10th September - Titchfield Haven and Farlington Marshes, Hampshire

 I feel I need to recognise the massive moment of history that has occurred this week, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth and the proclamation of King Charles III.  Like most others for my whole life the Queen has always been there and now as we move into another era it seems very strange.  We all knew this day would come, but that doesn't lessen the shock.

The preceding week was one of very heavy showers and thunder storms, but we were promised a more settled weekend.  As I left home the skies were clear, but temperatures mild, driving along the Meon valley towards Titchfield there were pockets of quite dense fog, pulling up at the sea wall at Hill Head it was clear and out on the Solent there were two massive cruise ships making their way into Southampton Water.

As put on my boots I could hear a Greenshank calling from somewhere on the reserve.  Once fully booted I walked to the fence to look over Duck Bay and the Greenshank called again and flew straight towards me, dropping down on to the exposed mud close to the road.  I rushed back to the car to get my camera.

The sun had not yet made it above the distant trees and houses so it was a little gloomy which meant a high ISO and of course a slightly grainy picture.

Greenshanks are not that regular here so it was nice to get one quite close, with a nice reflection in the still water.

It started to wander away, moving quite quickly as if agitated.

The with a couple of calls it was off, flying out over the water and Rainbow Bar, heading south before turning back and flying along the beach towards Brownwich.

Almost immediately after I stopped watching the Greenshank another call, this time form the beach, heralded the arrival of a Common Sandpiper.

The tide was out but rising and the sandpiper seemed to have found something of interest at the base of a small rock exposed by the low tide.

It then called and flew off over the sea wall and on to the mud of Duck Bay.

Just after Ian arrived a couple more Common Sandpipers joined it and a little later on we counted 4 in total on the mud.  The still water of the bay were reflecting the clouds that were tinged red by the rising sun.

I never tire of the wonderful scene created by the rising sun.  Again this morning it produced a wonderful scene looking north across the river and reserve.

Two of the four Common Sandpipers on the mud.

We decided to walk to the Haven bridge, but stopped to take in the view across the beach towards Lee-on-the Solent.

We walked to the bridge where the Kingfisher was present once again, unfortunately it flew off as I tried to get to a position where I could see it clearly.  A Yellow Wagtail called as it flew overhead and there was also a brief call of a distant Tree Pipit.

Walking back to the cars a Little Egret was fishing in the bay, the golden morning light picking out the white plumage of the egret against a very dirty brown water.

It jumped up and flew a few metres.

With the water low and the base of the reeds exposed it is always worthwhile scanning for Water Rail.  True to form one was sitting at the base of the reeds enjoying the morning sunshine.

But was soon off to scour the exposed mud for food.

We set off to walk the canal path, Friday had seen quite a few good birds and we were hoping that the clear skies overnight had not seen them clear out.

There was quite a bit of movement on the beach, mostly Pied Wagtails, picking insects off the sea weed that had been washed up the beach, but one looked immediately different, a Wheatear.

A dog was running around and as we walked closer t flew off, settling on the back of a bench.

This was a positive and before heading up the canal path we walked through the chalets to scrub at the base of the cliffs.  There was quite a bit of activity, with plenty of Chiffchaffs and a few Willow Warblers moving quickly through the scrub trees, flycatching and hanging below the branches.  Every thing was so quick though it was impossible to pin them down with a photograph.  A male and female Blackcap showed as did a Reed Warbler, and through it all there was at least two Robins singing.

Starting at the bottom of the canal path it was quiet, no calls or aby visible bird life, but at the point where you come out from under the trees the sky was full of all three hirundines, all flying around the tops of the trees.  Here one of the many Sand Martin.

Since the early morning sunshine the cloud had rolled in, but this was now breaking up and warming the hedgerow along the canal path.  We stopped at the first gate and viewed the field and fence line.  At least three young Sedge Warblers could be seen on the fence and posts.

