20th February - South East Hampshire

 This weekend a change but still not that far from home.  I met Ian in the car park at Farlington Marshes just before dawn.  The weather was significantly different to that we had endured the previous Saturday, the freezing temperatures and bitingly cold north easterly winds gone and replaced with much more milder conditions that through the week delivered a fair bit of rain.  Thankfully the weather for today looked to be dry, but the fresh southerly wind did take the edge of the temperature.

The southerly winds though were bring dust up from the Sahara and with a break in the clouds away to the east there was the hope for a quite spectacular sun rise.  The colours already in the clouds away over Hayling Island pointed to this becoming a realisation.

As we set off around the western sea wall the darkness in the sky was replaced with a complete orange wash.

The tide was falling and out on the mud there were Brent Geese, Pintail and Teal, while over by the bridge we could just make out about half a dozen Avocet.  Coming back to the marsh side of the sea wall a single Moorhen swam across on of the dawn lit ponds.

The orange colours of the sky pre-dawn were casting colour all the way across the marsh

The sun finally put in an appearance, rising above the distant Hayling Island, appearing unnaturally big and bright orange as Brent Geese flew from the marsh where they had been roosting out towards the exposed mud.

Slowly, but at the same time quickly enough to discern the changes the sun rose and the light began to subtlety change both the marsh and the clouds in the sky.

Looking to the west the sky took on a pinkish mauve colour, a different background for the Brent moving from the harbour.

Shelduck were moving too, the sky not so purple here though.

Late last year we had a similar sunrise here at Farlington, but the colour was not as vivid as this morning.  As we arrived at the Lake it looked spectacular if a little full of water.

Curlew heading out from the marsh to the harbour.

While the reed bed stood out black against the sparkling orange water.

As is usually the case with a falling tide the duck proceeded steadily to move from the lake to the harbour, here Pintail.

While on the water, Wigeon, 

and Teal.

On the other side of the sea wall a Curlew feeding close in.

But then spooked and flew from close to across the mud.

Large flocks of Dunlin were whirling around the mud as the tide fell, looking for a suitable place to feed.  

We walked around towards Point Field and were faced with some more spectacular landscapes produced by the light and the break in the clouds.

Brent feeding in the foreground

More Brent were feeding and preening on the open mud.

While on the Deeps there were Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shoveler, one Shoveler close to the sea wall.

I constantly scanned the marsh to check the geese and to look for anything unusual.  I picked up a distant large white bird alongside a couple of Canada Geese that appeared the same size.  Rather than use the scope, for what I thought was a farm goose, I took a photograph and on checking realised that it was a sleeping Spoonbill.

Skylark could be heard singing above us, but it is not easy to pick them out high in the sky, but it was possible to pick them up as they rose above the marsh.  This individual dropped down almost in front of us and then proceeded to watch the others singing above it.

Another surprise was a pair of Teal close to the path as we approached the visitor centre.  The drake pausing to allow for a nice photograph.

There was a small group of Canada Geese and in amongst them was a single Barnacle Goose associating with a white farmyard goose.  Where the white goose went so did the Barnacle Goose.

Although there was a break for some yoga moves.

Crossing the field alongside the stream the calls of Mediterranean Gulls could be heard above us, and eventually we picked out a pair of adult birds with almost full black hoods in amongst a group of Common and Black-headed Gulls.

Back up on the western sea wall the duck were still moving out into the harbour.  Pintail once again.

As we walked back to the car park a Kestrel was watching the ground below while perched in the hawthorn bushes.

From Farlington we decided to travel the short distance to Warblington.  Last year we had some great views of Cattle Egret with cows as we pulled up alongside the field opposite the farm.  Today the field was empty of cows and no egrets.

We walked around the cemetery to view some of the other fields around the church.  We found a field with cattle and six Little Egret, but no Cattle Egrets.  Back at the cars a Song Thrush was singing from a small conifer.  

Not giving in we decided to walk around the lanes and then down to the water front.  Along Pook Lane there were several groups of Stock Dove in the Oak Trees.  From the lane we turned down the footpath towards the water.  The lane was lower than the fields on either side and a pair of Jays were in the grass and I was just able to get a clear view at eye level.

On reaching the water we picked up the main path and in the field here there were cattle and also egrets, but they were completely separated, the cows close to the path while the egrets were in the far corner of the field.  However in amongst the group of white birds were three with the familiar crouched stance and yellow bills, three Cattle Egret.

So with the Cattle Egret year tick secured it was off to Hayling and the Oyster Beds.  With the popularity of the area we ended up parking in the Langstone Quays car par and then walking to the reserve.  The tide was at its lowest point and opposite the car park Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits fed along the tide line and out close to the bridge there was a female Goldeneye.

