Cetti’s warbler

As we walked towards the visitor centre, 13 mallard ducklings were seen on the shore by the harbour wall and a sedge warbler was heard in the reeds across the other side of the road.  

Several birds were seen and heard along the track leading to the hides including blackcap, robin, blue tit, great tit, chiff chaff, jay and willow warbler.

The sunshine had brought out a number of butterflies and a holly blue and a red admiral were seen along with several speckled woods and brimstones.

Marsh marigolds were in flower along side the boardwalk leading to the Suffern Hide.  From the hide we watched coots displaying and gathering nesting material and against the reeds one coot was sitting on a nest.

A wood pigeon up in a tree confused us by pretending to be a raptor while another amused us by having a bath from a dead branch half immersed in the water.  Canada geese, gadwall, lapwings and tufted ducks were also seen from this hide.

Outside we thought we heard the tentative notes of a Cetti’s warbler as a white tailed bumblebee flew past accompanied by the warning call of a wren.  Along the streams the willow trees have been felled to prevent the land from drying out and their wood, now left in log piles, provides habitats for invertebrates.  

Cuckoo flower, greater and lesser pond sedge and alexanders were among the plants we identified along the stream edges while frog tadpoles and whirlygig beetles were seen in the water.  

From the Meadow Hide, we watched a great crested grebe and several black tailed godwits in their breeding plumage and had good views of cormorants, mute swans, oystercatchers, wigeon, teal, a heron and a greylag goose.  

The track leading to the Knights Bank Hide was lined with glorious yellow celandines.  More godwits were seen here along with starlings and lesser black-backed gulls, while a buzzard was perched on a fence post.  

We were puzzled by a pair of ducks with long necks and orange plumage, which we thought may have been ruddy shelduck before consulting our bird guides.  Back at the visitor centre we saw these listed as fulvous whistling ducks, which are not native to Britain.  

We headed for the sea wall to sit on to have lunch and spotted a mixed group of dunlins and turnstones among the sunbathers on the beach.

After lunch, we set off for the other side of the reserve towards the new Meon River Hide as a kestrel hovered above us and a Cetti’s warbler was calling loudly.  This one was more certain of his song.  

Ten percent of Britain’s breeding population of Cetti’s warblers can be found on this reserve and we heard several more as we walked round this area.

From the Meon River Hide we were able to observe a large colony of black-headed gulls out on the small islands that have been created as nesting areas.  

Some 350 pairs of black-headed gulls are expected to breed this year as the colony is now protected by an electric fence to keep out foxes.  Several birds were sitting on eggs.

We were delighted to see avocets, which also breed here and a pair of Mediterranean gulls with their handsome black heads, red beaks and red legs.  These gulls were mobbed by black-headed gulls when they tried to land.

The Pumfrett Hide gave a different view of the islands and afforded a close up sight of the avocets and gulls which included four pairs of Mediterranean gulls.  Some avocets and black-headed gulls mobbed a heron as it flew overhead.

Redshanks were displaying and shelduck were pairing up. A male mallard was attempting to drown a rival by holding its head under water.  Fortunately it managed to escape.

After a very enjoyable day, we walked back to the sea wall accompanied by the song of a blackbird and the call of another chiff chaff.

At the Society's indoor meeting on Monday 23rd April, Colleen Mainstone gave a fascinating illustrated talk about the Bechstein's and Barbastelle bats of the New Forest and the research project that is being carried out by volunteers from the Hampshire Bat Group.

Of the 17 resident species of bats in the United Kingdom, the Bechstein's and Barbastelle's are two of the rarest and the New Forest is a good stronghold for them.

The work of the project is to establish the status and population of these bats in the New Forest using several survey methods including bat detectors and tiny radio transmitters that track the bats and help the project team locate their roosts.

When these methods were trialled in 2006, three new colonies of Bechstein's and one new colony of Barbastelle bats were discovered and the team hope to complete their initial assessment of the New Forest by autumn 2008.

To find out more about this project visit www.hants.gov.uk/bats.

The Waterside Natural History Society's next outdoor meeting will be on Sunday 20^th May with a visit to Chappetts Copse to look for birds, butterflies and flowers.  Meet at Oak Road Car Park, Dibden Purlieu for 10.00am (strong footwear recommended.)  Visitors very welcome. 

The Society's next indoor meeting will be on Monday 21^st May, when we welcome Brian Fletcher to talk about Hampshire Butterflies.  Meet for a 7.30pm start at the St. Andrew's Centre, Dibden Purlieu.  Visitors very welcome at £2.