A small but intrepid band from BOC met up at the car park of Stanpit Marsh at 9:30 on 20th February 2022. The wind was strong, increasing and soon to be named Storm Franklin. Undaunted we set out to explore the area.

Stanpit Marsh is a 65-hectare area of saltmarsh, sandy scrub, reed bed and estuarine banks lying on the north side of Christchurch harbour with views overlooking Hengistbury Head. Paths were muddy and those who brought their wellington boots had made the correct choice.

The first birds to get our attention were a mobile group of Goldfinch to our right, moving from tree to tree as we approached, and a very confiding Jay who had obviously found a sheltered spot and had no intention of moving!

Walking through the scrubby area towards the harbour. Several Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail were seen on the ground as well as some Greenfinch in the brambles giving their characteristic “dweeeez” call. A male Stonechat was gamely trying to perch high up on a gorse bush but unable to hold its position due to the high winds. He eventually came a cropper and fell into the bush – much like the foolhardy windsurfers further out in the harbour. Several Little Egret and a Grey Heron were patrolling the creeks.

Approaching the water’s edge, a group of perhaps a dozen Dark-bellied Brent Geese were feeding on the grass and more were seen on shingle banks stretching out into the harbour. A large group of Black-tailed Godwit were further out, some of them with signs of summer plumage but all tucked up against the wind and relatively inactive. Closer inshore, a large number of Wigeon were apparent and clearly audible, whistling over the sound of the wind. Keeping them company was a mixed flock of gulls. Beyond them on a shingle spit, a few Cormorant and Greater Black-backed Gull were perched trying to ignore the increasing wind. A handful of Curlew were also present, giving evocative calls as they flew by. Oystercatcher were seen among the Wigeon with a small group of 10 or 12 probing along the shoreline.

Turning away from the water’s edge, a pair of Little Grebe were just visible above the waves. A small number of Teal were present in the more sheltered bits of water. We watched a Kestrel managing to hold its position, hovering over a reed bed. We came upon a bush festooned with curious cocoons and it was felt these could be the work of Brown-tailed Moths. Turning along the Purewell stream on our way back to the car park a Kingfisher showed as a flash of blue and was seen no more.

Back at the cars we made a decision to carry on to Lepe Country Park near Exbury, Southampton but on arrival, the sea conditions there were too rough. A combination of wind and high tide pushing some waves over the coastal road. Council workers there were still trying to repair damage caused by storm Eunice two days before. The car parks had also been closed so we decided to move round the coast to Calshot Marshes, a local nature reserve and SSSI.

En-route to Calshot the lead car of our convoy deftly avoided two Red-legged Partridge walking along the road and on arrival we had lunch.

Suitably refreshed we spend a couple of hours exploring Calshot. Walking along the shingle beach past deserted beach huts we saw Cormorant on a distant floating platform and close by our feet, three Turnstone. Black-headed Gulls, some approaching summer plumage, together with Common Gulls were drifting in the wind. Further into the marsh we came across more Brent Geese together with less conspicuous Redshank and a couple of Shelduck amongst the Eel grass. Two large black birds were seen half-way down an inland tree which were initially thought to be Cormorant but on closer inspection were corvids. We speculated whether they could be Raven but could not get a positive I.D. and the matter was left as a maybe. Looking further out into the Solent, we saw a group of Pintail and a solitary Slavonian Grebe, which was seemingly heading for the relative shelter of Southampton Water.

With strengthening winds and the rain starting, we headed back to the cars. A bracing but enjoyable day’s birding was had by all.

Gary Kirsopp and Karen Lynch

I was joined by five others on a cold morning at the car park at Moor Green Lakes, having already left two cars at our Horseshoe Lake destination. With the temperature at -4oC, we were well wrapped up and keen to see if the weather had brought in anything new. The feeders in the car park had attracted a Reed Bunting and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. On the first lake, Colebrook North, three Little Grebe were constantly diving around a tight group of five Wigeon, no doubt feeding on scraps they were disturbing. Bill found a Snipe half hidden in the lakeside vegetation and a Little Egret was at the far end. East Fen was half frozen but a fine male Sparrowhawk was perched in a Silver Birch nearby. Around 20 Siskin were feeding high up in the alders near the main hide.

