3rd November - Titchfield Haven Canal Path and the Reserve

I hadn't walked the Canal Path for sometime and with some lovely autumnal sunshine this more and a cool feel to the air I decided to park at Bridge Street and walk down to the sea wall.  But first I crossed the road and checked the horse paddocks to see if the Glossy Ibis were there.  I drew a blank and decided to go back and walk the path.

I was interested to see the water levels in Posbrook Floods and as I approached I could see there was quite a bit of water.  But a closer inspection showed that while there was plenty of water there were hardly any duck at all.  The summer's drought having dried up the floods and killed off the under water vegetation and animal life.

There was a good amount of water in the canal and it was reflecting nicely in the sunshine.

Aside from calling Chiffchaff and flocks of Long-tailed Tits the only bird of note was a Common Buzzard half way along sitting on a post close to the thatched cottage.

Walking past Hammond's bridge I listened out for Yellow Browed Warbler but could only hear Chiffchaff.  I walked on, down to the sea wall where the tide was out and there was plenty of beach exposed.  As I entered the reserve on the west side there were two male Clouded Yellow butterflies moving along in the sunshine close to the reeds.  Unusually they stayed close together, even settling together on the ground.

They looked immaculate so can only assume they have just emerged.  These were my latest Clouded Yellows I have seen beating those I saw in 2014 at Pagham on the 31st October.

I walked to the reserve where at first it was quiet on the scrape as most of the duck had been flushed by a low flying Coastguard helicopter.  Shoveler were flying out to the bay.

But the Teal remained and this one decided all was well and went to roost on the edge of the small island in front of the hide.

A Water Rail appeared on the right hand side of the hide, skulking through the reeds in probably the darkest area, which was a challenge for the photographs.

Slowly coming out of the reeds.

Finally showing well.

A little later it was seen walking away and around the corner into the bay out of sight.

But came back through the reeds and then out to show off once again.

Eventually going back into the reeds and the gloom.

In between the Water Rail appearances a Grey Wagtail came in and settled on the positioned perches in front of the hide.

A single Lapwing once more was on the small island in front of the hide.

A bird the size of a thrush flew across the scrape and at first I thought it might be a bird of prey.  I managed to take some poor shots and could see that it was in fact a Fieldfare, which was an unusual place to see it.

Shoveler were still moving back and forth from the scrape.

Everything then went up on the scrape and the reason was for a large female Marsh Harrier that was hunting around the central causeway.

The Lapwing go a little crazy when they all go up, flying around showing off their acrobatic skills

A Kestrel was the fourth bird of prey to show and it again flushed all the Teal in front of the hide.  It came over the hide and I went outside to catch it, a male.

Back in the hide rain showers to the north of the reserve were producing rainbows.

The Shoveler were still flying around the scrape.

With things quietening down and the fact that I was freezing from the brisk north easterly wind that was blowing through the hide windows, I decided to walk around to the harbour.  A Kingfisher flew across the bay settling on the island and there were two Common Gulls, one of which was close to the roadside viewing point.

On the river from the bridge a Little Grebe.

And several Gadwall including this smart drake.

I started my walk back to the Canal Path, but as I reached the sea wall I noticed a white bird diving into the sea.  When it emerged I could see that it was a Sandwich Tern.  I think it caught something and was chased by a Black-headed Gull, but when I managed to catch up with it there wasn't any fish.

Once upon a time these terns would head south for the winter but they are now seen frequently during the winter along the south coast.  This one is showing the winter plumage with the white forehead, but still with the black bill and yellow tip.

Just outside the toilet block at the bottom of the canal path the male Kestrel was back and showed very well.

The Canal Path was still quiet, but this time a Marsh Harrier showed over the reed bed.  This time a male Marsh Harrier.

As it headed north it came upon a female Marsh Harrier and there was a little quarrel involving talons and beak.

But it came to nothing and they flew off, almost together.

As I reached the car park a Jay flew across the field after having mobbed a Buzzard in a tree.

An interesting day and as always it proves that if you wait and give the hides some time something will happen.

31st October - Hurst Spit to Oxey Marsh, Hampshire

The plan was to start at Hurst Spit this morning in the hope of finding the Shore Lark.  The previous post gives it away that we did actually find it and took quite a few photographs to record it.  So what else did we do before and after that?

As we started the walk along the shingle spit there was a Greenshank feeding in the channel that leads to Sturt Pond, under the Cut Bridge.

A distinctive pale bird.

We walked about two thirds along the spit and was able to locate the Shore Lark from directions from other birders.  At first the Shore Lark was skulking among the vegetation that was on the salt marsh just off the shingle beach.

The remainder of the Shore Lark photographs are in the previous post.  

While watching the Shore Lark there were some diversions, Curlew called and this flock of waders passed over, including Grey Plover, Turnstone and a single Dunlin.

Having finished with the Shore Lark, we headed back to Cut Bridge.  There were several Curlew in the Saltmarsh below us.

Back at the car there were large numbers of Meadow Pipits on the road and along the fence on both sides of the road.  

The Meadow Pipits were flying around the field.

And in amongst them several Skylarks.

We then drove around to the Keyhaven car park and then walked the sea wall towards Keyhaven Marshes.  In the bushes along the sea wall path were Reed Bunting.  This a female bird.

And a male Stonechat.

We could see a large number of Pintail take to the air along with Redshank and Curlew.  Ian picked up a Peregrine above us and at first we thought it might come over our heads, but it turned away to the south west and eventually out of sight.

There were hardly any birds on both Keyhaven and Fishtail lagoon and with the tide rising, very little around the Butts Bay.  On the water were five Great Crested Grebes, buty little else.

There weren't any Curlew at the back of the lagoons and it wasn't until we reached Oxey Marsh that we came across some Wigeon.

A Greenshank left the Saltern's Pond as we arrived, but we did flush a Kingfisher that flew across the water and out of sight.  We decided to hang around and have lunch to see if the Kingfisher would come back.  A bird starting with a 'K' did turn up, but it wasn't the Kingfisher, it was a Kestrel and it came over the pond at first.

Then decided to hunt along side us.

The Kingfisher then flew across the water and we found it in the same place we had flushed it from earlier.  A distant record shot.

I was able to try and get a little closer.  There was some bramble obscuring it, but as I continued to keep trying a second bird flew on to a branch above the first bird, but didn't stay long falling away very quickly.  The second bird was a female, while the first bird a male, so perhaps they just didn't get on.

A little obscured by the dead bramble, but there is enough of the bird to appreciate the lovely warm autumn sunshine that highlights it.

So after the high of the Shore Lark the rest of the day was a little disappointing to say the least!