6th September - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

My first full day our of the month and I decided on Titchfield.  There is always a chance something will turn up and this is also one of the best times and place to see Osprey and I have yet to see one this year.

As I walked around to the west side there was a constant stream of hirundines coming from the west and heading into a south east breeze.  I could only see Swallows and Sand Martins, no sign of any House Martins.

I headed for the Meon Shore hide and once again had the hide to myself.  Last visit no Avocet, this morning a single bird feeding in front of the hide.

Then once again, for no reason I could see, all the waders went up, revealing that there were in fact thirty two Avocet on the scrape.  Here a few of them.

Heading out to sea were a couple of Sandwich Terns, with one showing really well.

The waders spooking like they had has the act of shaking everything up and moving some that were previously hidden.  One of those was one of the two Ruff present, which appeared by the reeds on the left hand side of the hide.

I then picked up the two Grey Phalaropes that had been present for the week, These are an adult bird with a juvenile. The adult bird is on the left with the clean grey markings with the black stripe through the eye.  The juvenile on the right with the buff wash on the throat.

They preened and bathed in the shallow water, then swam to the right side of the scrape, showing the difference in the plumage.

Then as quickly as they appeared they were gone and were picked up later on the north scrape, but distant from the hides.

A Common Sandpiper appeared from nowhere, settling on the island in front of the hide

Then the waders all went up again, this time a Sparrowhawk appearing from behind the hide.  It didn't seem to be actively hunting and turned and headed off towards the west hide.  About ten minutes later it returned, coming in from the westlow over the scrape and scattering everything once again.

The phalaropes appeared once again, this time a little closer, but didn't stay long before heading back to the north scrape.  This is the adult.

There had been reports of Hobbies from the meadow, so I decided to try my luck on the east side of the reserve.  Walking along the boardwalk there were Red Admiral, Peacock, Speckled Wood and Small White butterflies.

I decided to watch from the Meadow Hide.  Soon after arriving all the large gulls were up and as I scanned in amongst them I picked out an Osprey, exactly what I had hoped for today.

Here  it was being mobbed by a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

It shook off the attentions of the gulls and headed closer to the hide showing very well.

Stopping to hover and start to dive before pulling out.

It then soared around before heading back towards the Frying Pan.

Over the Frying pan a few circles then a hover and dive.  Here is a sequence of events as it drops towards the water.

I lost focus as it went below the trees and into the water.  There was a wait and then eventually the Osprey appeared with its catch, a sizeable fish.

A lot of speculation over what the fish was, but the consensus of opinion was a Grey Mullet, one of their favourite prey.

So the perfect end to the day, the bird I was hoping for and some great views too.

5th September - West Hayling NNR and Northney Paddocks, Hampshire

Since Sunday I have been watching the reports coming in of a small influx of Grey Phalarope to Hampshire.  The storms on Sunday in the channel probably being responsible for knocking them off course.  With the weather easing off it was a case of how long would they stay, there were two at Titchfield Haven and a single at the Oyster Beds on Hayling Island.

The chance to ge out didn't arise until Friday afternoon, and I decided to head for Hayling, where the likelihood was that the phalarope would show closer for the camera.  There were parking places and I was soon walking along the Billy Line path, pst the spot where last week at this time I was watching the Wryneck.  I walked around the old Oyster Beds where a Little Egret was fishing on the falling tide and a Curlew called as it flew out of the beds. 

The Phalarope has been in the area of mud just past the last lagoon and as I walked up I could see some other birders present.  On arrival I was told that it had just gone into the long grass and couldn't now been seen.  I waited and it soon appeared flying out of the grass and across to an area of mud, sea weed and water.

Here it started to preen and bathe in the water.

This Arctic-breeding wader is almost regular visitor to the coasts of the UK after storms in the autumn. They are more than often seen at the coast but can also turn up on inland stretches of water like reservoirs and lakes. In North America, these birds are known as Red Phalaropes, due to the birds' orangey-red breeding plumage and like the other Phalarope species, the female is the more colourful and leaves the male to incubate the eggs and bring up the young.

They will swim in small circles in order to create a bit of a whirlpool that sucks up insects and small crustaceans from the bottom of the water to where they can by plucked by the Phalarope’s bill.

There were quite a few Ringed Plover feeding amongst the sea weed and rocks, and something spooked them and they all took off, there was no visible threat but the phalarope went with them and they were seen to fly towards the edge of the tide on the other side of the bund rocks.  I couldn't locate it, but would have been a long way away.  Then someone said it had flown out with the plover further into the harbour.

I wait for awhile, but decided it wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.  I had my year tick and some photographs, so I headed back, there were reports of both flycatchers again at the Paddocks over the road so I decided to try my luck there.  Reaching the corner there was a Redshank showing well on the small pool.

As I walked along the footpath at the Paddocks there was very little about at first, but I stopped near a hawthorn bush in the side of one of the paddocks and waited.  Pretty soon a Spotted Flycatcher appeared and showed very well on the adjacent fence.

The Spotted Flycatcher appears more upright than the Pied Flycatcher that was apparently about too.  It also behaves more gracefully, the flycatching flight a lovely swooping action, coming sometimes low over the ground.

Streaking on the forehead and the breast and flanks give it the name "spotted".

Then hunting from the hawthorn bush.

Spotted Flycatchers are the flycatcher that we expect to see here in Hampshire, not so the Pied Flycatcher that is seen more to the west in the sessile oak woodlands of the south west and Wales.  They do though turn up on passage and for some reason the paddocks here at Northney are a regular site every year.  They are not so obvious, where the Spotted Flycatcher will sit out on a prominent perch, the Pied Flycatcher sits with the tree and bushes.  In their breeding rounds they like to hunt just under the canopy.

I could see a bird within the bushes and eventually it showed.  Lacking the streaking on the forehead and a more rounded head, this was a Pied Flycatcher.

These are mostly juvenile / immature birds that lack the "pied" black and white plumage senn in the adult male.  The males too lose there black and white marking following breeding.  What I could see here were the white wing flashes.

I walked back and forth getting glimpses until one, there were probably two present, showed well in the hawthorn bush.  Another feature of the Pied Flycatcher is the drooped wings with the tail cocked as seen here, and of course the white in the wing and on the undertail coverts.

Looking down for any movement that would constitute  something to eat.

Back into hiding.

Then to finish some of the best Pied Flycatcher photographs I have taken.

Good to be back out and I managed to get the phalarope and some great flycatcher action