Back to .... Homepage LOCAL WILDLIFE DIARY - 2009 This is a personal diary of recent wildlife news and observations, mainly from Emsworth and the local area. Included are links to selected wildlife photos. Click on link to see photo and use your back button to return to this page. DIARY ARCHIVES . . . December 2009 . . . November 2009 . . . October 1-15, 2009 . . . October 16-31, 2009 September 2009 . . . August 2009 . . . July 2009. . . . June 1-15, 2009 . . . June 16-30, 2009 May 1-15, 2009 . . .May 16-31, 2009 . . . April 2009 . . . March 2009 . . . February 2009   Wildlife photo archive . . . External link to a selection of wildlife photos from 2005-2007  . . . SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7 BROOK MEADOW I went over to the meadow this morning mainly to take photos of the work session by the conservation group. Birds There was plenty of bird song, including Chaffinch at the end of Seagull Lane. Others heard: Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Stock Dove, Greenfinch, Wren, Song Thrush. Carrion Crows and Magpies were very noisy on the east side of Brook Meadow. Plants Primroses are in flower in the usual place on the river bank along the north path of Brook Meadow. Snowdrops are also in flower on the east bank of the Lumley Stream along Lumley Road. I had a good look for Lesser Celandines, but no sign of any as yet. Fungi One of the jobs was to move some old logs from one place to another. On the logs were some interesting fungi and lichen. Of the fungi we could identify were Jelly Ear and Candle Snuff Fungus, the latter being a new addition to the Brook Meadow list. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6 EMSWORTH Emsworth Harbour I had a look around the harbour on a low but rising tide from 11:30 to 12:30 this morning. Starting from the millpond wall, I spotted an un-ringed Greenshank feeding in the low water channel near the quay along with 3 Grey Plover and 2 Redshank. Several Oystercatchers and 3 Turnstones were on the mudflats, but there were no Black-tailed Godwits. In the main harbour I counted 70 Lapwing roosting on the saltmarshes near the marina entrance, not common, but I have seen them before at this location. Two pairs of Gadwall (male and female) feeding in the main channel were unusual. I have seen Gadwall in the harbour before, but not for a very long time and they are not in my records. There were also three other ducks waddling around on the saltmarshes which could have been female Gadwall. A solitary Canada Goose was on the saltmarshes and about 20 Shelduck further down the channel. But there was no sign of any Brent Geese today. Apart from the usual Wigeon and Teal the mudflats to the west of the town were largely deserted. However, looking back across the harbour towards Thorney Island I noticed a flock waders coming down onto the mudflats. They were certainly not Dunlin and my guess is that they were Knot, though I could not see them clearly enough to confirm this. I would estimate there were at least 300. There were over 400 Knot on the western mudflats for a few days during the cold spell in early January.   MARSH TIT OR BLACKCAP? Philip Warren e-mailed me about the Marsh Tit in his garden which he told me about on Feb 2. The bird came again today and this time stayed longer allowing he and his wife, Dot, to get a better look at it through binoculars and take some photos. This left them in serious doubt as to the bird's identity, ie that it was probably a Blackcap and not a Marsh Tit. In fact, there was a male Blackcap in my garden when I got back home after meeting Pip on Feb 2 and I did wonder at the time if this is what he saw and not a Marsh Tit. Philip's photos clearly showed a male Blackcap on the feeder, which clears up that little mystery.   HAYLING BILLY LINE Heather Mills sent me the following report on this morning's walk by the Havant Wildlife Group along the Hayling Billy Line: "Before I make a start on the report of the walk, it has been quickly decided that we change next Saturday's walk, and in place have chosen FARM LANE NUTBOURNE. Mainly due to the very wet and muddy conditions that we should encounter next week. 12 members met today on a very dull morning to walk the Hayling Billy from the south of Hayling. Walking northwards from the car park we had greenfinch calling from the local trees,and a good selection of great-tits and blue, followed by a green woodpecker and buzzard shortly afterwards in the fields to the right of the path, and 4 redwing. Further up the track there was a very good flock of approx 50 linnet together with a few pied wagtails. More redwing were seen later further away. We progressed to the small copse with lots of water and crossed the field to the seaward side to look for waders. Nothing unusual with a good number of Brent on the mud. At this junction Chris told us that many years previous her father had always had a cuckoo in this spot. The Butchers Broom did have a few flowers. Also Chris had seen lots of primroses in her childhood, which sadly do not show now. After our usual coffee stop we walked nearer to the Oyster beds. Mergansers and I think, Black necked grebe, 17 in total were seen out in the harbour, along with 11 Goldeneye. The reason I think BN grebe is because of their behaviour. All diving and surfacing in close proximity. Little grebes do not seem to be so close together and are much dumpier in the water. Buckthorn leaves showing, but not many flowers other than the gorse. John left the main group to walk back home, the rest of us retraced our steps on the main billy line this time. Skylark singing, in the sunshine. " WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3 NUTBOURNE I had a look at Nutbourne Bay at the end of Farm Lane on a wet and misty morning. I arrived at about 11:00 with the tide rising to high water at 14:15. As usual, there was a large gathering of Wigeon and Teal on the water with about 12 Pintail mixed in among them. I also counted 22 Shelduck, but there was not a single Brent Goose anywhere. Where have they gone? The regular colour-ringed Greenshank GY+GY was present in the stream, but no sign of any Black-tailed Godwits. The stars of the show were 13 Avocets which were busily feeding in the shallow water their characteristic sweeping fashion.   COLOUR-RINGED GREY PLOVER I have just heard from Pete Potts about the colour-ringed Grey Plover that I saw at Black Point on Saturday 30 January. I was not sure about the colour-ring combination of this bird at the time. Pete confirmed it as W//RB+R (W on left tibia and red over blue on the left tarsus, with red on the right tarsus). Great record he said! It was ringed on 21/01/01 as an adult at Sinah, Hayling Island. Pete saw it at Kench on 14/11/09 but more interestingly it was seen and photographed at Bembridge IOW on 06/12/09. I shall keep a look out for it in the future. It was only the second colour-ringed Grey Plover I have ever seen! One can just see part of the blue ring in my photo, but it is mostly submerged in water. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2 EMSWORTH Waysides news I went into Johnson and Wood to inquire about the ownership of the area of grassland immediately behind their offices, which would make a very nice wayside wild area. Grid Ref: SU 7497 0599. I was told that it was owned by the Baptist Church, who may have plans for its development. I shall need to check with Gavid Gillett who manages the church affairs. Marsh Tits in garden While walking along Western Parade towards Nore Barn I met up with Pip Warren, whom I knew both from Portsmouth University and recently from his work with Fair Trade in the Emsworth Pastoral Centre. Anyway, Pip told me some very interesting news, that they had seen a pair of Marsh Tits on the feeders in their garden at Denvilles in Havant. He was fairly sure they were Marsh Tits (or even Willow Tits!) and not Coal Tits, which he is familiar with. Marsh Tit with black cap, white cheeks and small black bib (like a Charlie Chaplin moustache) I was surprised as I had never heard of Marsh Tits being reported in gardens. However, I checked with the British Trust for Ornithology which indicated that though Marsh Tits are most commonly found in open woodland and parkland, they also use gardens. Marsh Tit is ranked 38th in the Garden Birdwatch Scheme for the first quarter of 2010, having been reported in 3.3% of gardens. In fact, they could well be higher up the table if the total is combined with the Marsh Tit/Willow Tit reports of 1.5%. Interestingly, this year's reporting rate is much higher than the average rate of 2% for this quarter, This probably reflects the harsh winter we have been having. The BTO location map for Marsh Tit records shows a distinct clustering of records in the South of England. BTO site go to . . . . http://blx1.bto.org/gbw-dailyresults/results/gbwrt2010-13-20.html NOTE: Pip Warren subsequently e-mailed me on Feb 2 to say the bird came again and stayed longer allowing him and his wife, Dot, to get a better look at it through binoculars and take some photos. This left them in serious doubt as to the bird's identity, that it was probably a Blackcap and not a Marsh Tit. In fact, there was a male Blackcap in my garden when I got back home after meeting Pip on the Western Parade path and I did wonder at the time if this is what he saw and not a Marsh Tit. Pip's photos clearly showed a male Blackcap on the feeder, which clears up that little mystery. See Pip's photo on Feb 6.   