oriole birding

ORIOLE BIRDING

TOUR REPORT - NEW FOREST 6TH – 10TH July 2021

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The Manor House, Great Ryburgh, Norfolk NR21 0DX

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Oriole Birding New Forest 2021 2

TUESDAY 6TH JULY – Overcast with moderate breeze, 15C Our first evening in Lyndhurst was a cool and breezy one, but after our meet up and dinner in one of the nearby pubs, we opted to have a walk over the adjacent heath to look for Nightjars. The first ‘coo-ick!’ flight call was heard right on cue as we arrived at our chosen spot, and soon a female Nightjar flew past us keeping low among the gorse bushes out of the wind. The male then churred briefly, before both birds flew past again, the male dancing along low over the ground right in front of us and flashing his white wing and tail spots. The display ended with the male following the female high over the track and heading to another area of gorse, but we were able to follow the bird against the sky for quite a while. A super way to start our few days of wildlife watching in the New Forest! WEDNESDAY 7TH JULY – Overcast day with fresh south-east winds, 18C With pretty poor ‘bugging’ weather forecast today, we had booked to head to Titchfield Haven reserve first in the morning, to do some birding. This lovely site is about forty minutes from our base, and we arrived there just before 10am. The track down the west side of the reserve was fairly sheltered from the strong wind blowing through The Solent, and we saw our first butterflies here – Red Admiral and Large Skipper – and several damselflies. Mostly these were Blue-tailed Damselfly, but we saw both common colour forms of the female (violacea and rufescens) and also a few Azure Damselflies too. A Common Darter also kicked us off on the dragonfly front.

Blue-tailed Damselfy females of the forms violacea and rufescens From Spurgin Hide, there was a nice selection of birds on show including a mixed flock of Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, the latter in lovely breeding plumage, right in front of the hide. Mediterranean Gulls were also seen on the islands, among the nesting Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls, which now had lots of fledged young spread around all over the place. Ducks included Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler and Shelduck, but the best birds were two adult Wood Sandpipers which showed well for a few minutes before departing high to the south and we didn’t see them again. After a coffee back by the shore overlooking the Isle of Wight, it was time to make our way back round to the forest and do some more bugging. Upper Crockford stream is a great site for seeing the classic odonata species of the area, and there was enough shelter from the wind here, and a little sun breaking through, to get plenty of damselflies on the wing. We had great close views of the two rarities – Southern Damselfly and Small Red Damselfly, plus numerous shimmering male Beautiful Demoiselles too. Up on the adjacent heathland, we found Small Heath, a brief Dark Green Fritillary, and lots of male Silver-


studded Blues looking very neat and freshly emerged. An Emperor Dragonfly was seen patrolling, and we saw a Golden-ringed Dragonfly perched in the gorse by the side of the track too. Birds included several Mistle Thrush, Stonechat, Linnet, Skylark and a Sparrowhawk, but the undoubted star was a male Dartford Warbler that perched up beautifully in the open for us calling.

Southern Damselfly, 7th July Hatchet Pond was our last spot of the day, but the cloud had thickened and the wind was really keeping everything cool. We couldn’t therefore find our hoped for targets on the odonata front but we did have scope views of a Kingfisher, whacking a fish on the branch of a pine tree! A short run back to the hotel from here, and we had a European Semi-final to get ready for so an early dinner was in store!

Silver-studded Blue, 7th July


THURSDAY 8TH JULY – Sunny spells and light winds, 19C A great day today saw us try and hit all our butterfly targets in one go, due to the forecast being unpredictable for the rest of the trip. We managed a respectable 17 species, though Purple Emperor sadly did not feature and seemed not yet to be on the wing. Bentley Wood in Wiltshire, around 40 minutes from our Lyndhurst base, was our destination for the whole morning – a fantastic bit of ancient forest with a great butterfly list on offer. On arrival it was quite cool and cloudy, and as we walked down the main track it felt like it could be hard work to see much at all. But after half an hour or so, there was already enough ambient warmth for the first Ringlets of the day to emerge, and we went on to see hundreds as the temperature got up to around 20C. Large Skipper and Meadow Brown were close behind, also being seen in large numbers, and we saw our first Small Skippers of the trip (and of the year) too. Birdwise, there was lots of song to be heard and we had excellent views of a male Firecrest just above the track, along with Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and Blackcap. There was also a nice chance to compare Blackcap song with the similar Garden Warbler, and brief scope views of the latter were had by those quick off the mark!

