Hampshire Bird Report 2015 Hampshire Ornithological Society Published November 2016 Published November 2016 by the Hampshire Ornithological Society Registered Charity no. 1042309 www.hos.org.uk ISBN 978-0-9567712-8-5 Price £10 (excl. p&p) Text, photographs and artwork copyright © the Hampshire Ornithological Society and named authors and contributors. 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 publishers. The views expressed in this report are not necessarily those held by the Hampshire Ornithological Society. Printed in the United Kingdom by Henry Ling Limited, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, DT1 1HD. Front cover: Male Penduline Tit at Titchfield Haven, Dec 11th 2015 by Lee Fuller Frontispiece: Keyhaven with Brent Geese and waders by David Thelwell Additional artwork by Dan Powell (www.powellwildlifeart.com) and David Thelwell (https:// www.facebook.com/David-Thelwell-Illustration-205195569617934) HOS is pleased to acknowledge the financial support of The Vitacress Conservation Trust in the publication of this Report. Working to conserve chalk stream habitats and wildlife AIMS OF THE SOCIETY The Hampshire Ornithological Society has three broad aims: • To promote the recording and study of bird life in Hampshire and to publish the results in its annual Bird Report. • To use these results to encourage and support the conservation of wild birds and their habitats in the County. • To foster a wider interest in the recording and preservation of Hampshire bird life by organising a programme of indoor and outdoor meetings, by publishing a quarterly magazine and other forms of publicity. MEMBERSHIP The annual subscription is £12 for Ordinary, Joint or Family membership; £5 for Junior membership (under 18s). Full membership information is given on p. 237 and on the HOS web site: http://www.hos.org.uk. Hampshire Bird Report 2015 Editor: Mike Chalmers [email protected] Production Editor: John Norton Photographic Editor: Alan Lewis County Recorder: Keith Betton Hampshire Ornithological Society Published November 2016 Honorary Officers, Committee Members and Life Members (at May 1st 2016) President Chris Packham Management Committee Chairman Alan Snook [email protected] Hon. Secretary & Webmaster John Shillitoe [email protected] Hon. Treasurer Brian Leach [email protected] County Recorder & Chair, Scientific Sub-Com. Keith Betton [email protected] Secretary, Scientific Sub-Committee Jodie Southgate [email protected] Chair, Membership Committee Jonathan Mycock [email protected] Membership Secretary Kay Shillitoe [email protected] Editor of Bird Report Mike Chalmers [email protected] Conservation Liaison Officer Simon Boswell [email protected] Kingfisher Newsletter Editor Phil Budd [email protected] Ordinary Members Caroline French, Simon Curson, Dan Hoare & Mike Wall Scientific Sub-Committee Keith Betton (Chair), Jodie Southgate (Sec.), Mike Armitage, Simon Boswell, Andy Broadhurst, Mike Chalmers, Rob Clements, Simon Curson, Tony Davis, Glynne Evans, Caroline French, Dan Hoare, Andy Rhodes (Database Manager), Brian Sharkey, John Shillitoe, Mike Wall & Marcus Ward. Membership Sub-Committee Jonathan Mycock (Chair), Linda Munday (Sec.), Ted Barnes, Patricia Brown (Education Of ficer), Phil Budd, Bryan Coates, Peter Hutchins, Ray Morley, Dave Munday & Kay Shillitoe. HOS Records Panel Keith Betton (Chair & County Recorder), Richard Coomber, Philip Fawkes, Ashley Howe, Andy Johnson, Dave Unsworth, Marcus Ward & Simon Woolley. Other Officers Sales Officers Sandy & Bryan Coates [email protected] Walks Programme Co-ordinators Ted Barnes [email protected] Peter Hutchins [email protected] Current Life Members (with year awarded) Ralph Cook (1989), Michael Bryant (1990), Peter Puckering (1992), Rosemary Billett (1998), Eddie Wiseman (2000), John Wood (2001), Norman Pratt (2005), John Clark (2011), Margaret Boswell, John Eyre & Nigel Peace (2012), Alan Cox (2013), Glynne Evans (2015). 2 Contents HOS Honorary Officers, Committee Members and Life Members 2016-2017 2 Chairman’s Report 2015 Alan Snook 6 Editorial and Acknowledgements Mike Chalmers 7 Review of Birds in Hampshire in 2015 Richard Carpenter 10 Systematic List of Species Keith Betton, Andy Broadhurst, Mike Chalmers, John Clark, Rob Clements, Alan Cox, Mark Edgeller, Philip Fawkes, Caroline French, John Jones, William Legge, Graham Osborne, Andy Page, John Shillitoe, Barry Stalker, Dave Unsworth, Andrew Walmsley, Marcus Ward, Keith Wills and Simon Woolley Introduction 18 Categories A, B & C 20 Categories D & E: escapes and others 160 Table 1: Counts of territories of selected species on the Thames Basin and Wealden Heaths in 2015 163 Table 2: Results of BTO Garden BirdWatch in