Pagham Harbour Autumn 2011

Pallid harrier

Spent three hours yesterday on the downs above Burpham near Arundel,watching the stunning PALLID HARRIER.
Pallid harriers usually breed on the Russian steppes and overwinter in India or Africa, only about one a year is seen in the UK. This bird is an immature one with a chestnut red breast,and bold face markings.
Other birds of prey seen in the area were a male hen harrier,red kite,2 hobbies sparrowhawks,kestrels and at least a dozen buzzards.

Summer in the Tarn, France

Hot and sunny in the South west of France in early july,fields of warm yellow sunflowers standout against the backdrop of a bright blue sky.
Small groups of black kites follow the harvesters, picking off small mammals and insects caught out in the open, while a short-toed eagle circles overhead.
We took a drive into the hills above Salvagnac and soon found a few pair of bee eaters hawking for insects from the power lines,and a honey buzzard soaring on the thermals.
Glad to see the hoopoes are back in the area,but are still very wary,one landed 40ft from me but was soon gone again.Lot of pairs of black redstarts feeding their young, some having already fledged.

                                    scarce swallowtail

                            humming-bird hawk moth

                                           bee eaters

Always plenty of interesting insects around including some very bright red dragonflies I've not seen before.
Butterflies of interest were the cleopatra brimstone,southern white admiral and the graceful scarce swallowtail.
A few warm evenings  spent drinking wine and watching the humming-bird hawk moths.

Pagham sunset

Another glorious sunset over Pagham harbour late friday evening,with just the reed warblers singing and a cuckoo calling.Still some black-tailed godwits on the breach pool, now in full summer plumage,lots of swifts and swallows hunting insects over the water.

Somerset levels

Spent a few hours walking and birdwatching at Shapwick heath on the Somerset levels this afternoon with M.
Highlights included a fine male marsh harrier hunting over the reed beds,two bitterns seen and three booming males heard,three cuckoos seen close together, and over a dozen hobbies catching newly emerged four-spotted and broad-bodied chaser dragonflies above the reeds.
The whole area was alive with the birdsongs of willow warbler,chiff chaff, whitethroat,blackcap and reed warbler.

Back at Pagham Harbour

Took a walk along the North wall at Pagham harbour this evening, for the first time in nearly three weeks. Spring is well under way now, and the first swallows and house martins were hawking insects over the Breach pool, and both reed and sedge warblers had joined the cetti's and were all singing in the reedbeds.

A few black-tailed godwits remain on the breach pool,and look stunning in their summer plumage. A pair of little ring plovers have also returned to the breach pool and hopefully will breed again this year.

The first few little egrets are back in Owl copse again ,displaying and making their strange courtship calls, hopefully another good breeding season for them as well!

Hooded Merganser

Got a call yesterday from Rob at Pagham harbour V.centre to tell me that there was a hooded merganser on the ferry pool.This could be the bird that was rescued in dorset and has been around lodmoor for a few years. Also alot of chiffchaffs moving through now and the first few wheatears.

Early spring at Pagham harbour

Despite the cold east wind, there were definite signs of spring in the air today down at Pagham harbour. Many of the winter ducks have already left for their northern breeding grounds and the brent geese will soon be on their way back to Arctic Russia. Some of the wadeing birds like the oystercatchers and lapwings are already starting to display and pair up.

Adder

One of the first adder's of the year, just out of hibernation,basking in the early spring sunshine at Pulborough brooks reserve, it's dark colouration helping it to absorb the warmth.

The New Forest 12/02/11

Drove down to the New forest on saturday in the hope of finding a great grey shrike,despite no sign of one, it was still a very good day's birding. Started at Beaulieu road heath, then walked down to Bishop's dyke where there were at least five crossbills feeding in the larch trees on the edge of the wood.I then spent an a hour in Dennys'wood looking for lesser spotted woodpeckers, no sign of any but plenty of nuthatches, tree creepers and very close views of a flock of redpoll in the birch trees.Back out on the heath both a male and a ringtail hen harrier were hunting close by.
Next I drove up to Acres down(the highest point in the New forest) where there were at least three woodlarks singing,and a goshawk dispaying in the far distance.

The Burgh (south downs)

Spent a few hours around the Burgh today on the south downs above Arundel.Great views of a ringtail hen harrier which at one point flew right in front of me,also a red kite,and a male kestrel. Good numbers of yellowhammer and skylark around the edge of the fields,and at least 200 fieldfare,50 redwing and 20 corn buntings in the set-a-side field.

Pagham harbour/north wall

After all the rain of the last few weeks the north wall fields are now completely flooded and have become a haven for large numbers of waders and wildfowl.Today there were at least 3000 lapwing,1000 black-tailed godwit, and 400 golden plover as well wigeon,teal and shoveler. One of the two bitterns showed well out in the open for five minute before heading back into the cover of the reeds.

black-tailed godwits

snow buntings

Amazingly close views of a pair of these stunning little birds on the sea wall at Prinstead near Thorney Island, this afternoon.

Pagham harbour

A break in the weather mid morning today, gave me a chance to get in a few hours bird watching down at the harbour.Large numbers of waders and wildfowl out in the harbour and also on the flooded north fields,which included:
1000+ brent geese
1000+ wigeon
1200+ lapwing
500+golden plover and 300 black-tailed godwit.
Over on Pagham lagoon there was one male, and eight female goldeneye,at least 40 tufted duck and a female red head smew.Out on the shingle spit were oystercatchers,turnstones and knot.


tufted duck
goldeneye