Purple Hairstreak, Bentley Wood 8th July Taking the track down towards Donkey Copse, things really got going on the butterfly front as our first Silver-washed Fritillaries began to appear – mostly males, but with a single female also seen. A pristine White Admiral then floated down from the canopy to the abundant bramble blossom and we added Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Gatekeeper in quick succession too. The fritillaries were a real crowd pleaser, with several superb close views – but hard to photograph given the warmth, as they were now supercharged! Low down, a small silvery butterfly caught our eye flying beside the track – a Purple Hairstreak, normally seen up in the canopy of oaks. It landed low down in


a tree and we were able to get the scope onto it – good views, which then got even better as the butterfly opened its wings to bask revealing the wonderful bright iridescent purple upperwing. It stayed in the same spot for ten minutes or more too, just fabulous. The dragonfly ponds next and the chance to practice our blue damselfly ID again, but with Large Red Damselfly also seen and a fabulous male Broad-bodied Chaser perched by the water’s edge. A female then joined it and we watched their antics for a while, including a dust up with a second male that tried to intrude on the territory. After a walk up to the elms, where we weren’t lucky with any White-letter Hairstreaks, we headed back to the car park adding a Southern Hawker and two Spotted Flycatchers along the way.

Scarce Forester, Martin Down 8th July After lunch, we moved on past Salisbury to the lovely Martin Down reserve. In the car park, we had amazing views of a Corn Bunting and two Yellowhammers, bathing in the puddles! We went on to note several further Corn Buntings with singing birds dotted around the reserve, but this view was by far our best. Dark Green Fritillary was our main target butterfly here, and there were dozens of them on the wing, with both males and females seen and some lovely close ups of them nectaring on knapweed flowers. Marbled White was also very common here, and we noted Small Heath, Brimstone, Peacock and Common Blue as well. The floral display here is always impressive, with Common Spotted and Pyramidal Orchids seen, plus a wash of chalk grassland wildflowers. The Scarce Forester moth was also found, a rare species confined to a few sites in Wiltshire and Sussex, whose larval foodplant is the knapweed we found it resting on. A super afternoon exploring here, and we had been lucky with the weather today too! FRIDAY 9TH JULY – Sunny spells and light winds, 21C A decent day in the field today with some good highlights, despite one or two big targets missed. We certainly had the weather with us, with the day dominated by warm sunshine – indeed we were already slapping the suncream on out our first stop at Matley. Here we wandered down to the acidic bog pools among the heather, to look for dragonflies. Black Darter was on the menu, but sadly hadn’t read the script and we couldn’t find one despite an extensive search. Emerald Damselfly did


show really well though with several on the wing, and we also saw Small Red Damselfly, Common Darter and Four-spotted Chaser. The whole heath was awash with Silver-studded Blues, and we wrapped things up with a brace of Woodlark among the bracken, seen two or three times in flight. Two Bullfinches were also seen here, our first ones of the trip. Shatterford car park by Beaulieu road station was the next stop, with a raptor watch here during lunch being pretty unproductive – just a family of Kestrels and the odd Buzzard seen (plus a fly past from the Red Arrows!). Down on the bog, we searched again for Black Darter without success – like the Purple Emperor, it seems they are not quite out yet this year. Keeled Skimmer was common though and we saw some lovely males, and a Hobby circled over too.

Keeled Skimmer, 9th July Acres Down was up next, and we enjoyed a very productive walk up onto the down from the car park noting lots of woodland birds among the birch and holly along the side of the track. Two Firecrests were seen at close quarters, among various common tits, Nuthatch, Siskin and a lovely juvenile Common Redstart. Two Woodlark flew by as we broke out of the woodland onto the heath, where we would set up for another hour or so of raptor watching taking in the fantastic vista across the forest. We had more luck this time, with plenty of Common Buzzards and a couple of Ravens seen, but also a male Goshawk which circled up quite close in front of us. Good scope views followed, as the bird gained tremendous height before drifting behind us and then circling with a Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk! The Sparrowhawk looked tiny next to its larger cousin, and was even seen mobbing it briefly at one point. Back towards the car park, a herd of Fallow Deer bounded across the path in front of us, including several impressive stags. Our final act of the day was to try and squeeze in a site for White-legged Damselfly at Ober Water, given the fact the forecast was poor for tomorrow. It turned out to be a good move, as we found


three White-legged Damselfly quite easily, including an immature female of the milky white form lactea. We spent some time photographing these lovely insects at close quarters, admiring their leg bristles through the close focus binoculars! A nice way to end the day, but we were all tired and ready for a beer by this point!