Nore Barn I got to Nore Barn at about 11:45 when the tide was already well in with a high spring tide of 4.9 expected at 13:30. The small stream was filling up fast, but the Spotted Redshank was feeding happily in the shallow water with an unringed Greenshank (its regular companion) and a Little Egret. I walked round the woods and got back to the stream at 12 noon just in time to see two dogs dash into the water. The Greenshank and the Little Egret flew off, but the Spotted Redshank stood its ground even when one of the dogs approached to within 6 feet. I watched it feeding almost beneath the small bridge and took a few photos, not that I really need them, but I just can't help it! Dogs coming out of the stream at Nore Barn with the Spotted Redshank remaining unfazed   Front view of the Spotted Redshank showing its distinctive facial pattern MONDAY FEBRUARY 1 EMSWORTH Emsworth Millpond is partly frozen over again. No change in the bird situation. The large gathering of Coot were milling around beneath the quay as usual. What is the attraction I wonder? As far as food is concerned they get very little there and would be better off on the millpond itself. This photo shows the Coot immediately beneath the quay. There were more in the main harbour.   I heard my first Chaffinch song of the year from a tall Horse Chestnut tree in the front garden of Constant Springs along Lumley Road. It may have been a first winter bird as the song was rather sketchy. I heard my first one last year on 12-Feb-09. Snowdrops were flowering in The Rookery. I had a quick walk through Hollybank Woods this afternoon. The woods were very quiet but for a few Jays and Tits feeding in the trees. I went across the road into Southleigh Forest where I found lots of Hazel and Birch catkins. Some of the Hazel were open. WILDLIFE SUMMARY FOR WEEKS 3-4 Jan 18-31, 2010 Harbour news The wintering flock of 100+ Coot continue to gather in Emsworth Harbour beneath the quay. What attracts them there, I wonder? However, they pale into insignificance beside the huge collection of 1,318 Coot that Lee Evans counted on Chichester Gravel Pits in the past week. Lee went onto Budds Farm mound from which vantage point he counted an astonishing 330 Shelduck in Langstone Harbour plus 24 Goldeneye and a Velvet Scoter. Jason Crook reports 35 Avocet on Farlington Marshes. Some also at Nutbourne, maybe? Black-tailed Godwits have deserted our local harbours in favour of Pagham Harbour. Jim Weston estimated there were 1,400 on the flooded fields to the north of the harbour on Jan 30. I counted 140 Ringed Plover at Black Point on Hayling Island during my WeBS on Jan 30. Tony Wootton went on the solar powered boat cruise around Chichester Harbour on Jan 24 and got some terrific photos, including one of a Black-necked Grebe and another of a flock of Grey Plover in flight. Tony's photos are on my web site for Jan 24. Ralph Hollins reports there are 22 Black-necked Grebe in Langstone Harbour. On Jan 26 I spoke to a chap from Poole on the outer millpond wall who was doing a survey (not sure who for) of disturbance to harbour birds by people and dogs. There was certainly not much disturbance there, but I suggested he might have more joy at Nore Barn.  Garden bids After all the excitement of the influx of Fieldfare and Redwing during the wintery period, garden birdwatching is now back to its prosaic self. 2009 was a very poor year for most of my garden birds with Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Greenfinch all at record low levels. However, Goldfinches continue to delight, but what wasteful eaters they are! Thankfully, other birds, such as, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove and Woodpigeon perform a decent clearing up job. I was particularly pleased to see a Coal Tit nipping to and from the bird table, but far too quickly for a photo. Patrick Murphy had a good range of visitors to his garden in the past week, including Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tits, male Bullfinch and both male and female Blackcaps, in addition to the usual Robin, Great Tits and Blue Tits. Patrick got a fine photo of the female Blackcap which is on my web site for Jan 29.  Other bird news Last year's Sparrowhawk nest is showing well at the top of a tall Oak tree in the SW corner of Nore Barn Woods. On Jan 29 I was lucky to see a female Sparrowhawk fly into the nest, where it remained for about 3 minutes before flying off in a northerly direction. Nest prospecting, hopefully? I was standing on the shore at Nore Barn hoping for the Spotted Redshank, when I heard the distinct sharp 'chu-wit' and the bird landed in the shallow water not more than 6 feet from where I was standing. I watched it for the next 20 minutes or so as it wandered around, occasionally pecking at some food morsel in the water. A couple passing were astonished to learn that this rare wintering bird had fed in this very spot for the past 5 years. What an amazing bird! Little Egrets are also amazing birds, though we hardly give them a second glance these days. However, Patrick Murphy was interested to see one resting in a tree opposite the gasometer on Brook Meadow on Jan 31. Egrets, of course, do roost in trees, sometimes in considerable numbers, particularly at night. To continue the amazing birds theme, Patrick also saw a Kingfisher on one of the small posts on Peter Pond, but the bird flew before Patrick could get his camera fired up.  Spring is coming? The birds are singing, well, at least most of them are. Butterflies have been seen - Small White and Peacock are out! And plants are flowering. Hazel catkins have been hanging from the bushes for some while. In fact Ralph Hollins saw the first as early as Dec 19 in Langstone. Snowdrops are also opening up; I had the pleasure of seeing a fine display at Kingston Church, near Lewes today. Are there any yet in Emsworth? Ralph Hollins has seen Lesser Celandine flowers in Havant and a single Early Dog Violet flower was out in his Havant garden on Jan 26, which was the first for the year. At Nore Barn west of Emsworth the Blackthorn bushes, which had flowers before Christmas, still have three flowers visible despite the frost and snow. SATURDAY JANUARY 30 WEBS COUNT I carried out the monthly WeBS count this morning for South Hayling area. High water was at 11:07 with height of 4.8. 10:15 - Hayling Island Sailing Club bay. Brent Goose 38 10:25 - 10:40 Black Point. Black Point spit was very nearly covered with water when I arrived, with the waders jostling for position on the ever diminishing shingle. The Ringed Plovers were mostly on the sandy beach and remained unmoved in one tight group. Many of the Dunlin and Sanderling left with the rising tide, but most of the others had moved onto the beach. Counts: Oystercatcher 52, Grey Plover 26, Dunlin 120, Ringed Plover 140, Sanderling 16, Turnstone 2. COLOUR-RINGED GREY PLOVER There was a colour-ringed Grey Plover on the spit. I was not sure about the colour-ring combination, but Pete Potts subsequently confirmed it as W//RB+R (W on left tibia and red over blue on the left tarsus, with red on the right tarsus). Great record he said! It was ringed on 21/01/01 as an adult at Sinah, Hayling Island. Pete saw it at Kench on 14/11/09 but more interestingly it was seen and photographed at Bembridge IOW on 06/12/09. I shall keep a look out for it in the future. It was only the second colour-ringed Grey Plover I have ever seen! One can just see part of the blue ring in my photo, but it is mostly submerged in water.   