Normandy Marsh & Longslade View, Brockenhurst :: 20 July 2024

Friday conversation was short - Kev @kev07713 said there was nothing that we had to go and see locally and so suggested a trip down to Normandy Marsh, Hampshire for a breeding pair of roseate terns. I snapped at the chance as I'd missed the chance to holiday in the northeast a few weeks earlier and see these wonderful birds.

Roseate terns nesting in Hampshire, marks a rare instance of this species attempting to breed on the south coast of England. One of Britain's rarest and most localised breeding species, roseate terns are typically found nesting almost exclusively on Coquet Island in Northumberland. However, a notable exception has occurred this year, with a pair settling in a tern colony at Normandy Lagoon, a saltmarsh on the Hampshire coast.

First reported here on May 14, the presence of this rare pair initially prompted the Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS) to minimise publicity to protect the birds. As the roseate tern is rarely seen breeding away from Northumberland (or Ireland), volunteers have been constantly monitoring the nest to prevent disturbances during the brooding of the eggs - a dedicated team of HOS volunteers have conducted 24-hour monitoring using thermal-imaging cameras.

The roseate tern closely resembles the common tern in many ways, including size, but can be distinguished by its black bill with a red base, whereas the common tern has a red bill with a black tip. They derive their name from the subtle, rosy flush that tinges their summer plumage, although this colouration is often much fainter in reality than it appears in photographs, making it challenging to spot. Not having ever seen one it might prove even more challenging for me.

So after a spot of breakfast on the way we parked up and made it round to the sea wall, joining a handful of birders already in place, one of whom we know from previous trips to the south coast - Jeremy Mcclements @jeremymcclemen1. My hopes were dented when we were informed that the birds had already departed out onto the Solent - both juveniles were now flying and not in view. Apparently, it would have been better to come on Wednesday …

While we waited, the colony of little terns entertained us in the lagoon behind, including some of this year's fledglings. In addition to the usual hover and diving technique, they chased around the lagoon and out onto the Solent to fish. They were closer in that when I visited back on 23 April to see the marsh sandpiper - report here. They thrive at this site, consistently delighting all who come to see them.

A shout went up from a chap to our left as he stumbled upon one of the juveniles on a low grassy island about 150m offshore. There were good scope views. Then a second juvenile was spotted not far from the first, but more obscured from view. In a short time, the first bird took to the wing, circled back and joined the second. At this distance there were only ever going to be record shots.

I had my tick but somehow not seeing an adult bird seemed to take some of the shine off - the group all watched out for any returning adults, visiting to feed the juveniles. We waited and checked out many passing common terns, and the occasional sandwich tern.

Behind us a pair of ringed plovers dropped in, a dunlin sat alone - 'Billy no mates' - avocets fed back on our left, a linnet watched us from a fence, and a black-tailed godwit stalked the water's edge.

Hours passed by, no one called any of the adults returning, and it was suspected they were likely visiting but just dropping food to the juveniles as they passed through. I watched as a tern, likely common, flew over the island carrying a fish. I snapped a couple of photos for something to do and then noticed a juvenile joining it. From the photos I could see that the juvenile looked to be one of our roseates, and then noted that the adult bird had a longer black beak and a red base. I checked with knowledgeable friends who confirmed I'd seen an adult - unfortunately after the event - I feel bad now for now calling it, although never having seen one I really wasn't sure. When sea watching I've been told to call everything and not worry about being wrong - better to get everyone on it and check - why I didn't this time I don't know.

We'd been here for almost three hours but had bagged my target bird. Over on the opposite shore half a dozen powerboats passed by, making quite a racket, and presumably creating quite a wake. The United Kingdom Offshore Power Boat Racing Association (UKOPRA) were running the Solent 80 powerboat race, featuring approximately 25 powerboats with competitors expected to be travelling at speeds exceeding 50 knots. The course would began at the Roway Wreck beacon, proceeded to the Pullar buoy, and then circumnavigate the Isle of Wight. Key turning points included St Catherine’s Point, Bridge buoy, North Head, and several other buoys in the Western Solent and its approaches. The race was set to finish near a special mark 3G Cowes Week 2026, located south of the Beaulieu River entrance by 2.00pm.

We returned to the car and noted that the restaurant at the Yacht Haven was full and decided to make our way home but keep our eyes open for a heath we could stop and look around. By Sandy Down, just south of Brockenhurst we could see extensive heathland to the west and drove through to find somewhere to stop - we came across a car park at Longslade View. This is likely the smallest of the car parks overlooking this valley and is accessed via a long, straight track that is heavily potholed; no problem for Kev's car ...

