14-10-12 Stockers Lake & Bury Lake

An afternoon visit to conduct a Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) provided the following species:-
Little Grebe (1), Great-crested Grebe (9), Great Cormorant (24), Grey Heron (3), Little Egret (1), Mute Swan (23), Greylag Goose (23), Canada Goose (125), Mallard (37), Domestic Mallard (2), Northern Shoveler (8), Common Pochard (39), Tufted Duck (86), Common Moorhen (5), Eurasian Coot (118), Black-headed Gull (54), Common Gull (1), Lesser Black-backed Gull (1), Stock Dove (1), Woodpigeon, Green Woodpecker (1), Great-spotted Woodpecker (2), Wren, European Robin (4), Common Blackbird (3), Goldcrest (2), Blue Tit, Common Treecreeper (1), Common Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch.

13-10-12 John O'Gaunts Trout Fishery, Stockbridge Hampshire

Situated on the outskirts of King Somborne in the Test Valley some 200 yards from the River Test this wonderfully located fishery was the venue for the Croxley fly fishing Society. Arriving early morning there was a chill in the air and the sun had just began to burn off the light mist covering both lakes and the nearby River Test. 
By 11:00 am I had caught my 4 fish quota and so with Steve Carter and Tom Mixture we headed off for a walk along the bank of the river. Several Redwing were noted overhead and a wonderful Barn Owl was flushed from its Crack Willow roost, a superb addition to the 2 Common Raven I had observed overhead earlier. A couple of Roe Deer were noted briefly as they fed in the undergrowth before we headed off back to the fishery.   

                                          My first fish of the day.

                                          Steve Carter preparing to cast a fly.

                                         Early morning view as the sun began to rise.

Woodoaks Farm

A brief afternoon visit provided the following species of note:-
Red Kite (3), Common Buzzard (3), Green Woodpecker (2), Common House Martin (10), Meadow Pipit (2), Common Skylark (1).

                                                    Red Kite

Raptor delight at Woodoaks Farm

A brief mid-afternoon visit to the farm provided the following species of note:-
Red Kite (7), Common Buzzard (2), Common Kestrel (2), Green Woodpecker (1), Chiffchaff (1), Eurasian Jay (1).

                                          Red Kite

                                          Common Buzzard

                                         Common Kestrel

Maple Lodge Nature Reserve

I conducted a morning visit to the reserve with fellow birder and pal Steve Carter where we noted the following species :-
Little Grebe (4 immature on clubhouse lake), Great Cormorant (1), Grey Heron (3), Red Kite (2), Common Buzzard (1), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (1), Green Sandpiper (1), Ring-necked Parakeet (1), Cetti's Warbler (male singing briefly from phragmites), Chiffchaff (1), Eurasian Jay (2),

Dragonflies & Damselflies:-
Migrant Hawker, Common Darter, Common Blue Damselfly.

Butterflies:-
Small White, Comma, Speckled Wood. 
 

                                                    Ring-necked Parakeet at feeding station

                                          Eurasian Jay at feeding station

                                         Chiffchaff at Long Hedge.

                                                        Migrant Hawker at Long Hedge

                                                        Common Darter at Long Hedge

                                                         Comma at Long Hedge

                                          Speckled Wood at Long Hedge




   

Woodoaks Farm

An afternoon visit provided the following species of note:-
Common Buzzard (1), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (1), Common Kestrel (male), Collared Dove (40), Little Owl (1), Green Woodpecker (1), Barn Swallow (1), Yellow Wagtail (1), Meadow Pipit (1), Chiffchaff (2), European Goldfinch (40).

Lodmoor RSPB Nature Reserve, Weymouth

After spending a weekend away with my family at Swanage, Dorset the opportunity arose to make an early morning visit to RSPB Lodmoor where a delightful Short-billed Dowitcher had been performing well.
I arrived at 07:00 and shortly after was viewing the bird from the west side of the reserve as it fed among Black-tailed Godwits and a lone Common Snipe. Extraordinarily back in April 2011 I had observed a Long-billed Dowithcer from this same site.
A full list of species encountered as follows:-
Great-crested Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose (49), Domestic Greylag Goose (3), Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Buzzard (1), Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Little-ringed Plover (1), Ringed Plover (4), Northern Lapwing (6), Dunlin (4), Common Snipe (1), Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-tailed Godwit (4), Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Feral Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Green Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Meadow Pipit (4), Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, European Robin, Common Blackbird, Cetti's Warbler (several singing male), Chiffchaff (dozens feeding on flying insects), Great Tit, Common Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Linnet (3), Common Reed Bunting (2).   

                                         Poor record shot of Short-billed Dowitcher.