I decided to meet Ian at the Bridge Street Car Park, the weather took me by surprise with the temperature falling to just freezing before dawn despite the foggy conditions. The drive out of Four Marks though was difficult, I can't recall visibility like it since the late seventies when I was living in Essex. At Bridge Street is was misty, the trees over the marsh emerging through the grey mist just before the sun rose.
Just out of the car park a Cetti's Warbler called, we could see movement in the sedge by the side of the canal. I managed to get onto it as moved slowly through the vegetation, but the clunking of the camera shutter suggested this was going to be a very grainy outcome and so it was as you can see from this record of the warbler.
Every time we start at the top of the canal path before dawn there is the hope that the Barn Owls will be hunting and every time they aren't, it was the same this morning, looking across the field to the split tree, there was one visible, clearly with no intention of going anywhere.
The mist was hanging low over the flooded marsh, the grass around the path and marsh white with frost.
The whole marsh was very atmospheric with the trees standing out amongst the surrounding reed beds and the mist hanging close to the ground where the water kept the air temperature above freezing.
A Song Thrush was in full song above us, its flutey notes a welcome sound on what was now a cold morning.
It was very hard to stop taking photographs of the mist and distant trees as the light began to increase. Here are a few.
The bulrushes too would provide an interesting study.
Slowly, birds began to appear in the water through the mist. A Mute Swan.
And Wigeon flew in.
The Moon was visible through the branches of the trees alongside Posbrook Floods, the air clear of mist sufficiently for it to show.
A Wren appeared in the scrub alongside the canal.
By now the sun had risen, but the low cloud and mist had obscured any light. Now though there were the first sign of sunshine on the edges of the cloud to the east.
Then slowly the sun started to appear sending new light across the marsh.
Mallard flew up the valley.
The arrival of the sun completely changed the scenes across the marsh.. The mist was still with us, but now about a couple of metres above the ground and turned a golden colour by the sunshine.
The mixture of mist, sunshine and blue sky in association with the frosty grass and reeds made for a beautiful scene and the making of a wonderful morning.
Enough mist to still shroud the rising sun as a ball behind the trees.
Turning the reeds a golden colour as if on blaze.
While looking north up the valley the low diffused light was enhancing the colours in the field and the distant trees.
More duck flew up the valley, this time a group of Wigeon.
Water droplets were catching the sunlight and sparkling amongst the reeds and dead branches by the side of the path.
With the sun now up the colours along the Canal Path were enhanced producing a rich picture. Here the canal as it disappears into a bed of reeds.
While here you can follow the path and see how muddy this was, which thankfully was contributing to the fact there were very few people about.
Looking along the path I could see movement. On closer inspection this could be seen to be Reed Bunting feeding in the mud. I can only assume that seeds from the reed mace had blown across the path.
There were about 20 Reed Bunting and these were joined by a pair of Stonechat that moved from the reeds and the fence alongside the path.
Also using the bushes to watch for any food opportunity.
But it was always difficult to leave the scenery created by the mist and sunshine.
A check of the field at the white cottage did not find any Water Pipits, they don't seem to have been around that much this year. Looking south though the path was getting even more muddy.
Where the sun was striking the branches of the trees the frost was melting and dripping into the water of the canal, breaking up the reflections.
We decided to turn back as the path was just too difficult. The views across the marsh were not changing though.
And depending which way you looked would produce a different scene.
Two Chiffchaff calling stopped us and we waited for them to show well enough for a photograph, but all we were able to get were brief glimpses as they moved through the reeds, giving up their presence by the movement of the reed stems.
A little further along a single Canada Goose was in part of the flooded field.
It was calling and with every honk you could see the condensing breath, just.
The female Stonechat were still around, and the light was now a lot kinder, unfortunately the male did not appear, however there were some lovely backgrounds.
With the sun gaining height the colours in the valley were changing once again, but there was still some mist around to provide some atmosphere.
Just before Posbrook Floods Ian found a fox taking in the sunshine as it sat in the long grass.
Then a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a male, in the tangled branches above us.
A little further along, what looked like a pigeon at the top of a dead tree branch, turned out to be a Stock Dove. As Ian pointed out the lack of a white collar made this bird a very attractive prospect.
They are a lovely looking bird, but why do we not feel the same about the Woodpigeon, or even the Feral Pigeon? Maybe it is down to the number of them that you see every day. Nevertheless this opportunity to be able to photograph a Stock Dove close up was great and the sunshine enhanced and showed off the delicate features and iridescent neck feathers.
Eventually it left us and we were left with a group of Wigeon on the flooded part of the field just north of Posbrook Floods.
While at the split tree a single Barn Owl was still present.
It was then a visit to Gosport where we walked to Forton Lake, crossing the Millennium Bridge. It was now a beautiful day, still cold but with glorious sunshine. From the bridge, the tide was out and the still water provided some lovely reflections.
We walked to the waterfront through Priddy's Hard. The tide being so far out didn't help but we did manage to see Great-crested Grebes, four Red-breasted Mergansers and several Curlew along the tide line.
Returning we paused on the bridge where a single Redshank threw a reflection and shadow into the water.
While on the other side a lone Black-headed Gull with just a reflection.
From Gosport we stopped off in Lee-On-The-Solent, Ian had found a male Black Redstart in the week and with the beautiful conditions we hoped we could get some good images. Unfortunately the Black Redstart had other ideas.
We found it at the top of a rubble spoil, but just as I tried to get a shot it flew off. This is probably the best of the shots I managed to take.
From then on it insisted in staying at the top of the roof, mostly occupying the apex of the roof which meant you could only briefly get a view of all of it, usually losing the tail. However this was one fleeting moment when I did get to see all of it.
Most of the time it was like this....
At one point it appeared to annoy a Pied Wagtail that would buzz it and then stare it out, the Black Redstart always giving way.
The best opportunity, though, was when it flew to a TV aerial, but the light was not good and it was a lot further away.
I took a lot of images that have all but these four been confined to the trash, never mind we provided some entertainment for the locals
Coming along the coast road, the mist over the Solent was shrouding the Fawley power station, with only the chimney sticking out. Remembering this we walked to the front, the mist had lifted a little but you can still see the effect.
Where to next? The sea front at Lee was heaving, the first sunny weekend day for sometime had brought people out. We decided to go and try to see if we could find the reported Mandarin Duck on Brownwich Pond. The road leading to Solent Breezes was busy and cars were parked on the side of the road creating a single track road. This coupled with many cyclists, some young children, and walkers made it very slow going. We parked at the substation near Solent Breezes, for now it seems the masses haven't discovered this, probably too far to walk.
We walked to the pond where there were a couple of pairs of Mallard, a Mute Swan Family and Coots and Moorhen. There was of course no sign of the Mandarin despite some desperate stringing to turn an orange reflection in the water under the branches into something. As we left a Black-headed Gull perched at eye level was a suitable subject.
We walked with the masses back to the cars and then we searched around Workman's Lane, looking, without any success, for the Little Owl. A scan of the fields saw a good number of Curlew, the horse paddocks full of Pied Wagtail and a Roe Deer.
Walking down to the beach where we spent some time getting excited about a Godwit, that despite some hard work finally flew to reveal white wing bars. Back at the cars a bird on the pylon turned out to be a Kestrel, not the hoped for Peregrine.
All in all a typical February day out, it was a lovely day though, glorious sunshine, some incredible scenes to start the day and of course the opportunity to discuss many stupid things and make well with the world, something I have needed for some time.
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