Dusk Walk at Lee Near Romsey

Saturday 30th March 2013

We had a two mile walk this evening just after 6pm from Lee near Romsey across the Broadlands Estate.  It was cold and fresh out and the light faded quite quickly.

River Test

We crossed the River Test and had a glimpse of Broadlands House way off in the distance.  Then we saw about a dozen swans standing around in a field, a few rabbits, a small flock of lapwings, a partridge type bird - it was difficult to identify in the gloom and we well and truly scared a male pheasant (just by walking past!).

Another waterlogged field.

As the clocks change tonight and go forward to British Summer Time we will have lighter evenings from tomorrow so more walking time.

Millyford Bridge (+ A Dead Buzzard)

Good Friday 29th March 2013

Todays Bank Holiday walk was at Millyford Bridge near Lyndhurst.  Luckily we got moving fairly early and beat most of the traffic in Lyndhurst (coming home was another story, the traffic was queueing for about  1.5 miles into Lyndhurst on the Cadnam road - with 23 caravans in amongst it all).  At one point we were walking along a grassy track to find a geocache when we came across a very sad sight, a dead buzzard.  It appeared to be recently dead I would guess within the last day, with no obvious cause of death.  We checked for a ring on it's legs but there wasn't one, so we moved it off of the track.  It was a very large bird with fantastic markings on it's feathers, it was such a shame it was deceased!  On a more positive note, on the way home in the car I saw two buzzards in places you would expect to see them, one sitting high up in a tree and the other soaring in the sky.

A very sad sight.

Having successfully found the cache, we had a bit of a walk along the river, Highland Water, where we spotted two Mallard ducks, I don't remember seeing ducks along here before.  In places along the walk there was ice on the puddles, is this cold weather ever going to end?

The river Highland Water, it's easy to see where it has flooded recently.

Back at the car park we saw a bird that we had to look up in our bird book, it was a Marsh Tit making the most of some food left by other visitors.

Another note from today is that about a mile from home there are two fields of sheep and today was the first time this year that I have seen lambs there, one poor sheep had triplets, rather her than me!!

Eighteen Species - A New Record

Monday 25th March 2013

We have had a busy weekend and didn't get a chance to get out walking at all, but we did manage a new record on the garden bird front.  On Sunday we spotted eighteen different species of birds in our garden.  Don't think we spend all day gazing out at the garden, we just keep an eye out when eating breakfast, washing up, passing the back door etc.  It has been absolutely freezing all weekend (luckily we didn't get the snow like a lot of the country - just as well, no time for that carry on!!!) and we always attract more birds when it's a bit nippy out.
The last garden bird record for us was sixteen species at the end of Feb, so here is the new record breaking list.

• Greenfinch
• Goldfinch
• Blackcap
• Starling
• Rook
• Blackbird
• Blue Tit
• Robin
• Collared Dove
• Pied Wagtail
• Wood Pigeon
• Jackdaw
• Sparrow
• Siskin
• Chaffinch
• Song Thrush
• Dunnock
• Great Tit

Rook's Beak

Friday 22nd March 2013

What have we here?  A rook with an overgrown beak.  I have seen a rook in the garden feeding oddly  in the past and assumed it was because it's beak is so large and the food so small that it has to feed sort of sideways.  However, this week the eagle-eyed one in our household happened to notice the overgrown beak and managed to get a photo of it (out of focus - he moaned!).  I will keep an eye out for this rook in future and see how it gets on but we don't get rooks in the garden every day, one just pops in now and then.  Incidentally for such large birds with an evil looking beak they are probably one of the most nervous jumpy birds that visit our garden.

Hockley Near Winchester

Thursday 21st March 2013

Following on from yesterdays post, this morning we went to Hockley near Winchester where we know lots of Swallows nest under a bridge.  This bridge takes the M3 over the River Itchen and it's very noisy but it doesn't seem to put the birds off, however there was absolutely no sign of a single swallow so maybe it is still a bit early for them.  Maybe we'll come back in a few weeks.

