Titchfield Canal

Last weekend i had the pleasure of taking the car for an MOT.  MOTs are usually a concerning matter but i had a hunch it would be OK and it also meant i could go for an amble along the old Titchfield canal.  I have been taking the car(s) to Titchfield for a few years now which means i can spend a bit of time birding and taking photographs (weather, subjects and capabilities permitting.)  How far i wander depends on how much the car needs mending.  On a bad day i can get to Hill Head walk around the reserve and have a coffee - this has been known! 

If you know the path and have ambled in Autumn, Winter or early Spring you know Wellies or waterproof walking boots are an almost neccesity.  i don't possess the former and have considered purchasuing some just for this MOT walk as i curse my stupidity as i slip and slid amidst massive, deep muddy puddles! 

This time however it was glorious.  Just a profusion of green foliage amidst the sunshine , stream full of trout of all sizes, butterflies, riverside flowers and birdsong everywhere.  As the terrain, shrubbery and trees changed so did the birdsong and sights.  In the space of two hours i saw a huge variety of birds including a peregrine falcon (first for me here) storming north through the skies heading up through the valley.  It is a fantastic walk, if you are into that sort of thing and birding the walk in late Spring up to Hill Head will provide masses of different birds native and migrant, hirudines, swifts, passerines, waders you name it! 

lesser whitethroat

It was good to hear sedge, cetti's and reed warbler within the space of 100yds and i had a great session stalking and phtographing a lesser whitethroat.  Swifts, swallows and house martins swooping, aerobatically in the blue sky above the fields.  Further along a blackcap belted out a song high up in an old oak matched only by an obliging wren that was seriously giving it some from an exposed branch.  No rarities of course just a fantastic summery walk amidst top wildlife. 

Eggscellent

Friday 28th May
Cycle ride starts tomorrow.  Looking forward to it actually - should be great fun plus great scenery hopefully the hills aren't too bad and the weather holds.  Will post all details of course.  Did final training ride the other night - circling the island and climbing Portsdown Hill on the worst road.  Can't do anymore so just hope that will do.

Where i work in the countryside a lot of the children in my class keep chickens.  I get a good deal on proper organic free range eggs.  One child likes to suprise me everytime i open the box.  Makes me smile anyway - especially when i smash their little heads in....the eggs i mean!

Mole hills

Sunday 23rd May

Been a productive weekend coupled with great weather.  Jacob, Sophie and I went Staunton Country Park yesterday - an overpriced petting zoo in the middle of an awful housing estate - Leigh Park.  The boy enjoyed it and we have always been curious to see what it is like.  The old walled Victorian garden and greenhouse was pretty cool and Jacob was intrigued by the peacocks. 

Took the long route back via the back roads north of Chichester - a useful reckie for the training ride i did today.  When we returned we managed to get a great deal on Soph's MTB that wasn't being used.  Shame - nice bike but she has exchanged it for a hybrid which is great for around town and easy tracks like Hayling Billy or New Forest trails - and the boy's seat on the back is much better.  So she is happy and the bike has been used a couple of times already and will be going to France!

Got on the bike this morning and headed for the hills.  Great training ride for the Exeter weekend with fantastic weather and a Spiritualized soundtrack on the ipod pushing me on.  At times, when it was obvious i was miles from lots of cars and noise i turned off the music and just listened to the sound of the countryside.  Concentrating mailny on task but did see swallows, swift, common whitethroat and other more common native woodland birds.  Did however come across this poor unfortunate creature who i couldn't resist photographing risking life and limb in the process but it is my nod to 'Brunelli.

 

It is not often you come across moles and definitely not on the top of hills in the South Downs near Locksash Farm spreadeagled.  Notice the fly?


So the journey.  Southsea to Havant via eastern road and Farlington.  Through Leigh Park (nr Firkham Hall) up to Rowlands Castle.  Up Forestside and down at scarey difficult to break speeds to West Marsden. Up to Locksash then back round to Funtingdon then Stoke for lunch and some Bluebells.

Crossed over a congested A27, took some photos feeling smug looking down on the lines of backed up traffic - why would you want to be stuck in a car on a day like today?  Down to Fishbourne and then all the way along the old A27 route through Nutbourne, Westbourne, Emsworth etc... to Havant then down to Hayling Island and the Billy trail.  Down to past the Oysterbeds - stopped to look at the nesting common terns - no sign of little terns anymore.  Carried on down to seafront and along to the ferry.  Cross to Eastney - ride along the seafront, dodging the people walking in the new cycle lane and back home to find fledge starlings, blackbirds and blue tits in our garden.  They chose a nice weekend for it!


41.64 miles
Avg speed 10.5 mph
Max speed 28.8 mph (cacking it)
Time 3hrs 55mins 35 seconds

The day after...

