21st September - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

Right, a confession, this week or the next two days will be the last trips out I take birding for hopefully two to three weeks.  I am scheduled to have a cataract surgery on the 24th of this month.  So with a beautiful morning I decided to spend as much of the day as I could at Titchfield Haven.

I parked up at Cliff road and then walked down to the cabin to check in and then set off around the to the sea wall.  But I stopped at the bridge where below a smart looking drake Gadwall was feeding at the edge of the reeds.  It seems that the drake Gadwall are always the firs ducks to show the full winter breeding plumage.

The tide was falling, and there were not any waders on the high tide roost on the beach behind the sailing club.  The sea was like a mill pond and out in the middle was a group of Eider.  I could see nine, but there were thirteen counted earlier.

The Rainbow Bar was now showing and there was a large group of Mediterranean Gulls aof all ages present.  This just a selection of the gulls present.

Also flying around the bar were Sandwich Terns, these adults.

At the entrance to the west side of the reserve were at least twelve Clouded Yellows, maybe more.  Here are a couple.

The Meon Shore hide was rammed with people, but I managed to find a space and settled in.  Outside the scrape was covered in hundreds of Canada Geese, the most I have ever seen here.  In amongst the geese were Little Egrets, this one hunting in the open water along with a nice reflection.

A Couple of Whimbrel flew from the north scrape calling and headed out towards the beach.  I decided to go out to search for them, but there wasn't any sign on what was now a busy beach.  The Sandwich Terns were still about, one coming close to the sea wall.

Again adult birds, now in their non breeding plumage.

Back on the reserve I walked up to the Pumfrett hide, but other than sixty seven Lapwing on the north scrape it was quiet.  Back in the Meon Shore hide it was quieter.  A Redshank on the small island in front of the hide.

Oystercatchers heading out to the beach and shallow water at low tide/

In amongst the Canada Geese were a few Greylag and Egyptian Geese and this one Barnacle Goose.

Like the Rainbow Bar earlier there were a lot of Mediterranean Gulls on the scrape.  There were gulls of all ages, this one a first year bird going out of it's juvenile plumage.

There were more 'Med' Gulls than the usual Black-headed Gulls.  These adult bird leaving the scrape and heading out to the sea.

A quiet day for September, but a glorious day weather wise.  A good laugh in the hide as well.

1st September - Farlington Marshes, Hampshire - Part One

It has been a while since I have visited Farlington.  This time of year can prove to be quite fruitful, so where better to spend the day on the first of September and the start of the meteorological autumn.

There is work going on around the ditches to open them for better breeding conditions next spring.  This meant that the lower car park was closed.  The work though did not have any impact on the birds around the reserve. 

I set off through the bushes and as I reached the open grass area there were plenty of Clouded Yellow about including this 'Helice' variation, a paler female.

Here the clean clouded Yellow, with a much fuller yellow colour.

There were Clouded Yellow everywhere, as I walked they would take off from the grass and were in numbers I have never experienced before, more than at Fishlake last Saturday.

As I came onto the white post path there was an immature Kestrel perched at the top of a bush.

Ity soon became clear that there was a lot of activity in the bushes with Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroats calling and buzzing around the bushes.

Here one of the Willow Warblers.

This warbler had me thinking and maybe hoping as it moved through the hawthorn bush, the colour and size of the bill much different from the Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers.  

Here eating blackberries I settled on a Reed Warbler, completely out of the habitat you would expect to see them in.

Several Whitethroat were about, this adult having a bit of a fight with a couple of Robins.

Another surprise was a few Spotted Flycatchers.  They showed very well catching insects from the hawthorn bushes.  At first hiding in the middle of the bush.

But then coming out into the open and perching from a prominent perch.

A lovely background and some great shots.

They moved around the bushes and would fly around the grass in a similar style to that used by the Bee-eaters.

It seems to have been a good autumn passage through the county this year, birds that are always welcome to see.

Finally some views from behind showing the white fringes to the flight feathers.

Leaving the flycatchers I chased another Clouded Yellow 'helice'.

I was trying to catch the butterfly in flight and this was the best I could manage.

As well as the Clouded Yellows there were plenty of Common Blues, this a smart male.

Leaving the bushes I heard a Lesser Whitethroat calling but was not able to find it.

From the Information hut this Common Sandpiper flew across the stream.

Passing the Hay field there were quite a few cattle, but I could only find one Cattle Egret and it was very distant and in a strong heat haze.

There were lots of flowers by the side of the path, mainly yellow daisies and in amongst them and the grasses were more butterflies.  A female Common Blue.

A Small Copper.

Small Heath

And another Common Blue perched on the seed had of a grass stem.

Walking along the east side of the sea wall, more warblers in the bushes.  This a Willow Warbler.  The wing projection isn't clear here

But in these two photographs you can see the long wings and flesh coloured legs.

Here you can clearly see the longer wing projection and the pale legs.

I followed this Kestrel uniting along the edge of the bramble bushes the other side of the sea wall.  There were two drops but both were unsuccessful.

A Whinchat was perched om a distant post and was joined later by another in the brambles close to the sluice at the Lake.

The tide was rising and a Little Egret was fishing in a chanel alongs side the sea wall.

I had my timing just right, I wanted to be at the Lake as the tide was about a couple of hours from being at its height.  I was hoping that there would be some good waders on the Lake, the conditions were looking perfect.  But I will save the details of that for part two of this post.

So far it was a very rewarding visit with some quality birds and some great photographic opportunities.