The weather this last week has been pretty wild, with two named storms whipping up strong winds with some rain. It was clear the shrike and sandpiper were not going anywhere overnight while these conditions lasted, but as I drove home from Basingstoke on Friday evening the skies were clear and all around the countryside was lit up by a full moon, ideal conditions for them both to take off and leave.
And so it was with expectations quite low I was heading back to Farlington Marshes, the first chance I had since the birds were found. Pulling into the car park there were only a few places left. Walking through the bushes there was little about, but I could already see the godwits on the stream, and a lot of Black-headed Gulls. I quickly came upon several other birders, and the news wasn't good, no sign of either the Red-backed Shrike, or the Pectoral Sandpiper. I walked along the stream checking through the Black-tailed Godwits, at the back of the stream by the reeds there were good numbers of Wigeon, all still in eclipse plumage.
The sandpiper had been showing close to the Information Hut so I walked there scanning the water and mud with no luck. I could either stand and wait or go off and search, I decided to keep moving, walking back along the stream towards the lake and sea wall.
Other birders were searching the bushes, still with no luck. I was convinced the shrike had gone. As I walked up the sea wall there were waders feeding on the mud that was slowly being covered by the rising tide. Mostly Black-tailed Godwits but in amongst them were several Dunlin.
I turned back to bushes that were below me now as I walked along the sea wall. A Chiffchaff was calling as it caught flies from the bush, but would also stop and show well on the branches.
There were three birders watching the bushes a little further back, and as I looked to try and see what they were looking at I picked up a Peregrine flying low over the reeds before the lake. It then kept going heading out towards the A27.
Last week the water level on the lake was very low, with waders at high tide all over the exposed mud and in the shallow water. Today though the water lveles were very high in comparison, with almost no exposed mud at all. There were a few Black-tailed Godwits at the back of the water along with a few Redshank, but the majority of birds were ducks with Teal, Mallard, Gadwall and a few Wigeon dabbling in the mud
I decided to walk around the sea wall, if either bird turned up I was sure I would find out. Heading past the Lake a single Curlew was standing in the water with the rising tide.
A little further along I noticed a couple of birds moving in the bushes by a fence that made its way around the back of the lake. A closer look showed them to be Whinchat and they were feeding around the bushes and fence.
One perched in a bramble bush close the wall and I climbed down to get closer and to see if I could photograph it between the bramble strands.
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The Whinchats gradually moved away, but I could still see them sitting on top of the bushes. I walked on and turned around the corner, and a Little Egret was feeding in the shallow water produced by the rising tide.
The Meadow Pipits were all over the sea wall, and in amongst them were Goldfinches and Linnets. Linnets too were perched in the bushes around the gate into Point Field.
Robins were singing around me as I walked through the field, but with little else about. But as I approached the eastern wall there was a large flock of birds in the bramble bushes. Meadow Pipits were dominant once again, but I noticed a different flight and picked up two Whinchats, one which flew towards me and perched high on a bush close to the path.
The first Whinchat then flew off, and I walked around to another bush where a Reed Bunting sat at the top of the bush.
At this time of year its always an idea to look closely at these juvenile birds, a pink bill and white spot at the back of the ear coverts could be a possible Rustic Bunting. This one though lacks both.
The other Whinchat then appeared, once again at the top of a bramble bush.
I edged closer to get some lovely shots of this enigmatic little chat.
It flew from the branch to another perch at the top of the bramble, this time against a lovely background.
A lovely face on shot showing the white supercilium.
As always you edge closer, slowly to get the shot, pausing all the time to fire off a few frames.
Then finally it decided to fly off, circling around the bushes, and settling once again on the top of another bush about fifty metres from me. I left them there and climbed up the bank and onto the sea wall, scattering more Meadow Pipits out onto the mudflats
I walked on towards the Deeps, and in comparison to the Lake the water levels here were very low with much exposed mud. The ubiquitous Meadow Pipits bathed at the water's edge, and a Common Sandpiper made its way around the far side with the characteristic bobbing action, and frequent stabs at the surface of the water in search of insects. The only other wader present was this Dunlin, feeding in the relatively deeper water close to the sea wall
As I left the Deeps I noticed another buff coloured bird on the bramble alongside the sea wall. From behind I could see the white fringed, black wing feathers and realized this was a Wheatear, and as I balanced my tripod on my shoulder I was able to get a few shots
It always though kept it back to me, looking side to side occasionally
As always I edged closer, this being the best shot.
