31st October - Shore Lark - Hurst Spit, Hampshire

On Wednesday two Shore Larks were found by Mark Francis on the Rainbow Bar at Hill Head, they didn't stay long and were seen to fly off to the west.  A little later in the day one was found on the shingle Spit leading out to Hurst Castle.

Three years ago there was a single Shore Lark at the same location and it stuck around for at least a couple of weeks.  It was still there on Friday so I arranged to meet Ian at Cut Bridge in the hope that it was still around.

It was a misty morning but it was clear as we trudged through the shingle towards the castle.  Away in the distance the the mist was over the island with a break showing the trees.

The walk took us two thirds along the spit to where there was a collection of birders and photographers.  We were told it had been showing but was now hidden in the scrub.  It didn't take long to find it, the yellow and black head markings showing so well.

It continued to feed amongst the scrub keeping well out of sight and only briefly showing.

Fortunately the bright yellow and black markings were like a beacon and it wasn't difficult to follow as it foraged through the scrub.

Finally able to see the whole bird.

This distinctive lark is a passage migrant and winter visitor to the UK, most often found along the east coast of Britain.  Shore Larks were once a rare breeding species in Scotland, but are now only seen during the autumn migration periods or as winter visitors from populations in Scandinavia.

The last one seen in Hampshire was in January 2023 in the same location.

Such a rare bird to the county then had me taking a lot of photographs, and I had the feeling it would be the same today, I was just hoping it would come out of the scrub.

Curlews were calling and this would alert the Shore Lark that would stretch its neck to try and see what was going on.

Then it did fly at first back down the spit, but turned around came back and flew over the spit but came back to settle in this area.

The group stood up and then climbed the spit to allow us to circle around where the bird had gone and to ensure the sun was behind us.  I found the Shore Lark quite close to the group on the shingle.  We were able to settle and get down low to photograph.

This was why it was hard to see in the scrub as it moves very low to the ground, searching for any seeds in the shingle.

As the name suggests, in the UK Shore Larks are usually seen on the coast, where they favour saltmarshes and shingle shores. Most records come from the east coast of England. Shore Lark numbers can vary dramatically - some winters might see only a few birds in the whole of the UK, while in exceptional years there can be hundreds. The population that visits the UK has declined rapidly in recent decades, possibly as a result of overgrazing on their breeding grounds.

Slightly smaller than a skylark, with a distinctive head pattern. They have a yellow face with a black bib, eye mask and band at the front of the crown. Two long black feathers on the crown can be raised forming a prominent pair of 'horns', most obvious in breeding males.

It is known as "horned lark" in North America for distinctive feathers on the heads of the male birds in summer, and as "shore lark" in Europe because it can be found on shorelines in the winter.

In these two photographs as it raises the tail you can see the black 'horns' on the head.

In Hampshire it is a late autumn migrant with 27 records since 1955, involving 43 - 48 individuals, all being found mostly on the coast.  Hurst beach though is definitely the favoured location.

I had taken the risk of lying down, avoiding the worry of whether I would be able to get up.  This produced a blurred foreground and background.

Everything came good, the Shore Lark came out of the scrub and showed at a nice distance.  The mist burned off and the sun cam out to provide some wonderful light.  A great start to the day.