Saturday, 24 May 2025

22nd May - Titchfield Haven NNR, Hampshire

I had a few hours free today before some time with my grandsons, so I headed down to Titchfield Haven to try and get some more time with the Hudsonian Godwit.  I parked out on the sea wall and there was still someone on the west gate so I had to assume that the godwit was still there.

I headed into the reserve and into the Meon Shore hide which was still enjoying a good occupancy.  Fortunately I was able to get a seat, but the Godwit wasn't playing ball, it was roosting at the back of the scrape amongst three Black-tailed Godwits and Shelduck.  The hope was that it would wake up and start feeding, so I decided to stay put and wait.  Once again there was some other activity.  Feeding around the small island in front of the hide were two Avocet chicks, marshalled as usual by their parents.



The adult standing guard.


Then from nowhere the long staying male Goosander appeared and it was struggling with an eel.  This attracted the attention of the Black-headed Gulls who were looking to steal, but the Goosander managed to dispatch it with plenty of drinking.


Interestingly the Goosander was not accompanied by the Shelduck it had befriended earlier in the year.


One of the adult Avocet warning a Shelduck that came too close to the chicks.


There were two pairs of Avocet on the island, the other without chicks but one was sitting on the island, so I assumed that it might be sitting on eggs, but then the pair started the mating ceremony, the male preening on either side of the female as she lay with her head on the water.


After enough shuffling either side of her he jumps on.


And once the deed is done they both have a loving embrace and walk away.


There were quite a few family groups of ducklings with Mallard, Gadwall and these Shoveler ducklings.  I counted eleven but three got separated as the mother took eight off across the scrape.


But she soon attracted the attention of the Black-headed Gulls and she had to take some action to keep them at bay.



Three Black-headed Gull chicks came off the island and came out into open water where they were begging for attention.



There were also quite a few chicks on the "snipe" island.


There were also several Common Terns on the islands and they were visited by other common Terns bringing in the fish.


During all this the Hudsonian Godwit stayed at the back of the scrape.  It would move a little but always resumed its roosting.


It was then joined by a group of Black-tailed Godwits flying in from either the Frying Pan or further back, Posbrook.


Several of these were in full breeding plumage.


They settled at the back of the scrape and didn't make any attempt to feed.

Meanwhile the Avocet family continued to entertain.





Then a light aircraft came low over the scrape and this spooked many of the birds, including the godwits and they circled above the scrape.

The Hudsonian Godwit flew with them and here was a chance to pick out the differences, the Hudwit (to give it it's abbreviation) appearing much darker and the thinner wing bar.  The Hudwit is fourth from the left


Here the chance to see the dark, almost black axillaries, compared with the lighter under wing of the Black-tailed Godwits.





The Godwits settled back down on the causeway at the back of the scrape and made no effort to feed at all, mostly all of them tucking their bill under their wings.

Godwits are long distance migrants, the Black-tailed Godwits breeding in Iceland, the Hudsonian would normally travel from the southern tip of South America to the sub Arctic.  To do this they have to feed up, then undergo physiological changes to their bodies, one of which is the shrinking of the stomachs to put focus on the essential organs that will fuel the long distance flight.

In the time the Hudwit has been here (just under a week), it has fed constantly as have the other godwits, but today all the godwits were just resting.  I felt that this rest was to allow the changes and to just rest before starting the journey.  I was guessing that the Hudwit would not be here tomorrow and would probably go with the Blackwits overnight, probably to Iceland.

Post Script:  The Hudsonian was not seen on Friday the 23rd nor were there any other godwits present on the scrape....I called it! 

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