Birdwatching in South Hampshire

Hampshire is undoubtedly one of the best counties in England for all round birdwatching. This is due to the huge variety of habitats ranging from saltmarsh to chalk downland that can be found in the county. These habitats support rare breeding birds such as Stone Curlew, Corn Bunting and occasionally Long-eared Owl on the downland and Woodlark, Dartford Warbler, Nightjar and Honey Buzzard in the New Forest.

In the winter Hampshire supports a large population of wintering wildfowl and waders with sites such as Langstone Harbour, Titchfield Haven and Pennington Marshes being particularly important for these species. It is on these coastal marshes that birds of prey are often seen with the resident Kestrels and Sparrowhawks often being joined by a Peregrine or if your even luckier a Merlin, Hen Harrier or Short-eared Owl. All these raptors occur in the New Forest at this time of year along with the occasional Great Grey Shrike which has become an annual visitor to this part of the world.

During the Spring and Autumn Hampshire attracts a large amount of both passage waders and landbird migrants. Due to the large amounts of birds passing through it is not surprising that rarities are often found. The best places to look for passage rarities in Hampshire are sites such as Farlington Marshes, Pennington Marshes or Needs Ore Point.