This was my first time here, I have seen reports from the site but have never visited before. Located at the eastern end of Stokes Bay, the area is home to a Palmerston fort. The current fort was built between 1863 and 1869 with the primary purpose of protecting the deep water anchorage off Spithead, and to defend the western entrance to Portsmouth harbour. More recently the fort has been subject to a proposed development into residential apartments. This has been an on and off activity, with the more recent news the developers have lost trheir financial backing and everything has been mothballed.
It was dog walkers that we encountered in their numbers at first as we walked out on to the beach and not very many birds. My journey down the Meon valley had been through patches of mist, and looking out across the sea towards the Isle of Wight we could see mist sitting low in the valleys.
There was initially a distinct lack of grounded birds, but swarming above the bushes was a huge flock of hirundines, mostly Swallows but with Sand Martins and the odd House Martin.
The flock would come and go, with a steady movement of birds south along the beach. Every so often the numbers would increase significantly, and it was difficult to know whether these were the same birds or as a result of a general movement though. Reports from elsewhere such as Selsey Bill to our east and Brownwich indicated that there was a general movement, but because the birds would circle all around the area and feeding over the bushes it was hard to determine the quantity. The movement though of hirundines continued through out the day in all the places we visited
Walking along the beach we were surprised to see a flock of twelve Brent Geese, the first real sign of winter returning along these shores. We decided to leave the beach and to walk around the bushes, and after a quiet start there were signs of movement and birds appearing from within the bramble bushes. Green and Goldfinches at first, but as we walked deeper into the bushes we started to find Whitethroats, along with one Lesser Whitethroat. The Whitethroats were attracted to the ripened blackberries.
Nipping the individual berries off the fruit
We stood in front of the bushes and waited. The birds would move through the bramble and bushes, allowing only brief glimpses, enough to identify, but never enough to photograph. Whitethroats were the most numerous, along with at least three Blackcaps, a couple of Chiffchaffs, a single Willow Warbler and Sedge Warbler. The warblers were also joined by Great and Blue Tits, and more Green and Goldfinches. Eventually the movement slowed up, and the birds seemed to disappear into the denser trees, and as a result we turned our attention to the sea.
There was very little moving offshore, a few distant terns and gulls, but nothing to send the pulses raising despite the now freshening south easterly. Sandwich Terns though flew past along the beach to keep the interest going.
On a stretch of waste ground there was a large flock of Goldfinches feeding on the seeds from the thistles, and as they flew up on being disturbed by a jogger I picked out a larger bird with a white rump. It settled back on the ground, perched on a clod of earth to allow identification as a Wheatear, it was almost immediately off again with the Goldfinches as a dog walker passed through.
With the tide falling we headed off to wards Hill Head, but stopped at the west end of Stokes Bay where there was a large number of gulls and terns both on the beach and offshore. Looking through them we couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
At Hill Head we parked on the sea wall, and walked around the visitor centre to check in. Just below the bridge a Little Grebe was diving close to the reeds.
Coming out of the visitor centre I an suggested checking the daisies on the waste ground for Small Copper, and sure enough there was one, but frustratingly it was not possible to get really close.
We decided on the west side of the reserve, and first stop was the Meon Shore Hide. There was a large group of Black-tailed Godwits at the far end of the scrape, and with them two Avocet. Lots of duck were gathered on the islands, and there were feathers everywhere. A Common Sandpiper flew around the islands and duly disappeared, but what we were after was a Green Sandpiper, and as if from nowhere one appeared in front of the hide.
I have seen many Green Sandpipers, but I have never had the real opportunity to photograph them successfully. This individual was being very accommodating though, and I took the opportunity in some good conditions.
This individual still has its summer plumage showing, the spots on the back and wings being quite distinctive, in the winter plumage these are very much subdued.
What is distinctive id the pale white line that runs from the bill to the eye.
In flight the Green Sandpiper looks like a large House Martin, with a white rump and dark upper parts, the flight often being zig zagged and accompanied with a call.
While we focused on the closest Green Sandpiper there were in fact three present, Also out in the open were Snipe, with at least five feeding in the shallow water.
As you come out of the hide there is a sheltered patch of bramble with yellow daisies in front, and once again Ian picked up a Small Copper.
This time we could get in close, and the chance to get some good photographs of what is surprisingly my first Small Copper of the year.
Here showing why it is called a copper, the sunlight picking out a coppery shine o the fore wing.
With wings closed.
Aside from the continual movement of hirundines through out the day another feature was the number of dragonflies about. In front of the Meon Shore Hide were several Emperor Dragonflies, and as we walked along the west side we encountered many Common Darters, this one along one of the small streams along side the path.
