Nature Notes for w/e Jan 7th
9 January 2012
Havant Hayling & Emsworth
On New Year's day 4 avocets were seen in Nutbourne Bay.
A count of 46 knot off Nore Barn on 2nd was high for the location.
Twenty sanderlings were at Gunner Point on 2nd.
A red admiral was seen at the Havant garden centre, and a ladybird outside Lidl on 3rd. More ladybirds were seen on Portsdown by the work party on 4th.
The Langstone Harbour entrance channel has been home this week to up to 3 great northern divers, and single shags and guillemots.
A male black redstart was in a garden on the east Hayling sea front on 5th.
Around 80 shelducks (right) were on the shore between Emsworth and Langstone on 5th.
A female mandarin duck was at Emsworth Mill Pond on 6th.
A black-necked grebe was seen in Hayling Bay on 6th. Up to 8 have been seen in the north of Langstone Harbour.
There was a common sandpiper at the Broadmarsh slipway on 6th.
The Warblington cattle egret had moved east of the church and was seen from the cemetery extension on 7th. A chiffchaff was also present.Kingfishers have been seen at Northney and Staunton CP (a female) this week. There was also a single greenshank at Northney.
At Staunton nuthatches, goldcrests, a treecreeper and a female great spotted woodpecker were prominent.
Birds seen from Sandy point on 8th included a red-necked and 9 Slavonian grebes, 6 red-throated divers and 3 razorbills.
Havant area plants this week included an as yet to be identified geranium that may be the new to UK Geranium reuteri which is similar to herb Robert.
Portsmouth & Portsdown
There were 24 avocets visible from the western sea wall at Farlington Marshes on 2nd. Also on 2nd a small white goose probably an escaped snow goose was on the reserve.
A kittiwake and 12 purple sandpipers were at Southsea Castle also on 2nd. On 4th a shag was on the sea there. On 7th a razorbill was in a Dockyard basin.
A crane flew west over Farlington and Hilsea on 6th.
A chiffchaff was calling in the tree line by the recycling bins at Sainsbury’s in Farlington on 7th.
A kingfisher and a peregrine were seen at Farlington Marshes on 7th.
A Portsdown garden has been visited by male and female blackcaps this week. 14 species were seen in ½hour in this garden early on 8th.
One, maybe 2, Iceland gulls have been in the Portsmouth Harbour entrance most of this week.
Fareham and Gosport
A firecrest was seen by the easy access trail at Fareham Creek on 3rd.
Birds at Titchfield Haven this week included a merlin and 90 golden plovers on 5th.
Out of our area, but of interest to travellers on the A34, a roost near Newbury held at least 78 red kites on 7th Jan.
