A horrible forecast for today, but with some anticipation for something showing on the sea. I arranged to meet Ian at Hill Head early on to see if the anticipation was a reality. When I arrived the visibility was very poor with mist completely shrouding the Isle of Wight and there were hardly any birds moving on the water, most of the gulls sitting it out on the exposed beach.
Slowly the mist started to clear and out of the gloom the shape of the Isle of Wight around Cowes appeared and with it a Fulmar, midway to the island heading east. Shortly after that four Common Scoter going east, but the highlight was a light phase Arctic Skua going east and shearing wonderfully as it went.
With the clouds clearing and even some blue sky and sunshine appearing we decided to leave the sea and walked down to the reserve. After checking in we walked around to the west side and into the Meon Shore hide. The water level was lower than when I was here earlier in the week, but the most striking thing was the lack of Black-headed Gulls, the islands seemed a lot less busier than on Tuesday. Was this because nests have been destroyed by higher water earlier in the week or as a result of predation by the Lesser Black-backed Gulls you just couldn't be sure.
The Common Terns were still present, although there were no youngsters present. The adults though were bringing in fish.
There was a lot of activity at the back of the scrapes, both male and female Marsh Harrier moving around the bushes and over the reeds. There was also a good number of House Martins and Swifts and I was interested in trying to get some photographs of the Swifts that I could be pleased with. It means you take a lot of shots for very few good ones, but with the wind picking up, rain all around us and it being June, there was little else to do.
We walked down to the Pumfrett Hide and with the clouds having moved in the light wasn't too bad and even when the sun did show, you could catch the Swifts as they came in from the north.
By catching them against a background of the distant trees it helped with the exposure.
In the sky was a little harder to get the exposure right.
But it wasn't just the Swifts, there were others about. The Common Terns were using the wind too, coming in from the sea, going past the islands and then turning (!) and using the wind to help with the landing. This tern seemed to have upset one of the Black-headed Gulls.
Coming in.
Earlier from the Meon Shore hide we had seen both male and female Marsh Harriers, but now it was just the female.
There are six harriers present, two pairs are definitely nesting, while the other pair seem to be going through the motions.
The other predator and probably the most efficient around the scrape was the Lesser Black-backed Gull, here scanning the area for an opportunity to pounce.
But it was the swifts I wanted to focus on (!) and they gave plenty of opportunity.
Supremely evolved for life on the wing, Swifts take what it means to be a bird to a whole new level. They spend almost all their life in the sky. They catch all their insect prey on the wing, they drink by skimming mouthfuls of water from ponds, lakes and rivers and are even agile enough to align in the delicate act of mating while in the air.
No wonder trying to photograph them on the wing is so difficult, one second they are their, the next they have dropped away. They also can get into some interesting positions as they move to catch their insect prey.
I was pleased with this collection.
The other aerial mast over the scrape was the House Martin, these though stayed close to the water, almost skimming it.
They appear black and white with the distinctive white rump standing out. They are though a glossy blue.
A unique feature of the House Martin is that it has fluffy legs. The reason for this isn't actually clear. They do occupy a higher altitude to hunt of insects in than the swallows do, although here they were skimming the water. It may be that the feathers on the legs help to keep them warmer at altitude. Another thought is that on the wintering grounds in Africa they will sleep on the wing, the legs again helping with warmth at night.
House Martin numbers in the United Kingdom are of concern with a population decline of a third in the last 25 years. They would nest in good number around my house, but the last five years has seen the numbers drop dramatically.
We were now in the grip of an increasing wind and squally showers, this didn't seem to deter the Swifts as they continued with their circular flights around the scrape, coming in at around five or six feet above the water and at the perfect height for me in the hide.
One of their greatest feats is the ability to sleep on the wing. They are capable of "unihemispheric sleep", whereby they can shut off one part of the brain at a time. On ascending into the night sky they align themselves into the wind and enter their resting state. In this half awake / half asleep state they are able to remain alert enough to adjust their position to remain safely in the sky.
One of the wonderful sounds of the summer is that of Swifts screaming as they race around the church towers and buildings. This gave them the reputation of the "Devil's Bird". They were believed to be the shrieking souls of the dead. Nesting in old churches did nothing to dispel this myth as they swirled around the spires and towers, disappearing in to the cracks as evening fell.
Here dropping low on the water and even dipping the wing tip into the water.
The squally showers not stopping their feeding.
Swifts are birds of amazing numbers, the fastest Swifts have recently been shown that hey can travel up to 500 miles in a day during their migration, and there is a record of one bird taking five days to travel from the United Kingdom to West Africa in five days.
In their lifetime it has been estimated that they travel an equivalent distance each year to five times around the Earth's equator and that they clock up at least a million miles in their lifetime.
My favourite of the collection. Close up you can see the brittle hairs around the beak that help with catching insects.
It was now getting quite wet, the showers turning into persistent rain.
Swifts are one of our latest migrants to arrive (although I saw my first one this year early on in April!), and one of the first to leave our shores. This fleeting presence adds to allure of the bird and I feel I have made the most of the day capturing some of my best Swift photographs ever.
As the rain became more persistent the Swift activity dried up. The familiar call of the Mediterranean Gulls signalled a fly past of a pair of adult birds.
The Swifts were gone, but the House Martins remained and in amongst them a lone Swallow.
Looking at the radar there was little chance of the rain easing soon, it was now quite cold in the hide and I was looking for an opportunity to make it back to the car. Looking out across the scrape I noticed for the first time a white bird on one of the islands asleep. A closer look revealed a Spoonbill.
The rain was easing slightly s I decided to make a move, however as I reached the sea wall it started up once again and in the open the brisk wind quickly soaked me.
Looking back through the photos at home I quickly realised that the the soaking and the cold had all been worthwhile.