At the river, we walked west to view the New Workings, where there were some Redwing and a flock of about ten Linnet, but very few ducks. Retracing our steps, Elaine glimpsed a Kingfisher flying ahead of us along the river. At Grove Lake, we managed to see one of the Tawny Owl that regularly roost at the top of an ivy-covered tree, adjusting our positions to get views of different parts of the bird as it was so well hidden. Treecreeper and Goldcrest were also seen in this area and six Goosander were on the lake.

We took the path around the north side of Horseshoe Lake as it offers a better view of the lake which held Gadwall, Wigeon and Tufted Duck. The flock of feral Barnacle Geese were in a paddock behind a hedge with some Canada Geese, and we were surprised to hear the deep croak of a Raven and were lucky to see it – a bird that is only occasionally seen in the area. As we approached the car park, we encountered our final species, Egyptian Goose, just in time as it was starting to feel like lunchtime!

Robert Godden

Keyhaven Marshes offers a variety of wetland habitats which hold plenty of birds especially in winter. Looking out to sea, one is faced with the western end of the Isle of Wight, so depending on the state of the tide, the view is either of a wide sea channel, the Solent, or extensive mudflats and saltmarsh. Inland, there are flooded fields and lagoons.

Six of us met at the large car park in Keyhaven, and we got off to a good start when we discovered that the car park charges had been temporarily waived. Not far away we looked over a freshwater lake and saw an amazing flock of some 50 Little Grebe, while a Black-tailed Godwit gave close up views. We then took the path along the seawall and saw Reed Bunting, Rock Pipit, Linnet and a pair of Stonechat. Further away a Marsh Harrier was hunting over the reeds, a Raven was seen and a Kingfisher flew past eluding most of us. Not far offshore, Dark-bellied Brent Geese were feeding on the mud that was rapidly being covered by the incoming tide, while about ten smart Pintail were half-hidden in the spartina grass. Flocks of waders including Redshank, Curlew and about 20 Knot continued to feed until the tide moved them on.

We sat on the pebbly beach near the jetty to have lunch and a small flock of Turnstone explored the seaweed just in front of us. Then we continued along the seawall. Three Red-breasted Merganser were found fairly distantly out to sea, and then Mike picked out two Slavonian Grebe in some rough water where two currents met, their bright white cheeks contrasting sharply with a jet-black crown. The coastal path turned inland just before a channel that separated us from Normandy Marsh; on the far side we could see some distant Avocet, and there were also Curlew, Dunlin and Grey Plover. We were now heading towards Keyhaven but on a muddy path between fields where large  numbers of Wigeon and Lapwing fed, while a flock of about 200 Golden Plover wheeled overhead. Our route returned us to the
seawall near the jetty from where we retraced our steps back to the cars – overall it had been an enjoyable walk on a cold, bright winter’s day with a good selection of coastal birds.

Robert Godden

After a hot humid day and some rain in the afternoon, a small group of us met at the top of
Churn Road, Compton at 19:00hrs and walked east towards Roden Downs on an overcast
evening. We were fortunate to see a Grey Partridge in the field adjacent to our parked cars,
a bird not easy to come across nowadays on the Berkshire downs. Our tally for the evening
was only 19 species. We saw the expected corvids: Rook, Jackdaw and Crow, and Corn
Buntings, Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Chaffinch, Whitethroat and Goldfinches. We managed to
pick out a family of Stone Curlews from the Ridgeway path, although the birds were nearly a
kilometer away on a “Stone Curlew plot”! Patient scanning through the scope at maximum
magnification of x60 was required. Further on, we found another Stone Curlew which was
mostly obscured in an overgrown plot. From what we could see of the bird we thought it a
juvenile.

Our walk was punctuated by occasional stops to scan and listen, and whilst doing this on
Roden Downs we were delighted to hear a Quail singing its characteristic trisyllabic “wet-mylips”
in the field adjacent to the Ridgeway. Another was heard in the field behind us and one
much further away in Oxfordshire. Of course, the chances of actually seeing one were nil.
Further up the track at the plantation we heard and saw Willow Warbler. Over the years this
has been a regular spot for this species, which is less common in the south nowadays. In fact,
this bird was in exactly the same tree I photographed it last year.