10:50 - 11:10 Lakeside Fishery Creek: Mute Swan 3, Brent Goose 72. A person passing by told me he had seen a Barn Owl flying here one evening this week. Lakeside Lake: Mallard 75, Tufted Duck 16, Coot 36, Moorhen 4. 11:10 - 11:30 - Mengham There was no sign of the island at the end of Seaview Road. Brent Goose 11, Shelduck 10 were on the water. Cormorant 2 were on posts. Brent Goose 80 were on the water off Mengham Sailing Club. Total counts Cormorant 2, Mute Swan 3, Brent Goose 201, Shelduck 10, Mallard 75, Tufted Duck 16, Coot 36, Moorhen 4, Oystercatcher 52, Grey Plover 26, Dunlin 120, Ringed Plover 140, Sanderling 16, Turnstone 2. FRIDAY JANUARY 29 EMSWORTH Nore Barn I watched what I thought was a juvenile Dunnock feeding in the reeds. Knightly, Madge and Nurney 'Pocket Guide to Birds' says the juvenile has pale eyebrows, rather like the one in my photo. However, Ralph Hollins queried my identification of the Dunnock as a juvenile, since this would mean they were breeding in the winter! After consulting BWP, I now am firmly convinced that the Nore Barn bird was not a juvenile, but a spring adult with worn plumage. Walking through the woods, I happened to look up at the Sparrowhawk nest only to see what I think, from its size, was a female Sparrowhawk fly into the nest. It remained there for about 3 minutes before flying off in a northerly direction. This presumably was one of the pair that nested here last year - possibly prospecting the nest for the coming season. With high water was 10:16 and a height of 4.6, the tide was still well in at 12 noon, filling the small stream at Nore Barn. There was no sign of the Spotted Redshank, but as I was standing on the shore, I heard the distinct sharp 'chu-wit' and the bird landed in the shallow water not more than 6 feet from where I was standing.   I watched it for the next 20 minutes or so as it wandered around, occasionally pecking at some food morsel in the water. What an amazing bird! A man and lady also stopped to watch the bird and they were astonished to learn that this was a fairly rare bird which had fed in this very spot for the past 5 winters. GARDEN BIRDS After the excitement of the influx of Fieldfare and Redwing during the wintery period, garden birdwatching is now back to its prosiac self. Goldfinches continue to dominate the feeders in my garden, but what wasteful eaters they are! Thankfully, other birds, such as, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove and Woodpigeon perform a decent clearing up job. I was particularly pleased to see a Coal Tit nipping to and from the bird table, far too quick for a photo. Patrick Murphy had a good range of visitors to his garden in the past week, including Greenfinch, Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tits, male Bullfinch, male and female Blackcaps, in addition to the usual Robin, Great Tits and Blue Tits. Patrick managed to get a photo of the female Blackcap. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 26 EMSWORTH Emsworth Millpond There were 33 Tufted Duck on the millpond this morning. A good number but did not beat the record 38 on Jan 3. A Cormorant in breeding plumage (grey head and white thigh patch) was resting on the raft near the slipper sailing club building. Emsworth Harbour An unringed Greenshank was feeding in the town channel near the quay with a Redshank. The regular colour-ringed Greenshank Y+NB was feeding in the channel near the Emsworth Sailing Club building. Bird disturbance survey I spoke to a chap on the outer millpond wall who had a scope and large notepad. His name was Nick and was from Poole. He was interested in colour-ringed birds and we had a chat about the various ringing schemes. He sometimes gets colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits in Poole Harbour. Nick was actually engaged in a paid survey (not sure who for) of the disturbance of birds feeding in the harbour by people and dogs. He agreed the birds in Emsworth Harbour, mainly Brent Geese, were not at all disturbed by people walking past. He said this was in contrast to Poole Harbour where the geese were very timid. Nore Barn An unringed Greenshank was feeding in the stream, but no sign of the Spotted Redshank. Hundreds of Wigeon and Teal were scattered along the channel south of the woods. I found just 3 flowers on the Blackthorn along the shore south of the woods. Last year's Sparrowhawk nest is showing well at the top of a tall Oak tree (where the Sweet Violets used to grow) in the SW corner of Nore Barn Woods. I heard a bird calling in the western area of the woods which reminded me of the peeping call of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but I think it was more likely to have been one of the tits, as I did see Long-tailed Tits and Great Tit in the area. MONDAY JANUARY 25 EMSWORTH An unringed Greenshank was feeding in the low water channel to the east of the town, along with a Redshank and a Grey Plover. No sign of any Black-tailed Godwits anywhere. Not much else either. I had a look at the red berried tree outside house No 6 in Valetta Park where Waxwings were seen earlier in the year. It still has plenty of red berries, despite the attentions of the Fieldfare and Redwing over the past few weeks. Clearly, the tree is not a Crab, like the one in Lumley Road, as the fruits have a single hard nut inside. It is presumably a Cherry of some sort. SUNDAY JANUARY 24 HEDGEROW SURVEY This morning I agreed to give Caroline French a hand with a hedgerow survey she was doing as part of her college conservation course. We had a look at the hedges beside the old ERA track to the north of Thorney Island, but they were not very promising, mainly comprising Bramble which was not classified as a hedgerow plant for the purposes of the survey. The hedges alongside the public footpath through the old Marina Farm were more suitable. We found lots of Hawthorn, Elder, Dog Rose and Wild Privet, along with a few Holly trees and an Ash. However, I was forced to give up after an hour as I was feeling incredibly cold, having failed to wear enough clothes for the chilly weather. Sorry, Caroline!   BROOK MEADOW I had a late afternoon walk through Brook Meadow where I noticed the Hazel catkins on the river bank and in the north eastern plantation, but as yet unopened. As usual, Ralph Hollins reported the first open catkins of the year on the tree overhanging the bus stop in the main road layby near the junction of Mill Lane with the main road at Langstone as early as Dec 19. I could just make out the first pussy willow catkins starting to emerge on the Goat Willows in the Lumley Road copse area. I met Gavin Miller from Slipper Millpond while walking though the meadow. Gavin spotted a Kestrel flying across the meadow and perching at the top of some tall trees near the Lumley Stream. We were both amazed at the deep red hue of the bird's breast, bathed by rays from the low winter sun.   SOLOR POWERED BOAT CRUISE Tony Wootton took some superb photos during a solar powered boat cruise around Chichester Harbour on Jan 24. These included a Black-necked Grebe and a flock of Grey Plover in flight.   