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!

31st October - Shore Lark - Hurst Spit, Hampshire

On Wednesday two Shore Larks were found by Mark Francis on the Rainbow Bar at Hill Head, they didn't stay long and were seen to fly off to the west.  A little later in the day one was found on the shingle Spit leading out to Hurst Castle.

Three years ago there was a single Shore Lark at the same location and it stuck around for at least a couple of weeks.  It was still there on Friday so I arranged to meet Ian at Cut Bridge in the hope that it was still around.

It was a misty morning but it was clear as we trudged through the shingle towards the castle.  Away in the distance the the mist was over the island with a break showing the trees.

The walk took us two thirds along the spit to where there was a collection of birders and photographers.  We were told it had been showing but was now hidden in the scrub.  It didn't take long to find it, the yellow and black head markings showing so well.

It continued to feed amongst the scrub keeping well out of sight and only briefly showing.

Fortunately the bright yellow and black markings were like a beacon and it wasn't difficult to follow as it foraged through the scrub.

Finally able to see the whole bird.

This distinctive lark is a passage migrant and winter visitor to the UK, most often found along the east coast of Britain.  Shore Larks were once a rare breeding species in Scotland, but are now only seen during the autumn migration periods or as winter visitors from populations in Scandinavia.

The last one seen in Hampshire was in January 2023 in the same location.

Such a rare bird to the county then had me taking a lot of photographs, and I had the feeling it would be the same today, I was just hoping it would come out of the scrub.

Curlews were calling and this would alert the Shore Lark that would stretch its neck to try and see what was going on.

Then it did fly at first back down the spit, but turned around came back and flew over the spit but came back to settle in this area.

The group stood up and then climbed the spit to allow us to circle around where the bird had gone and to ensure the sun was behind us.  I found the Shore Lark quite close to the group on the shingle.  We were able to settle and get down low to photograph.

This was why it was hard to see in the scrub as it moves very low to the ground, searching for any seeds in the shingle.

As the name suggests, in the UK Shore Larks are usually seen on the coast, where they favour saltmarshes and shingle shores. Most records come from the east coast of England. Shore Lark numbers can vary dramatically - some winters might see only a few birds in the whole of the UK, while in exceptional years there can be hundreds. The population that visits the UK has declined rapidly in recent decades, possibly as a result of overgrazing on their breeding grounds.

Slightly smaller than a skylark, with a distinctive head pattern. They have a yellow face with a black bib, eye mask and band at the front of the crown. Two long black feathers on the crown can be raised forming a prominent pair of 'horns', most obvious in breeding males.

It is known as "horned lark" in North America for distinctive feathers on the heads of the male birds in summer, and as "shore lark" in Europe because it can be found on shorelines in the winter.

In these two photographs as it raises the tail you can see the black 'horns' on the head.

In Hampshire it is a late autumn migrant with 27 records since 1955, involving 43 - 48 individuals, all being found mostly on the coast.  Hurst beach though is definitely the favoured location.

I had taken the risk of lying down, avoiding the worry of whether I would be able to get up.  This produced a blurred foreground and background.

Everything came good, the Shore Lark came out of the scrub and showed at a nice distance.  The mist burned off and the sun cam out to provide some wonderful light.  A great start to the day.

29th October - Farlington Marshes, Hampshire - Part Two

I left the viewing point at the Lake and walked down the sea wall and then out across the field towards the Stream.  There were several Carrion Crow around the cattle and a pair seemed to like a dead tree to perch in and look out across the field and the water.  Not a bird I photograph that often, so I thought I would take the opportunity here when they perched in the branches.

Then joined by the second bird.

All of a sudden all the duck and waders went up from the Stream and overhead a Peregrine flew over.

It glided low across the Stream and then settled on the fence on the other side of the water.

As it sat there, I stayed and waited for the falcon to fly once more.  The crows were bombing the Peregrine and it didn't seem too concerned, but eventually it became too much and the Peregrine took off and went for the closest Crow.  Comparison with the crows suggest that this was a large female bird.

I was then treated to a short session of acrobatic flying by the Peregrine, she kept diving and lunging at the crows before they moved away and the Peregrine headed across the reed bed around the back of the Lake.

I walked back along the Stream and then around to the visitor hut where I stopped to listen for Bearded Tits.  There were none calling but as I looked over the reeds a female Marsh Harrier appeared.

It came across the reed bed and then headed out across the marsh followed by crows before heading out into the harbour.

On the fence post along the path towards the eastern sea wall was a smart male Stonechat.

Then a little further along a smart male Pied Wagtail, again on the fence.

Calling all the time.

The nominate species of ‘Pied Wagtail’ is the White Wagtail.  its original Latin name Motacilla alba. The Latin genus name originally meant "little mover", but certain medieval writers thought it meant "wag-tail", giving rise to a new false Latin word cilla for "tail".

The resident British and Irish form, is the Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii, which now also breeds in adjacent areas of the neighbouring European mainland. The Pied Wagtail, named after the naturalist William Yarrell, exchanges the pale grey colour of the nominate subspecies with black in males, and dark grey in females and juveniles, but is otherwise identical in its behaviour. Other subspecies, the validity of some of which is questionable, differ in the colour of the wings, back, and head, or other features. 

Walking around the sea wall there were few birds as the tide was high.  Nothing of interest on the Deeps and it wasn't until I had walked through Point Field and on the other side a hunting Kestrel almost above me.

It was getting gloomy so the ISO was racked up, but some great shots of what was probably the same female bird seen in part one.

A sharp shower passed through and I was able to find some shelter at the Lake.  Teal were close to the sea wall and were looking quite smart.

Somebody working around the sluice flushed a lot of the duck and as the rain eased I was treated to some fly arounds by first Wigeon.

And then Pintail.

A great end to what was a surprising day, I hadn't expected so much here today.