On Monday we were partially released from lockdown, allowing up to 6 people to meet outside and a loosening of the stay at home rule to an advisory keep local, which in practice allows venturing further afield than just the doorstep. This has coincided with a nice warm spell of weather and a real feeling that Spring is here with the clocks going forward last Saturday night.
My first Chiffchaff at home was on the 24th and on the 27th I walked to Furnace Pond, several Chiffchaff and singing Blackcaps were on route as were a couple of Skylark and 2 Woodlark on the large arable field. The furnace pond had an Egyptian Goose, 8+ Teal and a couple of Mandarin, with 3 Grey Wagtails and just as I caught sight of a male Goshawk flying in the distance, something flew through my line of vision at the back of the pond at treetop height and landed in a Birch tree, well I couldn't quite believe it but is was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. At last, after all the searching I'd managed to find one, but it didn't call at all. It stayed for a few minutes around the birch trees then flew back out of sight. It was a female bird and I waited around the area for another half an hour but no further sighting, but I returned home elated.
The 29th I stayed at home as I had some jobs to do in the garden, the weather turned into a perfect Spring day with a light Westerly breeze, but the first couple of hours were quite misty. At about 10.30 when I sat down for a coffee outside just as the mist had lifted, I noticed some groups of Meadow Pipit flying through through heading North, I'm not really on any migration flyway here but you get occasional trickles of birds like the Pipit visibly migrating when the weather is right. Then I had a lone Sand Martin which was excellent, as the last Sand Martin I recorded here was an Autumn bird in 2012, followed by a Swallow then two further Swallows, my first hirundines of the year. My tally for Meadow Pipits in an hour was 78 birds. I also recorded 10 Brambling a few flyover Linnets, a singing Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Firecrest and on the raptor front, 10 Common Buzzards, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk and Red Kite.
The 30th was my first visit to the coast for over 3 months, I went to Selsey Bill at first light in an Easterly breeze and joined my group of 6 for a sea watch, I actually felt quite emotional being able to get out again and dip my toe into a bit of Spring migration although it is still early, however the list wasn't too bad and it was a great morning with c300 Common Scoter, 4 Great Northern Divers a few Gannets, 2 Shag, Red Breasted Mergansers, several Sandwich Terns, a Common Tern, c 30 Brent Geese, a Pochard (giving more than a few moments of unnecessary confusion as we momentarily talked ourselves into seeing a Garganey in bad light) and 6 Shoveler. Best of all was my first Wheatear of Spring, 2 Sand Martin and 4 Swallows and bizzarely a Rose-ringed Parakeet (ring-necked).
A quick call in at the Ferry pool added 3 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Gadwall, Shelduck, Lapwing and Curlew. A very enjoyable morning.
Today, the 31st, I went to Black Down at first light for 3 hours. The local birds were all setting up territories with decent numbers of Woodlark, Dartford Warbler and Stonechat the number of Crossbills and Linnets are still high and c20 Lesser Redpoll were on the heath. With Chiffchaff and Blackcaps in full voice and my first Willow Warbler of the year, although I didn't see the Redstart that Dave and Jean Killick found.
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| A bit distant but a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Egyptian Goose |
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| Woodlark |
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| migrating Brent Geese |
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| Rose-ringed Parakeet |
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| Red-breasted Mergansers |
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| Wheatear - the 1st of Spring is always a joy to see. |
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| Wheatear |
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| Common Scoter with a Pochard (left hand duck) |
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| Crossbill (female) |
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| Woodlark |
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