The Birds of Basingstoke & Deane By Martin Pitt 1 Published in April 2017 © Martin Pitt All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author 2 BIRDS OF BASINGSTOKE & DEANE Contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Natural History of Basingstoke & Deane 5 3. Birding in Basingstoke – a historical perspective 7 4. Birding Calendar 13 5. Useful Information 14 6. Local Bird Information 16 7. Site Guides 17 Basingstoke 18 River Valleys 24 Woodland 27 The Downs 29 The Heath 32 8. Systematic List 34 Geese & Swans 35 Shelducks & Ducks 39 Gamebirds 47 Petrels & Shearwaters 49 Grebes 50 Storks, Ibis & Herons 51 Gannet & Cormorants 54 Raptors 55 Crakes, Rails & Crane 60 Waders 62 Gulls, Terns & Skuas 72 Auks 76 Pigeons & Doves 77 Cuckoo 79 Owls 79 Nightjars & Swifts 82 Kingfisher, Bee-eater & Hoopoe 83 Woodpeckers 84 Falcons 86 Parrots 87 Shrikes & Orioles 88 Corvids 89 Waxwing 93 Tits & their allies 94 Larks 96 Hirundines 97 Bush warblers 99 Leaf Warblers 100 Tree & Reed Warblers 102 Scrub Warblers 104 Crests 106 Wren, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, & Starling 107 Thrushes 109 Flycatchers, Chats & Dipper 111 Sparrows & Accentor 116 Wagtails & Pipits 118 Finches 121 Buntings 125 Escapes 128 9. Bibliography 131 10. Citations 131 3 INTRODUCTION When talking of Basingstoke, most people who are unfamiliar with the area are drawn by the images portrayed in the national press. An area of roundabouts and tall buildings, nicknamed ‘Houston Hampshire’ and home to a plethora of new financial and service industries. This book seeks to create a balance to this image of Basingstoke and its environs and introduce the reader to the delights that surprisingly co-exist with the modern town. It is not to say that Basingstoke & Deane is extra special. It is a typical English mix of rural and urban, a patchwork quilt of an area that includes little gems and a variety that warrants closer inspection. It is this variety that brings a diversity of natural history and as an indicator of this diversity this book concentrates on birds. This is not a stale and static book recording the past events but one which shares the sights and the sites of the borough so that it can act as a guide to the surrounding countryside for everyone who may find themselves in North Central Hampshire. Hopefully it will serve the visitor and the long term resident alike in introducing you to the places to go and birds to see. We hope you enjoy this book but most of all we hope that it inspires you to go out and explore the delights of the locale and share in the natural wonders of the area. In doing so please return any interesting observations to the authors of this guide or the organisations listed particularly the Hampshire Ornithological Society and/or the Hampshire Wildlife Trust. It is only through the observations and records of a band of amateurs that we know about the birds and other wildlife in the borough and this book could become a reality. Martin Pitt March 2017 4 NATURAL HISTORY OF BASINGSTOKE & DEANE Basingstoke & Deane covers an area of 634 km2 in North Central Hampshire. The borough boundary runs from the Test valley in the west and the Loddon valley in the east. It runs to the Berkshire boundary in the north and the North Downs in the south. We are on the cusp of the Thames basin and the Wealden valley. It therefore covers a number of geological zones of chalk hills and heavy clay valleys. These valleys are dominated by the water systems. The River Test drains to the west and ultimately south (entering the sea at Southampton). The River Loddon drains the eastern area northwards to the Thames. Land use of these areas is predominately mixed farming, although, as in most parts of Hampshire, the move from grazing to arable is noticeable here. It is in this area of the Thames basin that the remaining lowland heath is found. As elsewhere, these poorer and sandy soiled areas have been planted with commercial conifers or taken for housing. Small pockets of natural heath remain and these retain their natural fauna and flora despite heavy pressure from recreational use. Despite these rivers there are no large lakes in the borough. The majority of water bodies are associated with the ornamental grounds of large houses and the like. They are all unlikely to be of natural origin and as a consequence they are somewhat variable in terms of their value for wildlife. Copses and ancient woodlands are dotted around the landscape but most are fragmented and only Pamber Forest exceeds 1 km2 in its own right. These ancient woodlands are predominantly Oak and Ash with an under storey of Hazel, although Beech stands are not uncommon on the Downs. Coppicing of Hazel is still practiced, and this habitat of