In the willows on the other side of the canal were Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers.

A view across the meadow, some of which has been mown, with a small amount over on the far side left for the cattle to graze, despite checking we could not see any Yellow Wagtails.

There were more Sedge Warblers in the bramble.

Watching the trees and bushes alongside the canal there was plenty of movement, but it wasn't easy to get good views, more Chiffchaffs, a male and female Blackcap and at least one Reed Warbler.

Finally a Sedge Warbler paused long enough for a decent shot.

We came across more hirundines as the path opens up once again to meadow and field.  This time mostly House Martins and some of them looking decidedly tired and with worn feathers, while also a lot of juvenile birds.

A single Yellow Wagtail called as it flew over, heading north, while a lone Roe Deer was watching us from the long grass.

Posbrook was still dry, with more hirundines and a group of Stock Dove.  The trees around the bridge were full of warblers but they, like all the others, were proving to be difficult to see, giving only short glimpses or were very mobile.

Long-tailed Tits were present in good numbers and their contact calls would alert you to a lot of other birds too.

Making our way back it was much of the same, hirundines overhead and lots of movement in the trees, but without that killer bird appearing.  As we passed the entrance to the reserve there was another Wheatear (this one being different, a juvenile) on the pile of rocks.

Back at the car we opted to move on to see if we could find the flycatchers in Crofton old cemetery, but just as we were about to leave a Kestrel appeared hunting over the rough grass alongside the road.

I walked along the road to get a closer view, the Kestrel obliged by flying closer.

I had imagined Ian would do the same but he was still by his van.  I could then here some swearing so could only assume something wasn't quite right.

The Kestrel turned and moved away and I returned to the car where I found out the swearing was due to a camera miss function, but all was OK now.  We all have them!

At Crofton cemetery all was quiet.  I was concerned that both the Pied and Spotted Flycatchers that were reported the previous day had moved on with the clear overnight skies.  There had not been any reports in the morning.  The only birds of note was a single Goldcrest in the conifer, four Buzzards circling overhead and a flock of Long-tailed Tits.  Eventually we gave in, only to find later that both flycatchers had been seen about 45 minutes before we arrived.  Having known this we would probably have tried a little harder, but instead we decided to move on to Farlington Marshes.

We parked in the middle car park, there is currently a lot of work taking place on repairing the sea wall so half the car park is now taken up by contractor equipment.  We walked around the sea wall to the the Lake.  A Bluethroat has been present for over a week and again had been reported this morning.  It frequents the reeds at the back of the Lake, coming out onto the mud, so it was a case of settling in and watching and waiting.

The tide was high, a very high tide and there was a large wader roost with the majority being Black-tailed Godwits and Oystercatcher.  The Oystercatcher were still arriving and in large numbers.

On the mud in the Lake the Oystercatchers settled into the roost.

While others continued to flock in.

 Other waders in the roost included eight Curlew Sandpiper at the back of the Lake in the area where we hoped the Bluethroat would appear, Greenshank, Redshank, Ringed Plover, and Grey Plover, some in their breeding plumage.

A Marsh Harrier was distantly over the main marsh and a Buzzard could be seen on one of the fence posts.  A shout then went up of a Peregrine coming straight at us.  It flew around to our left before dropping at pace and then coming across the Lake, scattering some waders and duck.

It was the smaller waders and duck that went up, the larger godwits were aware but didn't actually panic.  The Peregrine was a very large juvenile bird, presumably a female.  She appeared to be playing or practicing her art, not taking any effort to hunt.

Everything was so quick and she then turned around and came back over this time with less spend and at height.

Then drifting away to the north.

With the excitement of the Peregrine attack over things started to settle down, the small waders returning along with the Teal.  Other duck on the lake included quite a few Wigeon, several Pintail and Shoveler, all of course in eclipse plumage.

