"Back in the Room" was the first thing that Ian said to me when we met in the sea wall car park at Pennington. The sun was just up and there was a frost that had frozen the water on marsh. The Curlew were calling as they flew over and a distant Marsh Harrier rocked its way over the marsh.
I had been away just over five weeks and had a wonderful time, but it felt good to be back home and doing what I enjoy, birding with my mate. The temperature though was a different matter, I had been used to temperatures in the top twenties and above, this morning was a shock.
We headed off over the Old Tip towards Fishtail, the clouds on the horizon above the Needles reflecting in the waters of the lagoon.
We soon realised we could not reach the sea wall as the path was flooded, so we crossed the Old Tip to try from the Jetty Lagoon.
The path was flooded here too, but passable. The water in the lagoon was like a huge mirror, reflecting the impressive sky.
A Canada Goose drifted on the water turned pink by the sunrise.
We turned to the west and headed along the sea wall.
The long staying male Greater Scaup was showing well on the lagoon, close to the sea wall.
A good comparison with a male Tufted Duck.
And of course a wing flap.
A Little Egret was preening in Butts Bay, the calm conditions providing an almost perfect reflection.
In the channel that runs alongside the sea wall on the other side from Fishtail a Greenshank was feeding.
Realising we were a little too close, it scampered across the mud and on to the marsh.
Of course there were Pintail on Fishtail and of course that had to be photographed, it has been five weeks!
Different light on Jetty for the Scaup.
We headed east as we always do and scanned the sea for any sign of grebes. With the calm conditions it was easy to pick out a Slavonian Grebe, but it was a fair way offshore. We walked and where the sea wall turns north we came across three Slavonians Grebes, this time quite close in, but with the light behind them.
We moved to try and get a better angle that would be able to use the light rather than under expose them. All three birds together, showing the different degree of moult and plumage.
A preen and stretch of the leg.
While one catches what looks like a shrimp.
Normally the views of Slavonian Grebes are a grey blob on a dark grey sea, that has to be heavily cropped to be able to discern what it is, today it was so obvious and the red eyes on show too.
Again all three coming close.
ne seemed interested in the floating weed.
We left the grebes and continued on our way.
With the tide falling, the mud was exposed with a group of Knot.
And a single Bar-tailed Godwit.
Avocet feeding together in the middle of Oxey Lake.
Coming around the corner to Moses Dock a Greenshank reflecting well.
As we walked on, the Avocet finally had a reflection.
On Eight Acre Pond an Egyptian Goose.
We had hoped for some Dartford Warbler in the gorse along the sea wall, but there had not been any sign of them, not Stonechat, which was a surprise.
At Normandy Lagoon, the water was still high. A group of 10 Spoonbill in various position of rest. Love the punk hair do on the right hand side.
Walking around to the east side we found a Spotted Redshank.
Walking back we came across the Slavonian Grebes again, this time in much better light.
Once again all three together.
They would do this a lot, not sure if they were yawning or throwing a pellet.
We were able to get down onto the beach to get some shots from low down, almost eye to red eye.
Again a comparison of the differing stages of the plumage.
You can see the golden ears beginning to appear.
In a few weeks, they could be quite special.
We negotiated the flooded path at the Jetty once again and headed back to the car for lunch, after which we donned more appropriate footwear and walked down the side of Fishtail. We were looking for a Ruff, they have been quite sparse so far this year, so it was pleasing to find one on one of the islands that was exposed in Fishtail Lagoon.
Another Greenshank was present on the sea side of the sea wall at Keyhaven.
We walked around th Keyhaven and then along the Ancient Highway. At the turn to Iley Lane we followed it to the lakes. We had hoped for some butterflies and were duly rewarded with first a rather worn Peacock, a hibernator from last autumn.
And then a bonus in a Comma, not normally one of the first butterflies of the year.
The weather was certainly celebrating my return and once again the reserve had also delivered the birds and the first two butterflies (in the UK) of the year.
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