WEEKLY SUMMARY

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Great Crested Grebe: Although 1000 had been seen flying east off Dungeness on Jan 14 last week the reports this week showed that many had remained in the Dungenesss area with more than 1000 seen on Jan 25 and 2500 on Jan 27

Slavonian Grebe: Just two on the sea off Pagham Harbour on Jan 25 with just one in the Lymington area this week

Black-necked Grebe: Two were still to be seen off the Hayling Oysterbeds on Jan 28 and the high count for the week was of just 14 in Portland Harbour on Jan 22

Cormorant: For fans of this species there was a parade of 127 on the saltings near the mouth of Pagham Harbour on Jan 27 but those who travelled to Dungeness to see them at work on Jan 25 could have counted 725

Cattle Egret: The Warblington Farm bird was still in the area on Jan 28

Little Egret: Passing Langstone Pond soon after sunset on Jan 24 I could only see 7 (possibly 8) there in the leafless trees. Having seen more than one bird already sporting long breeding plumes it will not be long before the numbers based here will increase significantly.

Great White Egret: One flew over Fleet Pond in north Hampshire on Jan 23 when one was also unexpectedly seen on the beach at Rye Harbour but more regular birds were seen at Dungeness and Sandwich Bay later in the week. No reports from the Blashford Lakes since Jan 9

Grey Heron: These early breeding birds were already back at nests at Weir Wood reservoir on Jan 25 - the report was of 7 birds but I'm not sure if they were singles or pairs.

Glossy Ibis: One was seen at Christchurch Harbour on Jan 24, 25 and 27 but I have no idea where it spent the rest of its time (the only other sites at which they have been reported in southern England since Jan 1 have been in the Kent Stour Valley, Devon and Cornwall)

Bewick's Swan: A flock of just over 30 remains in the Arun valley with another 6 in the Hampshire Avon valley near Ringwood but this week's news is the first report for the year of a flock on the Romney Marshes in Kent - it comes from Dungeness where a flock of more than 50 flew in to roost on the evening of Jan 27

Cackling Canada Goose: One of the 'half size' Canada Goose races put in an appearance at the Lower Test Marshes near Southampton on Jan 27

Brent Goose: There were still around 1500 in the West Lane fields on Hayling Island on Jan 23 when another 1191 were reported in the Titchfield area but by Jan 26 I could only find 300 in the area between Langstone and Emsworth. Flocks heading east past Dungeness were recorded as numbering 2262 birds on Jan 25 and 1030 on Jan 26

Black Brant: One seen in the Fishbourne Channel near Chichester on Jan 22

Red Breasted Goose: The Exminster Marshes bird was still with Brent in Devon on Jan 21

Fudge Duck (male hybrid Ferruginous x Pochard): Seen again on Budds Farm pools in Havant by Richard Ford on Jan 29

Sparrowhawk: An increase in sightings this week may be the result of birds starting to patrol the boundaries of their breeding territories - one doing so over Havant close to my house gave me my first year-list tick on Jan 28 (the bird was probably a female as it flew in a level and leisurely fashion at a fair height - not the roller coaster territorial flight of a male)

Rough-legged Buzzard: The Arun valley bird was still present near Burpham on Jan 27 when seven birds were reported by RBA to be still in the UK

Grey Partridge: Also in the Burpham area on Jan 27 these Partridges were reported to be 'singing and calling in most fields'.

Common Crane: One was in the Frome valley between Wareham and Dorchester (near Bovington) between Jan 20 and 25, making a trip downstream to visit the Arne area on Jan 22 (but not I think as far east as Rye Harbour where one was overhead on Jan 23)

Knot: 250 Knot feeding in the Nore Barn area (west end of Emsworth shore) on Jan 26 was a record count for the area

Black-tailed Godwit: Also at Nore Barn on Jan 26 Brian Fellows counted 148 Godwits and noted that many of them were exhibiting the 'water squirting' behaviour which he sees and photographs regularly but which none of the experts on the behaviour of these birds has noticed (and so cannot explain).

Lesser Yellowlegs: On Jan 26 Lee Evans made a birding trip to the south coast which included a visit to Burnham on Sea in Somerset to see the Lesser Yellowlegs which has been there since at least Jan 1

Spotted Sandpiper: On Jan 26 Lee Evans also reported the continuing presence of two of these - an adult at Chew Valley Lake in Avon and a juvenile in the Lyme Regis area of the Dorset coast

Grey Phalarope: I thought their autumn passage had finished on Jan 12 when one was seen at Splash Point on the East Sussex coast but Jan 27 brought a further report of one on the Netherlands coast

Wood Pigeon: Listening to Radio 4 farming programme early on Saturday morning I heard a farmer (I think based in Northamptonshire) saying that his Rape crop was flourishing in the mild weather and that he had been surprised that it had not been damaged by Woodpigeons which seemed to be finding plenty to eat in the hedgerows - I hope that does not mean that when the impending cold period does reach us there is nothing left in the hedges for the winter Thrushes.

Little Owl: A phone call from Nottingham asking for confirmation that the sounds which the caller was imitating were indicative of a Little Owl heard near his home reminded me that it was on Jan 11 last year that I heard the pair that reside in the Stoke Common area (across the Hayling Coastal path from the Oysterbeds) calling to each other as they re-established their bonds and territory. So this is a good time to keep your ears open for them.

Hoopoe: A report of one on a waste tip at Pendeen in Cornwall on Jan 25 was unexpected

Swallow: Another unexpected report was of one Swallow seen over sewage works at Helston in Cornwall on Jan 19 and that was followed by a second report from the Brading area of the Isle of Wight on Jan 25 (though this was reported as possible only)

Shore Lark: I was delighted to see the Hayling Oysterbeds bird on Jan 23. I gather it has been there since at least Jan 11 and was still there on Jan 28

Rock Pipit: Song heard on Jan 25 at both Portsmouth Dockyard and Durlston

Grey Wagtail: Also singing in Portsmouth Dockyard on Jan 25 and seen in central Havant flying up from the Homewell spring pool to perch on a roof top (likely to breed in that area)

Mistle Thrush: The bird which I saw in the field north of Langstone Pond on Dec 31 was heard singing and seen there on Jan 25

Spanish Sparrow: The Calshot bird was still present on Jan 28

Common Crossbill: Several recent sightings in Havant Thicket this week - if you are not familiar with the look of Norway Spruce (cigar shaped) cones after they have been stripped by Crossbills see my photo on my Diary page

Dark-eyed Junco: No reports from Hawkhill Inclosure off Beaulieu Heath since Jan 24 but a sighting was claimed on Jan 29 from a new site in Bolderwood (some 7 km north and 11 km west of Hawkshill Inclosure)

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Butterflies:

Species reported this week:

Red Admiral: Three reports this week, all from Sussex

Peacock: One found on Jan 24 in a garage at Coldwaltham near Pulborough. It was fluttering around a striplight which had just been switched on and when the doors were open it flew out into the daylight

Moths:

I have not heard of any new species for the year seen this week

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Yellow Dung-Fly: One seen by Brian Fellows on Jan 25 on a Hogweed umbel in Brook Meadow at Emsworth (hoping for other smaller insects to be attracted there as prey)

Western Conifer Seed Bug: This large insect is now established in Britain and one turned up at the Portland Bird Observatory on Jan 23. Last year the majority of sightings came between August and October but one was found in John Goodspeed's house on Portsdown as early as Feb 9

Spider Silk: Just in case you have managed to miss the recent TV programs showing how the extraordinary qualities of spider silk (strength, light weight and natural colour) have been harnassed for human advantage here is a brief run down on what I have learnt about the subject.

First there is the beauty of the cape now on show at the V & A Museum. For a picture of the Cape and a very brief explanation of how it was created see http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/01/the-science-of-the-spider-silk.html and for the video which was broadcast on BBC News see http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/million-spiders-produce-golden-cape-15430504

That silk for that cape was produced by real spiders in Madagascar but it will never be practical to collect the silk directly from spiders so the second approach has been to extract silk-making genes (the silk is a protein) from the spiders and transfer them to silkworms, causing the silk which they spin into their cocoons to have the qualities of spider silk. Once a genetically modified species of silkworm (and the moth of which the silkworm is the larva) have been established the better quality silk can be obtained by the age old traditional method of silk making. It would seem that this technique still has a long way to go but I guess we will get there in the end. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16399257

The third approach was the subject of a BBC Horizon programme and you can see a short video clip summarising the project at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00nc1ng The technique shown in this episode is to introduce the spider silk protein gene into otherwise normal goats and then to extract the silk from the goats milk by some secret technique which can be turned into an industrial process with the silk output only limited by the milk supply

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Winter Aconite: This is the time of year when this lovely member of the Buttercup family flowers in many places where it has been naturalised (including the Bishop's Palace Gardens at Chichester) and I was reminded of this by seeing a single flower in a neglected garden in Havant's West St on the north side almost opposite the junction with Brockhampton Road on Jan 24

Field Pennycress: Both flowers and seeds could be seen in the roadside grass of Juniper Square in Havant on Jan 26

White Melilot: One plant still flowering on south Hayling on Jan 23

Blackthorn: The flowers which were out on Jan 1 on the Langstone shoreline between Wade Land and Pook Lane were still to be seen on Jan 26

Cherry Plum: Also on Jan 26 many buds were starting to open on trees in Pook Lane and one bud on a tree at the junction of Pook Lane with the shore was clearly showing the white of its petals

Three-cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum): First flowers for the year were found by Brian Fellows on Jan 24 in the Beacon Square roadside at Emsworth (close to the entrance to the allotments)

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Frog: The first report of these 'active in a garden pond' came on Jan 24 from the Waterlooville area adjacent to Havant - not sure if 'active' means 'mating'

Adder: Adders were first reported to be basking in sunshine on the cliffs at Durlston on Jan 8 and a report of 'more than one' basking there on Jan 28 is the fourth such report for this year.

Mice and Rats: On the early Radio 4 Farming programme on Saturday morning I heard that an effect of the recent mild weather has been to generate a plague of mice and rats on farms.

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Great Crested Grebe: We have not heard much this winter of the very large rafts of these that are normally seen in the Rye Bay and Dungeness area but Jan 14 brought news from Dungeness of 1000 Great Crested already heading east with another 500 seen there on Jan 18

Red-necked Grebe: Two were seen off Newhaven on Jan 14 with one off Dungeness on Jan 16, one off the mouth of Langstone Harbour on Jan 17 (when it or another was also seen off the Gosport area from Gilkicker Point) and on Jan 18 one was seen in Shell Bay at Studland.

Slavonian Grebe: One was in the mouth of Chichester Harbour on both Jan 17 and 20

Cormorant: If you are a fisherman who thinks that these birds are long overdue for a cull have a look at http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tnzWgADpXCo/TxsZtZYrYBI/AAAAAAAAANo/rRn2V2MaDwU/s400/cormorant%2526perch.jpg for a very greedy bird about to consume a large Perch

Cattle Egret: The Hampshire bird was still near Warblington Church on Jan 22

Glossy Ibis: Devon is still producing daily reports of these, not only from the Exminster and Thurlestone Marshes but surprisingly two were at the Crediton Tesco store on Jan 17 (I wonder what special offer had attracted them there?). RBA News records an unusual observation of 5 together on Eigg in the Scottish western isles on Jan 20

Spoonbill: Still 15 in Poole Harbour at Brownsea Island on Jan 15

Bewick's Swan: Still up to 32 on the River Arun in the Burpham area and 6 at the Blashford Lakes

Whitefront Goose: 24 (plus 20 Greylags) with the Bewick's at Burpham and another 12 upstream at Pulborough

Brent Goose: Still plenty here for the Jan 15 WeBS counts (well over 1500 in Chichester Harbour) but lots more passing east - Sandy Point on Hayling records 1150 moving east in 2 Hours on Jan 15 (noting that they were approaching the Hampshire coast from the south west, passing south of the Isle of Wight, not via the Solent, to re-inforce the likelihood that these early passage birds come from the west coast of France). On Jan 16 701 headed east over Birling Gap on Beachy Head and on Jan 19 27 went past Portland with another 60 passing there on Jan 21

Black Brant: One was with Brent in fields south of Daw Lane on Hayling on Jan 16

Red-breasted Goose: The Exminster Marshes bird was still present in Devon on Jan 21 and the Essex bird was reported on Jan 16

Mandarin Duck: When I heard the report of a Mandarin Duck being seen on Emsworth Town Millpond on Jan 7 which could not subsequently be found there by Brian Fellows, while one was found on Jan 8 at Southampton Common, I guessed that the Emsworth bird had moved on to Southampton (though I now see that the Emsworth report was of a female and the Southampton one of a male). Now, on Jan 17, Brian has found the female at Emsworth (and a male, maybe the Southampton Common bird, has been seen again on Jan 19 on the Itchen at Mansbridge south of the Itchen Valley Country Park) - it all goes to show how easily these distinctive ducks can escape attention, especially when it comes to breeding. I see from Brian's website that a pair were photographed in Stansted Forest last spring where they could easily have nested in the old boating lake area that is hidden from the public and has lots of cover among the reeds and willows that cover most of its surface as well as more substantial trees that cound provide nest holes. The Aldsworth pond area and the stream which carries its overflow down towards Westbourne also provide much suitable cover with trees around it to provide suitable nest sites for these tree nesting ducks.