SATURDAY JANUARY 23 STOUGHTON DOWN Havant Wildlife Group walk report from Heather Mills: Quick note to tell you about today's walk at Stoughton. Weather cold dull but dry. 9 members attended and walked east after watching 2 buzzards soaring from the car park, through the woods up to crosspaths leading to Kingley vale. Taking a northerly path along to Bow Hill. At the crosspaths we turned right and looked at Redwing, and seeing & hearing Bullfinch, Marsh tits and Goldcrest. At Tansley stone we took our coffee stop listening to a few bullfinch calling. Suddenly a very pale bird shot out of the Yews facing us. I immediately said Barn owl, but as it gave us a wonderful second look darting in & out of the trees it turned out to be a male Hen Harrier. A lovely spectacle for us all to see, as it hunted in & over the trees going West. We made our way back down to the footpath parallel to the one we came up and two foxes came through the woods and gave us good sightings of their lovely bushy brooms. Also seen were several fungi the best being bright orange and the previously named "Jews ear." Two Fallow and footprints of badger and a herd of deer. Gorse in flower, honeysuckle new leaves and one ragwort in flower. Many branches snapped off due to weight of previous snow. THURSDAY JANUARY 21 EMSWORTH I spent this morning taking photos of the conservation work session on Brook Meadow. I noticed that the leaves of Italian Lords-and-Ladies (Arum italicum ssp italicum) were showing well on the river bank in Palmer's Road Copse. I found six plants here last year on 16-Feb-09. So maybe there are more lurking around? BEWICK'S SWAN DECLINE The current issue of 'Waterlife' the magazine of the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust (Jan-Mar 2010) reports a decline of 40% in the Western population of Bewick Swans since the mid 1990s. The population is now back to what it was in the mid 1980s. Weather conditions and illegal hunting are probably part of the problem. However, most Bewicks migrate east from their Siberian breeding grounds to winter in China and Japan, a fact I was not aware of. The European wintering population is about 20,000 while 80,000 or more are thought to go eastwards to China, with another 1,500 or so wintering in the Crimea. Clearly, it is possible that some of the missing western population are going east. So the WWT are now working with China to monitor the wintering Bewicks there. This shows the danger of jumping to conclusions about the state of any bird population from our own national perspective. Locally, the Hampshire Bird Report for 2008 reported a continuing decline in the wintering flock in the Avon Valley from 45 in 1999-2000 to just 10 in 2007-08. GODWIT NEWS Ralph Hollins reported on Jan 17 there were around 750 Black-tailed Godwits at the Pagham North Walls area and 'several hundred' still at Titchfield Haven (where 496 had arrived on Jan 16). The only other current report is of some 40 in the Lymington area on Jan 19. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 20 WARBLINGTON BRENTS Anne de Potier said the Brent Geese on Warblington Farm she reported on Jan 17 have moved to the northern part of H23D, SU732058. She saw them this lunchtime from the layby near the junction of the A259 and A27, just east of the lane to Warblington church. They were mostly near the northern part of the field, but they've not eaten much so could spread out. Anne saw a few there on 30 Dec, but that's the only time this season. It's young cereal. Just to clarify, Anne is using the field numbers from the HWT survey of use of fields by geese/waders. The HWT lettering does not correspond with the field lettering that Ralph Hollins uses on his web site. Here is Ralph's map from his web site. The Brents today were in field B. On Jan 17 they were in field T. MONDAY JANUARY 18 EMSWORTH The town millpond was largely free of ice today. I counted 36 Tufted Duck, just 4 fewer than the 38 that were there on Jan 3. Another 8 Tufted Duck were still on the Slipper Millpond along with 2 Little Grebes. Birds heard singing this morning included Song Thrush, Woodpigeon and Stock Dove. WILDLIFE SUMMARY FOR WEEKS 1-2, Jan 4-17 2010 Fieldfare and Redwing What an exciting time we have had over the past couple of weeks, great for birdwatchers, but not so great for the birds, which must have suffered quite badly. The snow and cold weather produced an unprecedented influx of Fieldfares and Redwings to our area. They were absolutely everywhere, in parks, streets, gardens, the lot. It was like a winter version of the Painted Lady invasion! I had never seen anything like it in my 42 years living in Emsworth. Tony Wootton and Jill Stanley had 50 Fieldfare and Redwing on the berried trees outside their houses, and the Cherry Crab in Lumley Road was also rapidly plundered of its fruit. Sadly, they have now all gone with the snow, hopefully to return one day! Garden birds As the big freeze tightened its grip on the country, so lots of birds came into gardens looking for food. Some, like Goldfinches and Tits hang on the feeders, while others, such as Chaffinches and Robin prefer the table or the ground. I had a regular Fieldfare, which liked apples, though it was a nuisance at times, driving off other birds. My favourite was a male Blackcap, which came every day to feed on the apples that I had stuck on a tree, and sometimes on the fat I had smeared on the bark. It was still there today! I also seemed to be feeding the entire local Woodpigeon population at times! Caroline French had some special birds in her north Emsworth garden in Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and two Reed Buntings! On one occasion, Caroline saw the Pied Wagtail with a huge caterpillar, which it bashed on the grass many times, trying to break it into edible-sized chunks. In the end it swallowed the caterpillar whole, with difficulty. She thought that would keep it going for quite some time but it was back on the lawn a couple of minutes later, looking for more food! Insatiable! Harbour news The freezing weather brought an exceptional flock of around 500 Knot onto the western mudflats for a few days last week, far more than I have ever seen before in Emsworth. Black-tailed Godwits also came back, including two which were colour-ringed in Kent, though I think they have returned to the fields. Large numbers of Wigeon and Teal gathered in the channels around Nore Barn, along with a few Pintail. The Spotted Redshank appears to have been unaffected by the bad weather and still turns up regularly in the small stream at Nore Barn. Coot numbers continue to grow in the main harbour; I counted a record 111 on Jan 16. Early results from the Brent Goose Breeding Productivity Survey indicate another poor year for them with the proportion of juveniles to adults less than 2%. However, Brents are long lived birds and a few bad years are not a disaster. The last bumper year was 2005. Millpond news With the town millpond largely frozen over, most of the birds clustered together in area near the bridge. Some Tufted Duck migrated to the unfrozen Slipper Millpond, much to the delight of Brendan Gibb-Gray who is currently laid up with an injured leg. A Cormorant in summer plumage, with grey head and white thigh patches, was on the large raft in early January. I had a look at Emsworth marina from time to time, vaguely hoping for something special, like a Smew or a Scaup, that we used to get in cold weather in the 'good old days', but no luck. However, the Bearded Tits have been showing well in the Thorney Little Deeps reedbeds, where Tony Wootton got some great snaps on Jan 7. Starling roost Walking down the Havant Road yesterday afternoon, I watched a pre roost flock of around 500 Starlings swirling around in the sky behind the Brookfield Hotel, with the flock constantly swelling as more and more birds joined in. It was not quite in the Brighton West Pier league, but it was fascinating nevertheless. To get a closer look, I made my way up Nore Crescent, where I met some local ladies who confirmed that the Starlings roosted in a tall ivy covered tree behind house No. 36 each night, with much chattering and murmuring before they settled down. Quite a local attraction, I gather. Other news Yet more fresh Molehills were pushing up through the snow on Brook Meadow, as the poor Moles had to dig ever deeper in their search for worms. I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in Stansted Forest on Jan 4. Caroline and Ray French were at Farlington Marshes today and saw 32 Avocets, 7 Goldeneye and displaying Red Breasted Mergansers. Brent Geese are returning to feed on the fields after the end of the big freeze. Anne de Potier saw 500 on Warblington Farm yesterday. I saw about 500 on Southsea Cricket Field today. SUNDAY JANUARY 17 BRENT GEESE Warblington Farm Yesterday, when I was at Nore Barn at about 3.30pm, I spotted a large flock of Brent Geese coming down onto the fields on Warblington Farm. Anne de Potier was also there a bit later at 4.30 and confirmed that about 550 Brent Geese were on the fields at H23E. More precisely they were close by the north side of the east-west hedge that divides the big field from the two little ones. They had to be at the edge as the middle had all been eaten earlier. Anne saw them through the hedge from the south side, on the seabank near the SE corner of the SSSI field. She doubts they would have been visible from the FP to the north because of the lie of the land. Southsea This morning, Jean and I had a walk along the prom from Eastney to Southsea. A flock of around 500 Brent Geese were feeding on the Southsea Cricket Field, the first I have seen there this winter. When we returned about an hour later the geese had moved to the grass area in front of what used to be the marine barracks, now converted into private homes.   