Autumn 2025 Patch Update

 


Apart from a couple of ‘named’ storms, the mild, dry theme of spring and summer continued well into November, enabling plenty of autumn patch birding. Our year list has grown steadily, but remains five below our record figure of 103 in 2024 with no species added to the overall total since March. Checklist numbers were similar overall to previous years; our highest count of 47 on 8th November was a new record for that month. As usual, all lists and bar charts can be found on the ebird ‘hotspot’, by clicking on this hyperlink, and I have also included links to pictures of the birds mentioned in this blog. For new readers, a map and description of the route can be found on the first blog post on this site, here.



'Devil's Fingers': a regular autumn fungus on Setley Plain

The migration season was slightly disappointing this year, with no further sightings of Wheatear or Whinchat and just a single Yellow Wagtail overhead during September, despite large numbers being recorded on the coast. A few Redstarts appeared along the railway line and at Marlpit scrub and numbers of Spotted Flycatchers  swelled during their autumn passage. A single Pied Flycatcher on 12th September was our first record since 2022 but we failed to find any Ring Ouzels again this year, despite a good crop of Hawthorn berries. A small flock of Sand Martin, heading South with the other hirundines in late September, was our first autumnal record of this species.


Red Admiral butterfly enjoying some unseasonal sunshine in early November


The summer warblers departed at around their usual times, with our final sightings of Willow Warbler in the first week of September followed four weeks later by our last Blackcap. Chiffchaffs continued to sing in the sunshine until late October. It may be that we will get our first winter record of this species in the coming months with increasing numbers of non-migrating birds being recorded in the UK.

On the pond, the water level remained low for most of the autumn; several shingle islands provided a landing spot for a group of up to five Cormorants which is our highest count of this species. A Little Egret also joined our regular Grey Heron for most of November, although Mallard was our only wild duck species. A Great White Egret, overhead on 16th November, was a new bird for the year and our first since 2023.



Drying off: 3 Cormorants make use of the temporary shingle 'island' at Setley Pond


We were pleased to see good numbers of Crossbill during October and they were joined by flocks of Redpoll, often feeding with other finches high in the birch and alder trees. Hobby and Merlin were also added to the year list during September and October, alongside our regular Kestrel and Buzzards. A group of four Ravens were regularly sighted around the football pitches and over the allotments, and seem to be becoming increasingly active around the pine trees in Hincheslea Woods, suggesting they may breed there next year.


Ravens in flight over the allotments


Redwings and Fieldfares arrived on the patch a few weeks later than in previous years, presumably due to the mild conditions; however Redwing numbers during November were considerably larger than in 2024 , particularly around Hincheslea Woods with a sizeable roost developing. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at the same location was our third record of the year in mid-September.

This month marks the 5 year anniversary of our patch birding efforts which started back in November 2020. The data on our e-bird site are producing some interesting patterns which I am planning to summarise  and share in a more detailed report in the coming weeks. In the meantime, hopefully December will bring us the two species we still need for our 2025 ‘patch century’: Brambling is a potential target, given the reports from elsewhere in the New Forest and we remain forever hopeful of some exotic wildfowl at Setley Pond.


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