We lingered in the area for some time as dusk fell. We saw some Lapwing on the bare areas
of Roden Downs. Then we heard an owl calling, but it was not immediately obvious to us,
what species. Then we realized it was a Long-eared owl calling, something I haven’t heard
before. I am more familiar with the early spring adult hoots or the juvenile “squeaky gates”
call of the youngsters at this time of the year. It was probably a female calling. One of our
party saw it flying from one wood to another and we managed to pick it up as it mostly glided
across the open field in the near darkness. At this point on the Ridgeway, we were hearing
Quail, Stone Curlews and Long-eared Owls calling; not an everyday occurrence. Just before
we started to make our way back we picked up an adult Stone Curlew, which must have flown
in, at much closer range on a bare chalk area and had good scope views albeit in low light
conditions. It was a bit of a trudge back to the cars, with a few bats to accompany us.

Although we hadn’t seen so many species, we were satisfied with the birds we did see and
hear.

Andy Tomczynski

The last BOC event to go ahead before the Coronavirus shutdown was the day trip to Pagham Harbour on Sunday March 15th. At that time, government advice only impacted indoor gatherings so it was disappointing that the group that assembled at the Pagham Visitor Centre numbered just two, and that included the leader. It was a chilly day that didn’t offer much promise of early spring migrants, yet as we walked to the hide overlooking Sidlesham Ferry, a Chiffchaff started singing and gave good views. A selection of common duck species was on the Ferry Pool, numbers of waders such as Lapwing and Curlew were low on account of the low tide in the harbour, but a flock of gulls on the fields revealed several Mediterranean Gulls, some looking very smart in full summer plumage with jet black heads and striking white crescents above and below the eye. We returned to the car park via the tramway which gave us views of more waders including a distant group of Avocets.

Our next stop was Selsey Bill where it was extremely windy. We scoured the sea for divers and grebes without success and there was too much disturbance on the beach for waders to land. A couple of very distant auks sped past. It was soon time to head for the expected shelter of Church Norton, but with lunch and high tide in mind, we headed first for the sea where the wind was blowing as strongly as ever. We picked out a Great Northern Diver in the middle distance and after walking along the spit towards the harbour entrance, we found a tight group of four Slavonian Grebes battling the weather but very hard to observe even though they were quite close to the shore. Birds within the harbour were easier to watch – there was a fine drake Red-breasted Merganser, a Bar-tailed Godwit and groups of Brent Geese and Skylarks along with common waders and duck. Over lunch, from the shelter of the hedge near the hide we could hear another Chiffchaff singing, and in centre of the harbour a flock of 20 Mediterranean Gulls was continually being joined by more in all stages of plumage.

It was now mid-afternoon and there was time for one more stop, Medmerry RSPB. To protect nearby houses from flooding by the sea, the Environment Agency has constructed an inland sea wall and allowed the sea in, creating a variety of habitats. Here we saw Kestrel, Linnets and Green Woodpecker around the fields and Teal, Gadwall and Redshank on the flood. Closest to the sea are the so-called Stilt Pools where Black-winged Stilts have bred in the past – here we found Greenshank and two Ringed Plovers allowing comparison with two nearby Little Ringed Plovers. The walk back to the car was enlivened by close views of a Barn Owl hunting and lastly by a Yellowhammer, at first zitting unseen in a hedge but eventually revealing itself with its colours further intensified by the final golden rays of the setting sun.

Although we had encountered few spring species and the weather by the sea had made for challenging viewing conditions, by the end of the day we had amassed a total of 71 species and were pleased to have made the effort.

Robert Godden

Six BOC members assembled on a murky Saturday morning at Funton Creek, where a layby on a minor road not far from the crossing to the Isle of Sheppey affords extensive views over mudflats between the Chetney and Barksore Marshes. It was high tide and there was a scattering of common waders and a few Avocets in the middle distance, with Brent Geese and various ducks further out, and in the far distance Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards were quartering the grazing marshes beyond the mudflats.

