Freezing temperatures greeted me as I set off early in the morning, but fortunately there was no frost to clear on the car. Heading west I could seen the skies brightening on a cloudless dawn, everything was pointing to a glorious day weather wise, hopefully the sunshine taking the edge off what has been recently a very chilly breeze. As I pulled up at the car park on Lower Pennington Lane, the sun was just peeping up over Portsmouth and sending a golden light across the frost tinged Pennington Marsh.
As I set off across the Old Tip, Linnets were taking in the warmth of the morning's first rays of sunshine.
Overhead the now very familiar calls of Mediterranean Gulls signaled their presence, their snow white plumage taking on a golden hue.
I paused to scan the pools at the back of Fishtail lagoon. There were a pair of Little Ringed Plover, a single Snipe and Teal and a few Wigeon. I was hoping for a Jack Snipe but there was no sign of it anywhere. As I scanned the lagoon a Whitethroat burst into song from behind me, the first of the year.
I walked to the sea wall where the tide was well out. On the lagoon there were eight pairs of Avocet on the shingle island, while two pairs were on the mud, feeding in the streams.
The abundance of wildfowl that was present on my last visit about a month ago was gone, now it was down to a few. Teal were the most numerous and you can pretty much guarantee that they will be seen all year around, although there is no evidence of any breeding in the county. Wigeon were present, but barely reaching double figures, while three pair of Pintail were out on the water. Is this the last photos of Pintail this year until after the summer?
From the corner of Fishtail I scanned Keyhaven Marsh, all I could see were Shelduck and more Avocet, with, off course a Peregrine on the usual post. I opted to turn around and walk east. A Little Ringed Plover called and two flew on to the shingle island.
From the channel on the sea side a noisy pair of Redshank were displaying.
You can always count on the Avocet to provide a degree of calm and a lot of style.
On reaching the steps on the sea wall I noticed a pair of Little Ringed Plover on the bank that would normally have feeding Wigeon and Black-tailed Godwits. I made my way to the path where I was able to get up closer and able to get the best shots yet this year of the delightful little wader.
I turned back and walked the sea wall around Butts Bay. Overhead a pair of Brent flew west, in all during this visit I saw these two and another three, the rest must be on their way north.
At the Jetty I decided to head back up the path to check the pools on Pennington Marsh, I stopped though on the way to take in this Goldfinch on the gorse.
The pools were quiet, with no sign of the recent Garganey, one or two Shoveler though. My attention though was taken by this very vocal Wren.
A Snipe was found at the back of one of the pools.
At the east end of Pennington Lagoon a single Black-tailed Godwit was feeding in the still waters. They look so splendid at this time of year with the russet red and arrow head markings in the wing feathers.
As I headed towards Oxey Marsh a large group of waders flew out of the lake area, I could see good numbers of Grey Plover and Dunlin, with also Redshank and Godwits. The waders were followed by a noisy group of gulls and I suspected there must be a reason. It didn't take me long to find the reason, a Peregrine at speed was coming low across the water with the waders in panic. A few twists and turns and the Peregrine took what looked like a Godwit as it was a large wader. Immediately it was struggling to carry it and out of nowhere another Peregrine appeared, much larger and took the prey.
I assume this was a pair the larger bird being the female, however she struggled to get height and was dragging the poor wader through the water until she managed to get to one of the islands. Here she settled while the gulls were going mad mobbing her on the ground. I put down the binoculars and managed to get a record of the female bird on the island surrounded by the gulls.
Then the male returned and they both flew off, the female managing now to carry the prey but at a low height. I watched them fly onto the salt marsh, away from the maddening gulls.
I walked around to Normandy Marsh where another Black-tailed Godwit posed nicely in the still water of the pool, the colour of the water contrasting beautifully with the Godwit's brick red plumage.
Plenty of Black-headed Gulls were about and every so often the yelps of Mediterranean Gulls overhead. It didn't take long to find the reported Little Tern, it was sitting on the shingle quite close in. Another first for the year.
I was looking for Spotted Redshank. These were reported as now showing almost full summer plumage, so I walked around the marsh to check all the pools. Once again the call of a Little Ringed Plover stopped me and once again they showed really well close to the fence alongside the ditch.
It has certainly been a good year for Little Ringed Plover.
There was no sign of the Spotted Redshanks, so I started my walk back, scanning the shingle once again I found another two Little Terns, these must have arrived overnight.
As I watched the Little Tern a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls swam slowly past giving off an air of invincibility, nothing was going to mess with them.
