20th March - Keyhaven - Lymington Reserve, Hampshire (Part One - The Spoonbills)

Every so often there comes along a day when I find it necessary to break up the days events into separate blog posts.  In the past this has been while on holiday or during the summer when there is a profusion of butterflies to compliment all the other interests.  Today though was the first time I have had to do this in the winter.  I make no apology for the number of photographs here, today was one of those days that are remembered, an experience probably never to be repeated.

So, the day started with the sun rising above Pennington Marsh as I approached the car park along Lower Pennington Lane.

Then once the sun had arrived it was obscured by the clouds, but the colour remained.

Only for the sun to return sending golden light across the marsh

Ian arrived and we left the car park walking alongside Fishtail.  A couple of Roe Deer were grazing on the bushes, the morning sun lighting up the scene.

We managed to get their attention which allowed a lovely reflection in the water.

On the pools were plenty of duck, Wigeon, Teal and Pintail the light providing reflections in the still water.

While also enhancing the richness of the plumage.

The Roe Deer buck broke away from its mate and walked slowly across the marsh.  The antlers covered in velvet at this time of year give the deer a different appearance from later in the year.

Standing, watching the marsh the silence was interrupted by the loud song of a Cetti's Warbler, normally they are not seen, but this individual showed in a Elder bush.

The path drops down from the old tip alongside a pool.  Wigeon were grazing here and moved slowly away as we approached.  At this time of year the drakes look splendid in the rosy pink breast plumage.

The water on Fishtail was still high, but, it has been awhile since we have been here, not as high as the last visit.  The water was also very still and provided some lovely reflections.  The Tufted Duck were hard to resist.

The Pintail, too, for once were relatively close to the sea wall and unlike some of the other ducks not heading away from us as we approached.  Mostly drakes, they were using their long necks to reach the bottom of the lagoon.

The clear skies of dawn were being replaced with cloud, although it seemed as if the south side of the Isle of wight was still clear which produced some strange light in the sky between the cloud and land.

The golden light also picking out the water in of the low tide in the gulleys.

We walked to Keyhaven Lagoon to check for the presence of Spoonbill, but there was nothing about.  Scanning the flooded areas surrounding the lagoon also drew a blank for any small waders that might be hiding.

We turned back and returned to Fishtail where we spent some time scanning the marsh at the back of the lagoon.  This produced several Snipe and six Ruff, two of which were showing a considerable amount of white in the plumage.  Here are five, the sixth was away to the right.

Shoveler were present on the marsh and every so often some would fly off, while others, like these, would arrive, circling the lagoon before finding a suitable place to land.

From Fishtail we headed East stopping at the corner of Butts Bay to scan a very still and strangely lit sea.  A Little Egret passed contrasted with the stripes caused buy the low diffused lights on the sea.

Great crested Grebes were close in and I managed to find a couple of Great Northern Divers distantly.  They were diving and one could be seen devouring a small crab.  Here a very distant record shot.

Walking towards the Jetty the light across the water and the Island was changing once again.  The scene emphasised by the very low tide.

Another phenomenon of the area is that you assume Portsmouth would be directly in front of you as you walk east.  However it isn't, we could make out the Spinnaker Tower, but as you can see it is tucked behind the Cowes peninsula.

With the tide so low there were plenty of waders out on the mud, just past the metal frames we could see Grey Plover, Dunlin and Turnstone.  In a pool there was a Black-tailed Godwit and a single Bar-tailed Godwit that gave itself away as it flew off.

On the pools close to the sea wall at Oxey Marsh there were three Avocet, a Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit.  Here three waders together.

Walking around I was surprised to see how much mud was exposed, the area we know as Oxey Lake was almost all mud this morning, more waders were feeding along the edge of the gullies where water ran.

The three Avocet then all came together and it was clear there was some discussion on who should be paired with who.  Avocet can be very aggressive to any other species that comes close, but this also extends to another Avocet who tried to muscle in on a lady.  Here I assume two males are having an argument over the lady.  The jumping about though throws lovely reflection in the still water.

