23rd December - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

Last time out before Christmas and it was a very gloomy dull day, cold to with a freshening northerly wind.  I parked at the sailing club and walked around the harbour.  For a change there was a Little Grebe actually in the harbour and not on the other side.

I decided to walk up the east side and this time the battery in the thermal camera was fully charged.  There wasn't any sign of any birds in the ivy along the board walk but there was a good sized flock of Chaffinch and tits.

I scanned the area around the newly flooded channels from the Meadow Hide and could see quite a few heat sources but it was impossible to see any birds.  Out on the meadow itself were the two Curlew.

It was getting gloomier, so I decided to walk around to the west side.  Knowing that there was going to be very few photo opportunities I checked the spit behind the sailing boats.  The tide was rising but at least three hours from high tide.  Despite this there was a good number of Ringed Plover and Sanderling on the beach.

Walking along the spit the Ringed plover were the most numerous and there wete several on the groyne.

The Sanderling were down by the edge of the water, and they appeared to be a little unsettled, although some were trying to roost.

But many were bathing and then preening after.

Interestingly the Sanderling on the right hand side has a metal ring.  I saw one with a similar ring a few weeks ago and it turned out it was probably a bird rung on Mersey side nine years ago, but without getting full details of the ring it can't be confirmed.

Always nice to get the sharp focus through the many bodies.

I turned my attention to the Ringed Plover.  This one with a background of the bathing chalets, blurred.

Like the Sanderling the Ringed Plover were taking the opportunity to bathe and preen.

Sanderling were flying in to join those already on the beach.  Once settled, they would make their way straight in to the water the bathe.  It would seem that they don't mind the salt water.

Another person had walked past me with out any regard for the birds or me and all the Sanderling were up, circled around and then returned to a different spot.

Turnstone and Sanderling on the groyne.

For the record I counted 93 Sanderling and 67 Ringed Plover before they were flushed.

Walking around to the west side there were six Eider off shore.  I went into the Meon Shore hide.  It was getting darker and colder.  There were plenty of duck about with the usual large number of Teal, just under fifty Wigeon and about thirty Shoveler.

All of the Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits went up and a female Sparrowhawk was seen flying low across the scrape.

The tight flock of Lapwing.

Watching the movement at the back of the scrape picked up quite a few distant Fieldfare.

Little groups of Shoveler were dominated by males and maybe two females.  The males would bob their heads, splash about and then rise up to wing flap.

At one point there were three Marsh Harriers in the air at the back of the scrape, a male and two females.  The female came along the reeds between the scrape and the river and was immediately escorted away by a crow.

The Marsh Harrier then came across the scrape and proceeded to hunt the reeds in front of the West hide before heading back up the valley.

By now it was very cold in the hide with the wind blowing through the windows.  It was also very dark now with little change on the scrape.  I decided it was time to go back to the car and home.

As this will be my last post before Christmas I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.