23rd July - Normandy & Pennington Marsh, Hampshire

With the juvenile Roseates having fledged and being seen on the sand bars in Normandy Lagoon, I decided to head there on what was forecast to be the best day of the early part of the week.  I left home in drizzle, but gradually as I headed west the weather improved and as I walked around the saltmarsh at Salterns the sun was out and it felt quite warm.

There was a small flock of Black-tailed Godwits on the Salterns Lagoon, all were mostly still showing a good amount of summer plumage, the lovely brick red colouring with black fringes to the feathers.

Waking up and alert.

Something spooked them and they all took off, circled around the lagoon and then returned to pretty much the same spot.

Walking around to Normandy Marsh, there was a single Common Sandpiper on Eight Acre Pond and the Eider family, female and three ducklings were crossing Oxey Lake.  As I got to the south side of the lagoon the Eider had hauled out of the water and were on the saltmarsh.  The ducklings still have a considerable amount of down and the wings are not developed.  They have now been around about four weeks, but after checking they would be expected to fly after 65 to 75 days.

There wasn't any sign of the Roseates although there was one juvenile reported in the morning.  There were though the Common Terns, this one with a good-sized fish for a youngster.

 

There were two adult Little Terns that were feeding a juvenile on one of the islands.

Another view of the Eider family.

Walking around to the east side of the lagoon there was a good number of Greenshank roosting out of the way.

A good count of six Greenshank in the bay, along with a Redshank.

 

Wader numbers were very low, Redshank outnumbered the other expected species, with Ringed Plover next. On the last visit the lagoon was full of Avocet and Black-tailed Godwits, but today there was only a handful.  There also were four Dunlin in summer plumage.

So when I picked up a small wader on the small island to the east of the lagoon I quickly managed a photograph and I with the white marked back, white belly and small bill, my immediate thought was Little Stint.  It disappeared on the back of the island.

I waited for it to appear but it didn't so I decided to see if I could get a better view and was able to find two waders.  Looking on the cameras view finder I still thought Little Stint and another birder confirmed they were as he looked with a scope, but I didn't look through it, my scope in the car, my neck and bad ankle not allowing me to carry it this morning.

I put the news out, but when I got home and was processing the images, I doubted my identification, and looking closer realised that they were in fact Sanderling in partial moulting summer plumage.  As a result I deleted my report and ate humble pie.  At least I realised and wasn't in the position to have been told, that would have been worse.

I walked back to the car, had some lunch then headed off to Fishtail Lagoon on Pennington Marsh.  On the Lagoon there was a Spoonbill briefly and a few Black-tailed Godwits.  I also found one Dunlin, but once again no waders of note.  A walk to the end of Fishtail and a scan of Keyhaven Lagoon found the missing Avocet, good numbers there that all went up when a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls flew in.

Walking back and around Butts Bay there were fifteen Eider on the saltmarsh, all either females of males in their dark eclipse plumage.

At Jetty Lagoon five Avocet flew in from Pennington Lagoon.

I turned back towards Lower Pennington Lane and decided to check the Shoveler Pools.  There was a flock of 14 Black-tailed Godwits once again, but at the back of the pool, there were three pale shapes.

These turned out to be three Green Sandpipers, here a closer view of two of them.

And a typical Green Sandpiper pose.

I walked back to the lane and then along the footpath through Oxey to the car.  This must be one of the visits where I have taken the fewest number of photographs here.  Wader numbers fluctuate at this time of year, but anything can turn up even Sanderling.  Hopefully there will be some Little Stint soon.

20th July - Browndown South, Hampshire

After the morning at what has been a closed Titchfield Haven for several weeks, we were off to Browndown South.  Browndown has been closed, it seems, forever.  The last time we were able to get in was mid April.  So we had the chance to find two specialties of Browndown, both were butterflies and we were confident that despite the overcast conditions it was warm enough for them to be on the wing.

We were encouraged when we saw a Small White flying, eventually settling on the bramble.

There were lots of Ragwort in flower.  Ragwort is poisonous to many, but not the caterpillars of the the Cinnabar moth.  The bright yellow and black stripes warning off would be predators.

The first butterfly we were looking for was the Grayling.  It likes the shingle and heather and this was looking spectacular alongside the golden grasses.

Nature produces the best gardens.

A Grayling flew past us and usually they drop to the ground almost immediately, but this one kept flying.  However we soon found another one.  Whilst they never settle with wings open, there is a prominent "eye" on the closed underside of the upper wing, but the Grayling only shows it briefly as it settles, then with a snap it drops the wings and what you see is in the photo.

So the challenge is: get the picture before it snaps the wings down.  Managed this but not the best image, however you can see the eye

Again didn't get the shot before the snap!

But this time I did, changes the whole appearance of the butterfly.

With there a breeze and not much sun about, the Grayling would settle down between the pebbles, presumably to get out of the wind.

After the first find we saw around a dozen of these frustrating butterflies, they are beautifully camouflaged and when they settle they can completely disappear.

There are only so many images of a Grayling you can get so when I was satisfied with what I had, and I had found Ian we went looking for the other specialty.  Browndown has a lot of stunted Oak trees that spread across the shingle rather than growing tall, presumably due to the wind and sea spray on the beach.  This means that the oaks are at eye level.  Purple Hairstreak feed on honeydew and are commonly found on Oak.  Normally they are high in the canopy and difficult to photograph, but here a quick shake of the tree and they will fly up and settle back on the leaves, pretty much at eye level.

This was the case today, despite the overcast conditions they were also quite active.