River Test

Testwood Lakes Bird Hides

Wednesday 20th March 2013

This afternoon we visited Testwood Lakes  Nature Reserve www.hwt.org.uk on the edge of Totton.  This is a very peaceful place but it can get busy at weekends and in school holidays.  We took advantage of it being neither and headed for the bird hides at the far end of the reserve.  The Heron Hide overlooks Meadow Lake, and we saw a fair few birds.  There is also a bird feeding station on the edge of the lake for small birds and animals!  There is a diary in the hide to record sightings so as no-one had written in anything for today  I filled in our spots.

• Mallards
• Cormorants
• Great Crested Grebes
• Coots
• Canada Geese
• Black Headed Gulls (masses and masses)
• Herring Gulls
• Young swans
• Tufted ducks
• Oyster catchers
• Wigeons
• Moorhens 
• Wren
• Woodpigeons
• Crows
• Chaffinches (lots)
• Great Tits
• Blue Tits (lots)
• Greenfinches
• Dunnock
• Swallow?
• Rabbit
• Grey Squirrel

Young swans

The view across the lake from the hide

Cormorants with a Great Crested Grebe in  the foreground

Now then, one of my favourite birds after the Robin is a Swallow, and I am almost certain that I saw two of them fly over the lake.  Swallows are due back in this country from Africa in the next few weeks so maybe it was a pair back a bit early?  We know of a place locally where many Swallows nest so the plan is to go there tomorrow and see if they are back at all.  Watch this space......... we'll see.

Around Southampton Waterfront

Monday 18th March 2013

We made a last minute decision to try and find a couple of micro caches in central Southampton this afternoon.  We parked in Mayflower Park where there were lots of young Herring Gulls, still brown but beginning to turn grey on the top of their wings.  I tried to get a photo but they were very camera shy so I gave up.  There were lots of Black Headed Gulls too, most of them have got their black feathers back on their heads but a few looked distinctly mouldy. 

Nearly black headed gull

Not quite so black headed gull

We managed to find the first cache fairly quickly so we walked on over to Town Quay where we had less success with the cache there.  (You can only spend so long stealthing about under the CCTV cameras!!) 

We had a great view of the Oriana which is due to leave this evening - shame it's going downhill in my photo!  It then started to rain and I got cold so it was back to the car.  There are lots of extra large puddle/lakes of water all  over the grass in Mayflower Park, all being used by seagulls and ducks.

Here Comes The Rain Again

Sunday 17th March 2013

We've had a couple of weeks of dry weather but this weekend it's been back to rain and even more rain.  We decided to venture out this afternoon despite the weather, it wasn't worth going far so we chose to have a 2.5 mile walk around Southampton Common again.  There was water everywhere, the paths were awash in places, ditches overflowing and small streams fit to burst. 

Not everyone seemed fed up with the conditions though............... a pair of ducks were quite happy on a newly formed lake, one of many!

Another newly formed lake - the water quite obviously has nowhere to go following so much heavy rain over the past few months.  This afternoon the rain had obviously put most people off a Sunday afternoon stroll/jog/run - it was very quiet apart from one hardy jogger who we saw over and over again!  There was little in the way of nature about, mind you can you blame things for staying at home?

Bathing Birds Continued

Thursday 14th March 2013

Running on from yesterdays post and the fact that our garden birds are making good use of the water saucers and bird bath, here is the proof. A blue tit having a bath.

We have 4 shallow saucers of water around the garden, 1 birdbath (deeper and ideal for the bigger birds to bath in)  and a ceramic hand water holder screwed onto our plum tree, all of which are well used. 

It was a gorgeous day today and the Greenfinch  (Mr)  looked particularly bright and colourful in the sunshine.

Heron

Wednesday 13th March 2013

Whilst eating my dinner this evening I saw a heron fly over our house.  We do see one about now and then but I haven't seen one for a little while.  The last heron I saw locally was about 6 months ago just as it was getting light, it flew alongside and a little bit above the car and landed on a bungalow roof.  It looked most odd standing on the roof!

The weather has been icy cold for the last two days but thankfully it was a bit warmer today and the wind has eased.  There has been lots of bird activity in the garden, especially at the water saucers and bird bath - the cold doesn't seem to stop the starlings taking a vigorous bath. 

Crabwood - It's FFFFFFreezing

Monday 11th March 2013

We went out for a bit of fresh air this morning and fresh it most certainly was - icy cold more like.  According to the weather this morning it's the wind chill that's the problem.  We went to Crabwood, west of Winchester, where we found a quite recently released geo-cache but it was  too cold to stand around caching.  It was far too cold for walking too, so it was a quick short walk. 

