02/03/2014 Hampshire again - this time in poorer weather.

Sunday 2nd March 2014
PJ and Group. (+7)
New Forest

I went back to the New Forest, this time with the group, in much poorer weather which meant that the chances of a repeat of Wednesday's spectacular event were greatly reduced.   Another very early start, a 2 hour car journey and a long journey back provided the backdrop to our day.

First stop was Mark Ash Wood to look for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Bramblings, Hawfinches and the Tawny Owl.  This time we would be out of luck with the woodpecker and the Hawfinches and only fleeting views of the Bramblings.  Thankfully the Tawny Owl was still there and showing better than last week.

Next stop was Piper's Wait for the Goshawks and the Woodlark.  The views of the Goshawk were stunning and we enjoyed a long spell admiring them from our lofty position.  For most of us this was the focal point of the day and we were not disappointed.  Several birds were displaying and one in particular came close enabling us to check the main ID points, namely long tail and "spitfire like " flight pattern.  After drooling over the Goshawks we then went in search of Woodlark and quite soon Alan spotted one in the grass verge near the main road.  Thankfully we didn't flush it so we were able to observe it's behaviour at close quarters.

Woodlark
Library picture

 Finally our day had taken off and I had another species to add to my year list.

With the weather beginning to deteriorate we headed off to a nearby fishing lake to see some Mandarin Ducks.  They were there but they were tucked in to the water' sedge on the far side from us.

We finally headed for the shelter of the hides at Blashford Lakes.  We managed to get good views of some special birds.  Several Goldeneye were seen, in full winter plumage.  A Red-crested Pochard was tracked down as was a Black-necked Grebe which proved quite elusive.

At the feeders the action was vibrant with so many birds using the facility.  There was a spectacular showing from the Siskins and the Redpolls.  This was capped by the appearance of the Mealy Redpoll, much to the delight of everyone present.

Considering the weather conditions we did remarkably well with some stunning birds and a species count of over 55.



Addition to UK 2014 Year List:
Woodlark   (176)



Today's Species List:
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Egyptian Goose
Mandarin Duck
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Mallard
Pintail
Shoveler   (10)
Red-crested Pochard
Tufted Duck
Goldeneye
Goosander
Pheasant
Little Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Cormorant
Goshawk   (20)
Buzzard
Kestrel
Coot
Lapwing
Black-headed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Tawny Owl   (30)
Green Woodpecker
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Woodlark
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Wren
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush   (40)
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Treecreeper
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch   (50)
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Siskin
Lesser Redpoll
Mealy Redpoll



Today's species count = 56