There was very little from both the Pumfrett and Spurgin Hides, but while in the Spurgin I picked up a pair of Pintail flying around the river and reeds. Here a distant record of one, probably the drake.
As we walked back along the path we came across a dragonfly that settled on a branch, since then we thought Emperor, but now looking at the photographs it is clearly not an emperor, but a Migrant Hawker.
This is one of the smaller hawkers found in Britain, and is a common sight from August, sometimes being seen as late as November. One of the best ways to confirm identification is the presence of a yellow golf tee shape on the second abdomen segment, clearly visible here.
We passed the clump of daisies and the Small Copper was still there along with a very tired looking Common Blue.
We decided to check the east side, and after a quick bite to eat we walked as far as the Meadow Hide. Needless to say it was very quiet with no sign of the hoped for Yellow Wagtails.
Next stop was to be Farlington Marshes, at this time of year good for the waders and who knows what in and around the bushes. We walked down the west side sea wall, heading for the scrape. The tide was well up, and there were waders beginning to build up. However we never reached them as Ian picked out a Whinchat on the fence and then in the bushes alongside the scrape, so we dropped down in the hope of getting a better view. But as is the way it flew off and we couldn't find it. We did though get nine Greenshanks fly over, and look to drop into the lake so we walked on.
We couldn't find all the Greenshank, only one was on the lake, along with at least a hundred Black-tailed Godwits. We checked the ducks for the reported Garganey, but they were all either Mallard Teal or Gadwall.
We were now heading towards the information hut, and would circumnavigate the marshes clockwise. One thing you can always guarantee at Farlington is a hunting Kestrel above you, and today did not disappoint.
Lots of Black-headed Gulls in winter plumage on the lake.
And also more dragonflies. Again we thought this to be an Emperor, but it looks more like a Hawker, either Migrant or Southern, its difficult to tell from this angle.
From the hut we walked around to the sea wall, despite assurances from Ian that there would be chats, we never saw any. On reaching the sea wall we could see North Binness Island. Here through the week an Osprey has been reportedly sitting in one of the dead trees. All we could see though was a Kestrel.
We decided that the Osprey must be somewhere in the harbour and scanned the many posts. One post, very distant looked like it had something with a brown and white head sitting on it. I watched it through the scope in a heat haze, and convinced myself it was moving. It had to be an Osprey, what else could it be? A wind surfer and kayaker passed by, and it stayed put. Then a large ship appeared heading towards it. Fortunately it passed behind it, and in that instance we could see it was a light at the top of the post!
While I was trying to string a light into an Osprey there was a lot going on around the saltmarsh as the tide rose. There was a large roost of Grey Plover, many still in summer plumage. Every so often they would spook and fly around.
And then settle back on any available dry ground as the tide rose.
They looked very special in the sunshine, and I don't recall seeing so many in one place before, estimates were of at least 300 birds.
With the rising tide you would expect to see large flocks of waders wheeling around as their roosting spots were covered by water from now on through the winter, normally consisting of small waders such as Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Today was no exception, but first there were the large number of Grey Plover, and as we walked along the sea wall another huge flock appeared over the water. We stopped and scoped them to find out they were all Oystercatchers, they circled around and finally settled on a very small patch of dry pebbles, they clearly were not going to be there for long.
Ian scanned the cattle in the middle of the marsh in the vain hope of finding Yellow Wagtail, but there was nothing. We walked through Point Field where the only bird of note was a single Whitethroat.
Back up on the sea wall, and there was another huge flock heading towards us. If it had been October we would have thought this to be Brent Geese, but as they came closer it was clear they were Curlew, and they were calling for good measure, again estimates of around 200 birds, and heading towards the islands in the harbour or beyond.
The scrape was full of waders. At the back Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits, in the front a group of more Grey Plover and Lapwing. In amongst them were Dunlin, some showing the remains of the summer plumage's black belly. But at least two, maybe three birds were bigger, longer necked and with much more defined scaling on the wings, looking like juvenile Curlew Sandpipers. They a were really too distant for a photograph, but I have tried, here two roosting.
We took our time to go through all the waders, and ducks in case the Garganey was about, but aside from the Curlew Sandpipers nothing else of interest. Scanning across the marsh to the other side we could just make out, through the heat haze, that the Osprey was now on its perch in the tree on North Binness island. If we hadn't have seen the Fishlake bird a couple of weeks ago we would probably have walked around to get a better view. But we decided that this wasn't necessary. Instead we decided to call it a day.
A day of high promise hadn't failed to deliver, but came short in the quality we had hoped considering the weather conditions. As it turned out Sunday was to prove to be the better day in that regard, which is as they say.....Sod's Law
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