Eider: 50 were seen on Jan 15 in the Milford area (Christchurch Bay) where a similar number have been present since mid-November, sometimes coming into the shelter of the west Solent. Although up to 25 were in the east Solent towards the end of last year there have been no reports of them there this year and there have been only 2 in the Hayling Bay/Chichester Harbour area

Smew: No reports from the Blashford Lakes since Jan 7 and only one was at the Longham Lakes (Bournemouth) this week (Jan 21) where these was a pair on Jan 7. There were still five (including one male) at Dungeness on Jan 18

Red Kite: One was seen in the Stansted Forest area on Jan 21 by a car driver passing through

Rough-legged Buzzard: The bird in the Arundel area near Burpham was still present on Jan 19 and one was at Oare Marshes (north Kent) on Jan 21

Red Grouse: Three were seen on Dartmoor (their only foothold in southern England) on Jan 14

Common Crane: One seen flying over the Bovington area of Dorset on both Jan 20 and 21

Avocet: The Langstone Harbour winter flock numbered 34 in Broom Channel (west of Farlington Marshes) on Jan 17 - the peak count there this winter was 36 on Dec 24. In Devon the Exe estuary flock was more then 520 on Jan 14 (and the Devon Bird News blog at http://devonbirdnews.blogspot.com/ has its current 'header' an impressive photo of this flock taking off and looking more like the result of a violent pillow fight rather than a flock of birds! Can you spot the single Godwit in the picture?)

Knot: On Jan 14 the WeBS count of these in the Pilsey area south of Thorney Island was an unsurprising 340 (the count there on 15 Jan 2011 was 4000) but a flock 150 on the mud off Nore Barn (only 4 km north of the Pilsey area up the Emsworth channel) was unprecedented. On Jan 20 a flock of 100 was on the Milton shore of Langstone Harbour.

Little Stint: One was still in the Fishbourne Channel of Chichester Harbour on Jan 16

Purple Sandpiper: 12 were seen at Southsea Castle on both Jan 9 and 18 with 9 there on Jan 19 when Christchurch Harbour had 26

Ruff: 8 were seen on Amberley Wld Brooks area south of Pulborough on Jan 16

Black-tailed Godwit: Last week I wrote that Brian Fellows and at least one other observer had taken more photos of these birds using their long bills as water pistols to squirt long streams of water during their feeding process and that this process was unknown to 'experts' who had no explanation for it. This week Brian again took photos of birds at Nore Barn to the west of Emsworth exhibiting the same behaviour.

Whimbrel: It would seem that there are at least three of these wintering in Chichester Harbour - two were seen at Wickor Point on the west shore of Thorney Island during the Jan 14 WeBS count and one was in the Fishbourne Channel at the other end of Chichester Harbour on Jan 16

Razorbill: Six reported to be in the Chichester Harbour entrance on Jan 22

Eagle Owl: On Jan 14 one escaped from the Totnes Rare Breeds Farm in Devon and may now be spreading terror among pet owners fearing their cats will fall prey to it. This reminds me of a similar escape some years ago here in Hampshire when the police lured the owl back into captivity by offering one of their Alsatians as prospective prey to the hungry and vicious bird - later we learnt that this cunning plan had been hatched when the bird's owner said that, while in capivity, the owl had become good playmates with his own Alsatian and would probably come down to renew acquantance with a similar dog.

Shore Lark: The bird which was first spotted around the Tern Island lagoon at the Hayling Oysterbeds on Jan 16 was still showing well there on Jan 22 - it seems the best chance of seeing it is by looking at the southern end of the island from the 'bus shelter'. This bird could have been there undetected for some time and I think it was found by birders in the area to see the Warblington Cattle Egret

Black Redstart: The Peregrines have not yet returned to Chichester Cathedral to nest and in the meantime a smart male Black Redstart was seen there on Jan 19 by David Parker

Blackbird: Full song was heard in Wisborough Green near Pulborough on Jan 17 and here in Havant on Jan 18

Chiffchaff: A total of 15 were counted at Eastleigh sewage farm (on the west side of the River Itchen close to the big railway works) on Jan 14. Before the modernisation of the Budds Farm works here in Havant it was not unusual to hear reports of 20 or more there in the winter - the 1995 Hampshire Bird Report says that on 28 Dec 1995 there were at least 25 (and possibly as many as 50) wintering there, constituting a Hampshire record.

Blackcap: Last week a male was heard singing on a Ramsgate (Kent) allotment and this week another has been singing in Devon (this male had a female with him)

Penduline Tit: Two seen at a Somerset site on Jan 15

Spanish Sparrow: Still at Calshot on Jan 22

Brambling: A flock of 15 in the New Forest on Jan 17 this week made me check on other sightings in Hampshire this winter and I see this is the biggest flock other than an isolated report of 40 in the QE Park near Petersfield back on Nov 8 (a couple of days after a flock of 162 had been reported at Durlston so I assume the 40 were part of an influx that quickly dispersed away from the south of England)

Greenfinch: A reflection on the amount by which numbers of this species have been reduced by disease in recent years is that one did not get onto my yearlist until Jan 22

Dark-eyed Junco: Still at Hawkhill Inclosure (Beaulieu Heath area of the New Forest) on Jan 19

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Butterflies:

Red Admiral: Only one reported sighting this week - on Jan 15 at Battle near Hastings

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

The following were new for this year out of the species reported during the week:

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0464.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1025.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1061.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1862.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1984.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2237.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2441.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Nothing to report this week

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Few reports from me this week as I have been confined to barracks clearing 40 years of rubbish from my loft in order to qualify for free loft and cavity wall insulation under the current government scheme

Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus): This is my guess at the id of garden escape plant found by Brian Fellows in Emsworth on Jan 20. Brian was deterred from using this id as his flower book said the plant was rare but I think that it is only rare as a native species that has persisted at the same site for many years without human assistance whereas the same species is commonly planted in gardens and can then escape. See Brian's photo at http://www.emsworthwildlife.hampshire.org.uk/0-0-186-hellebore-dolphin-20.01.12.jpg

Red campion (Silene dioica): A couple of flowering plants seen in the Havant Eastern Road cemetery on Jan 22

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea): On Jan 16 Brian Fellows website carried news of flowers seen recently, though not by him and among them I was interested in the find of a Hollyhock in the village of Compton (north of West Marden in the natural continuation of the Ems valley)

Primrose: What may well have been wild Primroses were seen flowering in Westbourne churchyard by the Havant Wildlife group on Jan 21

Dark mullein (Verbascum nigrum): A plant of this was a very surprising find in a council planted flowerbed near Southsea Common on Jan 19

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Badger: Here in the Havant area we were very much made aware of Fox predation of young birds in nests on the RSPB Langstone Harbour reserve islands last summer and defences against predators invading the nesting areas at Rye Harbour are currently being reinforced with electric fencing plus wire mesh fencing with its base extended along the ground to prevent a tunnelling predator from coming up into the reserve as soon as it has passed under the fenceline. More difficult to protect is the shoreline against seaborne attack (though similar fencing can be deployed above the high tide level where so doing does not deter the birds and an irregular marshy shoreline does not make it impractical) and the Rye Harbour warden has been made aware of the need to defend his seaboard this week by seeing photos of a Badger swimming out and around the end of their fenceline. For the video of the swimming Badger and a photo of their way of deterring tunnelling under the fenceline (not by burying the base of the fence but by extending it along the ground) see http://rxwildlife.org.uk/2012/01/18/swimming-badger/#more-15303

Weasel: One sighting at Seasalter on the north Kent coast on Jan 17

Hare: Three seen running around Margate cemetery on Jan 14 - perhaps already feeling that March was here?

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Red-necked Grebe: Eight reports this week including one off Sandy Point (Hayling) on Jan 8 when 2 (maybe 4) were off the French coast. One has been in the Studland/Weymouth area of Dorset and there is probably still on off the Exe estuary in Devon

Slavonian Grebe: A winter flock can often be seen off Pagham Harbour and 23 in the Selsey area on Jan 8 may have settled off Pagham. One remains inside Chichester Harbour off West Wittering and two were off Lymington on Jan 7 with three reported in Poole Harbour off Arne on Jan 13

Black-necked Grebe: 10 were in Portland Harbour on Jan 10 and 13 but there were no reports from Studland or Poole Harbour though the Falmouth flock in Carrick Roads near Feock was up to 50+. In Hampshire one was off Calshot on Jan 13

Bittern: Reported at seven sites this week including one at Titchfield Haven, two at the Blashford Lakes, one at Burton Mill Pond near Pulborough and a possible on the Isle of Wight near Brading Marsh (low booming heard by Derek Hale on Jan 10)

Cattle Egret: The Warblington bird was definitely present in Jan 12 and I understand it was seen on Jan 14 though neither it nor any Little Egrets were to be seen when I was there around 2pm (maybe with the tide approaching high the Little Egrets had gone to roost at Langstone and the Cattle Egret had joined them?)

Glossy Ibis: Still present at Wadebridge in Cornwall on Jan 13 when two birds were in Devon at the Exe estuary and the southern tip of the county at Thurlestone. (RBA was still reporting a total of 13 in Britain on Jan 14)

Spoonbill: The 15 strong flock in Poole Harbour was still to be seen off Arne on Jan 13

Brent Goose: This week brings two signs that these geese are getting restless to be off. The first is that they are taking longer flights to inland feeding places - Brian Fellows found a flock of 600 on the open fields west of Southbourne village which he believes were commuting there and back from the Emsworth western shore (about 3 km each way - not very far in terms of the journey they are about to undertake and less than half the distance they have been known to travel while still with us when a big flock was found feeding in the Watergate Park fields (SU7811) north of Walderton in the Ems valley). The second and more obvious sign is that those birds which are untrammelled with young to shepherd back are already flying east - on Jan 14 Dungeness watched a total of 365 Brent flying east in 14 flocks, a fortnight earlier than last year when the first such report from Dungeness was on Jan 29.

Black Brant: On Jan 12 one was in a big flock of Brent in fields between the Langstone Harbour shore and the Hayling Coastal path at its south end at West Town station

Red-breasted Goose: The Devon bird was still on the Exminster Marshes on Jan 13 but I will be keeping my eyes open for reports of it (and the Brent it is associating with) moving east. In Dec 2006 one was wintering in Poole Harbour and flew east to Lymington on Jan 26, then set off east again on Jan 31 when it was seen at Park Shore near the Beaulieu River mouth before appearing on south Hayling on Feb 17 and West Wittering on Feb 24 before disappearing after Feb 28. Perhaps the same bird spent the winter of 2007/8 in the Chichester Harbour area, being last seen at Black Point on Mar 6. In Oct 2008 it arrived back in the Lymington area where it stayed until 4 Feb 2009 before re-appearing in the West Wittering area on Feb 14 where its last sighting was on Mar 8. In the autumn of 2009 it was in Devon (Exeter area from Oct 28) and it seems to have stayed in Devon until Mar 4. The picture in autumn 2010 was at first confused by a bird of the same species (but subsequently seen to have a red ring on its leg to indicate captive breeding) appearing on Pilsey Island (Chichester Hbr) at the start of October before the 'genuine ' bird appeared at the Exe estuary on Oct 7 (more confusion was caused by another bird appearing at Rye Bay on Dec 26 with further sightings in the Warsash and Isle of Wight in early 2011 though there was a bird in Devon until Mar 4. Autumn 2011 saw one arrive with Brent at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 18 before moving to Devon on Nov 7 (though this was said to be a first winter bird) and it is this bird that is still on the Exminster Marshes.

