Seeds produce a good harvest.

David and I went again to Hampshire this week for the Spanish sparrow. We left early and arrived just before dawn. The bird was in someone's garden. It seemed too early on a Sunday morning to expect them to let people in so we went first to the dark-eyed junko a few miles away. I put some seed down on a tree stump a few metres away. Eventually, the junco landed nearby and climbed onto it to feed. Good views were had by all!

Dark-eyed junco. An American bird

After that we went to see the Spanish sparrow (which I had seen in Israel). As luck would have it, the house-owners were both birdwatchers. We took our shoes off and joined those already inside. I was able to sit by the patio doors and soon the Spanish sparrow appeared. It seemed happy among the British sparrows and had, apparently, bred with the locals. Remember that these pictures were taken through double glazing.

Spanish sparrow (male) taken through double glazing.

After that we went to Blashford lakes for the ferruginous duck and then to Wyke Regis, Weymouth for Hume's leaf warbler. We dipped both again so the less said about that the better. In compensation, it was nice to see redpoll, siskin and goldfinch all on the same feeder at Blashford, and about 400 Mediterranean gulls and a young kestrel at Wyke Regis.

Redpoll

Song thrush

Siskins (male)

Kestrel - (male)

Thanks, David, for your company.

Sabine's gull hangs around for us in Dorset.

I haven't been twitching for many a month and I have missed the trips a bit. I was sceptical about a gull in Dorset, a gull which could easily fly off at any moment. David Campbell suggested waiting for news on the pager before leaving but I thought it would be best to go early and go somewhere else if the Sabine's gull didn't show.

As it turned out, we saw the first winter gull about 15 minutes after arriving. It was easy to see when you had seen it and realised how different it was from the 1,500-2,000 or so black-headed gulls in the same field! It was quite distant, though it did fly over from one side of the causeway to the other, allowing the odd flight shot. I'd like to see this gull in full breeding plumage; much more impressive!

Sabine's gull - first winter

Sabine's gull - first winter

After the gull and a coffee we went to Acres Down in the New Forest where David was keen to see a honey buzzard. It was raining at first but this cleared the air so visibility when it stopped was good. David picked out a juvenile goshawk in a distant tree while I found a lovely pair of redstarts nearby.

Common redstart - female.

The skies were however almost devoid of raptors until the sun came out. We saw a few goshawks, one being mobbed by a hobby and another by a sparrowhawk!! There were a whole army of common buzzards but no honey buzzards. The sun meant that heat haze set in and made scrutiny of distant raptors more difficult. As time wore on David became more desperate, threatening dire consequences if he didn't see a honey buzzard by next spring!!

By 3.30 the skies were again largely empty, although two lovely common buzzards appeared almost overhead showing as close as any we had seen.

We wandered slowly back to the car, had tea and cake in the farm garden before heading for Blackwater Arboretum. I wanted to see hawfinches and David was hoping for crossbills which were not flying over. The arboretum, a gorgeous oasis of tranquility amid the huge conifers, produced crossbills flying over at regular intervals but denying us any good views of the birds perched. Perseverance paid off, however. Finally, we managed to find some feeding at the top of a very tall tree.

Crossbill - male

There were no hawfinches that day, but there was lots of other avian activity. A great spotted woodpecker bashed away at a very large cone while a coal tit looked on expectantly.

Great spotted woodpecker

A firecrest flitted quickly in the lower branches of a nearby tree. A juvenile common buzzard led us a merry dance, calling constantly. We thought it was airborne and that we couldn't see it only because of the tall trees. It turned out to be perched and was just calling to its mother as young birds do!!

Common buzzard - juvenile

All in all, a very enjoyable day. Thanks David.

New Forest - Tree pipits and other common birds!

David Campbell and I decided to go to the New Forest today, 10 July, to see if there were any Honey buzzards at Acres Down. On arrival there was no sign of them and one chap reliably told us that no-one had seen any this year (I knew we should have gone to Norfolk). After photographing a meadow pipit, we decided to look in the forest.

Meadow pipit looking for his offspring.

We saw a lesser spotted woodpecker briefly, tree pipit and heard woodlark.

Tree pipit.

We made our way back to the car and headed for Beaulieu Railway Station near Bishop's Dyke. We hoped to see a dartford warbler and we did see one briefly as we neared the edge of the forest.

In the forest David saw some crossbills but our search for redstart was unsuccessful until we were leaving when we saw one adult male and a juvenile.

Juvenile redstart.

On the way back we saw two ravens fly ahead and then land. Then we flushed 2 or 3 woodlark which we then stalked to get reasonable views.

Woodlark.

Hawfinch at last in New Forest.

As David Campbell hadn't been able to see the bufflehead in Dorset, which seems to have taken up residence, I went a second time hoping to get some better shots of it. It was nice to see it again but it was still fairly distant for photography but fine for telescopes.

We then went in search of the great grey shrike which had been reported near Burley in the New Forest. We stayed for about an hour but there was no sign of it 'behind' the car park as reported. A brief visit to Acres Down was a mistake as the sun was gone and so had the raptors, apart from a couple of buzzards.

We therefore headed for Blackwater Arboretum hoping to see some hawfinches, which I had seen all too briefly the other day. This time we were in luck with several small groups flying in and sticking around for a couple of minutes, albeit at the very top of the tallest trees. I managed to take several shots in attractive light.

Hawfinches. Female top, male below.

Hawfinch. Female.

As we were leaving a further report of the shrike came in. As it was only ten minutes away we decided to go back again, but a further scan of all the likely bushes failed to reveal the bird. Despite this, we left happy to have seen the bufflehead, and I was very happy with the hawfinches.