TUESDAY 5 JANUARY
Working in HAMPSHIRE today, I took advantage by checking out a number of sites with the following results and added 11 new species to my 2010 Year List. It was another very sharp frost and the New Forest and Hampshire coastline were as I have rarely seen it before. It remained just above freezing all day and at 1500 hours in Andover, the snow started falling....
HARBRIDGE WATER MEADOWS
On an amazing frozen landscape, the 10 BEWICK'S SWANS were sitting to the north of the road at 0830 hours - the herd containing four first-winters.
IBSLEY WATER
Nearby, just two patches of ice-free water on Ibsley Water, with 8 Little Grebes, 37 Mallard, 55 Shoveler, 38 Wigeon, 27 Common Teal and 4 Northern Pintails crammed in, as well as 9 Common Goldeneyes, 112 Lapwing and 56 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS - the latter my first of the year.
CHRISTCHURCH HARBOUR (DORSET)
Incredible ! - large tracts of saltmarsh completely iced over, and parts of the sea edges, and all in glistening white. A good selection of estuarine species included 1 Little Egret, 35 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 22 Common Shelducks, 106 Wigeon, 79 Common Teal, 3 Gadwall, a drake Pintail, Oystercatcher, 2 PIED AVOCETS, 137 Common Redshanks, 1 SPOTTED REDSHANK, 27 Eurasian Curlews, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 9 Grey Plover, 211 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS, numerous Dunlin and 9 Common Snipe - and as it was my first visit to the coast of the year, nine new species.
BARTON-ON-SEA (HANTS)
The bay between Barton-on-Sea and The Needles (Isle of Wight) was flat calm and virtually birdless, with just 3 Great Crested Grebes present. I could not find any Turnstones or Purple Sandpipers on the groynes but 3 Rock Pipits represented my 106th species of the year.
THE MILL, SILVER STREET, NEAR NEW MILTON
A superb male BULLFINCH feeding in a roadside hedgerow - gorgeous.
HATCHET POND, BEAULIEU
A male Common Stonechat was the only bird to be found on a frozen common.
BEAULIEU
A superb drake GOOSANDER was showing very well just by the road, with 62 Common Teal noted.
HYTHE PIER
Excellent views were afforded by a single juvenile GREAT NORTHERN DIVER loafing just west of the pier and ferry base
Working in HAMPSHIRE today, I took advantage by checking out a number of sites with the following results and added 11 new species to my 2010 Year List. It was another very sharp frost and the New Forest and Hampshire coastline were as I have rarely seen it before. It remained just above freezing all day and at 1500 hours in Andover, the snow started falling....
HARBRIDGE WATER MEADOWS
On an amazing frozen landscape, the 10 BEWICK'S SWANS were sitting to the north of the road at 0830 hours - the herd containing four first-winters.
IBSLEY WATER
Nearby, just two patches of ice-free water on Ibsley Water, with 8 Little Grebes, 37 Mallard, 55 Shoveler, 38 Wigeon, 27 Common Teal and 4 Northern Pintails crammed in, as well as 9 Common Goldeneyes, 112 Lapwing and 56 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS - the latter my first of the year.
CHRISTCHURCH HARBOUR (DORSET)
Incredible ! - large tracts of saltmarsh completely iced over, and parts of the sea edges, and all in glistening white. A good selection of estuarine species included 1 Little Egret, 35 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 22 Common Shelducks, 106 Wigeon, 79 Common Teal, 3 Gadwall, a drake Pintail, Oystercatcher, 2 PIED AVOCETS, 137 Common Redshanks, 1 SPOTTED REDSHANK, 27 Eurasian Curlews, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 9 Grey Plover, 211 BLACK-TAILED GODWITS, numerous Dunlin and 9 Common Snipe - and as it was my first visit to the coast of the year, nine new species.
BARTON-ON-SEA (HANTS)
The bay between Barton-on-Sea and The Needles (Isle of Wight) was flat calm and virtually birdless, with just 3 Great Crested Grebes present. I could not find any Turnstones or Purple Sandpipers on the groynes but 3 Rock Pipits represented my 106th species of the year.
THE MILL, SILVER STREET, NEAR NEW MILTON
A superb male BULLFINCH feeding in a roadside hedgerow - gorgeous.
HATCHET POND, BEAULIEU
A male Common Stonechat was the only bird to be found on a frozen common.
BEAULIEU
A superb drake GOOSANDER was showing very well just by the road, with 62 Common Teal noted.
HYTHE PIER
Excellent views were afforded by a single juvenile GREAT NORTHERN DIVER loafing just west of the pier and ferry base
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