We moved on to Elmley NNR for a quick diversion to look for a species that was high on everyone’s wish list – Long-eared Owl. In recent days two or three of these birds had been roosting close to the car park. The reserve is no longer owned by the RSPB and we paid our £5 fee at the entrance gate. We took the long approach track slowly, but the large numbers of ducks, Lapwings and Golden Plovers usually present were not apparent this time, and we made do with Marsh Harriers and a Brown Hare. We scoured the bushes behind a pond by the car park without success, but a helpful volunteer who knew the best places to look very quickly struck gold. In reality, the owl wasn’t that far away and only a few layers of branches were in the way, but it proved very difficult to see. Over time we were able to combine our views of a handful of feathers and a left eye and turn them into a Long-eared Owl – a typical view of this secretive species. We scanned the adjacent fields as up to nine Short-eared Owls had been present recently, but apparently afternoon was the best time for these.

Our next stop was Shellness at the eastern tip of the Isle of Sheppey, where a rough track passes a line of shacks on the way to the remote Shellness Hamlet community at the far end, with towns of the North Kent coast ahead across the open sea and the River Swale. This river often provides shelter for sea-going species in rough weather but we found around six Red-throated Divers despite the calm weather. With high tide just an hour away, numbers of waders at the high tide roost were building up – initially many hundreds of Oystercatchers which were later joined by Grey Plovers, Turnstone and Knot. A walk along the seawall in the hope of finding wild geese just yielded Little Egrets, Linnet, many Marsh Harriers and huge flocks of Curlew and Brent Geese. The lack of ducks was surprising, with very few Wigeon, Shoveler and Gadwall, and no Teal or Pintail – maybe they all go to Oare Marshes on the other side of the River Swale these days.

It was time to move on to Capel Fleet where each afternoon in winter birds of prey gather to roost in the reedbed, and where a viewpoint has been made offering a slight height advantage over the flat landscape. Marsh Harriers and Kestrels were common here, and there was a brief view of a ringtail Hen Harrier, and a possible Short-eared Owl was watched over a distant field. Nearby a large flock of Corn Buntings were perching on wires and bramble bushes and Red-legged Partridges scuttled along the roadsides. The morning’s murk had never cleared so checking out distant swans for the rarer species was a challenge, especially with white farmyard geese present, but as we drove back we were lucky to see a small flock of Bewick’s Swans hiding behind a haystack and a large flock of Russian White-fronted Geese.

Our final stop of the day was a return visit to Funton Creek. High tide had been and gone, and the mud was covered with hundreds of Bar-tailed Godwits and many Avocets. The light, such as it was, was failing but despite calls to call it a day, we gave it another fifteen minutes. A buzzard flew into some trees behind us – a Common Buzzard on closer inspection, but then we got a call from some other birders and soon had our scopes trained on a Rough-legged Buzzard perched high in a tree, its pale head and upper breast contrasting with a black belly standing out well in the gloom. A perfect end to a successful day, and though our day list stood at a modest 62 species, it did include some very special species.

Robert Godden

Nine of us met up at the Cley visitor centre/cafe soon after midday on Friday, after fairly smooth drives from Berkshire.

As the winds had generally been from the south and west there were few migrant species on the Norfolk coast apart from brief viewings of Yellow-browed Warblers. We decided to seek out a flock of Spoonbills at a previously unvisited site at Stiffkey Fen. After some confusion we found the correct footpath into the fen and, sure enough, after about half a mile, we found a large pool with a dozen Spoonbills dozing, sleeping or preening. There was quite a variety of other ducks and geese on the same pool.

A quick look for a reported Yellow-browed Warbler yielded nothing so we headed off to Burnham Overy Staithe to find some Cattle Egrets and for a walk out to the dunes at Gun Hill. We failed to connect with the egrets but had a really enjoyable walk along the embankment between the sea and marshes and the fields. There were a good number of the usual Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover and some Black-tailed Godwits on the marsh side of the embankment. Little Grebes were in a ditch running alongside. We decided not to go all the way to Gun Hill but turned right onto the path back to the road where we’d parked. One field contained four enormous and impressive bulls. Another held about 100 Pink-footed Geese and about 20 Egyptian Geese. As we got closer to the road another field had a covey of perhaps 10 Grey Partridge amongst some Pheasants.

