Friday, 20 January 2023

Sabine's Gull (mainland Hants twitch)

Day trip off island over to Havant, Hampshire, to see the adult Sabine's Gull xema sabini that has been present near Southmoor Nature Reserve (Budds Farm Sewage Farm) since Jan 8th. This understandably popular and twitch-able bird showed extremely well - (ridiculously) close views. Also: went to Pig Bush/Shatterford (New Forest) to twitch the wintering Great Grey Shrike - but dipped that one. A few phone scoped record shots:

Adult xema sabini



Sunday, 1 January 2023

2023 - WTE - Ventnor

New Year's day:

Out working today, but came home for lunch, at which point a White-tailed Eagle drifted over as I was walking home (Ventnor). Saw it cause some commotion (local herring gulls, corvids, and a buzzard, mobbing it) before it flew out of sight over the downs and northwards. I haven't seen that many WTEs along the island's south coast since they were released nigh on four years ago; this being probably the fifth or sixth sighting in the Ventnor area (for me anyway)...



First Sea Watch of the year (03/01/23) at St. Catherine's Point:
Mild (11c), breezy [F7-8], light rain, SSW. 08:10 - 10:30am. 
Kittiwakes were steadily trickling by...and fulmars into double figures..






Tail end of things...(Velvet Scoter)

Following a protracted mild period since the summer, conditions suddenly changed with the first frost (Nov 20th) and a light dusting of snow...