As I reached the corner of the marsh on the west side I noticed another Godwit that immediately looked different, more squat, shorter legged and overall smaller. It was in summer plumage but the rufous colour extend on the underparts. It was a Bar-tailed Godwit.
The red was much deeper in colour than in the Black-tailed Godwit and extends all the way while the Black-tailed Godwit is much paler underneath. The bill is also darker, lacking the pale base of the Black-tailed.
I had great views of the winter plumaged Bar-tailed Godwits in the winter at Titchfield and now was the chance to see them in breeding plumage.
The the opportunity to compare both species side by side, you can see immediately the difference in size, elegance and the extent of the paleness in the underparts of the Black-tailed Godwits.
While I was watching the Bar-tailed Godwits the Little Terns began to fly around, calling and fishing over the pool.
Leaving the marsh, more gorgeous looking Black-tailed Godwits were feeding in the channels on the sea side of the path
I was intending to walk across the marsh on my way back, but I had lost once again the rubber eye cup off my scope and decided to back track in the hope of finding it.
On Saltern's Pond there were two pairs of Avocet, again the reflections and elegance of the Avocet was hard to resist.
With the tide now rising there were more waders feeding on the mud off Oxey Marsh. Scanning through the many Dunlin I found good numbers of Grey Plover, some in summer plumage. I counted 38 Knot and there were ten more Bar-tailed Godwits.
Walking on a male Stonechat posed nicely on the gorse.
More Avocet on Pennington Marsh were all put up by a dog running into the water.
Calls out on the sea behind alerted me to a pair of Sandwich Terns, one carrying a substantial fish.
I had the chance to talk with Simon Colenut at the jetty. I have followed his blog for sometime and it was nice to have the opportunity to finally meet him.
Simon was also able to point out a Spotted Redshank that was in fact in summer plumage, but unfortunately right at the back of the Jetty lagoon and impossible to photograph so I had to make do with this Grey Heron.
A Herring gull flew towards me. They have a menacing and yet lovely look about them.
Wrens have been everywhere and their loud, rattling song would puncture the air as you walked past the gorse bushes and in many cases the Wren would be at the top of the bush.
Another birder tipped me off that there was a Whimbrel in Butts Bay. I settle down with the scope to view the mud and quickly found it amongst the Dunlin and Ringed Plover
Slightly smaller than the Curlew it also has a definite stripe above the eye and on the crown of the head. Not something I do that often, but I digiscoped this Whimbrel and you can see clearly the eye stripe.
Digiscoped again, showing the crown stripe. Curlew can have a feint crown stripe but not as defined as this.
Close in was a single Oystercatcher.
I walked up onto the Old Tip and immediately came across a Whitethroat once again. Singing from the bramble bushes, I was able to get close.
Then singing from the top of the bush after one of its song flights.
I spent some time scanning Fishtail once again. Dunlin had dispersed from the mud and could be seen feeding on the marsh amongst the Teal and a few Wigeon. Again I searched for the Jack Snipe without any luck.
Out on the marsh there were three Barnacle Geese. These were not there earlier. I had a report of three being at Titchfield this morning, then heading south west over the Solent around 9:15, so these were probably the same birds.
A Reed Warbler singing in front of me gave me the run around and I never managed to be able to get a clear view. Below me though was a Little Grebe, sitting pretty on the water.
After a cup of tea I set off along the Ancient Highway, a couple of Swallows had come through earlier, and three Sand Martin were over Efford Lake, but the hirundines had been conspicuous by their absence all morning.
A smart Reed Bunting sat in the bramble with a background of gorse flowers.
A ditch running alongside the path has patches of reeds. From these a couple of Reed Warblers were singing. Patience was only able to provide me with this shot.
The blackthorn was in blossom all along the path making for a lovely sight.
I turned up Iley Lane and came across a Chiffchaff singing in amongst the blackthorn blossom.
A Peacock and Red Admiral were the only butterflies seen all day, both at where the Iley Lane meets the Highway. I walked around the sea wall from Keyhaven, offshore Sandwich Terns could be hear, but they were very distant. At Keyhaven Lagoon I found a very distant male Ruff. It was shame it was so far away as it looked very splendid in its white breeding plumage.
At the back of Fishtail a Raven flew in, it had found something to eat and this attracted a Magpie. But the Magpie pushed its luck to much and the Raven turned on it and chased it away.
The Barnacle Geese were still on Fishtail, associating with a couple of Brent Geese.
Walking back to the car park there were a pair of Tufted Duck on the small pool alongside the path.
I took another walk along the Ancient Highway in the hope of there being some butterflies but other than seeing the Raven once again there was little about. So once back at the car I headed for home.
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