29th April - Fishlake Meadows, Hampshire

So it was back to Fishlake once again.  The Hobbys yesterday were not performing and I had to leave early so I had a bit more time today and was prepared to have another go.  It was another hot and sunny day, definitely warmer than yesterday, hard to believe it was only the last few days of April.

The car park was full and I was lucky enough to find a space just outside.  Walking from the car park, a Blackcap was singing in the hawthorn.

Then on the canal path a Goldcrest was also singing from a Hazel tree.

There was a crowd of people on the canal path waiting to catch a glimpse of the Grasshopper Warbler.  There were claims of there being at least three present, but only one sang at one time.  It came a little closer, into the cut willow branches, but as always the branches were in the way.

A little further along the canal path was a female Cuckoo, probably the same bird as seen yesterday.  It perched on the dead trees in full sun.

A rare sight was that of a Muntjac Deer in amongst the reeds, seen from the canal path it watched us as we watched it.

At the gate to the cross over path a Cetti's Warbler.

The first Hobby seen was just after 12:30, it was from the cross path and was joined by another as they soared around the trees and the reed bed.  They were catching insects and for the first time we saw dragonflies in the air.

Not the best conditions, as with the hot weather came heat haze, but I managed some acceptable images.

They would soar and then flap hard to accelerate on to any insect, throwing the legs forward to catch the prey.

The prey eaten on the wing, the insects ripped off and then the head, thorax and abdomen eaten.

The best views were seen from the canal path, we spent sometime on the central path but nothing came close or low.

Probably the sharpest image.

Hobby time was a little better today, but I think the heat kept the birds high where the insects were.  Temperatures are due to fall to a little more normal ones, hopefully the insects will emerge and stay a little lower.

28th April - Testwood Lakes and Fishlake Meadows, Hampshire

I had an early visit to Testwood Lakes in the hope of catching up with the Wood Sandpiper seen over the weekend.  The previous evening had been clear so there was a risk it had departed.  I walked around to the hides to view the scrapes where the Sandpiper had been.  On the way I passed singing Blackcap and Whitethroat and as I approached the hides there were Sand Martin over the scrapes .

The aspect of the hide was not good early morning, the sun shining directly into an easterly direction and this had the affect of totally wiping out any detail.  Fortunately I was able to find the Wood Sandpiper at the far side of the scrape, too far unfortunately for any discernible photograph, but with the telescope feature on the camera I could make out the spots on the upper side.  Also present on the scrape were two Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper, several Redshank, and Lapwing with at least two chicks seen feeding on the islands.

The Common Sandpiper showing how bad the light was.

And the Little Ringed Plover:

As I walked back to the visitor centre two Ring-necked Parakeets flew across the trees in front of me.  I understand that they breed close by here.

From Testwood I drove the short distance to Fishlake Meadows.  Again, over the weekend there were five Hobbies over the reed bed and it was these I hoped to catch up with them.  But as I waited for the temperature to rise and the insects to take to the air I settled in to watch the Grasshopper Warbler I had seen last week.

First up though was a female Marsh Harrier quartering the reeds.

The Grasshopper Warbler showed and reeled on and off, but the views were not that good the little bird settling in the middle of the bushes.  Finally it showed on the left hand side of the the three bushes it likes to use, and probably gave its best views yet.

This shows the longish tail and the curved tip and the streaks on the underneath of the tail feathers.

Other warblers were the regular Cetti's hollering out its song behind us and the Chiffchaffs high in the willows.  Below the canal path there were Whitethroats in the bramble and bushes.

 While Garden Warblers could be heard and seen in the bushes on either side of the open area.

Alarm calls alerted s to the presence of a Sparrowhawk above me.  To start with it drifted close to the vapour trail of a jet overhead.

It didn't look like either an adult male or female Sparrowhawk, so it was considered an immature.

This was the last acceptable image I took of the Grasshopper Warbler, although it has its back to me it does show the streaking that characterises the bird.

After some lunch I decided to walk to the screens in the hope of finding the Hobby.  But only managed some distant views.  There was little of interest at the screens and my time was running out so I made my way back.  As I reached the canal path once more I picked out a Hobby high over the reed bed.

Unfortunately the Hobby stayed high, but came overhead and showed well.

It was catching insects, although I couldn't determine what they were, probably still small insects, there didn't appear to be any dragonflies about.

Hanging the legs down after disposing of the remains of an insect.

Another very warm day which delivered on the birds I was after and one more.  The Hobby sightings though were rather disappointing, but I didn't have the time to secure better views.  I will have to come back tomorrow.

26th April - Hill Head and Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

After the success at Sandy Point on Thursday I decided to give Hill Head a try this morning.  The winds were still light, but from the east and south east.  More importantly there was a slight haze and mist out on the sea, so I was hoping for something to happen through the morning.

First though were a couple of Eider, both males, but one was in immature plumage, the other almost in adult breeding plumage.

A single Bar-tailed Godwit flew inland up the valley and a couple of Whimbrel went east.  I picked up these four Mediterranean Gulls low on the water and heading east.

The male Eider wasn't going away and in fact came closer.

A group of ten Kittiwake moved east, and an Arctic Tern and two more Kittiwakes were seen in a feeding flock mid Solent.  There wasn't any significant tern movement though, but one Little Tern did fly east.  The most significant movement during the morning were the Bar-tailed Godwits, with large groups heading east.  These were the largest and the counts were taken from the photographs.

First 53.

Then a huge flock of 113.

Lower on the water 52.

And the last a flock of 66.

Also out on the Solent were a pair of Common Scoter.

I continued to watch the sea, but little else was happening, there were many sailing boats out on the water, which surely must have an impact on movement.

So it was down to the drake Eider to entertain, and I was able to get down low to be able to photograph it.

With the tide high the Eider came close and was diving and catching crabs.  Bringing them up it would hold the legs and shake the body to break the legs off.  The body would then fall into the water and it would reach out to bring it back.

A close up.

Only a few legs to go.

It kept coming closer.

Reaching up out of the water.

I decided to go on to the reserve, a Sedge Warbler was singing by the gate.

And another one on the other side of the path. 

From the hide, out on the scrape a single Greenshank, not a common bird here at Titchfield.

On the water a pair of smart Mediterranean Gulls.

There were a pair of Common Terns on one of the islands and it wasn't happy with the presence of the Black-headed Gulls and would fight them if they came too close.

And of course there are always the Avocets.

A report of two Pomarine Skuas flying into the Solent had me returning to the sea wall, the flight time was about twenty minutes from the Hurst Spit to Hill Head.  This passed with no sign of the skuas.  The thought was they had gone high and crossed the island, the shortest distance.  The winds and visibility not sufficient to push them close to us.  This was bourne out by the fact they were seen passing Sandy Point and hour on.

Back in the hide I had lunch, while the Common Terns flew around the scrape and two Marsh Harriers were at the back of the scrape.  As I left the hide a Lesser Whitethroat singing by the side of the hide and showing extremely well.

Slightly smaller than the Common Whitethroat, it also has greyer cheeks, which give it a masked look.

I left it in the bushes around the small "island" outside the hide.

Not the sea watch I hoped for but it was nice to see the movement of Bar-tailed Godwits and the first Lesser Whitethroat, but the highlight had to be the very showy Eider.