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.

19th September - Keyhaven - Lymington Reserve, Hampshire

Back home from Corfu, it was back to Hampshire birding.  There has been a Pectoral Sandpiper on Butts Lagoon at Keyhaven all week so I was keen to try and catch up.  However the morning was overcast and with a very strong south westerly wind blowing, but I was hopeful that with the cloud and rain overnight it would still be about.

I managed to park along the ditch at Oxey Marsh and then walked out across the marsh towards Pennington Lagoon.  A Kestrel was hunting in the field as I passed through the gate.

There were plenty of Horses in the fields but a check around the hooves did not find any Yellow Wagtails.  Three Curlew flew up from the field and flew over my head calling.

I walked up on to the sea wall and immediately felt the full force of the wind, but the skies were clearing with a bit of watery sunshine.  There were good numbers of Meadow Pipits moving through and out over the water calling.  On the path were good numbers of Linnet and Goldfinches on the dead teasel seed heads

I headed towards the Jetty, the tide was falling and on the shingle just before the Jetty were a few waders.  Close in were Turnstone and three Dunlin.

Further out there were three Grey Plovers all in their winter plumage.

On reaching Butts I scanned for waders but couldn't find any at all.  It was good to see some water in the lagoon, on the last visit there a couple of weeks ago the lagoon was bone dry.

I walked on to Butts Bay where a Bar-tailed Godwit was flushed by a loose dog.  Not only did the godwit go but all the other waders and some from Butts which was frustrating.

Fishtail too had some water and with it waders.  I scanned through them in an effort to turn Dunlin into a Pectoral Sandpiper, but it didn't work, they were all Dunlin.

There were also three Ringed Plover, all immature birds with the light fringes on the feathers.

I walked as far as Keyhaven Lagoon, but it was devoid of birds.  Walking back past Fishtail there were Pied Wagtails onb the mud and the same waders, still Dunlin.

I walked all the way around to Moses Dock and didn't lift the camera. As I approached the dock a Curlew was in the water with about a dozen Redshank.  It slowly walked away from me.

There was a Greenshank on the other side.

And the Curlew had made its way to the sea weed on the rocks.

I walked on towards Normandy, eight acre pond was full of water once more with the sailing boats out.  As I reached the corner near to Normandy there was another Greenshank close to the sea wall.

A feather was dislodged as a result of the preening.

Feeding on the mud.

A little Egret was battling in the strong wind and as it turned its back to the wind its crest was blown up.

Normandy was the same as all the other locations, devoid of birds.  I walked around to the southern side and found a Redshank.  I decided to settle down to have an early lunch and as I munched a Greenshank came close to the fence.

It came out of the water and stood on the mud.

The Redshank flew off and called in alarm, the Greenshank straightened, but stayed in place, providing a nice pose along with the red glasswort.

Nothing else showed so I decided the wind was ruining the day so I made my way back to the car.  There were More Dunlin on Oxey Lake.

While on Salterns a couple of adult winter plumaged Black-tailed Godwits.

A Kingfisher called and then flew all around Salterns before disappearing out of sight.  That was the last bird action of the day.  I headed back to the car and drove home listening to the misery that is Tottenham Hotspur.

My last day out was here, two weeks ago and the two visits could not be s o different.  I believe the wind ruined the day today, but why couldn't there have been a Grey Phalarope sheltering from the wind?

5th September - Oxey Marsh to Normandy Marsh, Hampshire

Before we walked around to Normandy we decided to check the lagoons on Oxey, but stopped on the south side of the Oxey Lake where the low water was providing ideal feeding for waders.  There were good numbers of Redshank and at first two Greenshank.  There was exposed algae and sea weed and the Greenshank were feeding around the edge of the green weed.

A Greenshank and the Redshank, showing off the difference primarily the leg colour between the two.

A nice reflection in the water.

Once again the two waders together.

Some nice reflections in the shallow water.

Then two became three, not sure where the third bird arrived from.

Some symmetry from the Greenshanks while feeding.

Note the difference in plumage, the right hand bird showing the silver grey winter plumage, which is an adult bird.  The left hand bird has white fringes to the feathers and a darker plumage and this is a juvenile bird from this year.

Then a fourth bird flew in to join the three.

Satisfied we had enough photographs of the Greenshank we walked back around to Salterns and Eight Acre Pond.  This Redshank had us hoping it was something else, but it was a Common Redshank.

The Little Egrets were still feeding in the water and the dark water was providing some nice backgrounds and some reflections.

We had seen a few Clouded Yellows and strangely the majority of these were of the 'helice' sub species, but they never stopped for a photograph.

Walking on to Normandy it was quiet and as we approached Normandy Marsh the lagoon looked empty.  There were a few Greenshank at the far side of the marsh, and a few Redshank.  We walked around the sea wall to the south side and amongst two Redshank was a single Curlew Sandpiper.  This one a juvenile bird.

It came across the water and then fed just below us close to the shore.

The peachy flush on the breast indicative of the juvenile plumage.

The Curlew Sandpiper then decided to hide form us so we decided to walk to the east side of the lagoon and to use the bench for lunch.  The marsh on the east side was covered in the reddish Glasswort and in amongst tit were a Lapwing.

And a juvenile Ringed Plover.

As we walked back along the southern side of the marsh Ian picked up a wader that dropped down into the same area as the Curlew Sandpiper was seen in earlier.  As we got closer we could see that it was a Knot.

Slightly larger than a Dunlin and just the Curlew Sandpiper, they are grey at this time of year and appear a quite plain, medium sized wader with a rather dumpy appearance.

It moved around the vegetation and when it came back into view the one had become two!

The Curlew Sandpiper was still present, but this time feeding around the rocks and pebbles of the spit in the lagoon.

It looks a very delicate looking wader.

The Knot were then relocated, this time snoozing amongst the rocks.  Knot number one.

Knot number two.

Both Knot together.

Walking back the only wader seen was a Ringed Plover.  It was quite remarkable that on a lagoon that appeared to be completely devoid of birds we managed to see a Curlew Sandpiper and Knot.  A great day, there wasn't the quantity of birds that you would expect to see around the reserve, but the quality for the day was really up there with some other big days here.  Well worth the visit.