Mandarin Duck: An annonymous report of a drake on the Emsworth Town Millpond on Jan 7 was not seen by Brian Fellows or anyone known to him but the sighting received some support from another one off report in a similar urban situation at Southampton Common on Jan 8

Ruddy Duck: A BBC news item ( see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12603625 ) dated 1 Mar 2011 says that the government sponsored scheme to eradicate this species from the UK had by then killed 4,400 of the birds (which came to Britain from the USA in the 1940s) in response to a request from Spain to eliminate the birds before they interbred with the White-headed Ducks that are endemic to Spain. An article in the Guardian dated 7 Feb 2010 ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/07/ruddy-duck-cull-waste-money ) takes the 'anti cull' side and says that the cull had by then cost British taxpayers £4.6 million (6,200 birds killed at £740 per bird). Another paper published in August 2010 ( http://www.unep-aewa.org/news/news_elements/2010/ruddy_duck_update_2010.htm ) claims to represent DEFRA's official stance at that time and says that the original feral population of some 6,000 birds in Jan 2000 had been reduced to just 200. So far this year I have heard of two sightings of live birds (one in West and the other in East Sussex) but I suspect that many more are surviving as there is an unofficial agreement among birders not to report sightings in case they attract the government gunmen and in any case it must be virtually impossible to eliminate this or any other species of bird that is as wary and secretive in its breeding sites as this one. It will be interesting to see how the cost of the project is regarded in future government planning in view of British financial vicissitudes and the rapid decline of Spain in the political estimation of other European countries

Common Crane: Six sightings of wandering Cranes in southern England this week. On Jan 6 one flew west over Farlington Marshes and another was seen over Corfe Mullen in Dorset. On Jan 7 one was over Broadsands in the Torbay area of Devon and on Jan 8 one was over Penzance in Cornwall with another sighting there on Jan 9 followed by one over St Buryan (a few miles west of Penzance) on Jan 10

Avocet: 25 seen at Nutbourne Bay (east of Thorney Island) on Jan 12 and reports from Farlington Marshses of 28 on Jan 10 and 30 on Jan 14

Knot: Plenty still on mud to the west of Emsworth (90 on Jan 13) and in teh Church Norton area of Pagham Harbour (200+ on Jan 7)

Little Stint: One remains in the Fishbourne Channel of Chichester Harbour and can usually be seen when the tide is not too high where the Lavant River flows into the channel

Long Billed Dowitcher: Two of these seen to have settled in the Lodmoor area at Weymouth since Jan 2 and were there on Jan 12

Black-tailed Godwit: For some unknown reason the birds which have been numerous in the Nore Barn area west of Emsworth suddenly vanished between Jan 2 (94 present) and Jan 12 (100 present). This was probably a result of the changing tide times which prevent the birds feeding in the best places when they are covered by deep water (if alternative feeding grounds are availble at those times the birds would be foolish not to move to the alternative sites). Another unknown aspect of their behaviour is something that Brian Fellows first noticed when looking at photos he had taken of some birds on 25 Oct 2011 which showed jets of water being shot out of the bills of the birds as if the bills were powerful water pistols. Since then he and at least one other Blackwit enthusiast have observed this behaviour on three other occasions including more photos taken by Brian on Nov 24 and Jan 14. Brian has referred these photos to wader experts but so far no one else seems to have observed the phenomenon or have a conclusive answer to why they do it - my simple minded view is that, having taken up water in securing their prey they want to get rid of the water before swallowing the prey and variations on this are that they only get rid if the water when it has an unusual taste (maybe pollution, maybe the unfamiliar taste of fresh water when the birds are accustomed to more saline water).

Whimbrel: Wintering Whimbrel are a regular occurrence in Chichester Harbour and elswehere along the south coast and one site at which one has been reported seven times since the beginning of October is the old boating lake (just east of Northney Marina on Hayling) which was once part of the Northney holiday camp before that was abandoned and modern houses replaced a small part of its area. The boating lake was only separated from the sea by a narrow earth bank and this bank was long ago broached by the sea, making the pool an attractive sheltered area for duck and waders to feed and roost. On Jan 10 I went there in the hope of adding Whimbrel to my year list and immediately saw a single Whimbrel-like bird with a hooked (not gently curved) bill and a hint of a crown stripe but a close look suggested that the bird was too big, and the bill too long, to be a Whimbrel while I have since discovered that some Curlew do show a faint crown stripe. The clincher was was the bird I was looking at had no eye stripes (supercilia) so, while this is no proof that a Whimbrel does not regularly appear there, I could not add this bird to my list as a Whimbrel

Grey Phalarope: Still being seen in late autumn passage (?). This week three reports come from the near continent and one was seen briefly at Splash Point near Beachy Head on Jan 12

Iceland Gull: On Jan 8 RBA news told us that there were currently 187 Iceland Gulls in the UK and one of these has been roosting at night in the Camber Dock area of Old Portsmouth

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: February is usually the month with most reports of these elusive and rapidly vanishing birds as it this then that they are most likely to be detected by their calls but it is encourging to see that birders are already starting to find them and this week you can have the second hand pleasure of seeing a pair of them in photographs taken in Clowes Wood south of Whitstable on the north kent coast - see http://www.kentos.org.uk/Seasalter/Jan.2012.htm In Sussex one was seen in Buchan Country Park near Crawley on Jan 8

Wood Lark: I used to believe that these birds all left their heathland breeding sites and headed to coastl places like plant nurseries for the winter but this week I see two reports of them singing at New Forest breeding sites where they have been singing

Skylark: The first report of Skylark song for the year comes from north Kent on Jan 11 though I am pretty sure they have been heard but not reported elsewhere

Rock Pipit: This week brings confirmation from both John Clark and Lee Evans that the majority of Rock Pipits seen in Hampshire during the winter are probably of the Scandinavian race which favours coastal saltings and shuns rocky coasts though it is difficult to confirm this until later in the spring when they acquire a pinkish tinge to their breasts. I wonder if the birds often seen (and I think breeding) in the Southsea castle area are the exceptions to this rule? Perhaps the 2010 Hampshire Bird Report, due to arrive in the post during the coming week, will give us more clues than the 2009 one does.

Waxwing: Last week Lee Evans told us that all those currently in Britain were to be found in Suffolk and this week the only additional information is that one has been seen in the Netherlands on Jan 13

Mistle Thrush: I have been lucky enough to hear this bird singing again (after hearing one from my garden last week) - this time the song was prolonged and was heard in the Stansted Groves

Whitethroat: A very vague report from Devon hints that one was wintering in a garden close to Plymouth over the Christmas period

Blackcap: A definite report of one singing in an allotment at Ramsgate in the Thanet area of Kent on Jan 11

Goldcrest: Song reported at Durlston on Jan 11

Spanish Sparrow: Since Jan 9 birders have been going to Calshot village on the south east fringe of the New Forest to see a Spanish Sparrow which has probably been living there quietly since last spring (certainly since early December) and may have 'fathered' several hybrid offspring. The facts about the bird remain vague but the villagers have been extemely welcoming to the birders, opening up the village hall for them, providing food and drink for them, and in many cases inviting them into their houses for better views of the bird. The birders for their part have been generally well behaved and have contributed to charity by putting money into collecting buckets for the Naomi House Childrens Hospice and for the BTO. For a BBC video of the bird, the twitchers and the local habitat go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-16515456

Chaffinch: I usually hear these starting to sing in the last week of January but this year I heard one in Stansted Forest on Jan 11 and I see that one was heard at Durlston on Jan 13

Siskin: These have been less numerous than usual so far this winter but on Jan 12 David Parker saw some in the larches along the northern edge of Stansted Forest across the road from Forestside Church - at least one male Crossbill was with them

Twite: Another unusual report this week - two were seen in an Eastbourne town garden on Jan 8

Dark-eyed Junco: The bird at Hawkhill Inclosure (north side of Beaulieu Heath in the New Forest) was still there on Jan 14

Lapland Bunting: Relatively few seen so far this winter but a newly arrived flock of 20+ on The Lizard in Cornwall on Jan 10 may mark the start of more arrivals as the weather turns colder

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

None this week

Butterflies:

Red Admiral: 17 reports this week, seemingly all of newly emerged individuals which are unlikely to breed successfully and so will reduce next summers numbers

Small Tortoiseshell: Lee Evans reports that several were seen in the New Forest when he was there on Jan 11 and two more were reported anonymously at Pagham Harbour on Jan 12. These reports reminded me that overwintering Tortoiseshells were once a common sight, often disturbed by humans from their garden sheds or from little used visitors bedrooms in their houses, until the arrival in this country of the parasitic fly Sturmia bella in the late 1990s - see http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/science_blog/090310.html This fly lays its eggs on nettle leaves where they are eaten by the Tortoiseshell caterpillars- the fly larvae develop inside the caterpillars and eat them from the inside. I am hoping that a few sightings of the butterflies overwintering may be a sign that a parasite:prey balance may now be achieved where by the fly has succeeded in killing do many Tortoiseshells that there are none left to take up the fly eggs, thus reducing the number of new flies and so reducing their ability to harm the butterflies. This cyclic balance between parasite and prey has long been established in the relation between the Holly Blue butterfly and the wasp called Listrodromus nycthemerus

- see http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/gallery/3513/parasitism.html for 'The story of the Holly Blue'

Peacock: Just one sighting in the Worthing area on Jan 7

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

Dummy entry

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0461.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0819.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0998.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1045.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1050.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1395.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1497.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1498.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1631.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1760.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1775.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1917.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1926.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1932.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1935.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2119.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2187.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2190.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2256.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2258.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2259.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2264.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2306.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2321.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Yew Bud Gall Midge (Taxomyia taxi): Not the insect but the galls which it creates as nurseries for its young - galls of the same name covered one Yew tree seen in Havant Thicket on Jan 8. See http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/galls%20p1.html#TaxoTaxi for photos of the gall

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens): The tiny male flowers on the massive Redwood trees in the Stansted Groves were shedding masses of pollen when touched on Jan 11

Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense): A single new flowering plant was a surprise find in Havant's Juniper Square on Jan 12

Great Herb Robert (Geranium reuteri): This plant found in a Havant alley last November was still flowering on Jan 12 but we are no further with having it identified. It is thought to be G. reuteri but the English name given is my own invention!

Small flowered cranesbill (Geranium pusillum): Another unexpected find in Juniper Square on Jan 12

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha): This Australian emblem tree was shedding its yellow flowers in Havant Park at the entrance to the underpass taking you under Park Road North on Jan 13

Japanese Spindle (Euonymus japonicus): The bright orange red seeds of this plant are now fully exposed on most bushes as the thin secondary 'wrapping' splits and falls away

Hazel: Ros Norton was the first to discover the small red female flowers during the Havant Wildlife Group outing to Fareham Creek area on Jan 14

Silk Tassel Bush (Garryia elliptica): The very long (up to 30 cm) silvery catkins can now be seen on this ornamental garden plant

Common Alder: Now starting to open its catkins

Dogs Mercury: I found the first single flowering plant of the year in Pook Lane on Jan 1 but by Jan 14 many plants could be seen there

Hemlock Water Dropwater: I came on the first flowering plant I have seen this year in the Langbrook stream on Jan 12 (the first of the season was flowering in the Hermitage stream on Dec 27)

Lesser Periwinkle: A pleasant surprise was to find one single flower among the 'million' plants covering the ground of Pitts Copse near the Stansted Groves on Jan 11. Subsequently I found many flowers on what seems to be a garden cultivar of the species in central Havant (from the junction of West Street and Park Road South walk north through the 'Boys Brigade Garden' and as soon as you have passed the solicitors office you will see the plants on your left before your reach the Carphone Warehouse shop).

Grey Field Speedwell: Another unexpected flower found on Jan 14 on the north side of the A259 Havant road coming west from Emswortth

Field Woundwort: One fresh plant with opening flower buds seen in a Warblington Farm field on Jan 14 (a less fresh plant of Field Madder in the same field also had some flowers)

Green Alkanet: Plants in Juniper Square which had no flowers and seemed to be dying back last week had new flowers on Jan 12

Giant butterbur (Petasites japonicus): Several plants already in flower on Jan 12 in the 'waste land' beside the Langbrook Stream immediately north of the now unused bridge connecting the old Langstone Dairy Farm to the South Moors

(Skip to Endweek)

Fox: As I was walking from Warblington Church to Nore Barn across the big field a sudden disturbance of the birds around the dung heap along the northern border of the field attracted my attention and gave me an amusing view of a very colourful and healthy looking Fox playing 'cat and mouse' with the birds. Both parties knew there was little chance of a kill being made though I am sure the Fox would have enjoyed catching a large and brightly coloured cock Pheasant which gracefully yielded its position as 'king of the castle' on the dungheap to the Fox which was last seen sitting on the highest point with the birds continuing to feed around the base of the heap (but keeping slightly more than one Fox leap from it. Another aspect of Fox life is that we are now well into January when they mate and announce the fact by loud midnight cries - so far I have not heard of these being heard.

Weasel: This is probably the best time of year for seeing these small, speedy hunters as the cold makes them more hungry and brings them out in daylight in an environment when there is minimum cover to conceal them. I had a typical view of one hunting in Havant Thicket on Jan 8 though all I saw was a distant streak of something crossing the brod track a long way ahead of me followed by a small dark 'something' bobbing its way through long grass beside the track before disappearing into the cover of bushes. A birder in the Whitstable area of north Kent was luckier - he had just got out of his car in the Wraik Hill carpark (somewhere around TR 097636 - perhaps where the OS map marks 'Elysian Fields'?) when he saw a Weasel making its usual mad dash around the open carpark and he was able to get a photo of it when it made one of its sudden stops - see the Jan 8 entry on http://www.kentos.org.uk/Seasalter/Jan.2012.htm

Roe Deer: Further evidence of their occasional visits to Brook Meadow at Emsworth was found on Jan 6 in the shape of a 'slot' (a Man Friday like single footprint) indicating that one had come through the arch allowing the Seagull Lane to Lumley Mill track to come south under the railway into the Brook Meadow area - perhaps we will soon have more positive indications of their presence if a buck decides to sharpen his antlers by 'thrashing' you trees in the reserve as they have done in the past.

