I left home in the dull damp overcast conditions that seem to have settled in once again, but as I came through Droxford the skies cleared and the sun appeared. It was beautiful as I pulled up along Cliff Road, the view out across the beach at Hill Head quite stunning and extremely welcome.
A pair of Eider were on sea off the sailing club building.
With the sea so calm I took my scope and walked around to the sea wall opposite the reserve entrance on the west side. I found the Velvet Scoter and Common Scoter that had been reported, but felt I would be better off going p to Brownich Cliffs to view.
The views were marginally better but good enough to pick out the distinguishing features. There were four Velvet Scoter and they stayed quite close together, every so often diving.
The Velvet Scoter is bigger than the Common and has an angular head very similar to that of an Eider. The easy distinguishing features though is the white hindwing panel that is seen well in flight and when the birds wing flap on the water. Through the scope it was possible to see a stripe of white as the birds was at rest. The males have a white spot behind the eye, while the females have two white patches behind the eye and the same white hindwing panel.
The Common Scoter were two males appearing all black on the water.
I picked up two Great Northern Divers, but had arranged to meet Ian and he was on the Rainbow Bar watching another so I decided to join him, but became distracted by a group of twenty Sanderling feeding on the beach.
Several were feeding away from the water's edge and I was able to get down close to them.
A couple of children were on the beach and ran at the flock spooking them and they flew off. I was annoyed but in retrospect they probably saved me having to process hundreds of images.
I joined Ian on the Rainbow Bar, but the Great Northern Diver was now quite distant.
We went on to the reserve and the Meon Shore Hide and were greeted with the news that there was a darke Goosander on the South Scrape.
Goosander are a difficult bird to get close to for photographs, but with the hide and the fact this bird was probably the one that has been around since the summer there was a great chance for some good shots.
It found it hard to settle and would swim around chasing the Shelduck. Every so often it would look as if it was about to fly off, raising the head as if alarmed.
While other times it looked as if it was displaying to the Shelduck, here pointing the bill skywards.
Not sure what was going on here.
While here it shows off the serrated edge to the bill that gives it the name of "saw bill".
It would threaten to come closer to the hide but then turn and swim around the islands. My attention then turned to others on the scrape. This pair of Shoveler right in front of the hide.
There were a total of twenty eight Snipe on the "Snipe Island", but I decided on this part of the island for the photograph, I like the symmetry in the shot.
The Goosander then started to come a lot closer, but was still looking as if it was about to fly off.
Looking as if to fly again.
Then eventually it did, flying straight at the hide.
But not going far, dropping back down amongst the Shoveler.
But it didn't stay long, eventually taking off once more and circling the scrape.
And then flying towards the hide, but turning as if to fly back to Brownich Pond from where it probably came this morning, probably more fish there.
So it was back to the regulars on the scrape. A smart drake Teal
A Redshank roosting on one of the crossbars of the goal posts.
And the Shoveler pair photographed earlier were still present, but had moved a little bit.
We decided to head over to the east side. Walking past the harbour there was a single Dunlin on the mud. Dunling seem to be plentiful all around the shores of the Solent except for here so it was an opportunity to photograph one.
We walked up to the Meadow Hide, with very little about. On the way two immature Spoonbill flew over and headed north east. There had been some significant clearing work around the Walkway Pond which looked interesting but other than a Wren, no birds.
From the hide we saw two Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard. There were Wigeon and Gadwall on the river, but that was all. We decided to bring an interesting day to an end, Great to finally get some worthwhile shots of Goosander.
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