21st November - West Hayling Oyster Beds NNR, Hampshire

Another cold morning with a substantial frost, but glorious sunshine.  I was meeting Ian at the car park just over the Langstone bridge, but he was running late, so I walked around to the old signal on the Billy Line.  Out in the bay there were quite a few waders including Black-tailed Godwits, Grey Plover, Redshank, a single Dunlin and this Curlew, turning over the sea weed in search of a meal.

I walked around to the end of the path and the Curlew followed me.

The water was very clam and this was a help in finding four Goldeneye, two males and two females.

Looking across to the car park I could see Ian had arrived and I made my way back to meet him and to pick up my scope.

We then made our way around to the first old oyster bed where the almost resident Whimbrel were roosting.

At the far end of the beds there were six Red-breasted Mergansers close to the bank.  The males looking splendid in the sunshine.

The tide was rising and the waders were gathering on the rocks that were once the walls of the oyster beds.  However the water wasn't too deep for this Curlew.

Feeding amongst the sea weed.

There were a pair of Common Gulls on the water amongst the mergansers.

We walked around to the far oyster bed where we could watch with the sunshine behind us.  Out on the water there were Brent Geese and quite a few Great Crested Grebes, but there wasn't any sign of any Black-necked Grebe.

A surprise was a small group of Red-breasted Mergansers that cam close as they looked to swim through the gap in the lagoon.

This looks like a drake that is coming out of the immature red head plumage or the eclipse.

A nice close up of the drake.

It became a little nervous as it pased through the gap, which brought it close to us.

Having passed us it carried on in to the lagoon.  It was then followed by a pair.

This looks like the perfect male.

We were waiting for the waders to perform, the tide was rising and getting high, but there didn't seem to be that many waders, maybe they were able to find dry land elsewhere.  As we waited a single Sandwich Tern.

Then finally some wader action, but nowhere near that I had witnessed a month ago.  These were mostly Dunlin and Knot, but with a few Grey Plover.

Then this kayak appeared flushing everything from the rocks and even has the cheek to video it as he paddled past.  What an idiot!

Walking back there were a pair of Greenshank on the freshwater pond and then from the car park this Kingfisher appeared on one of the old posts.

Some great merganser action with the ducks coming close to us for once.  The waders were a little disappointing, the high tide not producing the action I had hoped for.