SCP (Scoters, Little Gulls, swallow etc)

SCP March 20th: easterlies (due east, slight se), bright, milder. Sea watch 06:30-10:30 with Steve S & George H: productive session with decent totals and variety (east): C. Scoter 827, DB Brent 230, Shoveler 61, Shelduck 3, Pintail 7, Avocet 1, Little Gull 19, Sarnies 18, Arctic Skua, Mute Swan (west/unusual at SCP), Cormorant 5 (in off), and some waders (curlew, grey plover) etc. An early, and first of the season, Swallow in off. Lepidoptera: a Brimstone on the wing near Knowles Farm. 

Luccombe Down March 21st: overcast, ESE. Brief visit/7am: Black Redstart (fem type, calling), and c40 Starlings east. 

Wheatear (male) and a Yellow Wagtail sp (heard only) over on March 25th (foggy morning/conditions then clear); latter could well have been Blue-headed given the south coast influx including two at Brading Marsh on 24th. 

Blackcap - Nansen Hill - March 23rd

WT Eagle (mobbed by Herring Gulls) - Haddon's Pits

Green Tiger Beetle - Luccombe Down - March 31st

Harrier (St Cath's)

March 18th: SCP sea watch with George H (06:30-09:30). Breezy Easterlies (due east), bright. 

Moving east: 91 Common scoter, 54 DB Brents, 14 LBBs etc. A Marsh Harrier (in off), initially picked up a fair way out at sea, made land at 09:13; a cracking adult male to boot! 

Watershoot Bay/Rocken End - looking West - where the Marsh Harrier arrived.

SCP (Skua, Velvets etc)

Wheelers Bay Ventnor: (fem type) Black Redstart on March 5th. 

SCP (St Cath's):

Sat March 8th: morning sea watch with George H [06:40-08:50]. Easterlies (ESE). Given it's early March, there was enough to keep us interested with a few highlights: an Arctic Skua east (by date early in the season), as well as three Velvet Scoters (with a scoter flock), a mixture of ducks (100+ scoter, Pintail, teal etc). LBB gulls. In off mipits etc. Number-wise somewhat paltry compared to Dunge?! but enjoyable all the same.  

Sun March 9th: similar conditions (easterlies): SCP [06:40-09:35] with George (then Ollie): slow going, but some things moving eastwards: C.Scoter 26, LBB 10, Shoveler 7E, RTD 12E/2on, Common Gull 13, etc. Mipits in-off c60, a few alba/pied wags including a good candidate for White Wagtail (coasting low and east). My first singing Chiffchaff. 

Ventnor: Hummingbird hawk-moth on March 10th (and chiff calling over Leeson Road).  

SCP

Looking west - nr Atherfield Point

Mind boggling Pintail numbers!!! Full totals ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fqG5Avaug1

— Dungeness Bird Observatory (@DungenessBO) March 7, 2025

End of Feb

Nice spell of weather at the moment. Spring like with cool temps...see what March brings...(A Siskin over Nansen Hill on Feb 27th).

St. Lawrence 

Orchard Bay

Much in song including this firecrest (a ubiquitous species nowadays)

A Black-throated thrush found in nearby Hants (I've not been over to see yet) brought back memories of the Whipsnade Zoo individual I did see (and photographed) back in January 2020

CASPIAN Gull (Sandown)

Feb 14th: Found a 1st winter Caspo today (around midday) at Sandown Canoe Lake (in brisk easterlies), which didn't linger unfortunately: after bathing/preening for a few minutes or so, it departed westwards (NW/inland). Managed a few record shots (phone/scope). A good bird for the island given the lack of recent records - no doubt overlooked.....

Feb 19th: Sea watch (SCP), 07:25-08:55 [S.E winds]: RTD x31 (including 27E) and one Diver sp, Auk spp x93E, a few gulls etc. And after quite a protracted period of easterlies and chilly temps, it's due to become much milder with southerlies, which could encourage the first early spring migrants to arrive.  

Caspo with a 'classic' look - Sandown - Feb 14th

Woodside beach (Solent) - looking east

Velvet Scoters (Little gull)

Short sea watch at SCP this morning (Feb 6th): bright conditions with NE winds: unsurprisingly quiet save two Velvets (east) at 07:55, something (at least) and quite close in/good scope views... 

I then went over to Western Yar where a (2cy) Little Gull was found a couple of days ago: still there favouring the 'scrape' near Mill Copse. Always nice, and at least the second island LG this winter, on the back of the adult found at Atherfield (Ash Hill Farm) last month. 

Little Gull - Feb 6th - Mill Copse scrape

At least one Spoonbill (distant) - as many as five have been seen this winter.

Western Yar

Back in 2020 - Little Gulls on spring passage (April/south coast)

BN Grebe

Personally, January was some what of a lean month, to say the least...but spring is getting closer...

A Black-necked Grebe was off Ryde Pier with a slav (yesterday/Feb 1st). And DB Brent(s) x300+ along the strandline, though nothing else apparent with them (either PB or Black). A couple of Bearded Tits have been regularly seen at Yarmouth (I haven't been over yet). Otherwise, usual fare it would seem...

WTE flyover - end of Jan