White-legged Damselfly, 9th July at Ober Water SATURDAY 10TH JULY – Overcast with light to moderate rain, 14C The forecast for our last half day had always been looking dodgy, so we had planned a birding walk in the forest at Acres Down to wrap up the trip, It was pretty quiet, but we did manage to find a few small mixed flocks with tits, Treecreeper, Goldcrest and Spotted Flycatcher. Another Firecrest was also seen, and we heard several Crossbills flying over. One did perch nicely for us at the very top of a conifer – a streaky juvenile, which interestingly was in full song! At the farthest point of our walk, we heard the begging calls of young raptors which we assumed were buzzards. However, a Goshawk flew out of the same trees and glided off across the clearing and the penny dropped that the calls we could hear were actually from fledged young Goshawks. They were well back from the trail so we couldn’t see them, but it was great to hear them all the same. Heading back to the car park, we had a brew and checked the radar outlook – rain for the rest of the day by the looks of things. So we opted to get on our way as we all had journeys to make and the M25 to contend with!


# Common Name Scientific name 6 7 8 9 10 Comments

Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl)

1 Greylag Goose Anser anser

2 Canada Goose Branta canadensis ▪

3 Mute Swan Cygnus olor ▪

4 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca

5 Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna ▪

6 Gadwall Mareca strepera ▪

7 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca ▪

8 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos ▪

9 Common Pochard Aythya ferina

10 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

Phasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies)

11 Red-legged Partridge Alectoris rufa

12 Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Podicipedidae (Grebes)

13 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

14 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus ▪

Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves)

15 Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia

16 Stock Dove Columba oenas ▪ H

17 Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

18 European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur

19 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Cuculidae and Caprimulgidae (Cuckoos and Nightjars)

20 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

21 Eurasian Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus ▪

Apodidae (Swifts)

22 Common Swift Apus apus ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Rallidae (Rails and Coots)

23 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus ▪

24 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra ▪

Recurvirostridae and Charadriidae (Stilts, Avocets, Plovers and allies)

25 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta ▪

26 Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus ▪

27 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus ▪

28 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)

29 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata

30 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos


31 Common Redshank Tringa totanus

32 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa ▪

33 Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola


Laridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skuas)

34 Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus ▪ ▪

35 Common Gull Larus canus

36 Herring Gull Larus argentatus ▪

37 Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus ▪

38 Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

39 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis

40 Common Tern Sterna hirundo ▪

Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags)

41 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo ▪

Ardeidae and Threskiornithidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns and Spoonbills)

42 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea ▪ ▪

43 Little Egret Egretta garzetta ▪

Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)

44 Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus ▪ ▪

45 Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis ▪ ▪

46 Red Kite Milvus milvus

47 European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus

48 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo ▪ ▪ ▪

Alcedinidae (Kingfishers)

49 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis ▪

Picidae (Woodpeckers)

50 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major ▪ ▪

51 Eurasian Green Woodpecker Picus viridis

Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras)

52 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus ▪ ▪

53 Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo ▪

Corvidae (Crows, Jays and Magpies)

54 Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius ▪

55 Common Magpie Pica pica ▪ ▪ ▪

56 Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula ▪ ▪ ▪

57 Rook Corvus frugilegus ▪ ▪

58 Carrion Crow Corvus corone ▪ ▪ ▪

59 Raven Corvis corax ▪ ▪

Alaudidae (Larks)

60 Woodlark Lullula arborea ▪

61 Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis ▪ ▪ ▪

Hirundinidae (Swallows)

62 Sand Martin Riparia riparia ▪

63 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica ▪ ▪

64 Common House Martin Delichon urbicum ▪ ▪

Paridae (Tits)

