Monday madness

I really don't have any time, energy, actually anything at all after wasting 3 hours taking a picture of a crying baby! only for its mother to say that we shouldn't be taking baby photos at Jessops if we cant do it right! Never the less my blog is an important source of Hampshire birding... erm.

So, 7:15 and Ash Howe is parked outside my humble abode, Out I staggered, chucked my kit in his boot and we set off for Willow Tit. Not long after we were on site Red Kite was ticked and really it didn't much longer for Ash to pick up willow tit. Whilst on site two finches made their presence know, one of which calling/singing in flight while squabbling with the other, Great minds think a like and the response was Twite, needless to say an unusual record form is being submitted. By 8:20 we were on the road again making our way to Blashford for the much anticipated Smew tick, quickly viewing the 13 bewick swans that are occupying ibsley water meadows we shot off to rockford no sooner that we could see the lake i got onto the smew, showing close to the near shore and allowing for some excelent scope views. No sign of any red-crested pochard on ivy So ibsley water was next, At least 8 goosander, a half arsed attempt at displaying from a drake goldeneye. Some greylags were picked up by ash as they flew in which contained 12 whitefronted goose, a very unexpected yeartick for me.
Once we left ibsley it was the Great Grey Shrikes turn to show, it didn't. On to keyhaven for bean goose, although trying very hard to find them from the shag mound (think what you like) so in an attempt to re-find them we hit the jackpot, not only relolcated the 9 Tundra Bean Geese but they were mixed in with the 3 Eurasian White Fronted geese present on sunday, a few phone calls later, news was out and hampshires finest began to arrive on site. Keyhaven itself had an ejyptian goose but not a huge amount else appart from two scaup.

5 of the 9 Tundra Bean Geese

1W Scaup

Next target was Bittern at testwood lakes, a red head Goosander was showing well but not any Bittern (ash got them at 5:30 this morning) Time was against us now, a quick search for Black Redstart at lakeside, eastleigh was to no avail so we shot up to andover and more importantly bransbury common for owls, it was cold, miserable and getting quite dark. No sign of a Barn owl, which was slightly dissapointing, things were looking bleak and we were ready to leave and then i found a short eared owl right over our heads, it landed in a field behind us! 2 more were noted while were were there and several woodcock flew past.

All in all a cracking days birding had, boosted me up to 117 for the year and a couple of lifers to boot!

Hindsight

This morning my alarm screamed into action at 6am, I looked outside, it was raining heavily, blowing a hoolie and I had got dressed back to front. So a decision was made to stay in bed instead of ramping the year list with a visit to twatford lakes, and that I would go and look for lapwing, golden plover and barn owl locally. Starting out at a much more reasonable 10am I hit rooksbury with a big everything fuck off stick, it was dead! Desciding that this was going to be a dead loss i headded out to goodworth clatford, on the walk there i nailed red-legged partridge and little owl so I began to think that today would pan out well, especially when I came across a flock of buntings at the base of bury ring. Sifting through them I picked out 3 Corn bunting and a Reed, the rest of the flock was made up by Yellowhammer and a house sparrow.
Quickly cutting accross some shit ridden footpaths i was at my favoured spot for GP's, unfortunately this was empty and with a new type of crop in, the reported hen harrier didn't show either so i went back down to rooksbury. I began to believe i had a problem there today, every time i flock of gulls came in they departed just as quickly... Not impressed
When i got home there was a report on going birding that the smew showed very at blashford well this morning and all the target species were available...

Things from today

A change

Got a message through late last night...
So quick phone call and a lift was arranged, but on site no sign, this and some other birding from today has sparked me into, once again, a Hampshire yearlist. 200 is the target as I fell so close last year I'm going to do it this time around!

Gullfest

We don't get that many gulls at Rooksbury, there are a few spots in Andover to watch lbb gulls for rings but that's it, a good decision was made today, spend all day at Rooksbury. Don't know why i chose to do this but it paid off, why today was different I will not know perhaps a nearby sewage works were closed. The count from today count was as follows: Greater Black Back 1(tough patch bird), Lesser Black Back 6, Herring 5, Black headed 124

Cold weather movements

Had to go visit the dentist this morning so managed to wangle the day off work, finished by 9:30 so I was able to go do a bit of birding. It was cold, still and slightly foggy, excellent, time to observe a bit of movement. Dragged myself up Bere hill farm (Andover's highest point) and had a bash around, Fieldfare seemed to be moving in some numbers although they were heading east and landing not too far away. Skylarks seemed non-existent singles headed over in the first 30 mins, something changed, the sun poked through for about five minutes and everything seemed to take flight. in the next 30 minutes i had counted; 439 Fieldfare, 65+Linnet (one flock) 127 Skylark and about 80 Redwing, im saving the best until last, a flock of 56 Skylark headded over east at 10:52 this included 3 WOODLARK calling as they flew over to alert their presence.

Rooksbury mill was still holding the now somewhat resident Shoveler (1 Drake and 3 females) 2 drake Pochard, 9 Little Grebe, a Snipe, Kingfisher, 2 Herring Gull, 8 Bullfinch a couple of Chiffchaff and a water rail.

Jack snipe

Rooksbury

A nice little surprise this morning when I found a Jack Snipe sat at the edge of a small flooded area, it didn't move an inch while I stood and observed it, work commitments pressed so I had to leave it be and carry on to work. I'll upload a sketch when I have finished it.

Yesterday had two Woodcock, little bastards flushed before I found them so couldn't get to have a good look at them, other bits of note; Shoveller 4, Pochard 2, Common gull 1, Little egret 2, Snipe 3 and a charming little Grey Wagtail ice skating.

Some photos from today

A garden visitor

Flushed four of these today

and a confiding Redwing

As the days tick by...

the warmer weather seems to be approaching and although i don't mind the cold, snow is unkind, it causes such great problems, but drops difficult patch year ticks out of nowhere so for that it is kind. For the last 3 weeks or so now i have been suffering from what is being deemed as man flu ( i beg to differ) I've had a small problem with my ribs and now sinusitus! but nether the less i have ignored all advice and been out a little bit, Popped out to take some snow photos on wednesday and flushed a woodcock, been to the lakes on my way to work most mornings too picked up mipit this morning and then after a quick phonecall wigeon on the way home.

It's not all bad, collins 2 turned up yesterday... i've deemed the high class pornography of bird literature!