20th August - Titchfield Haven and Hook Links Scrape, Hampshire

The days are drawing in now, it is noticeably dark earlier in the evenings and this morning my drive to meet Ian at Hill Head around sun rise was mostly in the dark.  Pulling up behind Ian's van the tide was high and the sun was still behind the visitor centre to the north east.  Terns were calling from Duck Bay and the was the usual movement back and from the reserve, and out to sea.  However the most noticeable thing first thing was the steady procession of Mediterranean Gulls as they passed us coming from out to sea and heading west past us.  

The movement continue until about 30 minutes after sun rise.  The only thing we could think was that they were heading for stream between Brownwich cliffs to bathe and drink.

It wasn't just adult birds, they were joined by juveniles, which look quite smart.

The morning sunlight was also catching the Common Terns heading over our heads.

We decided to walk to the harbour bridge and were rewarded with the female Kingfisher sitting in the bush looking down at the water.

It has been a long while since I have seen the Kingfisher here and also a long while since I have had a confiding bird that would allow a close shot.

Males have an entirely black bill, but the females, which this bird is, have an orangey-red patch at the base.

Although these birds are known for their striking colours, the blue feathers down the back of the Kingfisher are actually brown.

The bright blue colour you perceive is due to a phenomenon called structural colouration. This is seen throughout the animal kingdom and makes creatures appear much more colourful than they actually are.  So, while the coloured pigments in the kingfisher’s feathers are brown, you view them as a brilliant blue.

Structural colouration is when the observed colour of an object is not due to the pigment but rather caused by some interference effects instead. The structure of the object itself causes a different colour to be perceived than what would typically be observed by the pigment. Structural colouration can result in iridescent colours – i.e. colours that are dependent on the viewing angle – or non-iridescent colours, when the colour remains constant regardless of the viewing angle. 

Examples of iridescent colours are the feathers of a peacock, which are also pigmented brown but appear blue due to the structural colouration, The nanostructures of the peacock feathers are regular and so reflect the light in the same direction. This means that the bright colour is only perceived at a certain angle.

In contrast, the kingfisher’s feathers are an example of non-iridescent structural colouration. The blue stripe appears blue regardless of the angle of the viewer. This is because the structures are randomly oriented and so the reflections of the light are not angled in the same direction.

Then in a flash she was gone, a shrill whistle as she flew low over the water and around the bend and into Duck Bay.  A Cormorant was sitting on a post catching the morning sunshine.

We Checked the scrapes from the viewing platform where we could see a good sized flock of Avocet and Black-tailed Godwits.  Walking back the water in the harbour was falling and the morning sunshine was catching a lone Turnstone, still in summer plumage, as it walked along the edge of the mud.

Walking towards the sea wall the tide was still high enough to push the Turnstone on to the beach.  We walked out in the hope of finding some Sanderling.  There was only one present but it seemed quite settled, staying put when all the Turnstone flew off.

It still had some remains of the summer breeding plumage.

Quite settled, enough to even drop off!

We had decided to walk the Canal Path and took the footpath just past the reserve entrance.  Almost immediately I picked up a Fox in the dry grass.

It was hunting and we watched as it did the jump and pounce attack which was successful as we saw it throw what it had caught up into the air and catch it in its mouth.  Ian later identified this as a rat, thankfully not a Water Vole.

The Fox then stayed close to the area, appearing to eat and then continue to hunt.  It looks like a young Fox, but looked lovely in the grass with the morning sun and the contrasting dark background.

At the bottom of the Canal Path there was a group of Reed Warbler making contact calls and showing every so often, but not giving clear views.  We walked off when they went quiet, but crept back when they started calling again.  I did manage to get a quick view which produced this image, which for me sums up the secretive nature of this warbler.

Going through the first gate there was a large group of Long-tailed Tits calling and with them a few warblers, one of which was this very smart lemony Willow Warbler.

A little further on there was another group of birds, this time in the bushes on the sunlit side of the path.  There were Chiffchaffs, tits and a few Whitethroats moving from the hedge to the fences and trees in the field.

We passed several hunting Hawker dragonflies that we couldn't identify because they did not stop.  This female Banded Demoiselle did pause long enough for a photograph.

We were looking for Chats and maybe a Yellow Wagtail with the cattle that were grazing in the fields.  At about mid way along the path there is the field where the Water Pipits can be found in the the winter.  There were no birds in the field today, probably due to the presence of this young Buzzard.

A little further along I picked up a raptor high above us.  As it banked I could see quite clearly that it was an Osprey.

It drifted away to the east, gaining height as it did so.

It was picked up a little earlier at Warsash and then later on one was reported at Farlington, odds are it was the same bird.  Nice though to find our own for once.  As we watched the Osprey disappear Ian picked up a large white Egret.  From the quick photograph he took it was a Great Egret and dropped down close to the Frying Pan on the reserve.

We had heard Stock Dove "singing" as we walked the path, eventually we came across one, as always in a dead tree.

Posbrook Floods was no more, it was very dry, but that didn't deter this Heron from sitting in the middle, probably wondering where all the water has gone.