mature Oak over coppiced Hazel holds an interesting mix of species. These woods are better known for Butterflies than they are for birds or mammals. Mammals are not often encountered, but both Badger and Fox are widespread. Three species of deer definitely occur, namely Roe, Fallow and Muntjac although only the former is likely to be encountered on casual Marsh Helleborine at Mapledurwell visits. Muntjac appears to be established to the north of Basingstoke itself. Fallow are occasionally found roaming loose but are also ‘farmed’ on the large estates, particularly around Hackwood Park. 5 Rabbit and Hare are common on the down land and are most prevalent to the North and West of Basingstoke. Stoat and Weasel are widespread but not often encountered due to their retiring habits. Otter and Mink are also part of the Borough Fauna, but unlikely to be seen. Certainly Otter are increasing nationally and are found here, although the population is not understood at the moment. American Mink were present following releases, most notoriously from a New Forest fur farm, although it is believed are certainly declining and may have gone. Mention should also be made of Water Voles. Declining over much of the country, they have a liking for the clear spring fed streams in the borough. They are most often seen at Barton’s Mill and The Vyne. Lepidoptera and Odonata abound. Hampshire Wildlife Trust’s reserve at Pamber Forest is a locally recognised site for Purple Emperor and White Admirals, Silver-washed and Dark-green Fritillaries are not uncommon here and in other oak woods across the borough. Pamber Forest has also been actively managed for invertebrates and this has attracted a return of damselflies and dragonflies, including the Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Other locations in the borough are known to hold many species and through June- August, the heaths at Silchester and Benyon’s Enclosure host Brilliant and Downy Emeralds. Many waterways will hold a mix of species including Beautiful and Banded Demoiselles, a mix of Broad Bodied Chaser – at Chineham Damseflies and other Dragonflies. Regular moth trapping has shown the richness of sites in the borough and mixed habitat locations has added species to the vice-county list and regularly attracts impressive species such as hawk-moths. Although there are no flowers of national importance in the borough, the HWT nature reserves at Mapledurwell, Tadley and Old Burghclere Lime Pits are recognised more for their flora rather than fauna. The range of native orchids in the Basingstoke area is extensive and includes important populations of Marsh Orchids and Marsh Helleborines. Green-winged Orchids abound at Tadley and down land species can be found where the chalk is still grazed particularly in the northwest of the borough, including Burnt-tip and Frog Orchids at Ladle Hill. 6 BIRDING IN BASINGSTOKE - A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE With the close proximity to Selbourne and the father of modern ornithology, Gilbert White, being on our door step in is perhaps to be expected that correspondence on the avifauna of the area would have hit the consciousness of the great man and some records and observations from within the borough boundary. However there is no evidence in his writing that he ever visited the area. His correspondence and journal notes on Basingstoke are few and far between and frustratingly seem to concentrate on the state of the barley crop! He obviously became the target of natural history findings of others and we do have him to thank for what must be the first record of Manx Shearwater, with one reported being found a few days before September 19th 1790 at Basing. Beyond this there are a number of large estates that have a history of accommodating the hunting and fishing days typical of the late Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian era. Bag records should give an understanding of the duck and gamebirds in the area and therefore the habitat predominating. However research has shown that there is little that can give a historic perspective. Farming as the predominant land use is little changed in designation over the last hundred years. The exception of the loss of lowland heath from over-planting with conifers and being built on in the growing urban sprawl in the environs of Basingstoke and Tadley. However, farming practice has changed considerably in that time. Intensification of yields, the move to arable and then to spring crops and the loss of sheep grazing on the downs has changed the habitat of the local countryside. From a wildlife reporting perspective, little is known from the period before the Ornithological Section of the Hampshire Field Club came into existence in 1954.