SE Nature Notes w/e August 14th
16 August 2010
Portsmouth & Portsdown
The juvenile Mandarin duck that arrived on Milton Common ponds in mid-July was still there on Wednesday. There was also a water rail by ‘Swan Lake'.
At Farlington Marshes this week there were over 200 black-tailed godwits, 450 oyster catchers, 360 redshanks, 800 curlews, 34 grey plovers, 23 greenshanks, and single green and common sandpipers among the waders. A peregrine and a curlew sandpiper were present on Monday.
Sickle medic still has flowers by The George on Portsdown.
Havant hayling & Emsworth
Single pied and spotted flycatchers were seen at Northney on Sunday 8th. Two spotted flycatchers were there on 15th and others have been seen at Sinah.
Other migrants at Sinah have included lesser and common whitethroats, willow warblers and flocks of hirundines (mainly swallows). Bar-tailed godwits and whimbrel at the Kench were probably also heading south. Whimbrels were also seen at the oyster beds.
On 9th a brown argus butterfly was seen by the Horndean Road in Emsworth.
Two seals were seen heading out of Langstone Harbour on Monday.
A grass snake was seen on the lawns of Stansted House early this week.
An arctic skua was seen from Sandy Point on Wednesday. A yellow wagtail, sedge and willow warblers, lesser and common whitethroats, 2 wheatears and 24 sand martins were on the reserve.
On Thursday 2 young roe deer were seen at Northney. A little owl was perched on brambles on a field opposite the oyster beds.
Eight wheatears were along the edge of Sinah golf course on Thursday.
An osprey was off Thorney Island on Thursday.
Single garden and willow warblers were seen at Northney on Sunday 15th.
Black bulgar fungi covers felled oak branches by the Park Lane path at Stansted.
Interesting plants in the Havant area this week include fragrant agrimony at North Common, dotted loosestrife at Sinah, thyme-leaved speedwell in a garden (also on Portsdown), black and possibly green nightshade. Pale toadflax is flourishing at its usual site south of the Pitch & Putt golf course at South Hayling.
Fareham and Gosport
An osprey caught a mullet and flew south from Titchfield Haven on 15th.
On the same day a black tern was seen offshore from Hill Head.
Waterlooville and South Downs
A peregrine was seen in Creech Woods Denmead on Monday.
A hedgehog was in a Waterlooville garden again this week.
There is a fine chicken of the woods fungus (right) in a Horndean garden.