The forecast for the day was for rain, hopefully early afternoon. The morning had been wonderfully still and calm, but the dark clouds were building up, and as I walked along the sea wall I could feel spots of rain. I decided to walk back to the Information Hut. There was a report of the Pectoral Sandpiper being seen there about 15 minutes earlier, so one of the target birds had not left overnight.
There was no one at the hut, and hardly anything on the stream bar a single Black-tailed Godwit and a few Teal. I could see a collection of birders scoping the stream farther along the path, so headed out there. It would seem that the stream was now taking the place of the Lake as the high tide roosting site, with large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits collected on the shore, and with them plenty of Dunlin and Redshank. A Spotted Redshank fed in the deeper water in the characteristic high energy probing into the water and scurrying about. Wigeon and a few Pintail joined the gathering, but there was no sign of hoped for sandpiper.
Once again decision time. The earlier report stated it was seen by the hut, so I decided to return, and maybe wait it out. Things had not got much better though, the Godwit and teal were still there, and joined by a pair of Little Grebe. One had just caught quite a large fish for the size of the bird.
The other grebe was quite interested in the catch, and the Little Grebe took to diving to get away from the other, surfacing with the fish still in its bill a little away from the other.
There was some vigorous head shaking to kill off the fish before it was quickly dispatched.
With drizzle still in the air I was beginning to get that feeling of despair that comes with missing out on a bird, nothing seemed to be moving, coming in or leaving. Looking out across the field though once again there seemed to be some interest in the stream further down. It was now a case of trying anything so I set off once again. As I reached the next bench a photographer asked for an identification on a wader he had just shot. It was the Pectoral Sandpiper, and it was quickly pointed out. I put the scope up and found it on the mud. It was slightly larger than the dunlins that were also about. What separated it from the dunlin as well was the sharp definition between the streaks on the throat and upper chest, and the white belly, a feature that gives the bird its name. I managed to get a distant record shot.
Then it flew towards us, and at first it appeared that it would drop down on the mud in front of us, but it kept going, passing behind some bushes and then circling over a bit of marsh before dropping into the long grass.
I slowly approached the area where it had dropped, flushing several Snipe in the process, I could just make it out as it extended its neck in a similar way to a Ruff, it then flew up circled once again, called and then flew slowly away towards the stream once again. In flight there was a very pale wing bar, but the stand out feature was the prominent chest, accentuated probably by the sharp demarcation of the brown streaks against the white belly.
It settled a little further along the stream and was now only visible through the scope as it patrolled the edge of the water, carefully avoiding the juvenile Moorhens that would come down to the water's edge.
Careful attention shows this to be quite a spectacular wader. From behind the upperpart feathers were black with a lovely rufous fringe, and they formed a lovely scaly effect. There were also some stand out white stripes on the mantle and scapulars. The bird has been aged as a juvenile, in the adult birds the white stripes are not as obvious
Slowly the bird made its way closer, and I was able to get a few more record shots
Here the supercilium is prominent, again a feature of the juvenile plumage, the adult being less so.
It then disappeared into the ruts in the mud formed by the cattle. A Yellow Wagtail though then became visible making its way over the mud.
The rain by now was becoming much more persistent, and it was decision time. I had managed to get one of my target birds for the day, and with it my best views of Pectoral Sandpiper. With the rain it was a case of finding a hide. I didn't fancy Titchfield, and after a long deliberation I decided against the long drive to Blashford Lakes (in hind sight though, maybe I should have!).
As I drove home I decided I could always pop into Alresford Pond, so I did. The trees at the viewing place provided good shelter, and scanning the lake I found five Green Sandpipers feeding close to the reeds. There were at leat 150 Swallows and 50 Sand Martins hawking over the water, the swallows goading me as I tried to get some flight shots. There were plenty of teal, and lone Pochard, and good numbers of Gadwall.
On the island were several Cormorant, and a lone Grey Heron, but no sign of any egrets, Little or Cattle. As always Mute Swans were everywhere, and there were about 100 Black-headed Gulls along with one or two Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls.
With the rain now becoming very hard I decided to head for home., The morning had turned out to be successful, it would have been nice to have seen the shrike, but I had convinced my self on Friday evening that it would not be there.
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