Mole: Many fresh molehills can now be seen in many places where the Moles (made hungry both by cold weather and the need to feed up prior to breeding) have been able to widen old tunnels and create new ones after rain has softened the ground

Water Vole: These do not hibernate but do spend more time 'indoors' in winter months chewing on vegetation they stock up during occasional excursions into the outside world so it was not unusual for Brian Fellows to see one out in the River Ems at Brook Meadow on Jan 12 - nevertheless it was the first sighting to be reported there this year.

'Albino' Grey Squirrel: To show that the Portsmouth area does not have a monopoly on 'white squirrels' one was reported in the Thanet area of Kent on Jan 10. While thinking about colour variation in Grey Squirrels I thought I would check I would check on the status of the long established Black Squirel population in the St Albans area of East Anglia and I was interested to see that they are apparently thriving and spreading - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11444893 for picture (ignore the picture of Bill Oddie!) and more detail. One thing I learnt from this is that there is also a thriving black population in the USA. As an aside I often see Black Rabbits among the wild population and I gather that they were actively introduced into medieval rabbit farms called Coneygarths (hence Coneygarth Point on the Warblington shore) to help catch poachers - presence of a black Rabbit in a peasant's possession was taken as proof that he had poached it). Another sideline on this was that the black rabbits were sometimes called 'Priest Rabbits' on account of the colour of their 'vestments'.

Bats: Another facet of our (to date) warm winter is that on the night of Jan 9 two unspecified bats spent some time hawking moths around a moth trap in Blean Woods near Canterbury

Adder: Another manifestion of the warm winter is that on both Jan 8 and 11 adders were seen out basking in sunshine at Durlston on the Dorset coast

The 'Emsworth Tube Worm' (Ficopomatus enigmaticus): Brian Fellows has interesting news and photos of these unusual inhabitants of the Slipper Mill Pond at Emsworth in his entry for Jan 12 at http://www.emsworthwildlife.hampshire.org.uk/0-0-0-wildlife-diary.htm Although these creatures have been present in the pond for many years they are currently in the news as the coral like 'tubes' which are homes for the worms have encrusted the sluice gates, preventing them from closing properly and thus allowing the water to drain from the pond when the tide is out and the sluice gates should form a tight seal to retain the water. It is well worth reading a Defra paper on the subject of these worms at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1700 which tells me they were unkown in Britain until 1922 (when they spread north from the Mediterranean) but they then spread rapidly round our coasts with Emsworth being one of the 'hotspots' for them until the numbers there crashed in 1986 (something I was not previously aware of). It would seem they have now recovered from that crash and Brian saw at least 200 of their colonies scattered around the Mill Pond on Jan 12, while the evidence of the sluice gates shows that these colonies are spreading and in each place that they settle the colony is growing. The species flourishes where fresh and saline water mixes and among the factors contributing to their success are lack of competition (no similar species) and the ease with which the larvae are able to grow in the usually 'closed' pond (rather than in a river situation where they would be swept out to sea before they could settle and start building their own permanent home)

(Back to start of current Week)

(Skip to previous week)

(Skip to Insects)

Great Crested Grebe: The usual winter flocks in the Dungeness/Rye Bay area are now building up with with counts from Dungeness of 1260 on Jan 1 and 1300+ on Jan 2

Red-necked Grebe: This week's reports are of four birds - one in the Torbay area of Devon, another off the Exe estuary, one in the Studland area of Dorset and one off the French coast near Calais at Le Clipon

Slavonian Grebe: On Jan 1 there were 4 in the Selsey area and one in the mouth of Southampton Water and on Jan 6 there was at least one in the Wittering area of Chichester Harbour

Black-necked Grebe: 8 were seen in the north of Langstone Harbour on Jan 1 and 6 were there on Jan 5 but the big numbers remain in the Studland area of Dorset (22+ on Jan 4 and 45 on Jan 3). An equally big flock remains at Falmouth with 43+ recorded in Carrick Roads on Jan 6 (when just one was in Hayling Bay)

Shag: Singles (probably from the Isle of Wight breeding population) are now to be seen off Southsea Castle and in the Langstone Harbour entrance while 4 were at Selsey on Jan 1

Cattle Egret: The bird which moved from Thorney Island to Warblington Fam on Dec 18 was still there on Jan 7 when it had moved east of the church and was seen from the new Cemetery extension

Great White Egret: The spread of these from the near continent into Britain seems to be gathering pace - on Dec 28 Lee Evans thought there was a total of 15 in this country but on Jan 2 he revised that number up to 21.

Red-breasted Goose: The bird on Exminster Marshes was still there with Brent on Jan 2 and I will be interested to see if it moves east as the Brent start to leave.

Shelduck: The number on the Langstone to Emsworth shore doubled this week with more than 45 seen at the Langstone end on Jan 3 and at least 33 seen in the Emsworth area on Jan 5

Pintail: A count of more than 320 at Pulborough Brooks on Jan 2 must have been a great sight

Eider: We may soon be seeing more of these along the south coast of England after a flock of 1100 was reported at a Netherlands site on Jan 6

Smew: The redhead at the Ringwood Blashford Lakes was seen on Jan 1 and is probably still there but the number at the Longham Lakes at Bournemouth increased to 2 on Jan 4 when a drake joined the redhead there. In addition to those in the Dungeness and Rye Harbour areas a redhead was seen in the Kent Stour valley on Jan 7

Ruddy Duck: Although the number in southern England has been greatly diminished by DEFRA's hit squads one bird was still to be seen in East Sussex on Jan 2 and another was in West Sussex on Jan 7. I suspect that quite a few other sightings have been suppressed in the interests of the safety of the birds and I doubt that the policy of eradicating the species will ever be fully successful

Red Kite: The annual HOS walk to view the winter roost at Ashley Warren in extreme north Hampshire (not far east of where the A34 leaves the county) saw 78 birds airborne around the roost on Jan 7 - the total using the roost could be well over 100. I wonder when our government will start paying gunmen to rid us of these pests?

Rough Legged Buzzard: The Arun valley bird in the Burpham area near Arundel was still to be seen on Jan 5 and another probably based on Sheppey was seen from the Oare Marshes at Faversham on Jan 7 but the Folkestone bird has not been reported since Dec 23

Grey Partridge: I have long been aware that the majority of birds that are seen in the south of England have been raised in captivity and released, as I have thought up to now, with the altruistic intention of re-establishing a wild population but this week the Devon birding site introduced me to a new thought when a birder who was very surprised to come across a couple of birds in south Devon wondered if their presence was the result of a release by Falconers as potential prey for their birds.

Reeve's Pheasant: On Jan 1 Robin Attrill saw two males of this species near Shalfleet on the Isle of Wight but did not include them in his excellent NYD birdlist of 109 species

Common Crane: Just one report this week of a bird seen in flight over the Torbay area of south Devon on Jan 7

Avocet: The only precise counts from our local area this week are of 24 in Langstone Harbour (Broom Channel) on Jan 2 and 1 at Titchfield Haven that day. On Jan 1 I saw four birds at Nutbourne Bay but the rain meant that there may have been more there which escaped my notice while the only report from Pagham Harbour is from the Muppets birdrace team (Bernie Forbes and Owen Mitchell) who just ticked their presence on Jan 6 when another three were at Christchurch Harbour

Golden Plover: Among several reports this week is one of 400 birds at Maiden Castle in Dorset on Jan 2

Knot: A count on Jan 2 of 46 on the mud off Nore Barn at the west end of the Emsworth Shore was high for the location

Little Stint: One was still in the Fishbourne Channel near Chichester on Jan 5

Purple Sandpiper: There were 12 at Southsea Castle on Jan 2 and 20 in Christchurch Harbour on Jan 3

Long Billed Dowitcher: Two of these appeared at Lodmoor (Weymouth) on Jan 2 and were still there on Jan 4

Black-tailed Godwit: The number on the Emsworth shore which was up to 94 on Jan 2 plummetted to just 5 on Jan 5 while the count at Pulborough Brooks rose from 135 on Jan 2 to 250 on Jan 6. This does not mean that the Emsworth birds flew to Pulborough but it does indicate the rapidity with which this species responds to changes in their environment. The Emsworth birds may have left because they sensed they had nearly exhausted the food available to them in the mud at Emsworth and/or they were not enjoying the strong winds in the exposed harbour. Equally likely they were happy with the conditions in the harbour but sensed that heavy rain would have brought thousands of earthworms to the surface of grassland in low-lying inland areas and that they would benefit from moving to places where there was more food more easily available and with less wind to contend with. Another reflection of the opportunism that is essential to the survival of bird species is that immediately the Blackwits left the Emsworth shore a large flock of Redshank moved in - their shorter bills mean that they do not contend for the same food items that the Blackwits are after but the absence of the Blackwits must make it easier for the Redshanks to feed without having to give way to the larger birds.

Grey Phalarope: At least three of these were still passing through the Netherlands and one was off the Yorkshire coast this week

Pomarine Skua: One was at Selsey on New Year's Day (hopefully spotted by one of the candidates for this year's Pom King award) but on Jan 5 one Netherlands site had 39 of them (and if there was no double counting between the 8 sites which reported them that day there were 78)

Arctic Skua: Only one report picked up by me this week, a single seen at Sangatte (Calais) on Jan 6

Great Skua: One at Selsey on Jan 1 and 45 at Sangatte on Jan 5 (potentially 172 at the 11 sites reporting the species)

Little Gull: Only one reported this week (at Weymouth) though recent counts from the French coast were of 240 on Dec 30 and 104 on Dec 31)

Ring-billed Gull: The Gosport bird was still to be seen on Jan 6 but it was just one of eight reported in the British Isles this week including another adult at Radipole (Weymouth)

Caspian Gull: One was still being seen at the Blashford Lakes on Jan 6 (9 reported in the British Isles by RBA) and another was at Dungeness.

Iceland Gull: Now plenty of these with RBA reporting 120 around the British Isles. One was in Portsmouth Harbour on Jan 2 and another at Shoreham on Jan 5

Glaucous Gull: 48 reported in the British Isles on Jan 6 but the only one in the south seems to be the one at Dungeness which has been there right through 2011

Kittiwake: 27 at Selsey on Jan 1 and at least one at Southsea Castle on Jan 2 but if you want to see one take the ferry from Dover to Calais - the count at Sangatte on Jan 6 was 12135 (maybe 27746 if you took in three other sites that day)

Guillemot: Jan 1 saw more than 1000 at Dungeness with at least one at Selsey and on Jan 2 one was in the mouth of Chichester Harbour with one in Langstone Harbour entrance on Jan 4

Razorbill: 3 were at Selsey on Jan 1 and 3 at Black Point in Chichester Harbour on Jan 2 while on Jan 4 there were just over 500 across the Channel at Sangatte

Black Guillemot: The single Tystie remained off Portland this week

Little Auk: At least 2 were off the Netherlands on Jan 6

Ring-necked Parakeet: The colony in the Thanet area of Kent had at least 600 birds seen at a Ramsgate roost site on Jan 5 - no news of the Swanage colony this year but the only report last year was of 2 birds there on Jan 24 - maybe they moved east as 2 were seen in Lymington on Feb 3 with another seen there on Dec 30

Kingfisher: I get the impression that there are fewer wintering birds in our area this winter and the only two reports of them I have seen this week have been of two birds at Gosport Anglesey Lake and one by the Hamble at the Bunny Meadows (Warsash)

Woodlark: One was singing at Iping Common near Midhurst on Jan 2

Waxwing: Lee Evans suggests that there are only around 100 birds currently in Britain and that they are all in Suffolk

Robin: Brian Fellows has two birds in his Emsworth garden which by Jan 6 were coming to food without showing aggression to each other and this is almost certain proof that they are already paired and may already be nesting

Desert Wheatear: These birds are normally found in semi-desert habitat in Africa, Arabia and parts of India throughout the year so it is not clear why two them seem to have settled in to Northumberland and Yorkshire but they were still there on Jan 2 (I think that at least one of them has been in the country since early November)

Blackbird: The mild weather caused at least two birds to give full song this week - one was heard in Chichester in (I think) daytime while one which I heard in Havant was singing just after sunset (the time of day when I have normally heard the first song of the year in February)

Siberian Chiffchaff: On Dec 31 one was identified by its calls to be at Newlands Farm between Fareham and Stubbington and this caused me to check on the criteria for separating Siberian (tristis) birds from both Scandinavian (abietinus) and regular Chiffchaffs (collybita) - if you feel the urge to do this have a look at http://www.ntbc.org.uk/siberian%20chiffchaffs.html

Goldcrest: I still do not have this species on my year list but I see that two were seen in the Nore Barn woodland at Emsworth on Jan 6 though I will probably come across one in the trees lining the Billy Trail in Havant before too long

Bearded Tit: Another bird still not on my personal yearlist but they are still present in the Thorney Little Deeps and the Farlington Marshes reeds and should reveal themselves in the near future if high pressure brings one or two of those still, sunny days. Some were seen at the Little Deeps on Jan 6

Marsh Tit: I was very pleased to hear their calls and see at least three birds among a tit flock in Stansted Forest just east of Forestside church on Jan 2

Willow Tit: I am very unlikely to come across this species in south east Hampshire nowadays but I am pleased to see two reports of them in south Devon this week

Brambling: No big flocks yet but on Jan 4 there were at least 10 at Barrow Moor in the Rhinefield Arboretum area of the New Forest seen by birders after the Hawfinches coming in to roost and 2 were seen in the West Dean Woods north of Chichester on Jan 6

Twite: Two were reported to have been seen in the Rye Harbour area on Jan 2 (the first I have heard of in southern England since a report of 5 at the Oare Marshes in north Kent on Dec 10)

Dark-eyed Junco: The bird in the Hawkhill Inclosure area of the New Forest (about 3 km west of Beaulieu village on the north side of the road heading to Brockenhurst) has provided the biggest pull for twitchers in the last couple of weeks. It was first seen on Dec 24 and has been provided with an ample supply of seed since then. To get an impression of the bird and its location go to http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/amigo/ and scroll down through the entry about the Siberian Chiffchaff at Stubbington to that about the Junco seen on Jan 6

Snow Bunting: The birds at East Head in Chichester Harbour were still there on Jan 6 the Worthing Widewater birds were present on Jan 7. I have also seen reports of singles at Portland on Jan 2 and Christchurch Harbour on Jan 6

Most birders have a competitive spirit and want to get their 'year lists' off to a good start as soon as possible in the year even if the competition is not against other birders but just against their own inertia (who wants to get up earlier than usual and carry on searching for more birds in the wind and rain we had on this New Year's Day). A secondary reason for getting a good list is that it can be used to raise money for good causes through sponsorship on the basis of so many pence for every species seen. In recent years an informal set of rules has evolved to govern the 'sport' and one of these rules is that the race need not be run on Jan 1 but on the day within the first week of the year that is likely to give the best results so it is necessary to wait for the end of the week before all the results are in but I think I now have the counts achieved by most of those willing to publish them and the numbers I have seen are ...