Within sight of the car park there was another scene of devastation like the one we saw on Satuday in the New Forest with trees cut down all over the place.  We found great log piles further into the woods too, this was a particularly impressive log stack.

Please note the very light dusting of snow on the ground, there were odd light flurries on and off during the morning.

We also kept coming across random lengths of fencing made from willow or hazel or something!!  Some were quite impressive, here is one section that we found.

It was so cold we decided to cut the walk short and had a hot drink back at the car instead - very civilised.

Southampton Common

Mothers Day - Sunday 10th March 2013

What a change after the warmth of yesterday, today it was back on with the scarf and gloves for a 2 mile walk around Southampton Common.  As well as a lower temperature, the wind made it feel so much colder.  We saw a fair few birds about and a heron flew over, it always amazes me that you see these big birds in the town centre, because although there are various lakes on the Common they wouldn't get any peace and quiet!  There were lots of dog walkers out this afternoon and  I could have done with an I Spy book of dogs to identify them all (I Spy - shows my age!!) 

The Ornamental Lake.

The Boating Lake.

Balmer Lawn to Pignal Inclosure

Saturday 9th March 2013

We had a 3 mile walk today from the Balmer Lawn car park, on the outskirts of Brockenhurst, round Pignal Inclosure and back.  It was a fine afternoon and it was the first time this year that I ventured out without gloves on. 

There was still plenty of surface water about but we only walked on forest tracks so there was no mud!  We saw a buzzard quite close overhead almost as soon as we left the car park,  I wanted to take a photo of it but it kept circling and I couldn't keep up with it. 

I took a photo of a new forest pony and almost as soon as I had taken it the horse looked up and made a beeline for me and my coat pocket which had polos in it!!  I got a bit of a wriggle on to get away from it but it kept up - obviously it fancied a polo - it didn't get one!

There was a grim notice and photo on the gate into Pignal Inclosure asking for help to track down a dog that has been worrying and killing deer in the area - not good.  It  was fairly busy this afternoon with walkers so we didn't see any deer, but we did see plenty of dogs.

At Pignal Inclosure there was lots of destruction, the forestry commission are thinning out the oaks and beeches I found it all a bit sad.  Take a look.

On a more positive note, I was determined to find some frogspawn on our walk and after a bit of searching we found a small amount in a shallow pond not far from the car. 

Soon after this it came over very dark over Will's mothers, so it was time to get back to the car, luckily the rain held off until we got to the M27.

It's Been a Funny Old Day

Tuesday 5th March 2013

It has been a funny old day weather wise.  I took the bird food out this morning and the bird bath was frozen solid, but by 11am the temperature in the car on the way back from shopping was 10c.  The sun was out and the sky was blue - great stuff.  I even ventured out without a coat!

Squirrel Visitor

Monday 4th March 2013

Now then, we have had another infrequent visitor to the garden early this morning.  A grey squirrel popped in for a snack on the sunflower seed feeder.  I don't think he/she found it too easy to reach as he/she had to stretch the length of it's body to get to the food, so it soon gave up, had a quick mooch round the garden - which believe me doesn't take long as it's a very small garden - and disappeared over the back fence into our neighbours garden. 

We probably see a squirrel in the garden once a year if that, so it was good to see it. 

Incidentally, the thrush visitor that I blogged about not so long ago is still dropping in every now and then, despite the blackbird's continued efforts to see it off.  It has even been brave enough to join the morning scrum for the bird food that we put out on the patio daily. Today it had quite a long drink from the bird bath that I had just removed the ice from.  There has been plenty of bird activitity this morning as it has been a lovely sunny morning with clear blue skies - nice!

Dawn Chorus

Sunday 3rd March 2013

This morning, having got up at silly o'clock, was the first time that I have heard the dawn chorus this year.  It was around 6am and I almost felt the need to open the window to let the sound in but it was just too cold.  The chirping and singing didn't seem to last for long but it was definitely there.

Also, I have noticed a pair of blackbirds seem to be nest building in the trees in our front garden - must keep an eye on them and see how things progress.