05/01/19-Waxwings at Totton, Lower Test and Eyeworth Pond in the New Forest
We headed out quite early for another full day of birdwatching today, to go to….Asda car park at Totton in Hampshire. I’m sure you can work out especially with the title what it was to see, as we have a big influx of Waxwings here at the moment the birds that favour retail areas for the berry bushes when they come in winter. As we drove up approaching 9:30am I was thrilled to spot these beautiful birds in a tree, my 41st bird of the year and for sure best yet. I then enjoyed fantastic views of 11 of these birds, as they were fairly settled in a large tree that was fairly close but kept flying down into a smaller tree with berries right in front of us, allowing for such precious moments with these birds and I got the first three pictures in this photoset of them.
It was a great atmosphere again today seeing them. This was Waxwing sighting number five for me in my life, and three years running now which I am happy about. One of the sightings was in someone’s garden in Burghead, Moray in Scotland last year, the 2013 ones were by a field in my hometown Eastleigh but after my first ever at Lordshill, Southampton in 2010 in Sainsburys car park and some in 2017 at Whiteley by big name brand shops its three now that have been in a retail and/or supermarket car park. This just makes for a great time seeing them as it unites people, whether birdwatchers, photographers, both, shoppers or just members of the public people have a good look and some take an interest who normally wouldn’t and as such a beautiful species it engages people in nature a bit which is lovely. Its also meant more times than not we’ve seen the birds incredibly soon after turning up to see Waxwings and that continued today. Its definitely a top early bird in my year, I then went into Lower Test and the Waxwings flew as we left Asda but when leaving in a street near Lower Test the 11 Waxwings had flown here and were in a tree in someone’s garden where my Mum and her husband had seen them in midweek so I got a another view of them.
Within Lower Test I got 8 more year ticks to take my year list to 49, most of them really common but you have got to see them at some point so it was nice. Waxwing has beaten a lot of much commoner species onto my year list which is something that always intrigues me when starting a birdwatching year but Lapwing followed it onto my list which is funny given how similar the names sound. Less frequently seen birds of mine seen for the first time this year here began with Sparrowhawk, it’s the first time its ever been my first bird of prey in a year and 2019 is my first ever year list where neither Buzzard nor Kestrel were my first bird of prey seen in the year. As I said last year I have had harder times seeing Sparrowhawks before so this quick sighting felt crucial.
Onto a boggy area and I saw a Green Sandpiper dart past me, a bird I didn’t see until July last year or August the year before at the Bird Fair so this was a relief. But maybe the standout bird seen quickly in the bog were two Jack Snipe, a bird I really find a special one and have had a lot of luck with over the recent years. Probably only the second time it had beat Snipe onto my year list. I took the fourth picture in this photoset of a Pied Wagtail at Lower Test.
Eyeworth Pond as shown today partially frozen in the fifth picture in this photoset was our afternoon walk, where there was just enough water on the pond for me to see my first Mandarin Ducks and Gadwall this year, two key duck species. We went on the walk up to the road and back and on the way back saw my first Jay of the year, a fourth of my twenty four favourite birds seen this year my year list ended day 5 on 52. This is my fifth highest ever amount of birds seen after five days I found out, I am currently ahead of where I was last year although I know a year ago tomorrow and Monday I saw significant growth so my record year list will likely catch up with this year in the coming days. On the walk up I saw a group of Redwings which was nice, after some this morning seen at Lower Test that meant I had seen three sets of these birds in a week. Not something to write home about in itself, but quite significant giving I had unlike I usually might not seen a single Redwing this season so far before seeing some at Denny Wood in the New Forest on 1st January.
I have had a brilliant first two days of birdwatching to start my 2019 year list, with wildlife seen on working days in between. I am ahead of my Mum and her husband currently, something unlikely to last as my Mum only works part time so they have time to go out and see things when I work so I will make the most of it. I might just yet be able to keep pace with my incredible 2018 year lists’ opening days though as I have a week off work now. Tomorrow we travel to Gloucestershire for two nights, to visit all being well on my birthday on Monday WWT Slimbridge as we did early in 2017. I obviously hope to get many more year ticks there, with Sunday and Tuesday largely travelling days which may just feature a little birdwatching in some form and other places we intend to go until 14th January when I go back to work. Pictures and blogs will be posted either Tuesday night or Wednesday but I shall definitely tweet updates if I can on Dans_Pictures with some “back of camera” teases of pictures taken too maybe.
Wildlife Sightings Summary: (Totton and Lower Test) My first Waxwing, Lapwing, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Sparrowhawk, Green Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, Stonechat and Meadow Pipit of the year, one of my favourite bird the Little Egret, Redwing, Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Pied Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Mallard, Wigeon, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Goose, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull and I heard Raven. (Eyeworth Pond) My first Mandarin Duck, Gadwall and one of my favourite birds the Jay of the year, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Robin, Redwing, Blue Tit, Marsh Tit, Pied Wagtail, Mallard and Canada Goose.
