4th April - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

It was drizzling as we drove around to Titchfield Haven, the rain easing as we arrived but the wind remained extremely blustery.  There was space along Cliff Road and we walked back to the visitor centre.  From there we walked the boardwalk along the east side up to the Knight's Bank hide.

From the hide the Kestrels were performing, first the male was hunting and managed to catch a vole which it flew past the hide showing off.  Then the female appeared close to the nest box.

Then the male joined her, but the male sat on the top of the box with the vole.

Moved to the nest box opening.

Then the female flew to the perch, at this point it wasn't sure where the male was.

Then she flew off with the vole and took it to the fence post alongside the gate.

She then attracted the attention of five Magpies and at one point she took off to mob the magpies, but without the vole. it wasn't clear if she had cached it.  However as we walked back later Ian saw a dead vole on a branch which was then taken by a Magpie.

There are four Exmoor ponies on the meadow and two of them were chasing each other around the meadow and grappling with each other.

We decided to walk around to the west side.  The tide was high and we stopped at the sailing club spit, the water was very high and there were Turnstone and Sanderling negotiating the high water, trying to feed in the surf.  We had to stop for some photographs.

They were being splashed by the surf and would shake the water off.

As the surf broke the camera created some interesting shapes, it looks like it might be attacked by a sea slug!

Looks her like they are walking through snow.

Something found in amongst the shingle.

And didn't give it up when the surf arrived.

We pulled ourselves away from the Sanderling and walked to the Meon Shore hide.  The water levels in the bay were still high as the River Meon still continues to run high, but on the south scrape they have fallen quiet a bit.  First though was the number of Black-headed Gulls, the numbers seemed higher than many previous years.

There were Avocet around the scrape and several Black-tailed Godwits, there was also quite a few battles taking place.  These godwits can be quite aggressive and they have large and long bills.

Were they targeting the eyes?  They came close here.

The attacker was forcing the other down by jumping on its back.

Pushing the head down into the water by clasping the back of the neck.

The fight wasn't to the death and they broke up and parted.  A calmer image was that of this drake teal snoozing on the small island in the front of the hide.

From the Meon Shore we walked around to the Pumfrett Hide and the Mediterranean Gulls were covering the cause way.  A surprise was a pair of Wigeon by the causeway.

There were plenty of Mediterranean Gulls on the causeway, but it seems that these are sub adults, not yet ready to breed.  The black in the primary tips indicating that these may be second winter or third summer birds.

Roosting Shelduck on the causeway close to the hide offered an opportunity to get some close up portraits of what is a spectacular duck.

Avocet were on both scrapes and would move between the two.

This individual was bathing and preening close to the hide.

A nice wing flap and jump out of the water.

From the Pumfrett we walked to the Spurgin and sat and waited for the Marsh Harriers to appear.  A male spent some time over the Frying Pan, but it was this female that came the closest drifting in the strong breeze which meant that it almost hung in front of us.

It flew as far as the north scrape and then returned, meeting up with a Buzzard that it didn't appear to like sharing the area with.

After flying around the tree it started to get closer dangling the talons which the Buzzard definitely did not appreciate.

The Buzzard eventually flew off and the Marsh Harrier disappeared.  Things quietened down once again and I decided it was time to go home.  Not a bad day, shame about the gloom this morning but we did manage to see the plover and to get the Yellow-legged Gull.  This afdternoon some interesting action on both sides of the reserve

7th April - Browndown South, Hampshire

A couple of weeks ago I tried to visit Browndown South after being told that it was open, but when I reached the gate it was firmly shut with a red flag flying.  I was assured it was open today, so agreed to meet Ian in the morning.  It was a glorious day and despite the quite strong south easterly wind the conditions looked perfect for sun bathing Adders.

As I walked on to the reserve Linnets flew overhead and there was a distant Greenfinch singing.  I walked along the main path and it didn't take long to find the first Adder, a male on the corner of one of the cut ins.

It was out in the open but using the vegetation and dead bracken for a form of cover.  It must have been there a while because just the slightest movement from me and it was away quite quickly.  I came back several times, but it wasn't coming back.

I continued the walk along the main path, but had no luck in locating any more Adder.  Blackcap and Chiffchaff were singing in the trees above me, this Chiffchaff showing well and it split its task into singing and searching the emerging leaves for food.

It crossed the path to the gorse on the other side.

As the leaves emerge it will become harder to photograph these little warblers as they forage and sing amongst the branches.

Plenty of Bluebells about along the path and in the cut ins.

A Speckled Wood settled on a bramble leaf out of the fresh breeze.

By now Ian had joined me and we set off together in search for some snakes, it was proving difficult but we did manage to get this male Brimstone nectaring on a Bluebell.

We walked along the top path without any sightings and then looped back around to the bottom path once again.  A little way along Ian found this female, quite a big snake and quite happy to let us get close enough.

It would slowly move as if warming the whole body, but stayed in position.

A nice close up of thr head and eye.

When it did move the forked tongue flicked out constantly.

Coming back on itself.

I was fascinated by the scales, they overlap and extend as the body moves, couldn't help thinking of dragon scales.

Finally she moved away slithering through the undergrowth, then stopped behind the leaves.  There seemed to be enough sunlight getting through to warm and you can see how, when they want  to, then can hide away and still get warm.

Snaked out we headed back, but as we passed a fenced off area close to the entrance there was a male Wheatear on the shingle and on closer inspection we found there to be two.

There was a little bit of a heat haze, but not enough to spoil the photographs.

The two birds together.

Spring male Wheatears are extremely smart birds and very photogenic.

As we watched the Wheatears, Swallows zipped past heading north overhead, it seems as if spring is well and truly here now.  The Browndown visit had delivered for another year so we decided to head off to our safe house, Titchfield Haven.