March 21st 2011

After a weekend at home gardening I was ready for some birding but had to get the shovel out first as the garden moth trap had benefited from last nights mild temperatures.
Once sorted I ended up with 20 Common Quaker, 14 Clouded Drab, 11 Hebrew Character plus single Oak Beauty, Chestnut, Early Grey, March Moth, Agonopterix heracliana and Emmelina monodactyla while a Small Tortoiseshell fluttered past enjoying the early morning sunshine.

Arrived at the pond just as 2 Treecreeper showed by the toilet block and they were so intent on feeding one nearly landed on my leg as it moved from one tree to another.
Presumed overnight arrivals included Shoveler, Shelduck and a summer plumage Med Gull located among a few Black-headed Gulls in biggen bay. We could not find the male Smew which was not seen yesterday either so might have gone and the first summer male Scaup was off hensborough bank but some way out.
Other sightings included 4 Chiffchaff between farnborough spit and country park with a few more reported on the north side, 12 Buzzard, 4 Sparrowhawk, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, 34 Wigeon, 5 Goosander, 20 Goldeneye, 10 Greylag Geese, 4 Barnacle Geese, 2 Raven and 9 Fieldfare. The decent weather brought out Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.

A look at the Grandborough valley in the afternoon produced Tree Sparrow, 12 Yellowhammer, 3 Buzzard and 2 Red-legged Partridge along hill road, Great-spotted Woodpecker in Grandborough village and between Sawbridge and Willoughby there were 4 Redwing, 20 Fieldfare, 3 Buzzard, Grey Wagtail and Chiffchaff.

Richard