Hampshire in 2015 164 Table 3: Results of Breeding Bird Survey in Hampshire BTO region in 2015 165 Table 4: Results of New Forest Winter Bird Survey in 2015 168 Table 5: Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) coverage during 2015 169 Table 6: Departure and arrival dates of winter visitors 172 Table 7: Arrival and departure dates of summer visitors 172 Table 8: Monthly totals of birds observed moving over inland watchpoints 174 Appendix 1: Outstanding and not proven records 176 Appendix 2: Observers and Contributors 2015 177 Appendix 3: Guidelines for the submission of records 181 Appendix 4: Photographs for inclusion in the Hampshire Bird Report 187 Hampshire Bird Ringing and Nest Recording Report 2015 Tony Davis 188 Papers Heathland restoration, maintenance and impact on birds: a Thames Basin Heaths case study John Eyre 198 Low tide surveys in Portsmouth Harbour: results for 2014/15 and trends from 1992/93 to 2014/15 John Shillitoe 212 Unusually heavy coastal movement of Fieldfares and Redwings in late autumn 2015 John Clark 221 Second for Hampshire: Greater Yellowlegs at Titchfield Mark Rolfe 227 Black-eared Wheatear at Acres Down: first record of eastern race in Hampshire Gary Howard 229 Notes High numbers of post-breeding Mediterranean Gulls around Winchester John Cloyne & Paul Pearson 232 3 Contents (cont.) Breeding Goosanders in Hampshire Philip Fawkes 234 BTO House Martin Survey 2015: Hampshire results Glynne Evans & Mike Chalmers 235 Hampshire Ornithological Society Organisation and Membership 237 Map and Gazetteer 238 List of Abbreviations 243 Index to English Names 244 Bird photographs Adult Black Brant, Sturt Pond, Feb 22nd (Alan Lewis) 25 Adult male Garganey, Testwood Lakes, Apr 2nd (Paul Winter) 31 First-winter female Ring-necked Ducks, Rooksbury Mill, Andover, Nov 27th (John Hilton) 33 Adult male Scaup, Wellington CP, Mar 7th (Barry Stalker) 35 Male Long-tailed Duck, Ivy Lake, Blashford, Mar 25th (Paul Winter) 36 Male Surf Scoter, Lee-on-the-Solent, Feb 25th (Andy Johnson) 37 Juvenile Black-throated Diver, North Poulner (Northfield) Lake, Blashford, Dec 7th (Martin Bennett) 42 Juvenile Great Northern Diver, Calshot Spit, Dec 14th (Gareth Rees) 43 Cattle Egret, Titchfield Haven, Sep 2nd (Mark Palmer) 48 Full summer plumage Great White Egret, Needs Ore, May 15th (Lee Fuller) 49 Grey Heron, Blashford Lakes, Sep 10th (John Wichall) 50 Spoonbills, Keyhaven, June 1st (Gareth Rees) 52 Female Marsh Harrier, Titchfield Haven, Jan 23rd (David Ryves) 57 Stone-curlew, north Hampshire, May 24th (Barry Stalker) 62 Avocet, Titchfield Haven, June 29th, chasing Mallard (John Wichall) 63 White-rumped Sandpiper, Farlington Marshes, Oct 25th (Andy Johnson) 75 First-winter Grey Phalarope, West Hayling LNR, Nov 28th (Alan Lewis) 76 Adult summer Common Sandpiper, Ibsley Water, Blashford, Apr 10th (Paul Winter) 76 Adult summer Greater Yellowlegs, Titchfield Haven, June 14th (David Aitken) 78 Adult summer Greenshank, Ibsley Water, Blashford, Apr 28th (Russell Tofts) 79 Juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher, Keyhaven, Sep 26th (Alan Lewis) 82 Woodcock, Setley Plain, Nov 15th (Marcus Ward) 83 Little Auk, Whitchurch, Dec 21st (Ian Wells) 85 Juvenile Black Tern, Testwood Lakes, Sep 4th (Steve Bassett) 86 Adult summer Roseate Tern, Black Point, May 11th (Andy Johnson) 88 First-winter Bonaparte’s Gull, Riverside Park, Southampton, May 5th (Alan Lewis) 89 First-winter Bonaparte’s Gull, Riverside Park, Southampton, May 7th (Barry Stalker) 89 Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Titchfield Haven, June 4th, predating Black-headed Gull chick, with mobbing adult Black-headed Gulls (John Wichall) 93 Stock Dove, Furze Hill, Mar 5th (Martin Bennett) 97 Turtle Dove, north Hampshire, July 20th (Barry Stalker) 99 Short-eared Owl, Redbridge, Dec 7th (Richard Jacobs) 101 Hoopoe, Crawley, Winchester, Apr 24th (John Hilton) 103 Kingfisher, Blashford Lakes, Aug 22nd (John Wichall) 103 Wryneck, Hook-with-Warsash, Sep 2nd (Gareth Rees) 103 4 Adult male with juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, Headley Down, July 21st (John Wichall) 105 Female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, New Forest, May 17th (Marcus Ward) 105 Female Red-footed Falcon, Fordingbridge, June 20th (Vicky Boult) 105 Adult male Merlin, Furze Hill, Dec 10th (Martin Bennett) 106 Ring-necked Parakeet, Fareham, Apr 5th (Trevor Carpenter) 107 First-winter Red-backed Shrike, Hayling Oysterbeds, Oct 2nd (Steve Bassett) 108 Great Grey Shrike, Overton, Apr 2nd (Barry Stalker) 109 Raven, Keyhaven, Oct 10th (Chris Rose) 111 Male Penduline Tit, Titchfield Haven, Dec 11th (Alan Lewis) 113 Coal Tit, New Forest, Feb 14th (Martin Clay) 115 Marsh