31st March - Titchfield Haven Canal Path, Hampshire

Last day of March and I thought I would try my luck once again along the Canal Path.  It was overcast but the chilling breeze that was about over the last few days was gone.  Not sure what to expect I loaded myself up with coat and fleece, I was going to regret it.

On reaching Bridge Street Floods there was a pair of Egyptian Geese, but a short distance away was a male Ruddy Shelduck.  It has been spending time around the fields at Ranvilles Lane, but over the last few days it was frequenting these floods.

Origin will always be dubious, but this one has been a little nervy and has been spending time with the Egyptians.  Nice to see regardless of origin, a smart duck.

A male Marsh Harrier drifted over the Posbrook Floods.

Blackcap and Chiffchaff sang from the woods alongside the path at Posbrook and every so often a Cetti's Warbler would announce itself.  The other loud songster was also in song, but this Wren was not as shy as the Cetti's.

The whole body shakes as it delivers the song, the volume of which belies the size of the bird.

As I approached half way I was stopped by the call of a Fieldfare.  It is getting late for this Winter thrush so I hoped I could get a view.  I eventually found it at the top of a dead tree, sitting nicely as it called.

A difficult thrush to photograph, they are notoriously shy.  This one though showed really well until I came out into the open to try and get a little closer.

I walked on past more singing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.  A scan across the meadow found a male Marsh Harrier in a hawthorn bush, probably the male bird seen earlier at Posbrook.

Around Hammond's Bridge a Greenfinch was singing from the bush.

Then at the bottom of the path there was a Blackcap singing above the path.

I had a short time in the reserve, I walked down to the Spurgin Hide after seeing at least six Marsh Harriers in the air around the Frying Pan, a male was doing the display flight.  However when I got to the hide it was very quiet but I did have a little bonus in a Bearded Tit calling then showing briefly above the reeds before disappearing.

Two female Marsh Harrier eventually appeared but the light was not that good.

I then got a call that need me to go home, of course this would happen on a day that I had decided to walk from Bridge Street!  So it was the walk to the reserve entrance and then up the canal path, with the temperature now around twenty degrees.  How I regretted that thick coat.  The one highlight was a Speckled wood about halfway along.  I managed the walk from the hide to car in fifty minutes, it normally takes and hour and a half.

It was disappointing as there was an Osprey reported in a tree on the east side, but duty called.