Patch Summary for 2024
Setley pond – usually a source of more hope than expectation – managed to exceed our wildest dreams in 2024, producing three of our six ‘lifers’: a group of three Cattle Egrets overhead in June, a single drake Wigeon in November and a pair of male Shoveler in December. A Moorhen lingered for most of the summer and was joined, briefly by a Coot in April. Mallards produced two broods of ducklings and Canada Geese were a regular presence during the Spring. Greylag and Egyptian Geese have also passed overhead periodically – sightings of the latter becoming more frequent this year. A pair of ‘untickable’ domestic ducks seem to have taken up residence on the pond, one of which clearly has some Mallard in its ancestry, but the Winter has not yet produced any Goosander or Great White Egret. Teal and Tufted duck are still missing from our patch list and both could be possible additions in future years. A separate Setley eBird Hotspot lists the 85 species found at this location, including a few historical records from other birders.
In the woods, sightings of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on two
consecutive weeks in February gave us hope that they may breed on the patch
this year, although there were no further views and no drumming was heard.
Marsh Tits were hard to find again in the early part of the year but were seen
and heard most weeks from April onwards; this supports the recent HoS survey findings
that the New Forest remains a stronghold for this Nationally threatened
species. Redstarts were singing in several territories in Hincheslea during April
and May, but Spotted Flycatchers were harder to find than in previous years
during the summer months. Firecrest have become increasing common sightings at
various locations across the patch throughout the year. Most of the common
finch species also appeared to have had a good year, with large flocks of
Linnet, Greenfinch and Goldfinch developing in late summer, although we failed to
find Hawfinch or Crossbill this year, and Brambling have not been recorded on
our patch since 2021.
On the heath, Dartford Warblers have clearly benefited from the
recent mild winter, with more breeding sites being identified across the patch
than in 2023. Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylark were also present in good
numbers during the summer months, but sightings of Woodlark were
disappointingly sparse. A single bird was seen in March at their previous
breeding location, which was noted to be very wet in the early part of the
year. No song was heard, and although an adult and juvenile were seen twice
later in the summer, we suspected that they had bred elsewhere this year.
Hopefully we will see their return in 2025.
Lapwings nested in several heathland locations, their efforts being assisted by the red warning signs which were sited on Widden Bottom by our local keeper, Maartin Lederboer. Snipe were also active over the reedbeds and mires throughout the year, but sadly the Curlew were less successful, their efforts finally being abandoned when the female bird was apparently predated at the nest site. A group of three Golden Plover, which passed overhead in November, were another new bird for the patch.
One of the highlights of the summer was an unusually large
number of daytime Nightjar sightings, on three consecutive weeks in June. On
one occasion, a male was flushed by a female Marsh Harrier, which was a regular
visitor from April until July. Another female Marsh Harrier – likely to be a different
bird – was seen twice in November, but our only Hen Harrier this year was a
ringtail in January. Goshawk sightings were also more sporadic than in previous
years, likely due to failure of the local nest site, but Kestrels successfully
reared three young from their nest box behind the allotments. An adult and
juvenile Peregrine were also seen several times in the late summer, and a
Merlin over Marlpit Oak in November was our first for two years. A Barn Owl,
which called over the heath during April was another patch ‘lifer’ and a Tawny Owl was an unusual daytime find in June. Little Owls seem to have disappeared
from the local area, with our last record being in 2022. Although not
technically ‘tickable’ – and therefore not included in our numbers – the overhead
appearance of a juvenile White Tailed Eagle from the Isle of Wight
re-introduction programme provided a us with moment of excitement in April; no
doubt these birds will become more regular sightings over the coming years, and
will eventually be admissible to the list once their breeding population is established.
Summer migrants arrived and left at their predicted times,
with good numbers of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Common Whitethroat singing
throughout the summer. It was good to hear Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat on the patch again in the spring, and Cuckoos were in good voice on
Longslade from April until mid-June. Water Rail and Reed Warbler also returned to the reedbeds at Hincheslea Bog, having been absent in 2023. The passage migration seasons were our
biggest disappointment this year, with only small numbers of Wheatear, Whinchat,
Redstart and Yellow Wagtail passing through in the autumn. For the second
consecutive year we failed to find a Pied Flycatcher and Ring Ouzels were also notably
absent from the patch, perhaps a result of the poor crop of Hawthorn berries
this year. Our mood was lifted, however, with the appearance of the first
Yellow-browed Warbler – my patch birding highlight of the year - which was feeding with a group of Chiffchaff at
Longslade in late October.
As we enter the fifth year of regular recording on eBird,
the bar charts are continuing to reveal some interesting patterns. 33 species
are truly ‘perennial’, having been seen at least once in every week of a year
since 2020, with the recent addition of Stonechat, Mistle Thrush and Goldcrest
to this list. Jay, Marsh Tit and Firecrest may join this list in 2025, having
only been missed in one previous week. Collared Doves fall silent during October,
Black-headed Gulls are absent during the summer months and Ravens go missing in
June. Red Kites have only ever been sighted over the patch in the first half of
the year, although this may change as their numbers increase.
A new year brings the start of a new list and a blank spreadsheet ready to be populated. The 2024 total will be challenging to beat, but remains achievable with a few common birds missing and still plenty of potential for new species. My plan for this year is to post regular, shorter, updates of each visit to the patch, along with the seasonal and yearly summaries. As always, comments and feedback are welcomed.
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