25th September - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

With indifferent weather forecast it was a case of playing safe and finding somewhere with shelter from what have been very heavy showers over the last few days.  So it was off to Titchfield Haven once again.

Walking around from Cliff Road there was a kingfisher on the slip way in the harbour and after checking in six Bearded Tits flew over the reeds next to the harbour bridge.  I walked around to the west entrance and made my way to the Meon Shore Hide.  I had it to myself and looking out across the scrape the water levels were up from recent visits with most of the mud now covered.  It wasn't deep but did not provide the welcoming habitat that migrant waders like.

On the left hand side of the scrape there was a Green Sandpiper feeding about half way along the edge.

At the back of the north scrape there was a Spoonbill standing in the water.

It then became a little confusing, the Spoonbill then flew off up the valley, but shortly one came back flying straight at me and headed off over the hide towards the beach.

Then I noticed that the Spoonbill had re-appeared on the north scrape once more, had the one that flew over my head flown back in, I hadn't seen it or was the Spoonbill always there and there are two?  I am not sure, but I did know the one that flew over me was an immature bird.

Another long-legged bird then arrived, a Great Egret and it settled in the top right hand corner of the south scrape.

There had been a pair of Kingfishers going back and forth and around the scrape, but never settling long enough for a photograph, but eventually a female settled long enough for one photograph.

I then decided to walk around to the Spurgin Hide, it had proved to be a good move on the last visit, would it be the same again today?

Settling in the Kingfisher arrived almost immediately.

Then some strange behaviour, the Kingfisher appeared to be annoyed, opening the beak and flapping its wings.

Then it became clear why, a Chiffchaff was trying to settle on the same perch and the Kingfisher was not having it.

It then flew off, but was back quite quickly, this time another perch a little closer to the hide and the camera.

A dive and a fish, it looks like either a Bleak or Dace, it was quite a size and the kingfisher gave it a bash on the branch.

Confident it was either stunned or dead the fish was moved around in the beak to present it head first for swallowing.

Down.

And gone.

It then just sat still as it was settling the meal.

Then off again and attention turned to others on the mere, a Great Egret with its elegant walk through the reeds.

A Jay then appeared in the tree on the left hand side of the hide. 

Jays are visible all over the reserve at the moment as they forage the acorns both to eat immediately and cache somewhere on the east side.

A flock of Black-tailed Godwits flew down the valley past the hide.

The Kingfisher returned.

And was actively looking to catch.

Bobbing to assess distance and refraction.

Then it caught a huge fish that was thought to be a Rudd, the fins being red with a dark body.  Once again some banging on the perch.

It took some time to dispatch the fish probably because it was almost as big as the Kingfisher itself.  I took some video of the Kingfisher smashing the fish on the branch.

Having finally swallowed a huge fish, the Kingfisher sat quietly on the perch.

My time was up, but once again the Spurgin Hide had delivered.  There is a lot of good Kingfisher action at the moment.