We parked and followed a track that ran parallel to the road we'd come in on, seeing a stonechat at the far end of the car park - lost by the time we set off. Initially we could neither see nor hear any birds but eventually numbers of meadow pipits appeared, along with a handful of skylarks.

We spotted large numbers of small blue butterflies which turned out to be silver-studded blues. These butterflies are a striking and rare species found in specific habitats across the UK and whose presence is an indicator of healthy heathland and grassland ecosystems. They are small, with a wingspan of about 25-31mm, the males have bright blue upper wings with a narrow black border while the females have brown upper wings with orange spots along the edge. Both sexes have a characteristic row of metallic silver-blue spots (studs) on the underside of their hindwings.

They thrive in heathland, calcareous grasslands, and coastal dunes. They are most commonly found in southern England, particularly in Dorset, Surrey, Devon, and here in Hampshire. Smaller populations exist in East Anglia, North Wales, and the Sefton Coast in Merseyside. Adults are usually on the wing from late June to early August.

They often live in small, localised colonies that can be quite isolated from each other - some populations have shown signs of recovery due to dedicated conservation efforts, but the species remains vulnerable and reliant on continued habitat management.

We pushed on, hoping to come across a Dartford warbler, this appearing to be great habitat for them. We continued to see meadow pipits but could see or hear a Dartford. Ahead we spotted a handful of fallow deer who appeared very curious about our presence - they were soon gone.

Kev asked what to do next and I suggested walking on just a bit further to the spot the fallow deer had been, and where I thought you'd be able to look down over the valley. We stopped there with our drinks and watched as a pair of stonechats moved around the gorse bushes.

After five or ten minutes a female kestrel flew up and away, and as I scanned the nearby gorse, I picked out a juvenile Dartford warbler working through. It flew left and we watched for it to reappear, but we were then presented with an adult bird. It remained heavily obscured in the bushes, but we could follow it some of the time, eventually dropping from view. How many times to you pass habitat that you say looks ideal for Dartfords and you wonder if they are actually there? - this was one of those.

We heard a Dartford call and tried to pick it out, at further distance back from our position. The rain started to fall, and we then got onto the bird, stopping long enough for another record shot and view. We started back for the car and the rain stopped as we got halfway - we didn't add anything of note. A cracking day out with a lifer to boot.

Year list: 220

Finningley & Welbeck :: 13 July 2024

Well that wasn't the plan ... twelve days Covid positive and isolating in a bedroom. I missed a couple of weekend's birding and a long weekend with Kev and Karen in Northumberland birding.

To say I was looking forward to a Saturday out was an understatement, so chatting with Kev @kev07713 on Friday evening it was good to come up with a plan (and for him to agree) to go back to Finningley so that I could tick the long-staying black-winged pratincole - reported back on 20th June at Idle Valley NR in Nottinghamshire, then seemingly fly catching over Huxterwell marsh before leaving northwest from YWT Potteric Carr on 29th June, and later in the day relocated at Finningley, Notts.

The black-winged pratincole is a rare visitor to the UK, a vagrant with one or a handful of records a year, being typically found in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where it breeds in steppes and semi-deserts. However, some individuals occasionally stray far from their usual range and can be spotted here.

It has a brownish-grey upper body with a distinctive black underwing, which gives the bird its name. The belly is white, and there is a noticeable dark trailing edge to the wings. It is known for its agile flight, capturing insects mid-air, resembling the flight patterns of swallows or swifts.

Globally, the black-winged pratincole is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ by the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and degradation in its breeding and wintering grounds. The rare occurrences in the UK do not significantly impact the species' conservation status but highlight the importance of suitable habitats and the challenges faced by migratory birds.

We stopped for breakfast on the way ,and noted an update that our bird had been reported at 06.19am but had flown high and away with a flock of lapwings ... they'll be back Kev assured me. We arrived and parked along Croft Road, stopping to view the pools from a clearing in the hedge, overlooking the pools where sighting had been reported. We could see that there were numbers of lapwing, and it was under 10 minutes before an update reported our bird was being seen from just a few hundred yards down the track. Off we went.

We arrived at the gated access to the pools and opposite the sewage works, across the county line in Yorkshire - for the last couple of weeks it has been further down the track in Notts. Kev joked that he now had this bird or both his Notts and Yorkshire lists as it flew up and flushed with lapwings, giving an extended view as it spun back and forward across the water. A life tick for me!

When foraging, the black-winged pratincole often flies low over the ground or water, making quick, erratic movements as it chases and catches insects, behaviour similar to that of swallows or swifts. The wings are long and pointed, and the underwings have dark trailing edges are visible during flight, making identification easier.