We checked the horse field but there was nothing, however above us Swallows and House Martins were hawking around the Oak trees, this one looks like a juvenile.

Walking back a Water Vole was pointed out to us amongst the reeds below.

Walking back the large groups of Tits and warblers were gone, there were a few birds to be seen, A Cetti's Warbler, a Blackcap in sub song and several Chiffchaff.

The fields of Sunflower were impressive.

Back at the sea wall the view to the north across Duck Bay was crying out for a black and white photograph, so I obliged.

We decided to enter the reserve, heading for the east side first in the hope of finding the egret.  But first we checked the beach where the tide had dropped and the terns were roosting.

These were all Common Terns, adults still feeding juveniles.  Out to sea there was a huge group of Terns and Gulls, we scanned them but the distance was challenging and it was not easy to find anything that could be considered to be different.

We stopped off first in the Suffern Hide.  Looking across the river to the reed bed a Water Rail was making its way around the edge of the reeds, this meant though sometimes it had to swim or wade deep in the water to get by.

A Marsh Harrier, one of this year's successful brood made its way from the north, flying close by the closed Spurgin Hide.  It made its way along the reed bed but then turned and came across the river close to us.

We stopped off in the Meadow Hide, there was very little of interest but as we came out we came across the Hornet Mimic Hoverfly.

At almost 2cm long, the hornet mimic hoverfly is the largest hoverfly species in the UK. As its name suggests with black-and-yellow markings, the hornet mimic hoverfly looks like its namesake, but is harmless to us. This mimicry helps to protect it from predators while it searches for nectar.

 Only a very rare visitor to the country up to the 1940s, it has become more common in Southern England in recent years, and is still spreading northwards, perhaps as a result of climate change. It is particularly prevalent in urban areas. The adults are migratory and the larvae live inside wasps' nests.

As we reached the board walk a message came in the the egret had been seen on the Frying Pan and that there were Whinchats on the fence, so we turned left and headed for the hide.

A quick scan of the fence that crosses the field found the Whinchats, there were two present.  The problem as always was that they were distant, this was the best I could get.

The Marsh Harrier we had seen earlier was disturbing the birds on the Frying Pan, sending the gulls and teal up as it glided across.  Once again we were fortunate as it cam close, showing the immaculate immature plumage.

There had not been any sign of the reported Great Egret, but it had been hiding behind the vegetation.  I could see three Grey Heron, and through the vegetation some patches of white.  Several Little Egrets had been around, so we had to wait for the white shape to fly, which it did and revealed itself as the Great Egret.  It flew a short distance before dropping down again out of view, occasionally lifting its head up sufficiently to see the big yellow bill.

Then it showed a little better, but it involved flying away.

We moved from the east side stopping to watch a Common Sandpiper in Duck Bay walking around the mud exposed by the falling tide.

There wasn't much from the Meon Shore Hide and what there was a little distant.  The Avocets were entertaining though with their reflections feeding antics.

This bird had a very funny five minutes as it flew like crazy around the scrape before settling back down.

 We had missed the four Glossy Ibis that move between the reserve and Hook Links and with the report that they had been seen there a short while ago along with more Whinchats and Wheatear we decided to move on and try our luck there.

First stop was the horse paddocks and the fields at the back of Beam Cottage.  A juvenile Green Woodpecker was seen motionless on one of the fence posts, but for some reason it was not possible to focus on it to get an acceptable image.  Walking along the footpath we eventually found the Whinchats, but again very distant.

Turning to scan the TLC horse field Ian found two Wheatear.  Hard to believe but this is my first Wheatear in Hampshire this year!

The Ibis and possible Spoonbill have been around the scrape on the shore.  We walked through the estate and came out onto the beach and headed north.  The stream here meanders and is known as the Meander pools.  At the back of the pool I could see one Glossy Ibis.

Then as if from nowhere another appeared out of the long dry grass.

maybe they didn't get on too well.

Then another and they started to feed together.

From the streaked heads they all appeared to be immature birds.

They finally came out of the water to settle with Little Egret on the top of one of the meanders.  We could then see a dark form close to the three and realised that the fourth bird must have been there all the time.  They looked quite settled so we walked up to the scrape.  This took us through the recently burnt area of gorse.  It is a testament to the fire fighters that tackled this fire, that they were able to contain it to such a small area, it could have been much worse.

The hoped for Spoonbill we re either sleeping it off around a corner that was out of sight, or they had moved on somewhere else.  We did manage to see two Common Sandpiper though.

Walking back we flushed a Dartford Warbler from the gorse, a good sign.  Back at the Meander pools the Glossy Ibis had split up, two were feeding together, one was by the cattle trough and the last one was feeding closer to the fence.

The sun picking out the iridescent plumage that relies on the light striking it at a particular angle, unlike the non iridescent plumage of the Kingfisher.

As we reached the cars a large dragonfly flew past and settled in a tree.  We jumped the gate and found it.  The light was bad but it was good enough to identify it as a Migrant Hawker.

Quite a productive day with a couple of year ticks and some great photographic opportunities, I would have been pleased with the Kingfisher alone.