The return of B6WWWW, and an Old Portsmouth diversion

B6WWWW at Southsea Castle

I took an afternoon trip into town to successfully twitch the widely reported black redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros) which are frequenting the sea buckthorn in Broad Street, Old Portsmouth. Before getting to Broad Street I stopped briefly at Southsea Castle to count the 14 purple sandpipers (Calidris maritime) feeding on the sea defences at low tide.

I was also pleasantly surprised to re-find my old friend the sanderling (Calidris alba) B6WWWW a bird that was originally ringed in Hampshire in 2011 by Pete Potts. I last saw the bird on the 2nd March 2015 since then it has lost the blue tag on its lower right leg.

Patch-birding-southsea-seafront 2nd March 2015

Having said farewell to this frequent flyer, I then headed to Old Portsmouth and spent some time watching the very showy black redstarts, of which three were present.

Fort Cumberland - lizards on parade

A late morning / early afternoon visit on local patches produced highlights of eight Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus) on the beach at Eastney in front of the Royal Marines Museum; six common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) basking in the sunshine at Fort Cumberland Open Space - three of which are pictured above; and a black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) in the grounds of Fort Cumberland itself.