We walked around to the Oyster Beds where the Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls were now beginning to collect in the pre-breeding gatherings that occur here.  There were at least twelve Mediterranean Gulls in amongst them and could be heard calling and flying around the lagoon.

A Greenshank flew in to the edge of the main lagoon, disturbed by a dog.

Then it was disturbed by the dog once again and this time flew around the lagoon past us.

We were here primarily to see if we could find the Black-necked Grebe that have been present through the winter.  I scanned the sea from the edge of the lagoon, finding several Red-breasted Merganser and a few Goldeneye.  Closer in there were a couple of Great-crested Grebe, while on the lagoon itself there were four Little Grebe.

I finally found a very distant group of small water birds.  The wind was quite fresh now and the sea was a little rough which obscured the birds.  They looked like grebes but it was difficult to get a definite image to conclude they were in fact Black-necked Grebes even at a high magnification.

So, we walked as far as we could to get as close as we could, we also sought a little bit of elevation to negate the waves.  This worked as through the scope we were able to pin the birds down.  They were Black-necked Grebe and at least four of them were in summer plumage, the golden yellow "ears" just visible.  In total there were eight and this was the best photo I could get, I tried to digiscope but the wind made it impossible to hold still.  The bird on the left just about shows the definition of a Black-necked Grebe.

We walked back to the hotel car park without anything else of notable interest.  From there we decided to visit Southmoor on the other side of the harbour.  As we walked alongside the stream that leads down to the open water we disturbed a Kingfisher on the bank. This flew off and as we searched for it we came across a couple who said "have you seen the Avocet?"  We rather dismissed this, but on reaching the beach we realised that there was an Avocet right below us in the stream.

It quickly became obvious the bird was injured and probably the reason why it was so close in.  It hobbled into deeper water then swam across to the other side.

What ever the injury to the leg was it did not appear to inhibit the bird from feeding, which it proceeded to do on the far side of the stream.

As well as the leg injury that was making it hobble the bill looked rather strange, the upper mandible bend and a little deformed, again though, this did not seem to stop it from feeding with the sweeping action and catching food which we were able to see it swallow.

Here you can see the deformed shape of the bill

Leaving the Avocet I walked down to the water where there were Wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall and several Red-breasted Mergansers off shore.  This drake merganser seemed to be more intent on preening and we were able to get close.

But as soon as he realised we were there the head would turn and slowly it would cruise away from us.

We walked along the sea wall to the place where the sea had broken through, the sea undermining the wall and washing the concrete out, quite and impressive display of the power of the water.

Off shore a Grey Plover was in amongst Wigeon and Turnstone.

Further out Goldeneye were moving about, here two pairs.

We walked back to the stream with the intent of searching out the Kingfisher but became distracted by the Avocet once again.

I don't think I realised how webbed the Avocet's feet are before.

With the tide rising there was a bit more activity just offshore.  Red-breasted Mergansers were close in shore with one drake on the tide line at the entrance to the stream with two Oystercatchers.

There was a bank that then led down to the beach, this allowed us to lie on the side and be able to see over and not expose ourselves to the birds.  We laid then and wished the Oystercatcher to go away, which eventually they did.

Loving the wind blown crest.

Another drake was close in along the beach in front of us.

Here doing the head stretching which becomes part of a more elaborate courtship display

Back to the drake on the side of the water, it was extensively preening, so it was a case of waiting for the wing flap, eventually it came.

It was then back to the birds along the shore close into the beach.

Back again to the bird on the beach and the tide was now covering up his island and was joined by a female "red head".

The female swam off but the male stayed where he was.

While we had been watching the mergansers the Goldeneye had drifted closer.  This male giving some great views

Some sky pointing for the close by female.

With tide now rising high the duck began to move away and we had to find a way to stand up!  After rolling over and getting to our feet we decided to head back to try the Kingfisher once again, but the Avocet distracted once again!

It was time to get serious about the Kingfisher.  We found i, but it kept well out of view in the bushes along the stream.  After some toing and froing it came to the mouth of the stream and I just missed it as it perched on a post and then flew off.  But, we found it again, this time sitting on the bank we had just laid on to view the mergansers.

We managed to get a little closer before it was off again and back up the stream and into the bushes.

And that was about, a good day for collecting year ticks we some difficult birds, but also some great close up opportunity for photographs that we maybe did not forsee.

As we left the sun was starting to appear lighting up the harbour and highlighting the distant Portsmouth skyline.