Hampshire Ornithological Society

HOS team members have been in London this week to receive a national award recognising excellence in local ornithology. Every year the Marsh Charitable Trust and the British Trust for Ornithology select a local organisation to receive the distinction based on their achievements.

Great to see this review of our latest bird report. Copies of this report and previous years are available to purchase or view on our website. Sign up for membership (just £16 a year) to receive the report annually hos.org.uk/welcome-to-the…

A memorable encounter with this Great Grey Shrike over the w/end in the New Forest, watching it hunting Lizards and Beetles amongst the Gorse and then spearing them onto spikes of hawthorn.

We were delighted to help finance a new Sand Martin bank at @HantsIWWildlife Testwood Lakes youtu.be/Hm6NVWXyqhY?si…

Black-necked Grebes at Keyhaven Marsh today feasting on Caddisfly larvae. @HOSbirding @hiwwt @BirdGuides @BBCSpringwatch #grebes

A fine looking drake Ring-necked Duck eventually showed well at Fleet Pond, Hampshire mid afternoon today. @HantsIWWildlife @HOSbirding

Lovely to catch up with @SBO_Jason at Farlington Marshes, where we had a Norwegian colour-ringed Rock Pipit ‘X9Z’. Ringed at More og Romsdal, Norway in August 2020 and travelled 1434 km to overwinter at Farlington. Recorded at Farlington each winter since.

Ferruginous Duck at Brownwich Pond near Titchfield, Hants on Friday afternoon. What a handsome bird! It was with a few tufties and there was also a drake Goosander present. @HOSbirding @BirdGuides @RareBirdAlertUK

I wouldn’t normally post such poor quality photos but a Great Shearwater as, I think, a first confirmed for Hampshire was quite an event today. Nice scope views off of Calshot but sadly too far for anything other than a couple of record shots. @HOSbirding @HantsIWWildlife

Green-winged Teal this afternoon at Langstone, Hants. It was in the sea with other wildfowl and waders, and after a while flew into the pond behind me for a bit then onto a nearby flooded field. Nice to meet @JaySee_Birding the finder. @HOSbirding @RareBirdAlertUK @BirdGuides

We had a perfect day @titchfieldhaven Saturday. This Sanderling was colour ringed. Project response. Ringed NE Greenland (75.18298, -19.76899) 14 07 25 incubating 3 eggs. Late brood hatched 30 07 25. Seen Netherlands (Waden Sea) 22 08 25. A voyager. @HOSbirding @hantsconnect

We are very honoured. To everyone in HOS who has helped us in any way in recent years, we thank you for making us the best that we can be.

Making the award, Juliet Vickery, Chief Executive of the BTO, particularly highlighted HOS’s work with young people, and its determination to increase female involvement alongside excellent fieldwork.

HOS team members have been in London this week to receive a national award recognising excellence in local ornithology. Every year the Marsh Charitable Trust and the British Trust for Ornithology select a local organisation to receive the distinction based on their achievements.

Around six Grey Phalaropes seen in Hampshire in the last three days following the stormy weather. Last year was an unusually poor year with only one record, compared to eight in 2023

A wild and windy day on Hayling Island, but when the sun came out to play so did the Grey Phalarope ! @HOSbirding

Beautiful selection of waders at Farlington Marshes earlier this week

Honey Buzzard-adult male, barred morph-summer 2025, a new bird in the system for me, which was nice, not the brightest or contrasting of barred males but a smart individual but annoyingly could go unseen for days on end at times, which brings the season to a close for me.

Cattle Egrets in Hampshire tending to a field of cow's. @HOSbirding @BirdGuides @hantsbirdnews @thetimes #NaturePhotography #egrets

Hobby-New Forest, 2025, It was a "Subbuteo Summer" on Forest this year & my best year ever with multiple pairs & nests. It reignited my love affair with this species & hearing the male calling as it comes in with prey is a great sound of the British Summer. @HOSbirding

2025 was a record breeding season for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests monitored by our volunteers. None failed & where we were able to check the nest contents the number of chicks fledged was the highest since we started the project in 2015. Full story woodpecker-network.org.uk