Wing beats are rapid and shallow, but can also switch to deeper, more powerful wing beats when gaining altitude or flying against the wind. It relies on its quick reflexes and excellent manoeuvrability to capture prey while in flight.

The pratincole would often return to a spit and scurry into the grass and scrub as it landed, usually just in view. Extended flights were limited to every hour but there would be occasional relocating 'hops'. Photos remained distant but at least the bird was closer than when Kev was here last, and there was less in the way of heat haze - better views all round.

After a couple of hours and three extended flights, we decided that we'd move on and as we were only half an hour from Welbeck Raptor Point, we made for there - perhaps a couple of weeks early before "peak" honey buzzard action.

Honey buzzards typically arrive in Britain from early May and remain until September. However, their presence is most easily confirmed in July and August, when both breeding and non-breeding birds are highly active above their woodland habitats. During this period, birders can frequently witness distinctive wing-clapping displays and food-carrying flights. The peak of aerial activity for breeding honey buzzards occurs between July 20th and August 20th. From around August 20th to September 10th, fledged juveniles become more visible, often seen flying above the forest canopy, with the exact timing depending on when the breeding attempts began.

The best time to observe these birds is between 09.00am and 4.00pm on sunny, breezy days. However, breeding birds remain active even in cloudy or rainy weather. Honey buzzards are known to cover extensive areas during their flights, often venturing three to four miles or more from their nesting sites. This wide-ranging activity above occupied woodlands makes it easier for birdwatchers to spot them during the peak summer months.

We set up our scopes and scanned seeing first red kites, then hobby, kestrel and common buzzards. Swifts, sand martins, house martins and swifts cut across the crops and skies, with pairs of ravens passing through. Numbers of greylag and Canada geese rotated between the water, the shore, and back to the water.

We watched each appearance of a raptor and identified each in turn. After a couple of hours, we saw what appeared to be a paler bird and excitedly hoped it to be a honey buzzard - it dropped from view unidentified. A while later, a kestrel flew through and seemed to flush a buzzard out from the trees - again, very pale and interesting. I took some photos but while they were inconclusive, they showed enough to suggest it was a pale morph common buzzard rather than our quarry.

We waited and waited but didn't find anything more to question and just enjoyed the hirundines, and a pair of red-legged partridge.

We wrapped up an enjoyable day and set off for home.

Year list: 219.

WWT Welney :: 22 June 2024

Kev @kev07713 had been to WWT Welney earlier in the week to see a Savi's warbler and tthe other species on offer, but agreed to go back so that I could tick the Savi's - it would be a lifer for me - it was his third encounter of the year (RSPB Middleton Lakes, Rutland, and now here). We were also going to meet up with his sister Karen @hobbylovinglife and her partner Dean @worlebirder for breakfast and then on to connect (hopefully) with some corncrakes.

We pulled off the main road leading to the Centre and the four of us listened out for corncrake - Kev informed us that the calls he'd had earlier in the week were in the field on the opposite side of the road from where we'd enjoyed them last year. Corncrakes, known for their distinctive calls, have been seen at WWT Welney, particularly on the Ouse Washes. The presence of these birds has been closely monitored, often in collaboration with the RSPB and notably, some of these birds have been identified as part of reintroduction projects in East Anglia (been ringed as part of these project), suggesting some success of conservation efforts in the region.

It is a medium-sized bird, roughly the size of a starling, in the rail family known for their elusive natures. They have brownish bodies with streaked and mottled plumage, which provides excellent camouflage in their grassland habitats. Their underparts are a lighter shade with a distinctive chestnut coloration on the wings, and they have a short, slightly down-curved bill. None of this would be something we would likely see as they are so well hidden. They prefer dense vegetation such as tall grasslands, meadows, and marshes, where they can remain concealed.

We heard one bird way off to our right but then a louder call from our left in the next field so wandered round. It called from an area not too far in front but down in what appeared to be a gully running across the field - this intermittent calling continued for about half an hour, with a second bird, further left occasionally giving a callback to the individual in front. Try as we might, we weren't getting any views. A call from the individual in the field to our right sounded louder and so we went to investigate. Sure enough, it was working along another gully but much closer to the gate we were standing behind and getting louder. At one point Karen thought she was on it, on the far slope of the gully (and I thought I was too) but it turned out to be nothing of note. Kev had posted a video from his last visit - the call is highlighted on one - here. We'd been watching for a while now so decided to leave the birds in peace and make our way onto the reserve proper, open early for Members.