Score / Day / County / Team Name / Comments

116 / Jan 1 / Hants / Nicorettes

116 / Jan 1 / Hants / Chavsisters

109 / Jan 1 / IoW / Robin Attrill

106 / Jan 1 / Hants / Ovenreadies

103 / Jan 5 / Sussex / Bald Eagles (Richard Ives )

97 / Jan 7 / Sussex / 'First Winters'

96 / Jan 6 / Sussex / Muppets (Bernie Forbes & Owen Mitchell)

90 / Jan 1 / Sussex / Russ Tofts

84 / Jan 2 / East Sussex / Ashdown Men

81 / Jan 1 / IoW / Derek Hale

72 / Jan 1 / East Hants / John Norton & Peter Raby

69 / Jan 2 / Sussex / TQ01ers / team of 7

67 / Jan 2 / Sussex / Cuckfield Cuckoos / The Crabtree family including Eleanor aged 13 and a half

59 / Jan 2 / Sussex / Henfield Fab Four

54 / Jan 1 / East Hants / Steve Mansfield / by cycle around Alton

52 / Jan 1 / Langstone area / Havant Wildlife Group / 15 people on foot

49 / Jan 1 / Sussex / L & F Dray

48 / Jan 1 / Hants & Sussex / Ralph Hollins / by cycle from Broadmarsh to Nutbourne Bay

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

No reports

Butterflies:

Red Admiral: Eight reports with sightings in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire (including one in Havant Garden Centre). Also seen on Dec 29 were many active caterpillars feeding on nettles beside the Sussex Ouse

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1053.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1799.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1640.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris): A queen was seen gathering nectar at Clanfield (north of Waterlooville) on Dec 24 - not unusual as Queens semi-hibernate through the winter - but more unusual was the sight of a worker also gathering pollen at Northiam in the Rother Valley area north of Hastings on Jan 4 (implying that there was still an active nest with grubs to be fed at this time of year)

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

My personal New Year list of flowering plant species is now up to 70, not all of them listed here!

Marsh Marigold: At least one flower seen on the Langstone South Moors on Jan 3

Common Whitlowgrass: Flower buds starting to open in Waterloo Road, Havant on Jan 5 - see my Diary page for photo

Spotted Medick: First flowers seen in Havant on Jan 7

Cherry Laurel: One white 'candle' with open flowers seen on Jan 4

Thyme-leaved Speedwell: Just one tiny flowering plant spotted in my garden lawn on Jan 6

Field Madder: Flowering in roadside grass in Havant on Jan 7

Grape Hyacinth: One plant with opening flowers seen under a roadside hedge in Havant on Jan 7

(Skip to Endweek)

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This summary does not include any New Year's Day reports but I have added my own list of species seen at the end (after 'Other Wildlife')

(Skip to Insects)

Red-throated Diver: A lot were moving west along the English south coast this week with a peak count of around 103 in the Rye Bay area on Dec 27. On that day other sightings included 40 passing Worthing and 17 at Selsey Bill

Black-throated Diver: One seems to have been in the north of Southampton Water all week while on Dec 27 singles were seen in both Pagham and Christchurch Harbours. The only flock (10 birds) was off the Cornish coast at Gorran Haven near Mevagissey, just west of St Austell Bay

Great Northern Diver: On Christmas Eve there were three in the south of Langstone Harbour and four in Southampton Water with another four in Dorset at Studland Bay

Pacific Diver: A bird of this species was off Penzance in Cornwall from Jan 8 to Mar 14 and it may have returned - there was a 'possible' sighting off St Austell on Dec 26. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Loon for more about the species which is rare in Britain

Red-necked Grebe: Singles seem to be resident both in Chichester Harbour and Studland Bay and both birds were reported on Dec 24

Black-necked Grebe: No reports from Langstone Harbour this week and the number seen at Studland Bay was down to six but a small flock of ten was new in Portland Harbour and Torbay in Devon still had at least four

Cattle Egret: The Warblington bird was still there on Dec 30

Great White Egret: According to Lee Evans on Dec 28 there are now 15 of these in this country (and have been since Nov 30)

Glossy Ibis: Also in Lee Evans latest summary he tells us he is only aware of five currently in the UK, two of them being in the Kent Stour Valley

Spoonbill: The Poole Harbour flock of 15 birds was seen again at Brownsea Island on Dec 29 one day after Lee Evans had reported that the largest flock in Britain was the 9 birds at Isley Marsh in north Devon (showing that he is not 'all knowing')

Bewick's Swan: Last week I reported a total of 178 at Slimbridge as a result of their method of listing the birds seen at the several different lakes at the site - they gave 140 on one and 38 on another but I think the 38 were actually part of the 140 which had moved between the lakes as the report for Dec 27 just lists 140+ on 'the Rushy' (but I may be wrong as their method of reporting does not give consolidated totals for the site and seems to be a list of 'off the cuff' counts to attract visitors to come and see for themselves)

Black Brant: On Dec 24 one was on Hayling Island at Tournerbury Marsh

Egyptian Goose: 67 were at Eversley on the Hants/Berks border on Dec 28 (there were 174 there on Oct 5)

Blue-winged Teal: The female/immature bird which has been on the Longham Lakes (northern fringe of Bournemouth) since Dec 3 was still there on Dec 29

Ring-necked Duck: A male was found in the Chard Junction/Forde Abbey area of west Dorset and two were there from Dec 25 to 29 at least

Ferruginous Duck: One was a newcomer to the Blashford Lakes at Ringwood on Dec 30 and was still there on Dec 31 - it is thought to be a pure blood Ferruginous, not a hybrid

Goldeneye: These have been seen this week in small numbers in Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth Harbour (Cams Bay) and at the Blashford Lakes where one of the males was already displaying as if winter was over. Peak count was of 13 in the Kent Stour valley

Smew: One of my favourite winter birds but a very uncommon visitor to Hampshire - in recent years the most likely place to find one anywhere near Havant has been at the Chichester gravel pit lakes where I have (in the past) been lucky enough to see one of the males whose plumage gives the bird its alternative name of 'White Nun' (to see why have a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/73441567@N00/474966008/?q=smew white nun ). So far this winter we have only had 'redhead' females (photo of one alongside a male at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smew ) and the nearest has been one on the Blashford lakes near Ringwood with another not far away on the Longham Lakes which are on the northern fringe of Bournemouth. Others have been at Dungeness and Rye Harbour but I think these too have all been redheads and the only males I have heard of this winter have been two at Newark in Nottinghamshire.

Red-breasted Merganser: No shortage of these now with counts of up to 42 seen from the Milton shore of Langstone Harbour this week

Rough Legged Buzzard: Lee Evans tells us that he was aware of 12 of these still in the UK on Dec 28, and this week I have seen reports of the birds at Burpham near Arundel and in the Folkestone area

Avocet: The number in Langstone Harbour (Broom Channel area visible from the Eastern Road bridge) was up to 36 on Dec 24 and by Dec 27 there were 8 in Pagham Harbour (no news from Nutbourne in Chichester Harbour)

Golden Plover: There were 3000 reported at Rye Harbour on Dec 30 but only 200 in Pagham Harbour, 300 in the Alton area of East Hants, and just 46 at Titchfield Haven this week

Knot: On Dec 27 there were 47 at Nore Barn on the Emsworth shore and around 120 in Pagham Harbour

Sanderling: The high tide roost at Black Point at the mouth of Chichester Harbour had 150 on Dec 27

Green Sandpiper: On Dec 27 I found the bird in the concrete channelled Hermitage Stream running through the Stockheath area of Leigh Park standing within inches of where I had seen it on Nov 16. Further upstream (just below Middle Park Way roadbridge) many birds were using the shallow water of the stream as the best place to take their daily bath.

Iceland Gull: One was seen in Portsmouth Harbour on Dec 27 and was seen again twice on Dec 28 (no further reports)

Sandwich Tern: Two were seen in Langstone Harbour entrance area on Dec 24 and five were in the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour on Dec 28 but it may be that these wintering birds based in the Solent harbours take quite long day trips outside the harbours as one was seen flying west past Worthing on Dec 27

Ring-necked Parakeet: Singles seen in both Chichester (Dec 27) and Lymington (Dec 30) but with no clue as to whether these had escaped from captivity in those areas or had flown from the over-crowded population in London

Long-eared Owl: One was seen roosting in the Exminster marshes beside the Exe estuary in Devon on Dec 27 and 28 but is thought to have been disturbed by birders hoping to photograph it

Great Spotted Woodpecker: Three reports of drumming heard at dfferent places in Sussex on Dec 25 and 27 prompted an earlier report of one heard in Alexandra Park at Hastings on Dec 11

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: Also three reports of these - on Dec 26 one was seen travelling with a Tit flock at Avington in the Itchen valley north of Winchester; on Dec 30 a male was watched for 10 minutes in St Leonard's Forest near Horsham and also on Dec 30 one was seen in the New Forest (I think in the Denny Wood area)

Woodlark: On Dec 30 one was singing in the Ashdown Forest near Crowborough

Shorelark: Very few in southern England so far this winter but one which turned up at Swalecliffe on the north Kent coast on Nov 14 was stilll there on Dec 22

Rock Pipit: These are normally difficult to spot when creeping about in seaweed spread over a large area of shore but on Dec 26 I walked along the South Moors shore at Langstone at the top of a very high tide which left no more than a metre of seaweed exposed between the seawall on which I was walking and the water and this allowed me to see three separate birds along that stretch of shore.

Waxwing: No great news of these birds but anyone wishing to keep up with their appearances when they do reveal their presence can do so through a twitter site at @waxwingsuk - the only three birds I am aware of this month were in a typical site (a Waitrose carpark in Newark, Notts, but they flew off west soon after being spotted on Dec 22)

Dunnock: Their song has become much more frequently heard in the Havant area this week

Blackbird: Just one report of song this week 'somewhere in Sussex' heard on Dec 29 at 6:30 am in the dark

Mistle Thrush: One in full song from a Brighton town chimney pot on Dec 27. Of interest to me were two sightings of a single bird in the pony field south of Wade Court and seen from Wade Lane - hopefully it may show on Jan 1

Goldcrest: Song heard at Durlston on Dec 26. Also singing there was a Coal Tit - here in Havant Blue and Great Tits have been heard singing fairly frequently

Firecrest: One was seen in Leigh Park Gardens here in Havant on Dec 30 close to where it had been seen on Nov 20. Although not reported since Dec 18 the best place to find these beauties has been Abbotsbury in Dorset where 13 have been found on two days this month

Carrion Crow: The Weston Shore area near Netley south of Southampton remains a prime roost site for these birds and on Dec 24 the count there was of 370

Siskin: On Dec 30 a small flock of around half a dozen finches seen near the north end of the Billy Trail in Havant (opposite Fairfield School) may have been Siskin to judge by their 'complaining' calls though I did not have my bins with me to confirm this

Snow Bunting: There were still 4 at East Head in Chichester Harbour on Dec 24 (3 on Dec 27) while the regular two remain at Widewater in the Worthing area

Vagrants: Lee Evans gives the total of bird species seen in the UK this year as 451 - have you seen more?