The Purple Hairstreak is our commonest hairstreak, but due to its favoured habitat, oak trees is not easy to see.  So Browndown is quite special.

There is one brood a year with adults emerging in late June and being seen through July and into August.  Eggs are laid at the base of an oak bud, usually where it is sheltered and in full sunshine.  They also have a preference for solitary trees, which is much the case here on Browndown.

The larva eats part of its eggshell on hatching before burrowing into a developing bud where it feeds fully concealed. After the first moult, the larva lives outside the bud, under a loosely-spun silk web. This web catches all sorts of debris and acts as camouflage as a result. The larva is extremely well-camouflaged and, in later stages when the larva lies under an oak bud, is very difficult to locate. The larva rests during the day, feeding only at night and there are 3 moults in total.

A break in the clouds and some sunshine saw the butterfly open its wings, but it was never in a position to see the upper wing colour clearly.

We must have found at least six individuals, which was a lot more than we have found over previous years

This individual a little worn.

Looking down on me from one of the higher trees.

We visit Browndown at certain times during the year, early spring for the newly emerging Adders.  March / April for the spring migrants and hopefully more Adders.  Then this time of year for these two special butterflies.  There is also the chance of Nightjar, but we missed out this year.  A good thing I had those two at Pig Bush and the single at Broxhead early in the year.

20th July - Titchfield Haven NNR, Hampshire

Two things resolved today, the first meeting up with Ian after several weeks when we were doing other things, the second being able to get into the Meon Shore Hide at Titchfield, open for the weekend while they continue with the various bridge repairs on the west side, that has closed that side since the start of the month.

I met up with Ian at Cliff Road, where I had some time watching the sea as the tide rose.  Common Terns zipped back and forth and could be seen offshore.  This Sandwich Tern called as it flew past.

Then heard, before being seen, a flock of five Oystercatchers, probably a family group, flew past heading west.

We made our way around to the visitor centre to check in, but stopped to watch the red head Goosander that has been around the harbour for several weeks.  In the week I photographed it preening, showing the lack of flight feathers as it goes through a moult.  It was associating with Mallard in a similar state.

A yawn or just a stretch, it opened its bill and showed off well the serrations on the bill, used to catch and hold the fish it feeds on and what gives it a family name along with mergansers of "saw bill".

From the small bit of shingle it swam off with the Mallard.

Then it swam to the mud below the road along with the Mallard.

Although not seen by us, it was reportedly taking bread along with the Mallard!

An opportunity to get a nice portrait.

Entering the west side a Gatekeeper showed well on the reeds.

And so to the Meon Shore Hide, where we witnessed a similar event o that I had seen the last time I was here.  A Lesser Black-backed Gull came over the scrape, not all the gulls went up, but the Lesser Black-backed seemed to know exactly what it was after, it dropped low between the first islands and then in a flash snatched a Black-headed Gull chick from one of the small wooden platforms.  Probably the last Black-headed Gull chick of the year, gone despite the chase given by its parents.

It didn't get to me at the time, but it did when I reviewed the photographs, nature is cruel and kind at the same time.

There were three Common Sandpipers on the scrape, all quite distant, but after the commotion caused by the Lesser Black-backed Gull, one appeared on the island in front of the hide.

It would appear there was a good movement of Common Sandpipers, with large counts around the county.  When we left the three had become four.

Whilst the Avocets had a significant breeding failure on the reserve, there was a high count on the south scrape of 98 birds, a mixture of adults and juveniles.  Some were close to the hide and as ever they were photogenic.

And of course I had to convert to black and white images.

An finally a colour image next to the vegetation.

There were juvenile Mediterranean Gulls on the islands amongst the juvenile Black-headed Gulls on the islands, while above there was  the mewing of adults.

And a very smart looking juvenile Mediterranean Gull on the island in front of the hide.

There had been a Green Sandpiper in front of the hide before we arrived but had flown off.  Ian found it though, but of cause on the causeway at the back of the scrape.

The view from the hide, a dreary day but quite humid.

As well as the large number of Avocet there were good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits most of them in summer plumage still and you could hear their chatter as one got too close to another while feeding.  

They were coming closer to the hide but finding it hard to get through the mud, having to flap their wings as they started to sink in the mud.

The Lesser Black-backed Gull was still patrolling but never made another attempt to take anything.

A Common Tern close to the hide.

The scrape went up with no sign of the reason, we couldn't see any predators that might have caused it.  At the time the only birds that didn't go were the godwits, but they would look alert.  They all went up again and again the godwits stayed, but they had the expression of should we be concerned, should we go up?

Other bits and pieces around the hide.  Common Tern with a large fish.

Redshank dropping in.

An Adult Sandwich Tern dropping in to one of the islands.

The Mediterranean Gulls were still around, the adults looking splendid in the all white plumage, but some losing that dark black hood.

But others still hanging on to it.

And an angelic landing admired by another gull.

The Black-tailed Godwits, settled at last.

It was lunch time so back to the car for something to eat, then back to the east side where we had been told there was a Broad-leaved Helleborine in flower.  We had seen several this summer, but none of them were in flower.  However the problem was that to protect the flower it had a wire fence around it!  We did manage to get some images of quite a spectacular flower.

We walked to the Knights Bank Hide.  A Spoonbill had been reported on the Frying Pan.  We expected a sleeping Spoonbill, but it was quite active, if not a little distant.

So quite an interesting morning with the usual July birds.  Great to be in the Meon Shore Hide though if only for this weekend, hopefully the work will be completed quickly as we go into August wader time.