12th October - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

A change in the weather, an overcast morning, but the temperature was still very unseasonable.  With the cloud it was quite gloomy as I set off from Bridge Street car park, heading for the coast at Hill Head.  I soon became aware that I hadn't dressed for the mild weather, the cloud conning me in thinking it was colder.

As I approached Posbrook Floods I could see cattle all lying down and around them two white birds that could only be Cattle Egrets.  When I reached the bridge it was a good view across the meadow that had recently been been cut.  It was gloomy, and there is a lack of sharpness in the photographs but they do capture the scene of the egrets feeding around the cattle.

Taking what can only be insects from the skin of the cows.

The cows did not seem to be concerned by the attention of the egrets, probably welcoming it

The Cattle Egret were not alone, at the back of the Floods the Mediterranean then continued, with a Great Egret and a single Glossy Ibis.

There were two Great Egrets present and three Glossy Ibis.

The Great Egret.

And a Great Egret with a Little Egret, an opportunity to appreciate the size difference.

The rest of the walk to the sea wall was uneventful, the usual calls of Chiffchaff from the willows and Jays flying around with acorns.  As I made my way to the visitor centre the tide was high so I decided to check the beach behind the sailing club, there was no wader roost aside from some Turnstone, but this Rock Pipit was present the first for the second half of the year.

Back in the Meon Shore Hide the water levels had fallen slightly, but we are now well into October and the chance of rare waders is now diminishing, so all the exposed mud does is move what birds there are away from the hide.

First of interest though was a female type Marsh Harrier coming low over the reeds from up valley.

It passed close to the Spurgin and defunct Pumfrett hides and came to the attention of the local crows, it dropped on to the left hand bank of the South Scrape, but couldn't shake the attention of the crows.

Here it wasn't quite sure where the crow was.

But eventually took off once again.

And the crows ensured it was ushered away from the scrape and back up the valley.

The interest returned to the scrape, a lapwing standing close to one of the islands.

While Snipe roosted on the island, their amazing plumage blending them in with he reed stems.

A Herring Gull cruised over the scrape, it's presence not nearly as menacing as it would be in the spring.

From up the valley a lone Great Egret arrived, possibly one of the birds from Posbrook, but just as likely to be an additional bird from the Frying Pan area.

Something spooked it and it jumped up in the air.

But quickly settle back down again to hunt with a Little Egret.

I found an adult Common Gull amongst the Black-headed Gulls, always a nice addition.

The Marsh Harrier then returned and it was interesting to watch its strategy.  Coming much closer to the Meon Shore Hide than any other recent Marsh Harrier, it would come low over the reeds on the right hand side of the scrape, using the trees to mask it.  Then it would turn low over the scrape causing panic.

Most of the duck and Black-headed Gulls went up, here a couple of the male Shoveler, still to attain full winter plumage, circled around the scrape before settling back on the water.

The usual Lapwing in front of the hide went through some grooming.

And then was joined by a Redshank.

Three more slightly behind the island.

The squealing call of a Water Rail on the left hand side of the hide alerted me to the chance the Water Rail might make a dash across in front of the hide and this is exactly what it did.

First through the reeds.

Then the frantic dash across the mud in front of me to the safety of the reeds on the right hand side.

I had missed the Common Gull in flight earlier, but fortunately it had returned and provided another opportunity.

Back to the Snipe on the island, this time looking a little more like Snipe.

It was time to head back up the Canal Path, but I decided to check the sea one more time.  It was now high tide and just off shore a Harbour or Common Seal was showing well.  Sightings of seals along the south coast appear to becoming more and more frequent.

Once again the walk along the canal path was quiet, about half way, what was probably the same Marsh Harrier, appeared over the distant reed beds and I did pick up a soaring Buzzard.  At Posbrook the cattle were now feeding and were closer to the path, with them were the two Cattle Egrets.

This was quite amusing, "look behind you".

"Well there is no need for that!"

Both birds were following two cows and it was a case of more of the classic Cattle Egret and ...cattle.

Sometimes they would move away on their own.

But more often than not they kept close to the cows.

For once two nice portraits

Back to the cows.

The two cows then moved towards me and the rest of the cows near the fence.  Initially the Cattle Egret flew off towards the floods, but then returned to stay close to the cows.

Finding food in the mown grass the cows had turned over.

I left them and headed back to the car park, another interesting day if not that spectacular, how funny that Great, Cattle egret and Glossy Ibis are now becoming common place.