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

Nothing to report

Butterflies:

Nothing to report

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1799.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1984.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2258.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris): A queen was seen nectaring in Clanfield (north of Waterlooville) on Dec 24

Cave spider (Meta menardi): Not local and very uncommon but if you wish to extend your knowledge of spiders you can see two photos of this species taken in a cave in Staffordshire by Graeme Lyons on Dec 30 - see http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NQXWChRXwAM/Tv2hbLfmg7I/AAAAAAAACKI/bp9FRXqLdLs/s1600/DSCN6672.JPG and http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AjKHL8ii2g8/Tv2hj-4LYMI/AAAAAAAACKU/7AC8z4LgmnE/s1600/DSCN6678.JPG

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Lesser Celandine: Found flowering in two new places (one in Emsworth, one in Havant) this week

Marsh Marigold: Plants at Langstone South Moors which had been flowering on Oct 10 were flowering again on Dec 26

Common whitlowgrass (Erophila verna): My best find of the week was of this starting to flower in Havant on Dec 30. Last winter I did not see the first flowers until Jan 26 so this winter they are nearly a month early. To see them for yourself turn right from North Street in Havant into Waterloo Road just before entering the Rail Station forecourt, take the pavement on the north side and go past the first building (Morris Crocker offices) to their carpark entrance and then look along the base of the fenceline separating the pavement from the carpark - the flowers which I saw were near the foot of the second concrete fence post after the entrance.

Blackthorn: One bush already had flowers at the extreme east end of 'new' footpath connecting Southmoor Lane to the South Moors. The bush was in fact a little further east than where the path turns south and was on the north side

American Willowherb: A surprise find on Dec 26 was of one healthy plant with several flowers growing in the grounds of the Social Services building on the west side of the carpark on the Billy Trail immediately south of the East Street bridge in Havant. The plant may have ceased flowering but was just south of the parking ticket machine.

Hazel: The first catkins had started to open by Dec 26 on the tree overhanging the bus stop in the layby on the west side of the only road to Hayling (just south of the junction with Mill Lane at Langstone)

Grey Alder: By Dec 30 many catkins were open on a tree overhanging the entrance to the Prince George Street carpark which you pass when driving to the Waitrose underground carpark in Havant

Goat Willow: Two or three golden 'pussypaw' catkins were open on Dec 26 on a tree which overhangs the entrance to the South Moors nature reserve from Southmoor Lane in Havant (the tree is just outside the metal gate into the reserve)

Butcher's Broom: Brian Fellows and I have been discussing how to separate male and female plants of this strange plant (which often has hermaphrodite plants showing characteristics of both sexes - many male plant have a few female berries though a true female is normally covered with them). The best source of information that I have come across is a paper which can be downloaded as a pdf if you go to http://www.springerlink.com/content/n46pr12242117211/ (there is a download link below the main title of this paper).

(Skip to Endweek)

Slow-worm: A second-hand report of one seen outside the Westbourne Church Hall near Emsworth on Dec 27 does not mention the reptile's state of health. Normally the species would be in hibernation by now but it is possible that this one had not felt it was yet cold enough to hibernate and it might have been out seeking food (though the site given - outside the church hall - suggests it was in a tarmaced car parking area where it was perhaps more likely to have been left by a cat which had found it in hibernation, played with it as with a mouse caught as prey, and then left as inedible)

Fungi: Little of great interest this week but a find by Graeme Lyons is worth a mention. On Dec 30 he was in Staffordshire exploring Thor's cave in the Manifold valley and, when far enough in for no natural light to penetrate he came across a large and un-named fungus which you can see at http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dNhSDuv0sn8/Tv2iN4wv84I/AAAAAAAACLI/bcnOXRr6b6c/s1600/DSCN6670.JPG

My own New Year's Day finds:

Route was from central Havant west to Broadmarsh then east along the shore via Langstone, Emsworth and Thorney Island to Nutbourne before coming home along the A259

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(Skip to Insects)

Great Crested Grebe: After last week's report of a raft of 1484 birds off the Netherlands on Dec 14 the first reports of big numbers on this side of the Channel came this week with 550 off Dungeness on Dec 20 and 400 there next day.

Red Necked Grebe: One remains near the mouth of Chichester Harbour with sightings reported on Dec 10, 17, 21 and 22. Another is in the Studland Bay area of Dorset, last reported on Dec 22

Slavonian Grebe: Ten were present at Portscatho near Falmouth on Dec 20 and 2 were off Selsey Bill on Dec 18 with one seen nearby in Chichester Harbour on Dec 22 with a single off Lymington on three days this week

Black-necked Grebe: The group of 11 seen in Langstone Harbour from the Oysterbeds on Dec 17 were probably still there this week - I saw at least 4 from Budds Mound on Dec 20. The biggest reported count during the week was of 10 in Portland Harbour on Dec 21 with 8 in the Torbay area of Devon on Dec 21 but only 3 in the Studland Bay area on Dec 18

Shag: One or two are probably spending the winter in or near the entrance to Langstone Harbour but the last report I have seen was of one there on Dec 19

Cattle Egret: Last week it seemed that there were only two of these in Britain - one on Thorney Island and the other in Norfolk - but both may have moved this week. The Thorney bird has moved about 4km west to join the cattle on Warblington Farm between Havant and Emsworth (first spotted by Kevin Stouse leading a HOS walk party on Dec 18 and likely to stay for some time - last seen on Dec 23) while the Norfolk bird has not been reported but one did appear in Dorset (at East Holme near Wareham) on Dec 20

Glossy Ibis: Two have been in the Kent Stour valley since Dec 18 but it seems there are no others in southern England this week (not sure if any are lurking at Dungeness)

Spoonbill: A flock of 15 was still to be seen in Poole Harbour on Dec 18 but these seem to be the only ones in southern England

Bewick's Swan: The number at Slimbridge was up to 178 on Dec 23 with 6 at Harbridge near Ringwood and 7 by the River Adur in Sussex on Dec 22. A flock of 24 was on the Amberley Wild Brooks area south of Pulborough on Dec 19 and 21 but has not been reported since

Whitefront Goose: 161 were at Slimbridge on Dec 23

Red-breasted Goose: The Exe estuary bird was still there on Dec 22

Brant: Just two reports this week - one was at Weymouth (Littlesea area) on Dec 18 and the other was among Brent in the East Head carpark in Chichester Harbour on Dec 22. None have been reported in Langstone Harbour so far this winter.

Red Crested Pochard: Five were seen on the Blashford Lakes back on Nov 6 but apart from those this week has brought the first reports for the winter from the Wimborne area of Dorset (one on Dec 21) and Rye Harbour (two on Cstle Water on Dec 22)

Scaup: Two paid a fleeting visit to Budds Farm in Havant on Dec 19 and three were at Abbotsbury in Dorset on Dec 20 with one seen at Lodmoor (Weymouth) on Dec 22

Surf Scoter: The regular bird was at Dawlish Warren (Exe estuary) on Dec 22 while the other wintering bird was at Penzance that day

Smew: Dec 18 brought a surprise report of one (redhead) at the Blashford Lakes near Ringwood but there have been no other reports from there or anywhere other than the Dungeness/Rye Bay area which is as far west as they are normally seen nowadays

Rough Legged Buzzard: On Dec 19 Lee Evans told us that 15 of these young birds are still in the UK after a very successful breeding season in Europe/Asia. The Folkestone bird was still present on Dec 22 and the Burpham bird near Arundel was seen on Dec 21

Great Bustard: Two reports this week of a bird with a radio transmitter around its neck at sites close to Weymouth - a bird with a similar transmitter was reported at Langton Matravers near Swanage on Nov 21 and 22. No current reports of the bird tagged 06 which was near Thurlstone in south Devon from Nov 26 to Dec 2

Knot: There may have been a wave of new arrivals in southern England this week with a report of 1500 on the north Kent shore at Seasalter on Dec 21 co-onciding with an increase of numbers at Emsworth (16 seen at Nore Barn on Dec 20)

Black-tailed Godwit: These have been present in increasing numbers at Pulborough Brooks since Oct 30 when just 5 were present. The ten reports which I have picked up since then had reached a count of 63 on Dec 7 but shot up to around 140 on Dec 23. So far I have not seen any other reports from the inland sites such as Titchfield Haven and the lower Avon valley to which the birds generally move after Christmas.

Whimbrel: The wintering bird in the west of Chichester Harbour was seen again on Dec 22 in the old boating lake at North Common on Hayling Island (adjacent to Northney Marina). Ths Fishbourne Channel bird has not been reported since Nov 27

Ring-billed Gull: One seen at Radipole (Weymouth) on Dec 18 and 21. The Gosport bird has not been reported since Dec 17

Iceland Gull: One was seen near Lands End in Cornwall on Dec 16 and there was another sighting at Teignmouth (near Exmouth) in Devon on Dec 21 - is it fanciful to think these were the same bird heading east towards the Hamphire coast?

Guillemot: By Dec 23 more than 300 were on or near the breeding ledges at Durlston and most of the birds were acquiring breeding plumage - just one was in the Chichester Harbour entrance area on Dec 22 (two Razorbills were also there)

Yellow Browed Warbler: I was surprised to see in Lee Evans round-up of rare birds in the British Isles on Dec 19 that he was only aware one in the whole area

Hume's Leaf Warbler: The bird which has been in the Littlesea area of Weymouth since Nov 26 was trapped by a ringer on Dec 21 giving Martin Cade a chance to take a close up photo which appears on the Portland website above the Dec 21 entry.

Great Grey Shrike: A second bird reached Hampshire around Dec 18 to be seen on Half Moon Common (some 3 km north of Cadnam) and what was probably a third bird appeared in the Bishops Dyke area (between Beaulieu and Beaulieu Road station) on Dec 21

Hawfinch: 28 were seen leaving the Blackwater Arboretum in the New Forest on Dec 18 and on Dec 19 one was seen in an unexpected place (on Butser Hill near Petersfield). On Dec 22 two were back at a regular winter site at Mercer's Way in Romsey

Snow Bunting: A group of three which have been at East Head in Chichester from Nov 11 to Dec 22 (at least) made a very brief trip into Hampshire on Dec 21 when they landed on the causeway leading to Black Point and almost immediately flew back to East Head

Corn Bunting: A flock of more than 75 were still in the Burpham area of the Arun valley on Dec 21 where a large flock has been present since Oct 6

Lesser Kestrel: Late news of a male at Zennor in Cornwall on Nov 1 has only just been published - Lee Evans says it is only the second record for Cornwall after one in May 1968

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

No reports from anywhere this week

Butterflies:

Notable sightings this week:

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0819.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0998.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1157.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1631.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1638.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1775.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1799.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1862.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1923.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1932.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2092.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2187.php

This species was new to Britain when one was found at Dartford in Kent on November 8 this year so the current find at Sandwich was only the third for Britain - so far UK Moths and Hants Moths do not have entries for the species and Bradley and Fowler code 226A is merely one I made up to create an entry in my own database

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2441.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Welsh Poppy: a garden escape by the Billy Trail in the Langstone area seen on Dec 21

Common Fumitory: Still flowering by the new carparking bays on Budds Mound on Dec 20

Sweet Violet: A few still to be seen in St Faith's churchyard on Christmas Eve

Musk Mallow: Still flowering on Portsdown outside the Driving Test centre on Dec 22

Round-leaved Cranesbill: Also on Portsdown on Dec 22

Yellow-flowered Strawberry: One or two flowers still out in Juniper Square, Havant

Small Nettle: Still flowering on Budds Mound in Havant on Dec 20

Hybrid Water Speedwell: New flowers just opening in the water channel taking surplus water from the Bedhampton Springs into the Hermitage stream on Dec 21

(Skip to Endweek)

Common Seal: On Dec 17 twelve were seen hauled out on the mud of the Emsworth Channel in Chichester Harbour where it passes the southern part of Thorney Island. One was seen in Langstone Harbour entrance near the Hayling Ferry on Dec 21

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Red-throated Diver: We are again missing out on divers on our side of the Channel - 2 off Selsey and 2 off Portland plus 1 off Titchfield Haven summed up the sightings reported on the English shore this week while the French had 108 off Normandie on Dec 12 and 441 off Le Clipon near Dunkirk on Dec 17 (the total of reports from 7 French sites that day was 871 birds)

Black-throated Diver: We had more of these but only 5 at Selsey on Dec 13 with 12 at two Belgian sites on Dec 17

Great Northern Diver: This was our most numerous diver according to the reports I have picked up. On Dec 16 Dorset had a total of 12 (six of them in Weymouth Bay) while a single bird was in Langstone Harbour entrance channel on Dec 16 and 17 plus one at Sandy Point on Dec 17 and another single in Southampton Water throughout the week

Great Crested Grebe: 42 had been off the Brownwich Cliffs (west of Titchfield Haven) on Dec 10 but no English flocks were reported this week whereas a Netherlands site had 1484 on Dec 14 (increasing to a potential 2403 birds when adding the number reported at a second site)

Red-necked Grebe: Three reports of singles on our side of the Channel this week - one off Eastbourne on Dec 11, one off the mouth of Poole Harbour on Dec 14 and one at Sandy Point (Hayling Island) on Dec 17

Slavonian Grebe: 8 were off Pagham Harbour on Dec 10 when 1 was in the north of Langstone Harbour seen from Budds Mound and another was off Lymington. On Dec 13 four were at Stokes Bay (Gosport) with three singles at Dorset sites on Dec 14 plus 2 off Beer (East Devon just west of Lyme Regis in Dorset) on Dec 16 and an estimated 4 off Sandy Point (Hayling) on Dec 17

Black-necked Grebe: 12 were off the Hayling Oysterbeds on Dec 10 with 11 still there on Dec 17 but these were outnumbered by 49 in Studland Bay (near the mouth of Poole Harbour) on Dec 10 and by 38 in Carrick Roads at Falmouth that same day.