Sunday 16th May

Won't harp on too much about my FA Cup final sourjourn yesterday but needless to say was very proud of the team and Avram Grant. They could possibly have been 5-0 at half time but for David James and the woodwork but they weren't. The longer the game went on the better the chance we had and if it weren't for a soft penalty miss/save we could have done it - we did Tottingham in the same manner. But it wasn't to be, with heads held high we returned home safe in the knowledge that the fans won the day, Avram won the day and the players didn't let us down (apart from Boateng!) God knows what the future will bring.

Haven't done much in the way of birding recently. Last week of April, which was fantastic weather-wise, got me up Old Winchester Hill to see my first red kite of the year as well as yellowhammer and finally swift (April 29th). Many had been seen in the county and along the south coast but mainly in small groups. Swallows back in Droxford mid April.

Came out of work on May 5th to see swifts swooping all around. Got back to Southsea to find our swifts around too....closely monitored by a peregrine falcon. Needless to say the weather has been cold since and now very wet. Poor birds. Haven't seen them much guess they are high up or back on the continent for some warmer weather for a bit.

Most of the New Forest Sloe Gin has been bottled up from last October and is tasting good. Will take a wee bit on bike ride to Exeter.

Bike ride to Exeter is just about sorted. Route has been experly organised and data entered into GPS, campsites booked (using the blag 'It's for charity' to get privileges reference campsites now means some of us are now doing it for charity, namely Naomi House)

http://www.naomihouse.org.uk/

Rack and panniers work really well and kit is sorted. Doing a bit of training but nothing will prepare us for the ups and downs of the Dorset coast. Hopefully headwinds will be minimal.

Sylvia Undata

April 24th & 25th

Started digging up and re-designing the bottom end of our garden I knew we had foxes in our garden and we have seen up to 3 at a time. I saw them next door skulking around the undergrowth and in the shade of the trees, more of that another time. They had also been digging up holes in the long strip of moss, straggly grass and the odd weed we like to call our lawn. However i was quite surprised at how big a hole/den one had made under a pile of bricks at the far end of the garden.

Whilst clearing the rotten wood and bricks (which will go back in some form or other) i came across two frogs. At the height of the pond's sexual frenzy we had twelve. I like to think the other ten climbed up the ivy and into P & G's pond creating all the tadpoles in their pond this year.

Early start (4:30am) heading off to Portland again Sunday morning. The previous evening's weather seemed favourable but i was concerned about the predicted mist and fog but it's always worth a shot in the springtime. Got there just in time to see a tree pipit in hand and then later a lesser whitethroat and female pied flycatcher. Pretty quiet on the Bill saw a few swallows, one wheatear, 15 whimbrel, a pied wag attacking its reflection in the window of a hut, lots of willow/chiffs. Then the mist rolled in and i decided to leave. Stopped in at Burley, New Forest but one stop down from where Soph and i looked last time. After patience and listening out for the distinctive calls i finally tracked down (and photographed - albeit poorly) a dartford warbler!

tree pipit lesser whitethroat

dartford warbler, Picket post, New Forest.

Appalling quality of pictures this weekend - i blame the subject, lighting and equipment!

Returned the clock Pete had been cleaning up to mum and Barry including the fully restored dial Jeanne Bailey hand painted. They were extremely pleased with their 'new clock' and finding out more about its history.

No swifts yet.

Continental Travel Contact MTB tyres

Friday 23rd April
Got in a bit of training last night and cycled from my house to Percy's the long way round. 15 miles- ish in total - 75mins not bad going, helped though by some slicker tyres. I actually feel like i am moving rather than the big tractor tyres i had sticking to the tarmac! Cycling along the paths beside Alverstoke creek i saw my first Bat of the year.

It was my 41st in the holidays and i was given a book containing the work of the photographer Giacomo Brunelli. I saw his work in the photographer's gallery, London and immediately was hooked by his style, subject matter and presentation. If i had the money i'd buy a print or two...

http://www.giacomobrunelli.com/pictures.html

I understand birders can have lists of all types. Year lists, county lists, patch lists, UK list , life list, work list, garden list etc... I have a vague recollection of what has visited our garden...which isn't a huge amount being a long terraced garden in the city but we have had some birds of note, especially with the winter weather bringing in fieldfare and redwing. This week we had a couple of fly overs of note, a heron flying extremely low until it was mobbed by a herring gull and a pair of displaying sparrowhawk.

Daytrip to Portland

April 13th

Having dipped out on the Hoopoe three times last week i hoped to be luckier this time...but no sign reported by Martin. The weather was again fine but the birding side was pretty quiet. Saw a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins early on which made for a change.

Bottle-nose dolphins, Portland Bill.

