February 2025 Patch update
As a wise old birdwatcher once told me: 'the only good thing about February is that it’s 10% shorter than January’. This month's New Forest birding exploits lived up to these limited expectations, with species counts in the low 40s falling well short of our (rather surprising) record of 51 from 2022. No new species were added to the patch list this month, with the year total creeping up to 63 which is 3 short of our figure at the end of February 2024. As usual, all checklists and bar charts can be found on our eBird Hotspot, and there is a map of our patch route here for new readers.
On a more positive note, the recent weather has been
considerably less wet than at this time in 2024, and although the puddles reappeared in the
last week of the month, the lower water levels ensured that all areas remained accessible. After the wildfowl ‘bonanza’ of December and
January, Setley Pond yielded just the usual Mallards, Grey Heron and Cormorant;
a couple of Little Egret overhead and a single Common Gull were the only other
water birds of note, with no sign of last winter’s Kingfisher so far.
Heathland birds were hard to find early in the month, but this all changed in the final week, when the milder air brought a surge of Stonechats, with numbers well into the 20s. On the same day, the local Meadow Pipits started their ‘parachute’ displays and Skylarks were once again singing overhead along with at least a dozen Song Thrush. Woodlarks have not yet returned, but we remain hopeful that they may breed again on the patch after last year’s absence. Lapwing and Snipe were regular sightings at their usual winter heathland locations and should be moving to their breeding territories soon. Firecrest and Marsh Tit were present at a number of different woodland sites but January's Lesser Spotted Woodpecker did not reappear.
Raptors provided our main birding highlights of the month, with another male Hen Harrier sighting, one of at least four birds that have been seen in the New Forest this winter. A male Goshawk over Setley Pond was our first of the year, and Buzzards were regular visitors to the old football pitches, presumably searching for worms in the short grass. February's final addition was a Red Kite which flew North as we completed our last full patch circuit on the 22nd.
The end of February brings the end of Winter and a chance to look forward to the better birding months of Spring. The last 3 months have brought some interesting additions to the patch, with 3 new ducks, but a disappointingly small number of winter thrushes and still no Brambling, which have been in very short supply across the New Forest this year. Hawfinches continue to elude us, despite several recent sightings close to our patch and once again we failed to find any wintering Chiffchaff or Blackcap this year. Roll on March!
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