Manx Shearwater: A single out of season bird was off Portland on Dec 16 (no substantial numbers have been in the English Channel since the beginning of October and they are not expected back until March or April)

Cormorant: These are now acquiring breeding plumage and birds with 'judge's wigs' and white 'thigh roundels' have been seen at Emsworth this week. The grey head markings have once again raised the question as to whether grey headed birds are of the continental sub-species to which the answer is that they may be but the only sure way of separating the sub species is by observing the size and shape of the yellow 'gular patch' at the base of the bill (and even that test fails in a good percentage of the birds). See http://www.paxton-pits.org.uk/id.htm for the best account of how to separate the subspecies using a diagram at the bottom of that page. Reading this I learnt that the amount of grey on the head can increase with age but this applies to both subspecies and the grey still remains breeding plumage, not to be seen throughout the year as our age-related grey hair is. One point of difference that I have seen elsewhere is that continental birds favour inland tree nests whereas British birds prefer the sea cliffs but that, I think, is a matter of necessity as there are few available cliffs along the European north shore east of France and nowadays many British birds also fly inland to nest on trees or pylons.

Shag: One was back in the Langstone Harbour entrance on Dec 16 with two there on Dec 17 and these may be expected to remain in that area for the winter.

Great White Egret: Lee Evans, in his Dec 11 round up, told us that there were 15 of these birds in the UK as a whole and on Dec 15 Dungeness reported that their two birds had possibly become three with other south coast birds at the Blashford lakes in Hampshire and another at the Oare Marshes in north Kent

Glossy Ibis: The Christchurch Harbour bird has not been reported since Dec 6 and this week the only news (from the RBA website on Dec 16) was of two birds in the UK - one in Essex and one at Leighton Moss in Lancashire where it had arrived on Dec 13

Spoonbill: Just one report this week of 15 birds at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour on Dec 11

Bewick's Swan: New arrivals at Slimbridge increased the number there to 145 on Dec 17 while the group of 5 in the Blashford Lakes area near Ringwood were still there until Dec 16 (the absence of reports since then may mean they moved on to Slimbridge to help swell their Dec 17 total)

Black Brant: The first to be reported in Chichester or Langstone Harbours this winter was at West Wittering for the WeBS count on Dec 10 but has not been reported again this week.

Red Breasted Brent Goose: The young bird which arrived with Brent at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 18 was there until Oct 28 but then moved to the Exe estuary arriving there on Nov 7 after being seen at Weymouth and Abbotsbury on Oct 30 and 31. It has been in the Exe estuary until Dec 14 at least.

Ruddy Shelduck: The single bird which has been seen in Pagham, Langstone and Chichester Harbours since Oct 14 was last reported at Ella Nore (near West Wittering in Chichester Harbour) on Dec 10

Goosander: The number using the Blashford Lakes as their winter base and roost (many of them fly off each day to feed in smaller ponds in the New Forest and elsewhere) was up to 76 on Dec 1 and reached at least 98 on Dec 14

Common Crane: In his Dec 11 round up of UK bird news Lee Evans told us that he know of 31 Cranes in Norfolk, 8 in Cambridgeshire and 7 in Suffolk with others elsewhere and this week the 'others elsewhere' included a group of three moving around in Hampshire. On Dec 16 they were seen in the Test valley south of Mottisfont and on Dec 17 they were seen again in the Beaulieu area of the New Forest.

Avocet: By Dec 17 there were more than 450 in the Exe estuary and there have been sightings of smaller numbers at other sites - Langstone Harbour had 24 near Kendall's Wharf on Dec 17 and Christchurch Harbour had 6 on Dec 14 and 16

Whimbrel: Wintering birds have been reported since the end of October at Lymington, Eling (north end of Southampton Water) and at the Fishbourne Channel near Chichester but by far the most reliable place to see one seems to North Common at Northney on Hayling Island where one has been reported six times since the start of October in the old boating lake immediately east of the Northney Marina - it was last seen on Dec 17

Spotted Redshank: Since Nov 24 three of the sightings at Nore Barn on the Emsworth shore have been of 2 birds, the most recent being on Dec 13. 9 or 10 can still be expected on the Lymington shore and one was still at the Fishbourne Channel near Chichester on Dec 14

Little Gull: There are still plenty of these to be seen on the French side of the Channel - at Pointe de Hoc in Normandie there were 540 on Dec 11 and 4771 on Dec 12

Iceland Gull: What seems to be the first in southern England this winter was at Sennen in Cornwall on Dec 16. The first to reach the Netherland was there on Dec 4.

Little Auk: Among the birds still passing over England on their way south one was seen at Ttichfield Haven on Dec 11 when others were seen off Pagham Harbour and at Eastbourne

Swallow: A juvenile was still to be seen in the Thanet area of Kent on Dec 15 (I wonder if anyone is taking bets on a Christmas Day Swallow?)

Pied Wagtail: Two more roost sites were reported this week, both on Dec 15. One was of at least 100 birds at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings, the other of around 200 birds at Eastleigh airport (birds seen in the carpark at 6am warming up for a dawn take off)

Waxwing: Lee Evans Dec 11 round up of UK news mentions a flock of 70 somewhere in Suffolk but the only other report this week is of one bird at a Netherlands site on Dec 17

Chiffchaff: Brief song was heard from a bird in the Chandlers Ford area near Eastleigh on Dec 17

Brambling: No large flocks in south Hampshire so far but at least 3 were seen in the West Dean Woods near Chichester on Dec 10

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

Unsurprisingly none seen this week

Butterflies:

Moths:

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Walnut Orb Weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica): Richard Roebuck found three of these female spiders on Oak trees in the Henfield area on Dec 15 and his photo of one can be seen at http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.html after you have scrolled down past the initial barrage of adverts. Most of the large female orb web spiders that we see in autumn sunshine have now vanished, leaving their tiny spiderlings to wait for spring but Dick Jones says of this species that females (up to 14 mm long) can be found all year round concealed under the bark of trees and that the species is common everywhere. Further pictures and info can be found at http://www.eurospiders.com/Nuctenea_umbratica.htm It is also worth a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuctenea_umbratica which says that this spider's bite can cause a nasty itch.

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Lesser Celandine: I had already seen these in flower on Hayling as early as Nov 11 and subsequently seen one in Havant on Dec 7 but this week I saw them at two further sites on Dec 16 and 17. On Dec 16 the first flower was open on the bank of the Lymbourne stream just south of the A27 Havant bypass (and those at Bound Lane in Havant were still flowering). On Dec 17 I found another plant flowering in a Langstone garden

Pale Flax: Still flowering at Durlston on Dec 16

Ivy: Still flowering and attracting flies in the Hollybank Woods at Emsworth on Dec 17

Japanese Spindle (Euonymus japonicus): The hard cases which have been protecting the developing fruit of this plant began to split from Dec 10, revealing the colourful orange coloured arils (fruits)

(Skip to Endweek)

Common Starfish (Asterias rubens) and Common Cockles: The Rye Bay website marine section ( http://rxwildlife.org.uk/category/all-latest-news/other/ ) has entries by Barry Yates showing two results of recent storms which have washed up hundreds of marine creatures to the benefit of gulls and shorebirds

(Back to start of current week)

(Skip to previous week)

(Skip to Insects)

Great Crested Grebe: The first report for this winter of the usual flock in the Solent between Titchfield Haven and Warsash was of 42 off the Brownwich cliffs on Dec 10 but these cannot compete with the total of 1718 off the Netherlands on Nov 30 (down to 579 on Dec 10)

Red-necked Grebe: One has been just inside the mouth of Chichester Harbour from Dec 5 to 10 and other singles were off Pagham Harbour and Christchurch Harbour during the week while another has been in Torbay (Devon)

Slavonian Grebe: The usual winter flock off the mouth of Pagham Harbour has increased to 9 birds on Dec 9 when one was off East Head within Chichester Harbour and three more were off Lymington

Black-necked Grebe: The only reports this week have been of up to 8 in Torbay (Devon) but I suspect that up to 50 have been in Dorset waters at Studland and inside Poole Harbour. None have been reported in Langstone Harbour since Nov 13. In Cornwall there were 38 in Carrick Roads at Falmouth on Dec 10

Great White Egret: Cuckmere Haven near Beachy Head was a new site for this species when one (possibly two) were seen there on Dec 3

Bewick's Swan: The Slimbridge website mentioned that 65 were there on Nov 25 but the species is not mentioned again until Dec 10 when 101 were present (with ten having arrived on the previous night). At Pulborough Brooks a party of six arrived, exhausted by flying into headwinds, and they were still there on Dec 10

Ruddy Shelduck: A bird seen at Ella Nore near West Wittering in Chichester Harbour on Dec 10 may be the bird that was seen in Pagham and Langstone Harbours, and then several times in the Nutbourne/Bosham area, between Oct 14 and 29

Blue-winged Teal: One was in the Scillies between Sep 18 and Nov 27 but then seems to have moved to Bournemouth where it was seen on the Longham Lakes from Dec 3 to 8 at least

Ferruginous Duck: A 'genuine' male was at the Fishlake Meadows in Romsey on Dec 4 while a hybrid was on the Longham Lakes north of Bournemouth on both Dec 3 and 4. No further mentions of the hybrid 'Fudge Duck' at the Budds Farm pools in Havant since Nov 30

Scaup: One was on the Longham Lakes on Dec 3 and a Lesser Scaup was reported by the RBA site to have arrived at a Somerset site on Dec 9

Eider: The first report of a flock (25 birds) off Titchfield Haven this winter came on Dec 9 (up to 55 have been in the west Solent off Lymington, reported on Nov 17)

Smew: One arrived at Dungeness on Oct 25 and three were there on Dec 2 but a report of 2 redheads on Castle Water at Rye Harbour suggests that more have arrived (another two were reported in the Netherlands on Dec 8)

Rough-legged Buzzard: On Dec 5 there were definitely two together at Burpham near Arundel and at least one was still there on Dec 9 but the bird which arrived at Folkestone on Nov 1 has not been seen since Dec 2

Woodcock: These continue to arrive on our south coast in ons and twos (e.g.singles at Dungeness on Dec 2 and 6) but an influx of more than 20 to the Scillies on Dec 4 was unusual

Black-tailed Godwit: The number at Pulborough Brooks was up to 63 on Dec 7 but I have not yet seen any reports of them in the Hampshire Avon Valley nor at Ttichfield Haven in the last couple of months.

Whimbrel: A wintering bird has been seen at Northney on Hayling Island on Oct 2, Nov 4, 6, 13 and Dec 9 - I think it is usually seen in the old boating lake (its walls laong ago breached by the sea) at North Common

Spotted Redshank: One (occasionally two) continue to appear fairly regularly at Nore Barn (Emsworth) by the stream which runs into the Harbour east of the wood but the news this week is that the number of birds on the Lymington Marshes reached 10 this week on Dec 7

Pomarine Skua: A surge of these has been off the near continent this week with a peak of 255 off the Netherlands on Dec 4, 156 on Dec 5 and 65 on Dec 7

Little Gull: Another spate of these brought 2031 off the Pointe de hoc in Normandie onDec 10

Iceland Gull: This week hs brought the first reports of this species for the current winter. Singles were seen at different Netherlands sites on Dec 4 and 9 with one off the Yorkshire coast on Dec 5

Glaucous Gull: Two were in the Sangatte area near Calais on Dec 9 and two were off the Yorkshire coast on Dec 10 (one had been seen there on Dec 5

Sandwich Tern: 17 were seen together in Chichester Harbour on Dec 3 while on Dec 6 there were still 220 on the Normandie coast across the Channel

Auks: On Dec 4 one Netherlands site had 6278 mixed Guillemot and Razorbill and adding the numbers from seven other nearby sites would give a total of 18,261 birds

Black Guillemot: Singles had been seen of Portland on Oct 30 and Nov 5 with another there on Dec 10

Little Auk: Flamborough Head in Yorkshire reported 115 on Dec 10 and other counts from nine other sites gave a total of 203. Locally one was at Titchfield Haven on Dec 11 when another flew south past the mouth of Pagham Harbour heading for Selsey.

Puffin: Flamborough also recorded 30 Puffins on Dec 10

Short-eared Owl: Top scoring sites this week have been Beeding Brooks on the R Arun in West Sussex on Dec 3, Waltham Brooks on the Arun near Pulborough with 5 on Dec 5, the Whitsbury area just north of Fordingbridge with 4 on Dec 3 when Farlington Marshes had 2.

