Sunshine, it has been a rare commodity over the last few weeks, but today was going to be different. As I headed towards Keyhaven the sun was out and the whole mood felt better, I was even able to tolerate the ridiculous traffic lights in the centre of Lyndhurst, well almost, I have to admit to losing it when the lights only allowed one car through.
I parked at the Sea Wall car park at the end of Lower Pennington Lane, from there I walked over the Old Tip towards Fishtail. On scanning across the lagoon there was very little about and what there was happened to be distant, so I decided to turn to the left and head east past Butts Lagoon. The Brent Geese numbers had increased significantly since my last visit and with the tide still high they were coming in off the sea and onto the lagoons.
There is nowhere better in the county for photography at this time of year when the sun is out. The low autumn/winter sunshine has a golden glow and emphasises the beauty of the many duck and waders on the lagoons. Here a splendid drake Pintail.
And a snoozing Greenshank, but still keeping an eye open for danger.
On Oxey Marsh there were good numbers of Wigeon, this one using the shelter of a small island to keep out of what was a fresh north easterly wind.
Walking through Moses Dock the pools on the right hand side as you come through the last gate are often popular with Redshank. Today there were Greenshank, Common Redshank and Spotted Redshank. I was able to use the cover of the trees to get down low on the bank and to view at almost water level.
It knew I was there and started to bob, but settled down once again quite quickly.
The white eye stripe above the eye and the long dark bill with a red base on the lower mandible. Up close the tip of the bill is slightly decurved.
The Greenshank feeding was now in view, wading at belly deep.
Back to the Spotted Redshank.
The Spotted Redshank was comfortable enough now to start feeding, so after this shot I crept away.
I headed on towards Normandy Marsh. I had been told earlier that there were no Spoonbill present, but when I arrived there were four present and this increased later to eight. Last week they were feeding around the south side of the lagoon, but today they were in the north west corner. This made the sunlight a little different but it was possible to get the white plumage emphasised by the deep blue of the water.
This one was preening on the island.
Then flew to the north west corner of the lagoon.
Something flushed the geese on the east side of the lagoon, I was hoping for an eagle, but it wasn't to be.
And it, what ever it was also spooked the seven Avocet roosting on the far side.
The Pintail feeding close to me was unconcerned though.
I was on the lower level of the path, so the sea wall was hiding me from the Spoonbill that had now come close to the fence, feeding in the shallow water. I was able to creep along slowly and to get in the best position to use the sunshine, and to avoid the wire of the fence.
A nice close up, this being an adult bird with the red and yellow throat patch.
The Spoonbill feeds by swinging the "spoon" bill back and forth in the water and when it senses something worth eating the head comes up and the bill is thrown up, flicking what ever it has caught into the air and then to the back of the throat.
Here what looks like a small shrimp is dispatched into the throat.
Then back to feeling in the water.
A close up of the red eye as the bill is plunged deep into the water.
Another nice close up portrait.
Then for some reason five of the eight took off. Here two adults and an immature bird, the immature showing the black tips to the primaries and the secondary feathers of the wings.
Here a better view of the immature plumage, it also lacks the colourful throat patch and the bill is very pink.
With the Spoonbill gone I headed back towards Keyhaven. The tide was now well out and there was plenty of mud and shingle visible. At the Jetty there was a group of Knot in amongst the Dunlin and Grey Plover
At the Jetty Lagoon a drake Pintail was bathing in the shallow water.
Something flushed the wildfowl on Fishtail and plenty of Wigeon and Pintail flew out to sea, while the Shoveler flew on to Jetty Lagoon.
Walking around Butts there was a Grey Heron sitting in the sunshine amongst the windblown reeds.
I had lunch, then set off along the Ancient Highway in some pleasant warm sunshine and this was responsible for bringing out this Red Admiral...
and then this one.
I walked around to Keyhaven with little else. The tide was out in the harbour, and out on the marsh the Brent Geese were calling amongst the salt marsh.
Walking alongside Keyhaven Lagoon this Great Black-backed Gull was close to the path and I was taken by the size of the bill, no wonder this gull is quite an efficient predator, the bill being the main weapon.
Most of the duck were gone on Fishtail and this pair of Wigeon were clearly thinking about it too.
I walked back to the car having had an OK day, not a classic Keyhaven-Lymington day, but with the sunshine lifting the gloom of the last few week and the close ups of the Spoonbill it wasn't bad.
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