FARLINGTON MARSHES Caroline and Ray French had a walk around Farlington Marshes, the highlights being 32 Avocets, 7 Goldeneye and displaying Red Breasted Mergansers. Very little in the way of small passerines though a few Redwings were still around. SATURDAY JANUARY 16 EMSWORTH I had an afternoon walk from home to Nore Barn and back via the Havant Road. Emsworth Millpond 24 Tufted Duck were on the town millpond where the ice has largely melted. Emsworth Harbour 93 Coot were in the main harbour near the quay, plus another 18 to the west of the Emsworth Sailing Club building, making a grand total of 111 which is a new record for Emsworth Harbour. There was no sign of the Knot on the western harbour. The regular Spotted Redshank was feeding on the shore at Nore Barn. Warblington Farm I walked back up the public footpath from Nore Barn Woods to Havant Road hoping for the Barn Owl that I saw here Dec 27. There was no sign of it, though at 3.30 I was probably a bit early for it. I did see one of the Buzzards that now live on Warblington Farm. Warning. This path is a running stream in parts. Starling roost Walking back along the Havant Road I was interested to see a pre roost flock of around 500 Starlings swirling around behind the Brookfield Hotel. The flock gradually built up in numbers as smaller groups joined in. I walked up Nore Crescent where I saw the Starlings resting briefly in a tall ivy covered tree behind house number 36. I spoke to three ladies who lived in the crescent and they confirmed the Starlings well known in the local area and did roost in this tall tree. They told me the Starlings were new to the area this year. A Blackbird was singing in Nore Crescent. FRIDAY JANUARY 15 BRENT GOOSE SURVEY I sent my Brent Goose Breeding Productivity date to Ed Rowsell of the Chichester Harbour Conservancy who is responsible for co-ordinating the counts in Chichester Harbour. I aged a total of 1644 Brent Geese, mainly in Chichester Harbour but for one flock on the Tangier Road refuge in Portsmouth. I found 60 juveniles with the following brood sizes: 2 of 5, 3 of 4, 5 of 3, 9 of 2 and 5 of 1. The proportion of juveniles to adults was 3.65%. Ed Rowsell's summary: The overall % from the 3 datasets submitted is 2.74%, for a total of 4703 birds aged only 129 were juveniles. This breaks down to BF 3.6%, EU 1.56%, SY 1.63% and my 18.85%. Barry hasn't sent his yet but told me his counts where less the 2% juveniles. My data is heavilly skewed as expected by the areas and small numbers that I covered. Around the office we tend to get small family groups. The same applies to my own data which were mostly from small flocks around the shores, apart from one group of 950 at Mengham. Also, 23 of my 60 juveniles were seen on the Tangier Road Brent Goose Refuge in Portsmouth. Without those, my juvenile percent comes down to 2.75%. THURSDAY JANUARY 14 GARDEN BIRDS I spent a good time today watching the birds in the garden as I have done for the past few days. Although the weather is now much warmer and the snow is melting, there has not been much change in the birds coming in for food. However, saying that, the Fieldfare which was so dominant yesterday has not been around so much, though it did spend some time this afternoon, feeding on apples on the ground. I did not see any Redwing. The male Blackcap has been eating the apples on the tree again, as well as taking chopped peanuts from the bird table. All the other birds have been coming and going much the same as before. I have even seen the Coal Tit, which was not here yesterday, on the feeders with the Blue Tits and the Great Tit. No real change in the ground feeders either with Chaffinches flitting around for much of the day and 6 fat Woodpigeons parking themselves on the ground for half and hour. Caroline French had fewer birds in her back garden when she returned from work today, but she did have another new bird to add to her garden bird list, namely two Reed Buntings, one of which came down onto the ground to feed on seed. She still has a Meadow Pipit in the front garden, which has been there since Sunday. The BTO Garden BirdWatch records over the last few weeks show a move of Reed Buntings into gardens much earlier than usual, something that reflects the snow cover preventing access to farmland seed resources. This increase in garden use is very pronounced, even though only a small number of gardens are involved. Those gardens visited are predominantly rural in nature and surrounded by farmland. http://www.bto.org/gbw/news/cold_weather/reed_bunting.htm   EMSWORTH I got out for a brief walk this afternoon during which I had a good view of a Kingfisher on the reeds to the north of Peter Pond. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 13 GARDEN BIRDS Again, I have spent most of today indoors with a cold, so my observations have been largely confined to the birds I can see from my back window, which overlooks the garden. However, I have not felt at all deprived, as the garden is such a great entertainment at present, with a constant presence of birds, coming and going, throughout the day. A Fieldfare has certainly been the dominant garden bird today, being almost permanently stationed in the cherry tree, imperiously overlooking its territory, and chasing off Blackbirds and the occasional Redwing. It largely ignored the smaller birds and the larger birds. This is the first day it has behaved like this in my garden, though other people have remarked on the Fieldfare's aggressiveness towards other birds. The male Blackcap has also been almost permanently parked on the half apples hanging in the cherry tree, which I have had to renew. The Fieldfare has also discovered the apples for the first time, probably copying the Blackcap   Four Starlings continue to enjoy the melted fat ball that I caked onto the trunk of the cherry tree, but surprisingly they rarely go onto the ground for the seeds. I never get the large flocks of up to 70 birds that used to descend onto the garden. The feeders have been dominated by the usual 6 or so Goldfinches, with occasional visits from a pair of Blue Tit, Great Tit and two Greenfinches. I have not see the Coal Tit, which was here yesterday. Interestingly, I saw the Blue Tit pair making visits to the nest box on the shed wall, like they often do in the spring. Surely, they are not nest prospecting? Maybe they roost in there? Up to 6 Chaffinches are ever present on the ground and scrambling around in the bushes, but their numbers are well down on what they were a week ago - indicating mortality? One or two House Sparrows are usually with the Chaffinch flock. A Robin has also been scuttling around, making brief visits to the bird table, but I have not see a Dunnock for a while. I appear to be keeping the local Woodpigeon population alive; there were 7 on the ground again today feeding on the seeds and chopped peanuts. They outnumbered the Collared Doves, which have been surprisingly scarce during this wintery spell of weather. Black-headed Gulls are always flying around the houses, on the look out for scraps. They have never ventured down onto the ground in my garden, though today I did see a couple of birds swoop down briefly. They did not actually land, but were close enough to put them on my garden bird list! I have been expecting been expecting Little Egret and Kingfisher on the back wall, but there has been no sign of them as yet. Surprisingly, I have not seen a Magpie during this cold spell. Caroline French told me she'd had a Meadow Pipit visiting her front garden since Sunday afternoon, not a bird I have ever seen or would expect to see, in my garden, though one never knows in this weather. Caroline also gets Mistle Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker, which I have not seen in my garden for a very long time, though Caroline does live fairly close to Hollybank Woods. TUESDAY JANUARY 12 GARDEN BIRDS We have had a bonanza of birds in the garden today, with birds fying around and feeding all day. I recorded a total of 18 species recorded. The following photos were taken through the back window with my Panasonic Lumic FZ5 at x12 zoom. Two Redwing were present in the garden, mainly interested in the Honeysuckle berries.   