Leaving the Avocet a Grey Plover flew past off shore, while not in the stunning silver grey and black summer plumage, up close the winter colours are also quite beautiful.

From a distance the waders on the edge of the mud could have been Dunlin, but as we got closer it was clear they were a little larger and in fact Knot.

Looking back across the lake towards the Solent the shallow water was adding to the stillness of the water and the light was still wonderful.

On the large pool as the path turns north towards Moses Dock a single Avocet stood. reflected in the water.  They are truly one of the most photogenic birds around, no wonder the RSPB took them for their logo.

I had remarked a little earlier that there had not been any Stonechat about as we walked the sea wall.  This was put right as we approached the turn.  A smart male.

More waders were scattered across the exposed mud.  More Knot and Dunlin, a few Avocet and several Black-tailed Godwit, some of which were showing the, almost complete, the brick red summer plumage, which would stand out amongst the greys and browns of the mud and water.

As we passed through Moses Dock I noticed two large, white birds fly over our heads.  A pair of Spoonbill and they were heading towards the pool on Saltern's Marsh.  We watched as they both descended on to the pool.

I could see black tips to one of the birds, indicating it was an immature, the other seen here has a few small black tips to the primaries but once down we could see it was an adult.

As we rushed to get as close as we could we passed two Avocet on the pool, there would be time to catch up with them later hopefully.  What followed next was another of those incredible experiences, normally Spoonbill are distant shapes as they sleep there time away across a wide marsh, or they will feed at a distance with you wishing they would come closer.  Today they did come closer.

At first they kept their distance, both feeding, swinging their heads back and forth through the water and mud.

The Spoonbill have been seen up and down the area, probably favouring the Lym and Beaulieu estuaries, but recently being reported from the reserve here.  As mentioned these were an adult and immature.  Here the adult, the bill showing a yellow tip, a  chestnut brown was on the neck and a crest.  The immature lacks the crest and the bill is pink.

The feeding action involves the bill being thrust deep into the water and the head moved side to side, feeling through the mud and water for food.

Then on finding something, throwing the head up, opening the bill and catching what ever was caught.

Gradually they seemed to ignore us and began to wander closer.

Every so often the water has to be shaken off.  Here you can see the crest, this one is quite short.  The male tend to have a longer crest and this could mean that this is a female, or taking into account the residue of black tips to the wings an immature just growing into the adult plumage.

Which then requires a quick preen.

Here both birds feeding together.

The Spoonbill were now very close to us.  We were down off the sea wall and were trying to get as low as possible.  The still shallow water providing some interesting reflections.

It was at this point I became aware of the sameness of some of the images and i decided to take some interest in the Avocet that were still unmoved, standing in the corner of the pool.

As I mentioned earlier they are extremely photogenic and with the still water providing reflections for the Avocet and reeds it was producing a lovely scene.

The Spoonbill were still performing and I found myself drawn away from the Avocet and back to the Spoonbills, still performing and probably even closer now.

At times the full 400 mm on the lens was too much and I had to reduce down to about 200 mm.

Here a couple of nice portraits that demonstrates how close they were coming

Some more of the behaviour.

Here a view into the throat as the Spoonbill throws up a small morsel to swallow.

Then something seemed to unnerve them, not sure what maybe a dog on the sea wall, but they stopped feeding looked up, and you knew they were off.  They leapt into the air and flew off across Oxey Marsh and the experience was over.  I have never been that close to a Spoonbill before and we were treated to some wonderful views.

The Avocet remained but we decided to move on.  At the far end of the pool a Grey Heron stood alongside a very nervous and watchful Little Egret.

And it is here that I have chosen to break the day's report.  The Spoonbills were a surprise in that they showed so well, I had expected to find them here in one way or another though.  For the second part of this report it was all about something I had hoped might be found but never actually expected it.