March 2025 Patch update

March 2025 seems to have raced by, with some misty mornings, spring sunshine and - thankfully - a lot less rain than last year. On the birding front, it was the early arrivals or our 'Little Green Birds' which provided the main headlines, with no new sightings to add to the patch life list. Our highest count of 53 species on 30^th equaled our previous record for the month, and the year list has crept up to 71, which is just one short of our total at this time in 2024. As usual, all counts and bar charts can be found at our eBird ‘hotspot’ and a patch map is available here for readers who are unfamiliar with the locations mentioned below.

Chiffchaff - an early summer visitor

Chiffchaff are usually the first of the summer warblers to arrive, but the influx in the first week of March was far earlier and larger than in previous years; by the 6^th they were singing in double figures at various locations across the patch. Reports from elsewhere in the New Forest and coastal locations suggested that this pattern was also observed across the UK. Following this theme, the sound of Willow Warblers greeted us at the end of the month – by far our earliest ever record, and again reflected in reports elsewhere. A very tame bird sang close enough to the path to enable a good photograph, demonstrating the long primary wing feathers and pale legs which help to distinguish these two similar species in the absence of their characteristic songs. Blackcaps reappeared and sang strongly in the last week as in previous years, but so far no Wheatear has arrived on the heath despite a few reports from the coast.

Willow Warbler in full voice

A few Redwing lingered until the 22nd in the trees around the old railway line at Latchmore, while Fieldfares which have been hard to find all winter were not seen at all in March. Reed Buntings and Snipe were back in their usual breeding locations at Hincheslea Bog, and at least 9 Lapwing were seen displaying over the heathland at Widden Bottom and Setley Plain throughout the month. Sadly, there has been no evidence of Curlew breeding activity on the patch so far and we rather fear that the predation of the female bird last year will be the final nail in this species’ attempts to nest locally. One bird was heard calling near Trenley Lawn on 30th, which is likely to be one of those who have nested to the North East of our patch boundary in previous years.

We were pleased to hear Woodlark again, high over Setley Pond on 15^th March, having failed to record any song for over 2 years. The recent New Forest Woodlark survey suggests that this species has increased in number over recent years, and the ground where they nest is much drier this year, so hopefully we will have more sightings during the Spring and Summer. Dartford Warblers and Stonechats are back on the heath in good numbers and a double figure count of singing Firecrest in Hincheslea woods is further evidence that this Nationally threatened bird is flourishing locally.

Female Stonechat on Heathland Gorse

Several Red Kites have been seen drifting overhead, which is not uncommon at this time of year. A Tawny Owl, seen flying over the road at Marlpit Oak at dusk provided a rare visual patch record of this species, but raptor sightings were otherwise rather limited with no Merlin, Harriers or Goshawk. Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Buzzard were seen regularly at various locations and a single adult Peregrine soared high over Hincheslea woods early in the month.

As we move into April the weather looks set fair for a while which bodes well for some good birding in what is typically one of our best months of the year. Swallows and House Martins should be with us again soon along with the other summer warblers, Cuckoo – and maybe a rare passage migrant…optimism is my middle name.