I also saw a Fieldfare from time to time, though I did not see it feeding.   A male Blackcap was another ever present, mostly feeding on the half apples hanging from the tree   The Redwing were regularly chased off by what I assume is the resident pair of Blackbirds. There was no aggressive interaction between the Blackcap and other birds. Blue Tit and Great Tit were also regularly on the feeders along with a Coal Tit, which I had not seen in the garden for several weeks. Six Goldfinches and 2 Greenfinches were on the feeders for most of the day with about 6 Chaffinches on the ground and around the bushes. Seven fat Woodpigeons were feeding on the seeds on the ground from time to time. Unusually, I only saw two Collared Doves. MONDAY JANUARY 11 EMSWORTH Brook Meadow I saw 4 Fieldfare and a Redwing searching for berries on Brook Meadow this morning, but there are not many left. There were very few red fruits left on the Crab Apple tree in Lumley Road and only one Fieldfare was feeding there. I counted 24 fresh Molehills in the snow on the meadow, indicating the continued activity of Moles searching for worms. Slipper Millpond The Tufted Duck flock was up to 14 on Slipper Millpond. Emsworth Harbour The regular colour-ringed Greenshank Y+NB was feeding in the small stream to the east of the Emsworth Sailing Club building. The flock of about 450 Knot were scattered across the mudflats to the west of Emsworth. Dudley Hird thinks they could be from Kent and he urges us to check colour rings and flags. I had a look through the flock today, but did not see any. I counted 27 Black-tailed Godwits, but no colour-ringed birds today. Three Pintail (2 males and a female) were at Nore Barn along with the regular gathering of Wigeon and Teal The usual Spotted Redshank was feeding in the Nore Barn stream in company with 2 Lapwing, 1 Grey Plover and , unusually, a Ringed Plover. More news about Black-tailed Godwit ROL+RLR (see yesterday's entry) Pete Potts confirmed that it was ringed on 27-Oct-08 at Kingsnorth Power Station, Medway Est. Kent as an adult male. For the past 2 winters Dudley Hird has seen it on the Medway first in autumn and again in spring. He thinks it probably spends the winter with us. Personally, I did not see it in Emsworth at all last winter. Pete, was it recorded here by anyone last winter? I have already seen it 8 times this winter, always in the Nore Barn area, from 23-Oct-09 to 10-Jan-10. SUNDAY JANUARY 10 NORE BARN I went to Nore Barn again this morning, but this time with my scope. I managed to dig the car out and get it going with a bit of slipping and sliding. The tide was out when I got there at about 11:00. Knot The Knot were in much the same area as yesterday, though there were more than yesterday in two or three separate groups. I counted 650 Knot which is about 200 more than yesterday. They all seemed to be feeding well on the mudflats which were not frosted. I caught a large group of them having a good bathe in the fresh water stream that the Spotted Redshank likes so much. Suprisingly, I did not see the Spotshank today! I hope it is OK. Black-tailed Godwits I counted a total of 50 Godwits with one group of 28 in the channel to the south of Nore Barn Woods and the others scattered across the western mudflats. I found three colour-ringed birds in the group of 28, including the two that Anne de Potier saw here on Jan 8 and the one that I saw here yesterday, which I have had fresh thoughts about. G+YR - An Emsworth regular since Nov-05 and its 9th sighting this winter.   RYL+RLY - This is the Godwit ringed in Kent in autumn 2005, since when it has been commuting between Emsworth and Kent where it is often seen by Dudley Hird.   OYL+OLO or ROL+RLR ?? This was my 8th sighting of this particular bird in Emsworth this winter. I have always recorded it as OYL+OLO despite being unhappy with the O rings, which always looked red, and the Y ring which looked orange. I continued to convince myself that this was a Suffolk ringed Godwit with the OLO combination on the right leg. Then came Pete's e-mail last night saying that the O rings looked red to him as well. As a result, I have reviewed all 8 sightings of this Godwit, all of which I have photos for. They are clearly all of the same combination, ie ROL+RLR. Yes, I am now convinced that the Emperor really has no clothes!! I will send Pete the revised records. Pete Potts confirms that Black-tailed Godwit ROL RLR was ringed on 27-Oct-08 at Kingsnorth Power Station, Medway Est. Kent as an adult male - seen c.16 times by Dudley & Carol Hird on Medway last time on 30-Sep-09. Here is today's photo of ROL+RLR   Here is one of my earlier sightings of ROL+RLR which show all six rings clearly.   Here is one of the Suffolk-ringed Godwits (taken at Pagham) with OLO on the right leg for comparison   Other birds I counted 150 Teal mostly in the channel south of Nore Barn Woods, the largest count so far this winter. Other birds seen included Brent Goose, Wigeon, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Redshank, Curlew and Lapwing, but no sign of any Greenshank. They do not like the cold weather.   REDWING AND FIELDFARE Yet more reports of Redwing and Fieldfare from the local area. Jill Stanley sent me an update on the Fieldfares in Helston Drive. In the front garden of a neighbour, there are several trees with around 50-60 birds in them, mostly Fieldfares but also 13 Redwings and a Goldfinch! They also turned up in Caroline French's garden in Longfield Road. She counted a maximum of 15 Fieldfare and 4 Redwing. The pecking order in Caroline's garden has been Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Song Thrush, the Mistle Thrush and Fieldfare both being particularly aggressive. Elaine Morgan also has Redwings in the tree outside No. 6 Valetta Park which was was buzzing this evening before it got dark with Redwings eating the berries. I had a brief visit from 2 Fieldfare in my garden in Bridge Road today, but there is nothing of interest here for them. No sign of any Redwing. SATURDAY JANUARY 9 KNOT AT NORE BARN Following Anne de Potier's report of 58 Black-tailed Godwits at Nore Barn yesterday, not trusting the bike or the car in the icy conditions, I decided to walk over there this afternoon. I arrived at Nore Barn at 14:30 which was about 3½ hours before high water. There was a large flock of Knot feeding in their characteristic slow 'plod and prod' manner on the mudflats, fairly close to the shore. I have never seen this number of Knot in Emsworth Harbour before and I assume they must have moved here to escape the extreme cold weather elsewhere, probably from the Norfolk coast. Here is the flock of Knot on the mudflats off Nore Barn, Emsworth. I counted 450 on the photo.   Interestingly, in his wildlife diary for yesterday (Jan 8), Ralph Hollins mentioned that he met Tony Gutteridge who had been puzzled by a large number of distant waders off the Emsworth Western Parade shore, which he thought might be Knot. Clearly, Tony saw the Knot that were there today, though they were much closer to the shore today and I was able to get a good view of them. Anne de Potier did not notice them when she was at Nore Barn yesterday. Here are some of the Knot feeding - Photo taken with the Panasonic Lumix FZ5 at x12 zoom   Here they are in flight, with white wing bars and dark leading edge on wings showing well   . . . AND BLACK-TAILED GODWITS Just 32 Black-tailed Godwits were feeding in the channel to the south of Nore Barn Woods. Although I did not have my scope with me the birds were close enough for me to check for colour-rings with my binoculars. I spotted one colour-ringed bird which at first looked like the Kent ringed Godwit RYL+RLY that Anne saw here yesterday. But, on closer observation, subsequently confirmed by photos, it turned out to be ROL_RLR, which I saw several times here in Oct and Nov 2009, with the last sighting on 7-Nov-09. As I did not see either of the two colour-ringed birds recorded by Anne yesterday, I would think today's Godwits were not the same as those Anne saw yesterday.   . . . AND THE SPOTSHANK As always, the regular Spotted Redshank was feeding in the small stream, but further out than when the tide is high. FIELDFARE AND REDWING Reports of Fieldfare and Redwing continue to come in from everywhere in the local area. Trevor Carpenter went to Portsmouth and was amazed how many Fieldfares there were. WInston Churchill Avenue, which is a main thoroughfare, has trees scattered along its length and every one had Fieldfares in it. In Trevor's own garden the Fieldfare flock was up to 40 today with a couple of Redwings. They were mainly on the Crab Apple but today spent more time on the ground where the local Blackbirds gave them a hard time. Heather Mills also reported Redwing and Fieldfare in the Copnor area of Portsmouth. Graham and Pat Walsgrove had both Redwing and Fieldfare eating Crab Apples in their Waterlooville garden. LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER? Tony Wootton e-mailed to say a friend, but not known to be a birder, saw a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker near the footbridge at the north of Peter Pond. Tony went to have a look but did not see the bird. However, Tony did see a Kingfisher on the piece of wire grid/netting to the north of the bridge. FRIDAY JANUARY 8 FIELDFARES OF LUMLEY ROAD I went over to Lumley Road to have another look at the red berried tree in the garden of Boundary Cottage where I saw the Fieldfares yesterday. I happened to meet the lady who lived there and praised her on her beautiful tree. She said it also looked lovely with blossom in springtime. Although the tree was already in place when they moved into the house, she thought it was probably a Crab Apple. I think it is a Cherry-crab (Malus x robusta), which are grown for their bright red cherry-like fruits, which remain on the tree until the spring (unless eaten by the birds!). In fact, we had one in our Bridge Road garden until it suddenly died in 2003. It attracted Blackcaps and I have photos of both male and female Blackcaps feeding on the 'berries' in November 2002. Here is the Cherry-crab tree in Lumley Road garden   Today, I counted 20 Fieldfare at any one time on the tree, though there could have been more, as there was a constant movement of birds to and from neighbouring trees and the ground. I did not spot any Redwing. There were also a few Blackbirds eating the berries, though there was no aggressive interaction between the two species, that other people have reported. As shown here, there are still plenty of 'cherries' left on the tree despite the attention of the Fieldfares   GARDEN BIRDS The following photo shows the view I have of the garden from the window of our rear extension. The main feeding station has 3 hanging feeders filled with sunflower hearts and two trays with a seed mixture. A further feeder hangs from the flowering cherry tree on the right of the garden. A bird table is to the right of the feeding station on which there is a seed mixture and a couple of half apples. A bird bath is to the left of the feeding station, though the water is constantly frozen. I have tried putting out fresh water regularly, but in common with several other people reporting on their garden birds on Hoslist, I have never seen any birds going to the water. I throw a chopped peanut and seed mixture onto the ground, for the ground feeders, such as Chaffinch and Collared Dove.   As yesterday, we had visits from both Fieldfare and Redwing. Two Fieldfare were in the flowering cherry tree (no fruits) for a time, with one venturing onto the ground only to be chased off by a Blackbird. I was surprised at this since others have reported Fieldfare to be dominant over other species. The Redwing sighting was quite astonishing! I was talking to my son on the phone when to my amazement a Redwing flew into the garden and perched on the back of a garden chair right outside the window, not more than 5 feet from where I was sitting. This was certainly the best view I have ever had of a Redwing, beating even those excellent views I had of them during my holiday in Iceland in 2006. I had no time to get my camera out as the bird was there for not more than 15 seconds before it flew off over the right side fence not to be seen again. But great memory. See Tony's photo below. A Song Thrush was another bird to be chased off by what is probably the resident Blackbird, but not before I got a nice photo of it in the flowering cherry tree with my Panasonic Lumix FZ5 on x12 zoom.   As for the regulars, Goldfinches dominated the feeders along with occasional visits from a couple of Greenfinches and a single Blue Tit. Chaffinches were constant on the ground and around the bushes throughout the day, though there were far fewer than on previous days, suggesting many may have succumbed to the cold. Other regulars included a Robin, 2 Blackbirds, several Collared Doves and a couple of Woodpigeons. I have not seen either Dunnock or Great Tit throughout the cold spell. Black-headed Gulls were flying around overhead throughout the day. I think they are fed somewhere, but they never come into our garden.   Tony Wootton provided me with this photo of a Redwing taken today in Emsworth.   GODWIT NEWS Anne de Potier was out for a bit of fresh air this afternoon (and how!). She saw 58 Black-tailed Godwits at Nore Barn of which 4 flew off and 2 were ringed: our old friend G//R+YR, and the traveller RYL+RLY which commutes between Kent and Emsworth. The Spotshank was in its place with an unringed Greenshank. Anne also saw a flock of c 225 godwits halfway across the mudflats south of Warblington church, but when they flew off west they were barwits. There were at least 500 Dunlin with them, and another 500 flew west having come from east of Hayling somewhere. Plenty of other stuff too but so far no corpses fortunately. Anne expects there are Blackwits at Bosham/Fishbourne (ref the ones flying into the pre roost that Ed Rowsell saw earlier this week), but she is not brave enough to venture over there. HELP FOR BIRDS John Eyre of the Hampshire Ornithological Society provides this timely advice: The weather forecast predicts more snow coming our way on Sunday and the possibility that this freezing weather could continue maybe beyond the end of the month! There are already a lot of birds coming into gardens seeking food and it's worth thinking about what we can do to help.The RSPB give a list of things to do that may help them survive: 1.. Put out feed regularly, especially in severe weather. Set up a bird table and use high calorie seed mixes. This can also be used to put out kitchen scraps such as animal fats, grated cheese and porridge oats. But not roasted fat, esp turkey. It can kill birds! 2.. Put out hanging feeders for black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, sunflower-rich mixes or unsalted peanuts 3.. Ensure a supply of fresh water every day. If it is very cold use tepid water but DO NOT use any antifreeze products 4.. Put out fruit, such as apples and pears, for blackbirds, song thrushes and other members of the thrush family 5.. Food bars or fat hung up or rubbed into the bark of trees is a great help for treecreepers, goldcrests and many other species 6.. Put up nest boxes to provide roost sites for the smaller birds. They will then be used for breeding later in the year THURSDAY JANUARY 7 EMSWORTH The big freeze Temperatures fell to below 10 degrees last night as the big freeze continues, but no more snow. The frozen snow is wreaking havoc with trees and bushes. Several branches have been brought down on Brook Meadow, one of which was blocking the path from the south bridge before Pam Phillips and John Tagg lopped off the offending branches. The solitary Common Gorse bush on the causeway has been crushed by the weight of the snow. The reedbeds to the north of Peter Pond have also been flattened by the snow as have many of the reeds at Thorney Little Deeps, as reported by Tony Wootton. I hope they will recover. Meanwhile, we can be stand back and wonder at the beauty of the world under snow, so long as it is only temporary! Here is a typical snowy scene on Brook Meadow   Our birds certainly must be suffering badly and the mortality rate must be horrendous. However, I am doing my bit to keep some local birds alive with constant replenishment of feeders and food on the ground in my back garden. I have also plastered a melted fat ball on the bark of our cherry tree which I hope the birds will appreciate more than the solid fat ball which remained untouched for the past week. Lee Evans says "this winter is going