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.

29th October - Farlington Marshes, Hampshire - Part One

A flu vaccination this morning meant a late start, but I had planned to go to Farlington, where high tide was just after 13:00.  I would be arriving three hours before that and I was hoping for movement from the harbour onto the Lake.  It turned out that the tide was already quite high when I arrived but this didn't stop the movement from the harbour, and the day turned out to be a good one for my photography so I have decided to split the post into two parts.  

With the tide up I started by walking to the Lake view point, as I dropped down onto the sea wall, there were Black-tailed Godwits coming from a shallow area of the harbour across the water towards the Lake.

A little further along there were some more waders on a small island still above the water. Three Greenshank.

And six Grey Plover.

The Lake was very busy already with the Black-tailed Godwits, plus Dunlin, Knot, Redshank and a couple of Avocet.  Duck were spread out and the Pintail numbers already looked impressive, but they were also still coming in from the harbour.  This a female Pintail.

Quickly followed by several drakes.

This one a close fly by.

This manoeuvre by the Pintail is known as 'wiffling', the twisting and turning as they brake in the air and drop to the water. 

Other birds moving were the Brent Geese, but only a few came on to the Lake.

And several Cormorants and Oystercatchers moving off shore.

While the Pintail were the most numerous here and in numbers never seen before, but there were also Wigeon coming in from the harbour.

There are several thoughts on why there are such unprecedented numbers of Pintail around Langstone Harbour.  It could be that a lot of their usual sites along the south coast are dried up, such as Pulborough and Amberley, but it could also be that the amount of wildfowling has reduced.  Either way they are welcome, such a stunning duck.

A chance to bathe in the brackish water to wash off the salt water of the harbour.

The obligatory wing flap following some preening and washing.

Here you can see the variation in the colours of the speculum, green in certain light but can also be seen as dark red.

More bathing.

And the chance for a sleep, in symmetry of course.

Grey Plover flew in joining the wader roost, showing off the black 'arm pit'.

A pair of Kestrels appeared on my left hand side, the male hunting, the female on the fence post.  The female then gave me a lovely fly past.

So the end of part one.  Part two will concentrate on the walk around the reserve and back to the Lake.