A Tawny Owl was calling as I left the house and made my way to the car. It was still very mild with total cloud cover. The forecast was for another unseasonably warm day, but with a light south east wind. Arriving at the sea wall at Hill Head I was a little surprised by the wind, it was a lot fresher than I thought it would be and for once it was cold enough to require the services of a winter coat.
Ian arrived as I was picking up four Eider off shore, they seem to come in close when the tide is low, probably easier to dive for crustaceans. There were three males and a single female. It was still very gloomy hence the grainy picture
It always seems like the Eider sense you wanting to photograph them as the moment you raise the camera they start to drift away. But after a short while they then started to come closer once again and the light hhad improved slightly which can be seen in the photographs
There were breaks in the cloud away to the east, the forecast was for the cloud to disperse and here we were beginning to see this happen, the sky behind the cloud red from the rising sun.
It is at this time of year that there are reports of huge numbers of Woodpigeon migrating, numbers in the thousands are reported. To be honest I can't get excited by Woodpigeon at all, but we did experience a good movement this morning with birds heading south west. Here a taster of one of the large flock, I confess I didn't try to count them.
With the tide low, the early morning dog walkers were letting their dogs chase the birds on the foreshore, Brent being relatively large and visible were the main target and flocks could be seen passing us and heading east into the bay around the Sailing Club.
However they were not safe there, this time stalked by a photographer were walked out on the shingle to try and get close for some reason.
Once the geese were removed the dogs and their owners turned to the waders flushing Oystercatchers, Turnstone and the beautiful Sanderling.
We walked to the visitor centre to check the bridge for any sign of the Kingfisher but the area was empty except for two drake Teal. Walking back the Brent clearly had had enough of the photographer and were heading back from where they came, however the sun now breaking through the clouds lit up the sky to provide some dramatic scenes.
A single Redshank was along the shore of Duck Bay.
The Water Rail could be heard squealing amongst the reeds but for once they did not show..
With the tide rising and the wind now blowing freshly from the south east we decided to walk up to the Brownwich Cliffs. Work on the path to fill in the many holes and dips made the experience quite pleasant.
Reaching the open spot that allows access to the sea and the fields behind we were presented with a flock of 72 Golden Plover.
There were also plenty of Skylark and Pied Wagtail in the field, the Skylarks preferring the stubble areas. With so much activity of small birds the hope was always of a Merlin, but then we can dream
In the bushes were Goldcrests calling along with Dunnock and a few Blue Tits. Out on the water it was quiet despite the fresh wind. There was a sizeable flock of Eider in front of Fawley and several Great Crested Grebe. The one highlight though was a Guillemot that I picked up flying east before setting on the water and disappearing from view.
By now the cloud had broken up and the forecast was becoming a reality.
With very little happening we walked back down to the cars and as I changed out of the winter coast for something more in keeping with the weather we were now experiencing I was joined by a very inquisitive Carrion Crow.
At the bridge, the two Teal seen earlier were in the sunshine under the reeds. I like the wiggly reflection in the water.
The Little Grebe in the reflection of the reeds below the bridge.
A Little Egret was hunting in the now higher waters of Duck Bay.
As I turned away from the Little Egret Ian pointed out four Sandwich Terns heading west along the beach.
As we made our way to the reserve entrance a large flock of Oystercatcher flew over from the beach, heading for the roost on the scrape.
The only viable hide on the west side of the reserve is the Meon Shore Hide, so we made our way there. It wasn't too busy and we settled in. Out on the scrape the water levels were high and for once this suited the duck, with Teal being the most numerous. In front of the hide Gadwall could be seen on the island. Such an under rated duck which is strange when you see the incredible detail of the male ducks plumage.
This drake was preening and wing stretching which showed off nicely the delicate waved pattern on the flanks and chest and the rufous speculum.
Gadwall are proficient divers, going under water to reach vegetation to eat, they are also known to follow Coot around and will steal the food the Coot brings to the surface.
The November sunshine was throwing a golden glow across the scrape. On the island closest on the the left of the hide were at least seventeen Snipe. For some reason this island is the one island that the Snipe appear to prefer. The only reason I can think for this is the amount of dead stalks that allows them to blend in. Here one had decided to try and get to the water to help with it's preening, but the angle of the edge of the island was making this difficult.
As mentioned previously Teal were the most numerous duck and several were on the island in front of the hide, these appeared to be mostly drakes and almost all of them had their heads tucked under their wing and were snoozing in the morning sunshine. One however was preening and in between sorting out his feathers he went around giving the other duck little pecks with his beak as if to wake them up. The other duck would just shuffle away without lifting their heads. The aggressor would then return to some preening.
The vivid green of the speculum feathers was further enhanced by the sun, as the duck turned this would change from a dull colour to the bright green patch.
The speculum is a patch on the secondary wing feathers and is most notable in duck although it can also be found in other bird species notably some Amazonian parrots.
The colours on the United Kingdoms smallest dabbling duck are quite beautiful at this time of year.
And then a complete body stretch.
The busiest bird on the scrape always appears to be the Lapwing, they hardly ever settle and their calls ring out across the scrape as something disturbs them and they all take off in a hurry, only to settle down and then drop back down to the islands or shallow water. This individual settled in front of the hide showing off the beautiful green plumage that gives them one of their alternative names, the Green Plover.
Unlike the Lapwing, the Snipe rely on their superb camouflage and will only take to the sky at the last possible minute. Here you can see a group of five on the island.