to see an unprecedented 'massacre' of bird populations of the like not seen for nearly 50 years - birds are literally starving to death in their thousands right now. Today whilst working flat out on the Highways Agency, I saw many hundreds of Redwings, Common Blackbirds and Eurasian Skylarks being run over as they tried to replenish fat by eating salt deposits; both Red Kites and Common Buzzards dead in large numbers on the M40 near Stokenchurch, again trying to feed in the only areas not snowbound. This is going to be disastrous for our birdlife, already in stark trouble, and these conditions are likely to persist until at least 12 February" Fieldfare and Redwing Following reports of Redwing and Fieldfare in Emsworth yesterday I walked through Brook Meadow to Lumley hoping to see some for myself. For some weeks, I have been monitoring a tree in the garden of Boundary Cottage in Lumley Road which is covered in red berries. I have only seen Blackbirds and Goldfinches on it, but this morning I was delighted to find 4 Fieldfares and at least one Redwing feeding on the berries. I managed to get some nice photos of one of the Fieldfare though the Redwing evaded me. On my way home I spotted another Redwing perched on the telephone wires across Bridge Road. It flew off before I could get my camera on it.   Garden birds When I got home my wife told me I had missed 3 Redwing in the garden, but they went on the list! A little later as I was knocking off frozen snow from some shrubs I heard the familiar "chack-chack" of a Fieldfare in the flowering cherry tree. Unfortunately, it flew off as I moved. These were the first ever Redwing and Fieldfare in our Bridge Road garden since we moved here in 1997, though we have never had snow and ice quite like this before. Jill Stanley who lives in Helston Drive in north Emsworth e-mailed me to say her neighbour had a flock of more than a dozen Fieldfares eating berries in one of the trees. Yesterday, this lucky neighbour also had a pair of Blackcaps, a Great Spotted Woodpecker (a daily visitor), and several Long-tailed Tits. There have been plenty of other garden Redwing and Fieldfare reports today on Hoslist. Peter Hoags had both in his quiet urban Southsea garden this afternoon. John Chapman reports the first Redwings in his Langstone garden for a good few years, plus a couple of Fieldfares and Trevor Hewson was amazed to see 3 Redwings in his Hilsea garden, staying all day along with at least one Fieldfare. Tony Wootton saw an amazing 50 Fieldfares and 4/5 Redwings were in a berry tree right outside his house! This is getting to be like a winter Painted Lady experience.   Other observations I watched a female Reed Bunting feeding on the seed heads of Common Reed on Peter Pond. Tony Wootton went down to the Little Deeps this morning (9-12) where he got a great photo of a male Bearded Tit doing much the same. Walking back home Tony saw a Chiffchaff flitting around his neighbour's roses. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 6 EMSWORTH Heavy overnight snow had left a deep cover over the whole environment. It was still snowing when I ventured out at about 11am to walk through Brook Meadow and round Slipper Millpond to the marina. Everything looked very pretty and I took lots of snaps. I was surprised to find yet more fresh Molehills springing up through the snow, indicating more underground activity. Seven Tufted Duck were on Slipper Millpond, an unusual sighting on this pond. They have probably flown over from the largely frozen town millpond. There was a cluster of gulls on the snowy raft. I was vaguely hoping for something good on the marina, like a Smew or a Scaup, like we used to have in cold weather in the 'good old days', but all I found were 6 Little Grebes busily fishing.   GARDEN BIRDS There have been lots of postings on Hoslist today about birds coming into gardens for food. I have had birds coming and going in the garden for much of the day, some on the feeders and some feeding on the mixed seeds and chopped peanuts on the ground. The ground feeders included an amazing 24 Chaffinches which must be winter migrants from the continent. There is only 21 on this photo. There has clearly been a wave of visitors from the continent today. Patrick Murphy had 4-5 Redwings foraging in his garden in Christopher Way and Caroline French got both Redwing and Fieldfare in her Longfield Road garden early this morning, plus an astonishing 13 Blackbirds. Caroline also has a Pied Wagtail in or around her garden, which "pays no attention to any of the other birds except for Chaffinches. Any time one dares to come down to the ground, it chases it off angrily". Here is Patrick's photo of one of his Redwings taken through the window   COLD WEATHER EFFECTS ON WADERS Pete Potts warns us that this exceptionally cold weather is likely to result in many dead waders. He asks anyone finding any to keep them if in good condition so body condition can be assessed. Also, any from Redshank size upwards can be made into decoys which Pete has very few of. Lets hope it doesn't come to it but Pete thinks it is very likely any day now that Redshanks, Dunlins etc will start to keel over especially if there is surface icing around the harbours. Pete saw some at Farlington and Hayling today. MONDAY JANUARY 4 EMSWORTH Emsworth Millpond Millpond largely frozen over this morning, though there were plenty of Mallard, Mute Swans and Coot on the open water. 34 Tufted Duck were clustered together, 4 fewer than yesterday. Emsworth Harbour (east) 11:00 - The tide was already well in with about 3 hours to go until high water. I counted 47 Black-tailed Godwits on the edge of the water on the east shore. They included two colour-ringed birds: G+YR - Am Emsworth regular since 2005 when it was ringed. Last seen on 17-Nov-09. G+GY - Not an Emsworth regular, but turns up here occasionally. Last sighting on 08-Sep-08. Emsworth Harbour (west) 11:30 - Tide rising fast. About 400 Dunlin were feeding on the edge of the water along with a few Ringed Plover and other common waders. I counted 67 Black-tailed Godwits in the channel to the south of Nore Barn Woods which is the final mudflat to be covered by the tide. I am fairly sure the bulk of these were from the east harbour, as I saw some coming in from that direction. I also located G+YR which was in the east harbour 30 minutes earlier. I did not see G+GY, but since most were up to their bellies in water I may well have missed it. The regular Spotted Redshank was feeding in the small stream at Nore Barn in company with a Greenshank.   STANSTED FOREST Jean and I had a short walk from the main car to the pavillion cafe this afternoon and back. We heard a Stock Dove singing. More suprising was to hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming from the woodland east of the car park. Ralph Hollins had two reports of early drumming in his weekly notes, one at Titchfield Haven on Dec 19 and one on Southampton Common on Dec 28 SUNDAY JANUARY 3 EMSWORTH This morning I had a walk from home through Brook Meadow and round Slipper Millpond down to North Thorney. A Greenfinch was churring on Brook Meadow, the first of the winter. Lots of freshly dug molehills on the frosty ground on Brook Meadow probably indicates the increasing activity of Moles in their search for worms. Two Cormorants were on the raft on Slipper Millpond, one of which was in summer plumage with greyish head and white thigh patches. The resident pair of Mute Swans was on Peter Pond. This is the newly established pair which ousted the old pair last summer. They have not nested here as yet. There is a large pile of manure to the west of the stables on the old Marina Farm on which 2 Robin, 1 Blackbird and a Wren were feeding, presumably on insects. This afternoon Jean and I walked to Nore Barn and back along Western Parade. The regular Spotted Redshank was feeding in the stream at Nore Barn at about 2 ½ hours after high water, despite the presence of several dogs in the area. Walking back along Western Parade I spotted colour-ringed Greenshank Y+NB on the shore; this bird is a regular in Emsworth. There were 38 Tufted Duck on the town millpond, the best of the winter so far and the most I have seen on the millpond for the last 10 years. Maybe from the frozen Thorney Deeps? I have had only two larger Tufted Duck millpond counts since 1999. They were 52 on 17-Jan-00 and 44 on 31 Dec 1999.