1st January - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

Firstly, a very Happy New Year to all and lets hope that at last 2022 can get us back to some form of normality.  

My year started with a drive from Oakley, which is just outside Basingstoke, back to home and was treated to two Grey Partridges flying across the road just outside Preston Candover.  The morning had been dry, a major event over this holiday period and I arranged to meet Ian at Titchfield Haven in the early afternoon.  On the way I had views of Red Kite and Buzzard, but as I pulled up at the Hill Head sea wall it was all about finding a space to park.  I eventually managed to park in the Sailing Club car park, bit the multitude of people on the beach kite surfing on the sea and just walking along the sea wall meant there were very few birds about other than the Mallard and Black-headed Gulls being fed in the harbour.

After checking in I met Ian outside the Meon Shore Hide and we walked down to the Spurgin Hide in the hope that the Jack Snipe would show.  To save the suspense it didn't and the amount of bird life present from the hide was very low, but we did manage to see both male and female marsh Harriers quartering over the reeds.

The female or immature bird kept very much to the north of the hide.

While the male moved along the reeds alongside the Meon and reached as far as the Suffern Hide.

The only other noteworthy birds were a pair of Shelduck that flew towards the north scrape.

Having given the wildlife sufficient time to show in front of the hide we decided enough was enough and headed off to the Pumfrett Hide.  The water levels are still very high, not surprising really when you consider the amount of rain we have had recently.  The dominate bird was the Lapwing, perching in the shallow water and any available perch on the scrape

Another to add to the black and white portfolio

Looking across to the south scrape there was good numbers of Teal and if you concentrated you could also pick out the Snipe amongst the vegetation.

The Teal were very active either dabbling around the edges of the scrape.   

Or the drakes were displaying to the few females still about.

A Shoveler fly past is always nice, this drake heading for the south scrape.

The sunshine of the early morning had given way to dark, ominous clouds now and there was also rain about, once this had past we headed up to the cliffs at Brownwich.  Here you could sea watch and escape some of the many people out clearing away the cob webs after New Year's Eve.

But the sheer numbers meant the birds had abandoned the mud.

There wasn't much about on the sea either.  I managed to find a couple of Eider and four of the Velvet Scoter we had seen the previous Tuesday.  While the Velvets were distant they gave some good scope views and were frequently flapping their wings to show the white wing panels.  However trying to get even a record short was almost impossible.  The black dots are the Scoter.

I did manage to find a single Common Scoter as well, a wing flap showing no white.  As we left a single Oystercatcher dared to land on the mud below us.

There was now about an hour of daylight left, but it was becoming very gloomy, bordering on dark.  We decided to spend the last hour in the Meon Shore Hide.  Again the water levels were very high and most of the islands were submerged.  With the very fresh southerly wind a lot of the duck, mostly Shoveler and Teal were sheltering in the reeds to the left of the hide.  Again it seemed like there were more males than females.  As I sat down I just managed to catch this drake Shoveler as it decided to wing flap.

But mostly they were all bobbing around like this.

Directly in front of the hide standing I assume on what was the island in front of the hide as a a pair of Gadwall.  The drake with the lovely scalloped feathers on the breast

The drake once again decided to wing flap at exactly the right time.

There were also good numbers of Lapwing scattered across the scrape, all of them facing into the fresh southerly wind

But in the lee of the reeds the water was very still and there was still enough light for the Shoveler to reflect nicely in the water.

The pair of Gadwall finally deciding to move away.

Another Shoveler emerging from the shelter of the reeds.

With 15 minutes to go before the reserve closed it was now very dark, we decided that tit was enough.  Walking back to the car we stopped at the bridge at the harbour as we always do to check for Kingfisher, but today the stick was occupied by a Teal.

Strange to see a teal perched so comfortably on a branch like this.

So New Year's Day started off the year's list with a total of 55 birds, only another 364 days to go!