16th February - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

Its half term, so a chance to take my Grandson Freddie out once more.  Like before we headed for Titchfield Haven, the weather was good but with the hides there it is easier to keep him occupied.  The west side of the reserve was a no go for us as the river was still flooding at high tide, so we set off along the east side and the Meadow Hide.  A pair of Robins were threatening each other in the bushes on either side of the boardwalk.

We settled in to look out across the still flooded meadows.  Freddie was keen to tick off the birds I had put on his list. We settled in to look out across the still flooded meadows. Freddie was keen to tick off the birds I had put on his list.

He managed to get Oystercatcher and of course the Canada Geese.  In the middle of the meadow as a single Curlew.

There were several Marsh Harriers at the back of the Frying Pan and along the right hand side a pair of Kestrels, but they were too far away for Freddie to appreciate them.  So we walked down to the Knight's Bank Hide.  We had another Robin encounter with Freddie being able to get quite close to it in the bush.

The Kestrels were around the hide.  We watched this female Kestrel drop into the grass and come up with what looks like a Field Vole, it settled on one of the fence posts where you could clearly see the vole.

It flew to another post and still had its prey.

Then the male flew to the fence posts.

The female then sat on the post, but without the vole, it hadn't eaten it so where had it gone?  In the previous photos the eyes appeared alive, so did it manage to escape?  We will never know.

The two, male and female together.

The meadow was full of Lapwing and every so often they would fly up over the meadow and the Frying Pan.  Freddie commented that when they fly they flash black and white, very observant that lad.

He wanted to take some photographs so I let him have a go, these are Starlings.

The male Kestrel returned to the fence and did some preening.

A couple of Marsh Harrier were causing havoc over the meadow, putting everything up.

Another of Freddie's photographs, the Lapwings amongst the Canada Geese in the flooded part of the meadow.

Lunch had been consumed early and the attention span was waning, so we decided to try something different, we walked back down the boardwalk, checking the doors along the way.  We stopped to watch the Turnstone around the harbour and then went on tot the beach on the spit.  The Sanderling were on the beach and Freddie was able to get close enough to watch them and not flush them.

I of course had to get some pictures of them.

We spent the time on the beach feeding the Black-headed Gulls, getting them catch bits of Freddie's sandwiches thrown to them.  Walking back to the car we were able to see the Brown Rats around the small amount of beach that was exposed.  We all had a good time.