Then decided to venture round the top fields and came across white and yellow wagtail. My hunch the yellow that Peter Morgan had seen fly over the obs paid off as i know there are horses and cattle up there. Lucky really. Tick for the white wag though...always good to add to list. Just good to see more wheatear and swallows as they just don't come in our way like they do in Portland. See my not so great picture on the obs website here...

http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/aa_latestnews.htm

Also view Martin's great pictures (per se) of ring ouzel at Barlycrates (which i always venture down but didn't bother on this occasion - i know it was a different day but they have been there in numbers) Still can't grumble - was happy with my lot.

Redstart wing feather detail 'Is it a 5 or a 6?'

White and yellow wagtail in top fields, Portland.

Finally, whilst walking back to culverwell i came across a pair of skylark having a dust bath. One flew off but i had good views of the other. Normally i see skylarks high in the sky (ascending or descending) or up close on springwatch with a camera up it's beak! This was more fun!

Skylark, path from Top field to culverwell.

Blashford and Burley

April 12th

Went with Sophie to visit Blashford Lakes. Had great views of the sand martins using the man made nests over the hide and also little-ringed plover again. Brambling at woodland hide.

Sand martin and brambling at Blashford lakes.

Moved on to try and find dartford warblers at Burley but none surfaced. Will try again later in summer. Had fine lunch at the Red Lion, Boldre but couldn't find The Turfcutter's Arms.

Post FA cup semi-final wanderings.

Tuesday 13th April

Still amazed how we (Portsmouth FC) got through to the final against Chelsea but we the fans and the team deserved it! After all the rubbish that has gone on this season it is consolation (and more the sweeter we dumped Redknapp and his millionaire turncoats out of the cup) for being relegated.

Took a stroll round Farlington today. Not much about. Three remaining brent geese and mine first sedge warblers. No wheatear but a couple of swallows and a whimbrel.

The marigold a few houses along is flowering nicely, people often stop and take photos, so i thought i'd join them! There are a few around the streets of Portsmouth but the one in our street had a heavily protected collared dove nesting in it. The owners built a crude but effective method of stopping predators getting to nest.

Portland, Dorset

April 8th

Another fine day but the birding was slower due to overnight conditions. One of the first birds ringed however, was a firecrest. Fantastic to see up close although my photos don't really do it justice.

Firecrest freshly ringed in Obs garden

Did get to see a few more swallows, wheatear, blackcap and redstart but nothing like yesterday. Must say had a great time staying at Obs due to the weather, the good 'fall' of the commoner migrants and the fact that i didn't have to drive everyday. Met some nice people and did alot of walking. All good!

On way home stopped off at Blashford Lakes to look at the sand martins and their new man-made home and had good views of little-ringed plover (on eggs), lapwing making a scrape and a common sandpiper close to the hide.

Common Sandpiper, Blashford Lakes.

Lapwing making scrape, Blashford Lakes.

In the beginning...

Portland, Dorset

6-8th April 2010

Spent a few days at Portland Bird Obs last week. Witnessed, as Martin (Cade) explained, '...one of the last of the 'winter' sunrises before the sun starts to rise from behind the distant Purbeck coast (St Alban's Head, in the distance, is a tiny bit north of due east from the Bill and 29 kms away)...' The significance of this is that i will be cycling to these hills and on to Exeter in just six weeks time!

6th April

Early start, getting to the obs from Southsea by 6:30a.m. Glorious day but relatively slow birding for Portland. This is however different for me as i don't get to see the migrants as early, in as many numbers and basically due to being busy with work. I was happy and besides if the birding is slow then Portland offers stunning scenery, especially when sunny. Saw first willow warbler, chiffchaff and blackcap of the year. Went to Lodmoor as things were slow and saw first swallows of the year as well as singles of sandwich tern, reed bunting and cetti's warbler. When i got back to the obs and ventured round huts and took photos of a chiffchaff fluttering on the ground unperturbed by me. Pleasant evening talking to Peter Morgan, Ruth and Kevin(?) and Richard Ford and witnessed the (or a) little owl calling from the top of the telegraph poles in the dusk.

chiffchaff

April 7th

Glorious day and exciting as it was as in Peter's words 'the best day of spring so far'. Haven't been lucky in my visits to Portland to witness a decent 'fall' of migrants so seeing the bushes full of birds was very satisfying. Highlights were a decent view of a grasshopper warbler, black redstart, pied flycatcher and first whitethroat of the year. Amazing to see the willow warblers hungrily feeding unfazed by humans with big camera lenses. The bill ended up being filled with 'grockles' so not many birds down there but did get good views of redstart and wheatear.

Redstart at the bill before the masses arrive. Later a redstart and pied flycatcher were ringed at the obs.

Obliging willow warbler in the bushes near the huts