31st March - Titchfield Haven Canal Path, Hampshire

Last day of March and I thought I would try my luck once again along the Canal Path.  It was overcast but the chilling breeze that was about over the last few days was gone.  Not sure what to expect I loaded myself up with coat and fleece, I was going to regret it.

On reaching Bridge Street Floods there was a pair of Egyptian Geese, but a short distance away was a male Ruddy Shelduck.  It has been spending time around the fields at Ranvilles Lane, but over the last few days it was frequenting these floods.

Origin will always be dubious, but this one has been a little nervy and has been spending time with the Egyptians.  Nice to see regardless of origin, a smart duck.

A male Marsh Harrier drifted over the Posbrook Floods.

Blackcap and Chiffchaff sang from the woods alongside the path at Posbrook and every so often a Cetti's Warbler would announce itself.  The other loud songster was also in song, but this Wren was not as shy as the Cetti's.

The whole body shakes as it delivers the song, the volume of which belies the size of the bird.

As I approached half way I was stopped by the call of a Fieldfare.  It is getting late for this Winter thrush so I hoped I could get a view.  I eventually found it at the top of a dead tree, sitting nicely as it called.

A difficult thrush to photograph, they are notoriously shy.  This one though showed really well until I came out into the open to try and get a little closer.

I walked on past more singing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.  A scan across the meadow found a male Marsh Harrier in a hawthorn bush, probably the male bird seen earlier at Posbrook.

Around Hammond's Bridge a Greenfinch was singing from the bush.

Then at the bottom of the path there was a Blackcap singing above the path.

I had a short time in the reserve, I walked down to the Spurgin Hide after seeing at least six Marsh Harriers in the air around the Frying Pan, a male was doing the display flight.  However when I got to the hide it was very quiet but I did have a little bonus in a Bearded Tit calling then showing briefly above the reeds before disappearing.

Two female Marsh Harrier eventually appeared but the light was not that good.

I then got a call that need me to go home, of course this would happen on a day that I had decided to walk from Bridge Street!  So it was the walk to the reserve entrance and then up the canal path, with the temperature now around twenty degrees.  How I regretted that thick coat.  The one highlight was a Speckled wood about halfway along.  I managed the walk from the hide to car in fifty minutes, it normally takes and hour and a half.

It was disappointing as there was an Osprey reported in a tree on the east side, but duty called.

28th March - Blashford Lakes and Fishlake Meadows, Hampshire

There was a cold wind still blowing, but the morning was bright and sunny.  Ian and I had arranged to meet at Blashford Lakes, once again our thoughts were on migrant birds and over the last few days there had been a few here.  There was also the chance of some good birds of prey.

As we got ourselves ready there was a Chiffchaff above us singing away in the sunshine.  From the cars we set off to the Tern Hide.  As we settled in it was clear it wasn't going to be warm in the hide, the north westerly wind blowing through the windows.  I started by checking the scrubby area to the right of the hide.  I was looking for a Little Ringed Plover, a pair had been reported and for some reason they like this area.  It took a bit longer than I thought it would but eventually I found one at the tip of the mound.

This was my second Little Ringed Plover of the year, the first having been in Sri Lanka not really counting.

Scanning around Ibsley Water there was a single Great Crested Grebe, and several Tufted Duck.  Good numbers of gulls on the far side of the water and a group of Black-tailed Godwits that for some reason were spooked and had a little fly around.

In an effort to warm up we walked around the the Goosander Hide.  As we walked the path to the hide there were a lot of Chiffchaffs singing, a male Bullfinch was devouring the the pussy Willow and a single Willow Warbler singing in the same spot we had one last year.  The Bullfinch evaded us, but the Willow Warbler showed well.

If anything the Goosander hide was even colder, the wind bitingly cold.  As we walked in there was a single Sand Martin on the path and there was a large flock over the water in front of the hide.  Once again though they were incredibly difficult to photograph.

We spent some time scanning the distant tree line and there were Buzzards a Red Kite, a probably Goshawk and a possible White-tailed Eagle high above the trees.

We left the hide the birch trees looking special in the sunshine.

We were going to return to the car park, but we stopped for a singing Blackcap and then a Treecreeper.  The Treecreeper showing well around the angled branches over the water.

We then got news of a Kittiwake showing from the Lapwing Hide, so changed our plans and turned back to make our way to the hide.  A little way along the path a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew across in front of us and into a nearby tree.

It was hammering away at the trunk, some drumming but also chipping away the bark to look for food.

It then made its way along the bough to the end where it adopted the Woodpecker look around.

we walked around the path with Chiffchaff singing everywhere.  In the hide it was not as bad as the other two.  Out in front of us were good numbers of Black-headed Gulls, initial scans didn't find the Kittiwake, but eventually after persistence I found it quite close to the hide.  The question is had it been there all the time, I just don't know.  But here was a very nice adult Kittiwake on an inland water and a chance to get close to photograph.

Then it took off and was dip feeding over the water and then turned out closer to us.

For me another of the beautiful gulls, the clean grey plumage with the darker shade around the mantle.  The tips of the primaries black as if dipped in ink and the yellow bill.

It flew back and forth in front of the hide showing extremely well.

Finally it settled on the water a distance from the hide and we decided to move on.  These were the best views I have had of Kittiwake in the county.

We walked around the track again with Chiffchaff and Blackcap singing.  Crossing the road we walked alongside Dockens Water and came across at least three Treecreepers.  It doesn't get any easier photographing this little mouse like birds.

We had always planned for today to be a multi site day, so we were off to Fishlake Meadows, we had targets here too.  We still had sunshine and that would be essential.  From the car park at Fishlake we walked north along the canal path.  There was still a fresh wind blowing and that maybe was responsible for the quietness.  But every so often a Chiffchaff would sing.

A little further along the path there were the blasting song of the Cetti's Warbler and the diminutive Wren.  The Cetti's remained hidden, but the Wren did show.

Then a sign of hope that maybe we could find what we were hoping for, a Peacock butterfly on the path in front of us.

Rather than take the path across the reserve we carried on along the canal path and a shortly Ian found what we had hoped for.  At this time of year this reserve is a good site for the first Orange Tip butterfly.  Today was a little early but there was always the chance and we had got lucky.  We got even luckier as they usually don't stop at this time of year, but this one did, into the bramble where it settled, but we were able to photograph it.  Closed wings, showing how they can camouflage themselves in amongst the vegetation.

Then open winged showing off the lovely orange tips that give it the name.

After the Orange Tip we tried to walk down the centre path, but were beaten by the flooded path.  We weren't too concerned as we hardly ever see anything good from the screens.

Another reason for heading back was the skies away to the north west.  Dramatic clouds building.

As we walked south the clouds appeared to slip away without drenching us.

We stopped at one of the viewing platforms to scan the reeds and watch the storm  Overhead a Raven drifted over.

As we reached the turn to the car park, the storm clouds were making their way towards Southampton.  There were some interesting patterns in the cloud, bulges at the base of the cloud that are caused by the weight of water.

With storm clous all around us we decided to call it for the day,  The Kittiwake had been a bonus and it was good to catch up with Little Ringed Plover and Willow Warbler.  However the Orange Tip was probably the highlight.  The record is two days earlier than we have seen before, so all in all a good day