Peter Jones Wildlife blog

Arrived at new watchpoint just after Dawn. The usual Gulls commuting down the Test Valley, and a few Swifts over Fishlake. Sun was a bit of a pain this morning but this shouldn't be a problem in the Autumn mornings! Also, near the Sewage Works, the bat detector picked up Barbastelle, Noctule, Common Pipistrelle, and Soprano Pipistrelle amongst an annoying crescendo of insect chatter.  Elsewhere, the semi-rough horse paddocks near home were pretty good this morning with Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiff-Chaff, Whitethroat, half a dozen Linnets, and a Peregrine overhead. Amazing what a few weeds and out of control bushes can attract! #vismig   #bats   http://www.trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=1416

A Marsh Tit in the garden today was a nice surprise. Only the 2nd in 8 years. The other in the depths of winter.

2 hours this morning at the Romsey STW watchpoint.. Species Count Mallard 2 Cormorant 21 Grey Heron 2 Buzzard 1 Lapwing 4 Green Sandpiper 1 Black-headed Gull 64 Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 Herring Gull 2 Stock Dove 2 Woodpigeon 13 Collared Dove 2 Swift 9 Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Jackdaw 80 Raven 2 Swallow 2 Chiffchaff 1 Starling 473 Pied Wagtail (yarrellii) 2 Greenfinch 5 Goldfinch 2 Siskin 1 Mainly local birds on their daily commute, the Green Sandpiper a nice sighting, and Swifts nearing departure. A good number of Starlings for the time of year, emerged out of Romsey / Fishlake roost. #vismig

Vis Mig 2014! I've decided to rotate my vis mig efforts. Trying out a new location each year. Michelmersh / Brook has been excellent, so too has Badminston, but both are less than ideal this Autumn.. Brook has a very keen Gamekeeper that doesn't want me to put so much as a foot off the footpath, so the view is not as good as previous years. Badminston has been transformed into a flat desert by the Gravel workings by the look of it! So, I have decided either Stansore Point overlooking the Solent at Lepe, with a chance of Finches overhead, and the lagoon that held a Lesser Yellowlegs last winter. Popular with the public though; Or the view below of the River Test and Test Valley near Romsey. Tried here for 40 minutes after Keyhaven this morning, and the view is pretty good.. I could see all the Hirundines over Romsey / Fishlake Meadows, including up to 36 Swifts, a small flock of Mistle Thrushes, 2 Lapwing, and most unusually, 2 Crossbill overhead. The area is also good for Gulls

Couple of hours first thing this morning spent at Pennington / Keyhaven. Nothing unexpected today, but good numbers of Waders: over 200 Dunlin, 50+ Black-tailed Godwit, 7 Greenshank, 1 Whimbrel and a Common Sandpiper. Other highlights were Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern and Eider, plus a couple of Swifts. 50+ species in a couple of hours illustrating how good this area is, even on a quiet day in July. #Birds, #Keyhaven

Spent a couple of hours yesterday evening along the Test Way, just South of Romsey. Surprisingly, I had never ventured along this as stretch before. As with much of the Test Valley, you are limited to a narrow footpath, but here the views either side of the path are pretty good. Was hoping to find a suitable vantage point for "Vis mig", but nowhere along this route had any elevation, apart from a private hill (and the roof of Broadlands!). Best birds were 2 Raven, 2 juvenile Stonechat, and a Lesser Whitethroat. Plus a Reed Bunting, 2 Swift and a Swallow overhead. Meanwhile, a Siskin has been very vocal flying over the house for the last week.