We headed off to the Burleigh Hotel in Hunstanton to check in, and then returned to Thornham, where some Marsh Harriers compensated for a fruitless search for Barn Owls; then dinner at the Lifeboat.

Saturday dawned quite mild with a slight westerly breeze which had changed from an overnight northerly. That boded well for a possible influx of migrants. We spent 40 minutes at the seafront scanning for not very much, finding many Oystercatchers and Turnstones, and some Black-tailed Godwits, but not much else.

A good breakfast followed and we all headed to Titchwell. We started with another look for Yellow-browed Warbler, without success, and then headed to the beach, stopping for a few scans across the pools and reedbeds. Several Bearded Tits were seen, a Kingfisher, Avocets, a single Golden Plover, Cetti’s Warbler and a variety of ducks. On and over the sea, there were a few flocks of Common Scoter and several divers including a probable Great Northern and a close Red-throated. Two mergansers flew by, some saw a Sandwich Tern, and there were a few juvenile Gannets. A Snow Bunting made a short visit before flying further down the beach. Sanderlings were readily seen scurrying backwards and forwards by the shoreline and a Bar-tailed Godwit flew over. On the walk back, at least one Spotted Redshank was clearly seen next to a Common Redshank giving a good comparison. Water Rail was added. Additionally, Rock Pipit and Knot were seen by some of the group. A probable Hen Harrier was seen by Gray and Adrian, confirmed by a sighting reported on Birds of Norfolk.

Most people had a light lunch before we headed back to Burnham Overy as there was a report of a Dusky Warbler sighting and the Cattle Egrets had moved to a new location nearby. This time we parked in the harbour car park (it was low tide) and walked back out on the embankment seeing a cluster of birders about half a mile away. “Not seen for an hour”, was the refrain from some dispirited birders. Another group of about ten birders had gathered along the other path lower down. Marcus and John H went down to join them as they seemed to be looking at something specific. Sure enough, they had seen a Yellow-browed Warbler, which obligingly popped up and flew along the hedgerow. It then flew towards us and disappeared in the reeds immediately in front of us. The remainder of the group came down just in time for the Dusky Warbler to make the first of several fleeting appearances, giving just about satisfactory views to most of the group. We went back up onto the embankment, as we had directions to look at a herd of cattle halfway to Holkham and, amongst them, were the six Cattle Egrets and further away a Great Egret. On the way back to the harbour we got another glimpse of the Dusky Warbler.

Three of the group then went to Holkham to search for Shorelarks and the remainder returned to Titchwell to look for a Yellow-browed Warbler. Reports of this species were coming in from all over the coast. Both groups had a good level of success … the Holkham party didn’t find a Shore Lark but did see a large flock of Linnets and quantities of Meadow Pipits, as well as a pair of Wheatears and a late Yellow Wagtail. The Titchwell group immediately saw a male Brambling at the feeders followed by a Treecreeper. After walking past the Fen Hide there was a flighty tit flock which contained a Yellow-browed Warbler, although it was not seen by all. Finally, a small flock of Redwing passed over.

Another pre-dinner look for Barn Owl was unsuccessful although there was a distant very probable Tawny Owl.

Sunday dawned very wet as forecast and after breakfast everyone vacated the Norfolk coast as it was supposed to rain until early afternoon. Seven of the group reconvened at Welney and picked up some further birds including a flock of Tree Sparrows, an over-summering non-migratory breeding flock of Whooper Swans, another Great Egret, two more Cattle Egrets, about a dozen Snipe, Stock Dove and a Bittern in flight. Some late House Martins made an appearance to add to some Swallows seen the day before. A Weasel showed very well as we had a final coffee in the visitor centre. We all finally said our goodbyes and headed south into lighter skies and even some late sunshine.

In total 108 bird species were seen by some or more of the group. We visited some sites not explored by the BOC before and enjoyed some good banter in generally pleasant conditions for two days.

Marcus I’Anson