Leucistic Carrion Crow, Southampton Common. Leucism in birds is a genetic disorder whereby the pigment cells are unevenly distributed, resulting in patches of feathers looking paler, bleached looking or showing white.
Leucism.
birdwatching
Dartfords.
5 mile circular walk across open heathland this morning
Stonechat.
Dartford Warblers.
When I was a teenager Dartford Warblers were one of those birds that was on my wish list and it seemed the place to see them was the RSPB reserve at Arne in Dorset a few visits there never gave me a sighting of these attractive little birds. Roll forwards 50 years and a regular spot in the New Forest for me.
YouTube posts.
07:00 hrs along the Hamble, Bursledon, near Southampton.
Egyptian Geese
Egyptian geese aren’t true geese; they’re members of the shelduck family. They are naturally found in Africa. They were introduced from Africa as ornamental birds for country estates and private water collections in the 17th century
1st October 2026.
First of the month, and a walk in the New Forest: fungi are starting to show not sure how the season will be given the dry conditions through the summer only time will tell.
We had 6 Ravens flying over our heads as we were on our walk today. Ravens are our largest corvid; they’re often seen in pairs, but particularly in the winter, young birds can come together to roost in big groups. Ravens are mostly carrion eaters, but they will eat insects and hunt small live prey.
- Length: 60–68cm
- Wingspan: 120–150cm
- Weight: 800–1,500g
Another interesting spot was a Lesser Stag Beetle.
and some Caddisfly eggs.
Just one Raft Spider seen.
Crossbills.
The Common Crossbill is both a resident species and a partial migrant to Britain & Ireland. They use their distinctive bills to prise open pine cones and extract the seeds. These birds were spotted in the New Forest this morning.
A Quiet Wednesday.
Wordless Wednesday.
Common Gull.
The Common Gull looks like a smaller version of the Herring Gull, with greenish/blue legs and a yellow bill. Despite its name, it is not common.
Conservation status: Red
Wheatear.
A UK robin-sized chat, the wheatear is a summer visitor, arriving here in early March and leaving in September for its African wintering grounds. There were several of these good-looking birds on Hurst Spit today. They are mainly ground-dwelling birds. It hops or runs on the ground looking for food.
Tidal stretch of the Hamble.
Along the River Hamble from Warsash, a favourite short walk for Sunday morning. Nothing new today but some old favourites
The tide was on the turn and starting to come in.
Blacktail Godwitts – there were good numbers of these waders, which have now lost their summer breeding plumage.
A high number of Little Egrets were on the river and in the surrounding areas.
Turnstone
Ring Plover.