Swallow: Singles were seen on Dec 7 in the Thanet area of Kent and at Bude in Cornwall and there was another sighting at Bude on Dec 9

Waxwing: Three birds were seen near an East Grinstead housing estate by the A264 east of Crawley on Dec 6

Wheatear: One was still present at Seaton in Devon on Dec 8

Ring Ouzel: Still at least two at Penzance on Dec 6

Fieldfare: I broke my duck with a single at Farlington Marshes on Dec 5 (my first single Redwing was with it!)

Garden Warbler: The bird which was in a Penzance (Cornwall) garden on Nov 30 was seen again on Dec 5

Great Tit: One was singing at Durlston on Dec 6 and I heard one in Havant on Dec 10

Crossbill: A party of five including two males were seen in Stansted Forest on Dec 10 (probably in the Larch plantations west of the Forestside road)

Snow Bunting: Three were still at East Head in Chichester Harbour on Dec 4 and two were at Widewater (Lancing near Worthing) on Dec 5 while one was well inland at Cadman's Pool near Fritham in the New Forest on Dec 6

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

Species reported this week:

Butterflies:

Species reported this week:

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/0998.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1398.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1760.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1799.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1862.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1933.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2107.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2258.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2259.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2306.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2441.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Lesser Celandine: After seeing a dozen plants flowering beside Bound Lane on Hayling back on Nov 15 (reported there on Nov 11) I found a single bright flower in Havant outside the Eastern Road cemetery on Dec 7

Common Dog Violet: Reported flowering in the Rye Bay area on Dec 4

Sweet Violet: Still flowering at St Faiths Church in Havant

White Campion: Flowering at Broadmarsh on Dec 5

Dyers Greenweed: Flowering in the Rye Bay area on Dec 4

Common Vetch: Flowering on the Langstone South Moors shore on Nov 28

White Melilot: Still flowering at Broadmarsh on Dec 5

Dog Rose: Last report was from Thorney Island on Dec 3

Spurge Laurel: Starting to flower at Seddlescombe in the Hastings area on Dec 4

Wild Primrose: These were out in force on the Isle of Wight back on Nov 27 and more were seen in the Rye Bay area onn Dec 4

Cowslip: What was probably a cultivated species (which flowers earlier than the wild ones - but not this early!) was flowering in a Waterlooville garden on Dec 5

Wall Germander: Flowering in the Rye Bay area on Dec 4

Orchid leaves: What I think were the leaves of both Bee and Pyramidal orchid were to be seen at several points beside the Havant to Portsmouth cycleway where it passes the Chalkdock area of Langstone Harbour on Dec 5

(Skip to Endweek)

Fungi:

(Skip to previous week)

(Skip to Insects)

Great Crested Grebe: The biggest flock of these as also on the sea off The Hague with 951 reported off De Vulkaan on Nov 30

Slavonian Grebe: A traditional winter site for these is off the mouth of Pagham Harbour and 11 had been there on Nov 26 but only 3 were there on Dec 2. This week's hotspot for them on our south coast was the West Solent with 4 off Lymington on Dec 2. Runner up was the Broadmarsh area of Langstone Harbour with 2 seen on Nov 30

Black-necked Grebe: The total in Studland Bay plus the adjacent part of Poole Harbour was up to 49 on Nov 29 but the only report from the Solent Harbours this week was of 3 in the Fareham Creek area of Portsmouth Harbour

Shag: Since one was seen inside the mouth of Langstone Harbour on Nov 7 there have been no further reports from that area and this week's news is of 25 on the sea off Christchurch Harbour (probably local birds that breed on the Isle of Wight)

Cattle Egret: Lee Evans latest bulletin on Nov 30 said there were two of these in Britain, one of them being the bird at Thornham Marshes on Thorney Island

Great White Egret: Birds remain at the Blashford Lakes and at Dungeness but there has also been a small flurry of reports from new sites this week. One flyng over the West Moors area of Dorset on Nov 30 could have been the Blashford bird taking a day trip (it was back at Blashford on Dec 3) but it may have been part of an influx as on Nov 30 the RBA daily bulletin reported a total of 15 birds in Britain. Dec 2 brought a report of one in a sheep field at Barnham (north of Bognor Regis) and Dec 3 brought news of one over the M27 just west of Southampton and another (maybe the same) at Titchfield Haven

Bewick's Swan: No big movements but on Dec 3 a party of 5 (including one juvenile) turned up at the Blashford Lakes near Ringwood, hopefully to remain in the Ibsley area through the winter as a token remnant of the regular flock that used to spend the winter there (182 were there in the 1989/90 winter)

Brent Goose: The presence of some 600 birds feeding on the Warblington Farm fields between Langstone and Emsworth on Dec 2 marked a new stage in the winter routine of these local birds

Shelduck: Another sign of the progress of winter in the Langstone area was the sight of 18 Shelduck visible from the Ship Inn at Langstone on Dec 3 (in past winters the count from here has usually risen to around 100 in January)

Pintail: There are plenty of these now in southern England (e.g. 110 at Pulborough Brooks on Dec 2) but the sight of the first four back on the Emsworth shore on Nov 30 was another local milestone

Fudge Duck (Pochard x Ferruginous hybrid): Martin Gillingham was the first to report the return of this regular winter visitor to Budds Farm pools on Nov 18 and Martin saw the bird again when he visited the pools on Nov 30

Surf Scoter: The bird which flew west through the west Solent and Poole Harbour on Nov 21 seems to have ended up at Polzeath (near Wadebridge and Padstow on the north coast of Cornwall) where one was seen on Dec 3

Smew: The number at Dungeness RSPB on Dec 2 had risen to 3

Red-breasted Merganser: A flock of 16 were fishing off Langstone village on Dec 3 while a total of 78 could be seen in Langstone Harbour from the Milton shore on Nov 27

Goosander: The roost flock at the Blashford Lakes near Ringwood was up to 76 on Dec 1

White-tailed Sea Eagle: A sighting of one at Eemshaven on the Netherlands coast where it meets the German border near Emden could be an indication of one heading our way. Last winter's local bird which was in the New Milton area of Hampshire through January and then in the Basingstoke area from Feb 23 to Mar 13 eventually got cold feet about crossing the North Sea when it reached the Norfolk coast at the beginning of April and settled down in Lincolnshire until the beginning of August. There was one final report of it over Tangmere near Chichester on Aug 18 but there has been no news of it since then though there have been eight reports of the species on the near continent

Rough-legged Buzzard: The bird in the Arun valley near Burpham was still around on Dec 2 though it was only one of 12 that Lee Evans told us were in Britain on Nov 30

Osprey: I thought the report of one still in Bedfordshire on Nov 16 would be the last for the year but on Dec 2 one was seen flying north west over the Tesco store at Kingsbridge on the southernmost tip of Devon. With such a mild winter could that have been the first spring arrival in Britain? (not serious)

Avocet: The only report I have picked up this week is of 18 at Farlington Marshes on Dec 2, increasing to 19 on Dec 3

Golden Plover: A flock of 200 was on Gander Down (Cheesefoot Head area east of Winchester) on Nov 27 and 100 were at the Bunny Meadows along the River Hamble just upstream of Warsash on Nov 29 but I personally was pleased to see just 22 on the mud east of Langstone village on Dec 3

Purple Sandpiper: The number at Southsea Castle was up to 10 on Dec 1 but other reports this week include 20 at Christchurch Harbour on Nov 29 and 29 at Penzance in Cornwall on Dec 2

Black-tailed Godwit: Recent rain may have encouraged some to move inland to feed on worms in wet grassland and this is reflected in counts at Pulborough Brooks of 21 on Nov 30 and 28 on Dec 2. There had been 20 there on Nov 15 but prior to that the highest count there this autumn was 6

Spotted Redshank: The single bird which frequents the Nore Barn stream at Emsworth was joined by a second bird twice this week

Grey Phalarope: 7 were present in Britain on Nov 25 and the total in Britain and the near continent may have been 18 on Nov 27. Two were reported on Dec 2

Black-headed Gull: Several of these now have almost complete 'black heads' as they grow their spring plumage

Sandwich Tern: More than usual seem to be wintering in the Solent Harbours this year and on Dec 3 a flock of 17 were seen together inside the mouth of Chichester Harbour

Little Auk: A count of 164 at Flamborough Head in Yorkshire on Nov 28 dropped to just 6 there on Nov 29

Short-eared Owls: The bonanza of these continues and on Nov 27 two more were seen coming in off the sea at Rye Harbour. On Dec 2 Brian Fellows watched one hunting by day over the Eames Farm fields west of the road to Thorney village and north of the Great Deeps on Thorney Island. Also on Dec 2 one was hunting Farlington Marshes and was still there on Dec 3 having been joined by a second bird. Also on Dec 3 the group at Waltham Brooks at Pulborough had increased to 5. Several sites have now reported 5 Owls hunting together but the target to beat remains the 6 at Barnham Levels (north of Bognor) on Nov 22

Common Swift: One was over the Scillies on Nov 22 and another was seen at Truro in Cornwall on Nov 25

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: On Dec 1 one was drumming (and seen well) at Bramshill Plantation near Fleet in north Hampshire

Swallow: 5 were at Folkestone on Nov 25 and there were singles in Devon on Nov 27, in Cornwall on Dec 1 and at Portland on Dec 2

House Martin: The last report I know of was of one over the North Foreland in Kent on Nov 26

Waxwing: Three reports this week, all from the north of England. On Nov 28 a flock of 31 were in the Bradford area of Yorkshire, on Nov 30 just 1 was at Bolton in Lancs, and on Dec 2 two were seen near Halifax in Yorkshire

Garden Warbler: A report of one in a Penzance garden on Nov 30 suggests that others may also have stayed on as a result of mild weather

Blackcap: Four reports of these newly seen in gardens show that the winter birds from central Europe have definitely arrived. More than one report mentions them feeding on apples but the Lewes garden which attracted most (3 males plus 3 females) had a grapevine with grapes on offer as their food

Great Grey Shrike: One has been in the Burley/Ringwood area of the New Forest for some time but on Dec 3 another turned up on Half Moon Common between Cadnam and West Wellow to the north. On Nov 25 the RBA News had reports of 10 birds in the UK

Reed Bunting: Of local interest only a group of four were seen in the southeast shore field of Warblington farm on Dec 2

(Skip to Plants)

Dragonflies:

Species reported this week:

Butterflies:

Species reported this week:

Moths:

Selected sightings this week:

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1932.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1933.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/1984.php

For the HantsMoths info go to http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/2187.php

Other Insects:

Selected sightings this week:

Stag Beetle larva: When chopping wood for the fire at his home on Portsdown on Dec 2 John Goodspeed found at least one of these larvae but does not say whether it survived the chop!

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Field Pennycress: I thought this had been eliminated from the Juniper Square site in Havant where I found a mass of flowering and seeding plants on Feb 28 this year but two or three plants were once again flowering there on Dec 2

Violets: Sweet Violets were flowering in Havant and Emsworth this week while Dog Violets were among a list of species still flowering at Rye Harbour and thereabouts on Dec 4 (see http://rxwildlife.org.uk/category/all-latest-news/plants/ entry for Dec 4)

Small-flowered Cranesbill: Still flowering in Juniper Square at Havant on Dec 2

Cherry Plum blossom: Reported to be out in a Seagull Lane garden at Emsworth on Nov 30

Dog Rose: Still bearing a few flowers at coastal sites around Havant and Emsworth up to Dec 3 at least

Cow Parsley: Four fresh plants were flowering close to Warblington Farm on Dec 2

Wild Primrose: Brian Fellows found a cluster of these flowering at Walter's Copse at Newtown on the Isle of Wight on Nov 27 and they were also seen in the Rye Harbour area on Dec 4

Common Broomrape: A very unexpected find flowering in an Emsworth garden on Nov 28

Common Teazel: Several freshly flowering plants were found in the Broadmarsh area at Havant on Nov 24 and more were seen near Rye Harbour on Dec 4

Cultivated Daffodils: Some plants growing as a crop in fields in the Posbrook area near Titchfield were already starting to flower on Nov 30

(Skip to Endweek)

Hare: The Havant Wildlife Group saw one on Dec 3 in the fields north of Woodlands Lane (which runs from the east end of Stansted East Park to Walderton)

After writing the above summary I found that Brian Fellows had updated his Emsworth Wildlife website with news and a photo of a very colourful fungal find made today (Dec 4) at Brook Meadow - see http://www.emsworthwildlife.hampshire.org.uk/0-0-222-wood-blewitt-sglp-bm-04.12.11.jpg I have only seen the photo but I will suggest to him that bright Amethyst colour of the caps looks much more like that of an Amethyst Deceiver than of any Blewitt (these can be brightly coloured below but not on the cap). See http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/laccaria-amethystina.php for a typical picture of the Deceiver and for a good example of a Wood Blewitt see http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/lepista-nuda.php or for Field Blewitt see http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/lepista-saeva.php Having spoken to Brian he says he has other photos which look much more like what I think of as a Wood Blewitt and that he will add one to his website so see http://www.emsworthwildlife.hampshire.org.uk/0-0-0-wildlife-diary.htm before making up your mind!