30 March: Edenbrook Country Park for birds

An early cycle ride on a marvellous sunny morning to Edenbrook Country Park, Fleet to catch up with the male Garganey which has been there for a week now. A photo (not mine) can be seen on www.goingbirding.co.uk/hants.

Other migrants were in evidence too with a pair of Wheatear clearly newly arrived, buzzing about the place. It was day of Wheatear arrivals throughout the county with 19 on the beach at Sandy Point (Hayling Island), 6 at Eastney, 6 at Farlington, and odd 1's and 2's elsewhere.

I tend not to take many bird photos due to limitations of the camera I use, but this Reed Bunting was confiding:

I returned via Tundry Pond which was generally quiet but where another three Reed Buntings were singing. This Peacock was one of two sharing the same blackthorn bush:

Dogmersfield Lake was next where three Wigeon were still hanging on from the winter. I could not find any Hirundines at any of the wetland sites - these had to wait till Sunday 31 March when there were 100 at Tice's Meadow, Farnham along with a Willow Warbler.

The final stop was Weston Common. There was no sign of any Tree Pipits yet - the first ones are due to arrive any day now - but a male Brambling brightened the day.

29 March: Late March sunshine in the Alton / Four Marks area

Flowering willows are a reliable place to hunt for wildlife on sunny days in early spring. Brimstones and other butterflies are typical. They will also attract birds. One tree held Marsh Tit, Chiffchaff, and two Firecrests. It is not clear whether the birds are feeding on pollen/nectar or the insects which it attracts. However each year we see newly arrived warblers with black pollen on the forehead from where they have been feeding further south in Europe.

Brimstone:

The first orange tip of the year, 29 March 2019:

Wood Sorrel now in flower: Four Marks.

This clump of Barren Strawberry is growing 18" above ground on a moss-covered tree trunk.

The first Red Campion of the year: Four Marks 29 March.

I found a clump of this small green flower near Four Marks but yet to find it in the book.

Orange Underwing moth, Four Marks. Gathering salts from the mud where forestry operations have been happening. The antenna are segmented rather than feathered which helps to distinguish from Light Orange Underwing. This is a birch specialist - while Light Orange Underwing is associated with Aspen. 

16 March 2019: Early spring flowers in the Beech/Thedden area.

A blustery day meant that the emphasis remains on early flowering plants.
Barren Strawberry, Thedden: a nice patch by the side of the lane. Long green sepals between the white petals distinguish this from Wild Strawberry.

The first bluebells of the year: two stems in flower by the bridleway through Thedden Copse:

Wood Anemone: another first-for-the-year in Thedden Copse:

A single Chiffchaff was heard singing - a precursor to a significant arrival this week. I recorded 8 singing at Shortheath common on 20 March, while another heathland survey at Kingsley Common on 22 March found another 5. Portland Bird Observatory has experienced a major Chiffchaff arrival this week especially on the 20th March with at least 200 in the Portland Bill area and 56 ringed in the Obs garden. 

It was good to find Stonechats at both Kingsley and Shortheath - this may well mean that more birds have survived the mild winter and it will be interesting to see whether there is an increase in numbers this summer at the larger heathland sites.

This Rook is showing signs of albinism. 

The British Trust for Ornithology organise counts of all significant water bird sites in the country every month - including Kings Pond. These are the results of the last count on 16 Feb 2019.

Species Count Black-headed Gull 41   Canada Goose 26   Coot 14   Domestic Mallard 3   Gadwall 3 2 male 1 female. Rare here. Grey Heron 6 All adults - pairs perched on upper and lower nests plus another 2 close by Grey Wagtail 1   Little Grebe 4   Mallard 104   Moorhen 28   Mute Swan 6 2 ad 4 1st yr Tufted Duck 3 2m 1 f Total number of species: 12 Individuals: 239

Kings Pond, Alton 9 March 2019

These two Cormorants were both in summer plumage with white thigh patches. Presumably a male and female, they spent some time "fencing" with each other with their beaks.
They were perched in a tree close to the path and it is interesting to see the hint of a crest on both of them. There was a noticeable size difference with the larger bird most likely the male.

Three occupied heron nests on the long island. However for the newest of these there was more heron than nest :

9 March - early spring flowers

A long walk near Alton on 9 March provided a number of "first of the year" sightings of spring flowers.

Blackthorn: Windmill Hill, Alton. Cherry Plum has been in flower for some time (along the A31, for example), but this was my first Blackthorn. Flowers appear before the leaves, unlike hawthorn on which the leaves appear first.

Badger footprint, West Worldham: 4 (or 5) toes forward and claw prints visible:

Wild Daffodils near West Worldham: smaller, more delicate, and a paler yellow than the normal domestic varieties. Approx 10% of the plants in this small wood are now in flower:

Yellow Archangel: a somewhat shabby specimen and the only one seen today, at Wick Hill:

Large numbers of Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage on the Hangers, beside the Hangers Way:

Nearby two patches of Coltsfoot - another case of flowers-before-leaves:

Scarlet Elf Cap funghi: a species of the woodland floor found in late winter/early spring. This is associated with dead wood and often associating with moss.

Marsh Marigolds beginning to open, close to the Caker Stream in an Alton industrial estate. Note the yellow emphasis in these early spring flowers.

February in Alton

February was a remarkable month, starting with heavy snow and ending with exceptionally warm weather. Chawton Park Wood, 3 February:

Caker Stream, Farringdon 10 February:

Mallards sat on the hedge at Kings Pond, 15 February:

Butterflies appeared earlier than normal with Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral on the wing by 24 February.

Hazel Catkins, Chawton Park Wood 24 February

First posting

The purpose of this blog is to report on the wildlife of the area around Alton, Hampshire, UK.

All types of wildlife are covered, within an (approx) 15 mile radius of the town. This encompasses a wide range of habitats, including woodland and farmland, the prime heath-land of both the Wield and the Thames Basin, chalk download, and river valleys such as the Itchen.

Within Alton itself, then Kings Pond and the Flood Meadows are of particular interest.

If you have a similar interest in the area, then we recommend Alton Natural History Society, which runs a programme of indoor meetings in the winter, and outdoor field meetings from spring through to Autumn. See http://altonnaturalhistory.webnode.com/ for more details.