The WWT site is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Ramsar site, Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and is an important site for populations of wintering waterfowl and breeding waders. We made our way through to the Visitor's Centre, passing an area with nest boxes on the fence line, bushes/shrubs beyond. A community of tree sparrows is inhabiting them and were coming in and out - my first of the year. More were seen feeding with house sparrows on the feeders around the Centre.

We checked in with the staff and made our way out onto the reserve, stopping in the main observatory to see what was about. Handfuls of black-tailed godwit fed amongst avocets, redshank, teal, a couple of wigeon and a single female pintail. The observatory is a great viewing area but has windows that shouldn't be opened to avoid disturbance - when we saw a garganey drake, heading into eclipse plumage, I took photos but through the glass and heat haze would barely be a record shot.

We stayed a while, but the draw of the Savi's was too strong and me made our way along to join a handful of others in the hide. They'd had a call a little while before we arrived, and one chap suggested he'd had a brief view - we joined the vigil. A sedge warbler danced around the reedbed in front, singing strongly, giving good views, and kept us entertained. A couple of yellow wagtails spun around the reed beds and grasslands beyond.

Out beyond we could see 10+ whooper swans with cygnets - WWT Welney is a significant site for whooper swans, particularly during the winter months as these swans migrate from their breeding grounds in Iceland to the UK, traveling approximately 1,200 miles across the North Atlantic Ocean with few stops. Injured swans that cannot complete the migration back to Iceland have been known to stay and breed at the reserve. In 2011, a pair of whooper swans, named Romeo and Julietta, bred successfully at WWT Welney, marking the first recorded breeding of whooper swans in Norfolk since 1928. This year’s breeding activity seemed to be a bigger effort than a couple of injured birds.

The heat haze was increasing and even if we got a view of a Savi's warbler, I might not be able get a photo with any detail. Out in the reeds a roe deer watched us as we waited for our quarry. Marsh harriers quartered the edges of the reed beds, and various species took to the wing and mobbed the harriers until they departed. Way out in front a great white egret was feeding with what we first assumed was a little egret, but eventually showed to be a spoonbill. They fed together for a good 45 minutes before the spoonbill departed high, left, and away.

Within 20 minutes the spoonbill was back, circling before dropping not where it had been feeding previously, but out of view at the back of the reed bed. Three green sandpipers flew out into the same area – perhaps a pool we couldn’t see from our position.

We heard a short call from the Savi’s, and we all focussed our attention again - it went silent. About 20 minutes later, a bird flew in from the left to an area that has yielded most of the views of the Savi's ... most of the birds we'd seen doing this so far today having been reed buntings or sedge warblers. But no, out belted a Savi's warbler call! One of the most distinctive features of Savi's warbler is its song, a mechanical, insect-like reeling sound that can continue for several minutes; not dissimilar to a grasshopper warbler; we were only afforded 10 seconds.

Inhabiting these dense reed beds and marshy areas offers both food resources and protection in keeping with its secretive nature. One chap said he could see it climbing but I just couldn't get onto it, until it then flew right - yes! Immediately it dropped from view, and I never did see it come up again, or make another call. A tick is a tick, no matter how small ... doubly true for a lifer ...

We waited and waited, were joined by Nick @old_caley and Anne Truby, but we had nothing more to add. It was approaching lunchtime, and we made our way back to the Visitors Centre for sausage rolls and sandwiches.

After lunch Karen and Dean left to try and see the great reed warbler at RSPB Ouse Fen, while Kev and I returned to the observatory to see if we could locate the red-crested pochard reported earlier and seen by Kev on his last visit. He scanned and once or twice thought he might have the bird at great distance, only for it to be obscured from view as quickly as it had appeared. I couldn't in all conscience tick it.

While we were watching, a kingfisher cut along the edge of the reeds on the front edge. A swallow pounced on it, forcing it down onto the water - it soon recovered and was off again, but with the swallow then repeating its attack - not something we have ever witnessed before. While both species can coexist in the same habitats, their interactions are apparently often marked by competition and territorial disputes, reflecting their shared need for similar nesting and feeding environments. It is apparently recorded that swallows may harass kingfishers, particularly during the nesting season. The kingfisher spun around and made for some taller reeds far to the right. I walked to the other end of the building and located the male kingfisher perched on a reed stem. After a couple of minutes it dived, caught a fish and then stared along the water's edge again, coming into swallow airspace. Before it was forced down again, it spun back and this time flew deep into the reeds.

Kev continued to search for the RC pochard but to no avail. I had a friend's wedding anniversary celebration to attend and so we called it a day and made it home by teatime - another good day out with a few ticks ... can't be bad.

Year list: 218.