravel pit on 19th. Three goosanders were seen to fly into Chichester Harbour on 18th. There were 2 long-tailed ducks in the harbour just west of Budds Wall on 20th. A heron was on the roof of a house in central Havant on 20th.
Fareham and Gosport
Ring-billed and Mediterranean gulls are still present in Gosport. On 19th a red-necked grebe was seen off Titchfield Haven. A red-legged partridge and 2 rock pipits were on the Portchester shore on Sunday 20th. There were around 1500 dunlin on rafts by Wicor Marina Portchester on 20th. On 20th there were 2 bitterns at Titchfield Haven. A great northern diver was off shore at Hill Head on 20th while there were sanderlings on the beach with turnstones.
Waterlooville and South Downs
Lapwing movements have been evident this week with birds flying over Portsdown and on 20th 20 over Plant Farm Waterlooville. Over 1300 flew over Sandy point on 18th and 120 west over Hayling Bay on 19th.
