New Forest - 1 February 2012

A minor RG outing, well two of us, with some free time off, we decided to have some bad birding time, so we both headed off to the New Forest. With a day of brisk wind, taking the temperature below freezing it was not an ideal day to be out with birds keeping low and any slight chances of Dartford Warbler being much reduced, as expected we failed to locate any and time out causally wandering around birding was much reduced by conditions.

First call was to Calshot, yes to see the Spanish Sparrow which duly put in an appearance in appropriate hedge. Afterwards we took a look, at the sea and marsh areas, debating how good some of the area looked for ringing sites. The marsh only held a few waders, Bar and Black-tailed Godwits, Grey  and Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Redshank and Turnstone, plus a single Brent Goose, with alas a very obvious broken wing. The sea proved very quite.

We headed next to Hawkhill Inclosure, but stopping as we head through Fawley at the local cafe, thanks to a well paced sing on a car roof, to ave breakfast served on silver platter usually used for the large Sunday roost they turn out. A pair of Crossbuill showed well at Hawkhill and after a moderate rate the dark-eyed Junco appeared on the fallen conifer tree in the clear area to fed on the seed that had been put out, that was mostly being consumed by a number of Reed Buntings.

Afterwards we headed to Blackwater Arboretum, but there was no sign of any Hawfinch, or much else early afternoon, which was followed by a couple of attempts for Dartford, but with birds not showing to well in the conditions we decided to head back.