65 Coal Tit Periparus ater ▪ ▪

66 Marsh Tit Poecile palustris ▪ ▪



67 Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

68 Great Tit Parus major ▪ ▪

69 Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus ▪ ▪ ▪

Sittidae and Certhiidae (Nuthatches and Treecreepers)

70 Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea ▪ ▪

71 Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris ▪ ▪

Troglodytidae (Wrens)

72 Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Regulidae (Kinglets)

73 Goldcrest Regulus regulus H ▪

74 Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla ▪ ▪ ▪

Scotocercidae and Phylloscopidae (Bush and Leaf Warblers)

75 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti H

76 Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus ▪

77 Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibliatrix

78 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita H ▪ ▪ ▪

Sylviidae (Sylviid Warblers)

79 Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus H

80 Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus ▪

81 Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla ▪ ▪ ▪

82 Garden Warbler Sylvia borin ▪

83 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca ▪

84 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis ▪ ▪

85 Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata ▪

Muscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers)

86 Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata ▪ ▪

87 European Robin Erithacus rubecula ▪ ▪ ▪

88 Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus ▪

89 European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola ▪ ▪ ▪

Turdidae and Sturnidae (Thrushes and Starlings)

90 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus ▪ ▪

91 Song Thrush Turdus philomelos ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

92 Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

93 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris ▪ ▪ ▪

Prunellidae (Accentors)

94 Dunnock Prunella modularis ▪

Motacillidae (Wagtails and Pipits)

95 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea ▪

96 Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba ▪ ▪

97 Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis ▪ ▪

98 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis

Fringillidae (Finches)

99 Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs ▪ ▪ ▪


100 Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula ▪ ▪

101 European Greenfinch Chloris chloris ▪

102 Common Linnet Linaria cannabina ▪ ▪ ▪

103 Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra H ▪


104 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis ▪ ▪ ▪

105 Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus ▪ ▪ ▪

Emberizidae (Old World Buntings)

106 Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra ▪

107 Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella ▪

108 Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus H

Passeridae (Old World Sparrows)

109 House Sparrow Passer domesticus ▪

110 Shoveler ▪

111 Dunlin ▪

112 Wood Sandpiper ▪

113 Mediterranean Gull ▪

Butterflies

The species list below follows the taxonomy of the checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles; Agassiz (2013)


1 Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola

2 Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris ▪ ▪

3 Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus ▪ ▪ ▪

4 Large White Pieris brassicae ▪

5 Small White Pieris rapae

6 Green-veined White Pieris napi

7 Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni ▪

8 Wall Lasiommata megera

9 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria ▪

10 Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus ▪ ▪ ▪

11 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus ▪

12 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina ▪ ▪ ▪

13 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus ▪

14 Marbled White Melanargia galathea ▪

15 Grayling Hipparchia semele

16 Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia ▪

17 Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja ▪ ▪

18 White Admiral Limenitis camilla ▪

19 Purple Emperor Apatura iris

20 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta ▪ ▪ ▪

21 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

22 Peacock Aglais io ▪


23 Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae ▪

24 Comma Polygonia c-album

25 Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

26 Purple Hairstreak Favonius quercus ▪

27 White-letter Hairstreak Satyrium w-album

28 Small Blue Cupido minimus

29 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus

30 Silver-studded Blue Plebejus argus ▪ ▪


31 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus ▪

32 Chalk Hill Blue Polyommatus coridon

Dragonflies and Damselflies

The dragonfly lists presented below follow the taxonomic sequence of Schorr and Paulson (2013).


1 Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa ▪

2 Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo ▪ ▪

3 White-legged Damselfly Platycnemis pennipes ▪

4 Small Red Damselfly Ceriagrion tenellum ▪ ▪

5 Southern Damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale ▪

6 Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella ▪ ▪ ▪

7 Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum

8 Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas

9 Small Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma viridulum

10 Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans ▪ ▪ ▪

11 Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura pumilio

12 Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula ▪ ▪

13 Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea ▪

14 Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis

15 Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator ▪

16 Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii ▪ ▪

17 Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea

18 Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa ▪

19 Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata ▪

20 Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum

21 Keeled Skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens ▪

22 Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum

23 Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum ▪ ▪

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