Snipe could be seen in the reeds at the back of the Lake and their was a brief glimpse of a Water Rail.  The adrenalin levels increased when a small passerine came out of the reeds in exactly the right spot, but it turned out to be a Meadow Pipit.  In my defence there was a bad heat haze at the time.

The number of Greenshank appeared to increase after the Peregrine, with a noteworthy count of 29 birds all at the back of the Lake.  Here are nine of them.

Out in the harbour a pair of Sandwich Terns could be seen flying around calling.

There is only so long you can stand around looking and hoping for something to happen, so eventually we decided to head and try somewhere else.  We walked alongside the stream, where there had been reported a Little Stint but there was no sign of it.  The area is covered with Teasel and on the teasel were probably a few hundred Goldfinches.  There were a few butterflies, the odd Small Heath and this Common Blue.

Viewing the stream from the visitor centre there were a couple of snipe quite close to the path.

While at the Lake we were told there was a Garganey on the pool behind the visitor hut, but as we passed by there was no sign.  As I moved to photograph the Snipe I flushed a duck that looked very much like it and it flew around to the pool.  It only took a couple of minutes for Ian to find it and I rushed over.  At first it was hidden behind the bulrushes.

But eventually it came out into the open.

I believe this to be a male in eclipse plumage, which is very similar to the female.  Remnants of the male eye stripe is visible, it doesn't appear so prominent in the female.

After it sortie out in the open it turned and returned to the cover of the bulrushes.  This though was an unexpected year tick which is always nice.

Back at the stream the Snipe continued to show well.

 

Walking on we checked the fence line where there were at least three Stonechats and with them a couple of Whinchat, all very distant though picked out through a scope. Away in front of us we could see cattle feeding in the field, a couple of white egrets flew up from the grass in that typical bullish direct flight of a Cattle Egret and not the more dainty flight of a Little Egret.

One Cattle Egret became the subject of attention from at least two Cattle Egrets and a couple of Little Egrets.  From what we could see the egret being chased appeared to have something in its beak.  It wasn't until it settled at the top of a hawthorn bush that we were able to look closely through the scope.  It was either a toad or frog and it was a big one.

These are the best shots I could get, it was tight at the back of the field.  The egret was attempting to swallow its catch but seemed to have difficulty in turning it to be able to swallow head first I presume.  At one point it dropped to the ground but this only alerted the attention of the other egrets so it had to try and fly away to be alone.

In total there were four Cattle Egrets present and around five Little Egrets.  After it flew off we didn't see it again.

While standing watching the egrets a Clouded Yellow flew past and as usual continued its flight across the field and away.  We would not have been able to follow through the field, but it was a welcome sight.

A pair of Green Sandpiper flew across the track calling and they too continued into the reed bed.  We walked down the track to try and get a clearer view but it wasn't possible and when w tried to get height to do so they spooked and were gone again.

A dragonfly flew up and down the path, a coupled pair that eventually settled to show it was a Migrant Hawker

Coming up on to the sea wall there were a further three Cattle Egrets on the closest island.  The tide was still high and looking out across towards Hayling away to the east the clouds were quite dramatic.

And were beautifully reflected in the still water that was now slowly receding

Out in the harbour there were movements of Curlew.  Patches of white seen with the naked eye turned out to not be gulls as first thought but spaces in the shallow water that were not occupied by Curlew.  There was an incredible roost of Curlew, numbers estimated at around 700 - 800 birds with more flying in continuously.

we made our way back around the sea wall to the Lake where the number of waders was much reduced.  However there were still numbers of Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits leaving the lake and heading out to the newly exposed mud.  

The Redshank sneak over the wall, while the Godwits take a higher flight path but eventually drop down low on the water and mud, their reflections shimmering in the shallow water as head to a suitable spot.

By now we had done nine and a half hours and my back was beginning to tell me so.  We could have stood a little longer staring at the reeds hoping the Bluethroat would appear, but we decided on calling it a day.  It was a good day, by no means spectacular but some good birds and good company.