And while the Lapwing and gulls wheel around above the scrape the Snipe just extend their necks to allow them to see what is going on, but still retaining that cover afforded them by their detailed plumage.
There was a single Lapwing on the island too, but it doesn't quite have the same level of camouflaged that the Snipe do.
While there is always something going on from the hide it pays to watch the distance as birds of prey will move over or just appear. In this case a Marsh Harrier, not clear if it is an adult female or an immature bird, drifted from behind the trees at the back of the north scrape and while never coming close to the hide provided some nice scenes in front of the autumn trees on the east side of the reserve. Note the light catching the trailing edge of the wings.
It was now a truly stunning day with some clouds adding detail to the beautiful blue sky. Looking north from the Meon Shore Hide.
Probably even more spectacular in an infra-red black and white image.
We had been hearing the calls of Bearded Tits on the right hand side of the hide and every so often we could see the flock as they flew up from the reeds. Whilst there was some wind it was not too blustery and with the high water levels flooding the base of the reeds the hope was that the birds may appear to feed at the top of the reeds. The flock of eight made their way past the hide and into the reeds around Duck Bay and everything went quiet.
The hide rotates people quite quickly and after awhile Ian and I found ourselves on our own. This is probably the one place where we have patience and we sat watching the comings and goings on the scrape. Then what was clearly a Bearded Tit flew from the left hand side into the reeds on the right of the hide. This was then followed by two more. WE scrambled to the open windows on the right and waited. It didn't take long before the Bearded Tits began to show and they showed very well indeed.
At first a female, but with the tantalising distant view of the sought after males
Then a male showing very well, with the spread legs between two reed stems
These images show the environment that the Bearded Tits live in, moving adeptly through the reed bed.
Gradually they made their way up the reed stems to reach the seed heads and out into the sunshine.
Despite its name, the Bearded Tit is neither bearded nor a
tit! It actually has a moustachioed-look
to its plumage, emulating a Victorian gentleman, or much closer to home the
late Jimmy Edwards
The Bearded Tit was first described by Carl Linnaeus in
his 10th edition of Systema Naturae in 1758. Linnaeus placed it
in the genus Parus with the tits. It was later removed from the tit family Paridae
and instead placed in Paradoxornithidae, the parrotbills, before further
research revealed it belonged alone in its own family, Panuridae.
More recent research suggests it is a unique songbird –
no other living species seems to be particularly closely related to
it. The species is now placed in its own family Panuridae. Subsequent to that, further studies have
shown that the Bearded Tit is most closely related to the lark family.
The flock we were watching consisted of at least two males. It is the males everyone wants to see and photograph, they are one of several birds that for some reason attract the camera, others are the Kingfisher, Waxwings, maybe Dartford Warblers, definitely the Wryneck and of course any hunting owl.
There were several females present and as the males dropped lower in the reeds the females' appeared higher up on the seed heads. The females are duller and lack the moustache, but still are sandy brown with long tails, yellow bills and eyes.
Then they were gone, moving off through the reeds, dropping lower down. With their dispersal silence returned to the hide and we settled back down to the ducks and waders. A couple of Golden Plover appeared at the back of the scrape amongst the Black-tailed Godwits.
The Marsh Harrier re-appeared drifting over the reed bed between the scrapes and the Meon river. It was the female type once again and getting a closer look I would consider this to be one of the immature birds present
We made our way from the hide out to the cars for lunch, as we came out of the reserve there was a pair of Stonechat around the bushes by the road.
The lunch time views across the reserve. In colour.
And infra-red black and white.
We decided to walk around to the east side, taking the board walk to the Suffern hide over looking the river.
The sun was now past its peak and the light was turning once again to the golden glow. In front of the hide was a group of Black-headed Gulls in the water and amongst them were two Mediterranean Gulls taking the opportunity to bathe in the fresh water of the river.
Here a good comparison with the smaller Black-headed Gull. The smaller gull showing black primary tips in comparison with the full white of the Med Gull. The Med gull also has a smudge of dark grey around the eye, and white above and below the eye. The bill is also more substantial.
Making six species of gull around the reserve today was an adult Common Gull on one of the posts in front of the hide. Despite its name, the common gull is one of our scarcer
gulls, much less common than black-headed gull or herring gull. It is thought the name “Common” refers more
to its preference to habit “common” ground and can often be seen to frequent
sports grounds and parks in the winter.
A rather mean looking Herring Gull.
While the light looking across the river towards the reed bed afforded the golden glow, looking south was different and this Great Crested Grebe was silhouetted on the water.
A single Little Egret had been fishing close to the reeds on the far side of the river and then flw up river. The white plumage contrasting so well with the dark background of the river and the surrounding trees.
The view directly in front of the hide, the Common Gull on the right hand side.
Rather than walk further along the board walk we headed back to the cars. At the entrance gate there was quite a bit of activity in the trees with calling Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests. We stopped and watched the flock and others joined in, a calling Chiffchaff, several Great Tits and the hoped for Firecrest. On the other side of the path a Red Admiral was sunning itself at the top of a bush.
Back at the car a drake Shoveler was quite close to the road, allowing an opportunity to appreciate yet another beautiful duck.
We always intended to move on in the afternoon and the events of the next stop will be covered in the next post. The clouds of the morning were now all gone and looking north across Duck Bay it was a glorious sight.
The Bearded Tit experience today was wonderful, at the time I did not consider the views to have been as god as those I got at Minsmere at the end of September, but as I went through them I realised these were completely different and just as good if not, maybe better. It is just luck of the draw and it could have been us that left the hide and missed them.
No comments:
Post a Comment