5th September - Oxey Marsh to Keyhaven Lagoon, Hampshire

If it has been awhile since visiting Farlington, it seemed even longer to come all the way to the Keyhaven - Lymington reserve.  To be honest I have been wanting to go for a while now but the fire and closure of the A31 has kept me away.

So this morning I was meeting Ian, not at the usual car park, but this time Normandy Lane.  From there we walked out to the marsh and were greeted with an almost empty Eight Acre Pond.  Where there was water there were Little Egret and quite a few Redshank, plus one Greenshank.

In places the shadows created some dark water so we walked up to the sea wall to try and get the egrets with their reflections.  Ian was watching an egret when it looked up and so did Ian and above us was an Osprey high and heading west.

It drifted away and it was back to the Little Egrets, there were fifteen around the pond, most of them in the water but also some in the trees.

So some time for the reflections.  First in the blue water.

Then in the dark water.

On the other side of the sea wall was a Greenshank.  Th elight wasn't perfect but the greenshank was close enough to overcome any problems from the light.

Feeding around the exposed bladder wrack.

Walking on a Redshank stood on a rock at Salterns again with a nice reflection.

We walked across the marsh in the hope of finding some migrants around the bushes but it was very quiet.  Coming up on to the sea wall there was a lovely scene out in the Solent created by the sun behind a cloud.

All three hirundines were hawking insects along the sea wall over the bushes.  Of the swallows they were mainly immature birds lacking the tail streamers seen in the adults.

A warbler was showing in the gorse, any thoughts on what it might be from this shot?  The long wings might be a clue.

Easier from this view, long primary projection and light coloured legs.

A Willow Warbler.

Offshore there was a single Eider, it looked like a male in eclipse.

The tide was at its lowest, but there was water in Butts Bay.  Turnstone and Ringed Plover fed on the exposed sea weed.  This Curlew moved slowly away from us.

Moving out into the deeper water, but still walking, never swimming.

Fishtail Lagoon was almost completely dry and there were only a few Pied Wagtails on the mud.  Keyhaven Lagoon was quiet with no sign of the recent Ruff,. the only bird of interest being a distant Wheatear.

We came back to the Old Tip and walked through the bushes, again with very few migrants about.  Walking down to the car park there were cattle in the corner by the gate and with them were Yellow Wagtail.

As usual they were feeding amongst the feet of the cattle.

As we were watching the Yellow Wagtail, another birder came up to us and told us that there was an eagle coming towards us from the sea.  Sure enough, there it was at first coming low.

At this point we were willing it to come towards us.

But it then moved a little away from us and started to circle which indicated it was looking to gain height.

There is a lot of feather wear, in the primaries and the tail.  Aging is difficult, but I don't think this was an adult, probably second or third year bird.

Better views of the tail here, its gaining the white feathers that give the eagle its name so maybe it is moulting into an adult.

Great views here of the shape of the huge wing span.  It has the name of the flying barn door.  It is the largest bird of prey found in this country, the wingspan a little longer than that of the Golden Eagle.

Fantastic to watch as it circle above us and eventually became a speck amongst the clouds

We decoded to walk back along the footpath off Pennington Lane and returned to the marsh at Oxey Creek.  A Raven was calling endlessly and eventually it showed with another.  It continued to call as it flew around us.

Nice to be able to get some good flight views of Raven.

This is in blacjk and white.

As we watched the Raven, Ian picked up a Sparrowhawk and it was being mobbed by hirundines as it circled above.  Incredible reduction in size compared to the White-tailed Eagle!

We had made our way back to Oxey Marsh and it feels right to pause the account of the day here, part two will take us from Oxey Marsh to Normandy Marsh.

15th August - Kestrel - Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

I had come to Old Winchester Hill today primarily for the butterflies, but Old Winchester Hill is also excellent for providing eye level and looking down views of birds of prey and today, with a northerly wind blowing and providing an updraft on the north slopes of the hill fort, the Kestrels were performing.  There were three immature birds hunting together and an adult male keeping well away, but also using the wind to hunt.  This post is a complete portfolio of the Kestrels, the butterflies and views will be the subject of my next post.

On reaching the hill fort I came across the adult hovering just over the slope of the moat on the north side of the fort.  Several hovers and drops into the grass ended up with the bird gliding up on the wind and past me across the fort,

A little further along the three immature birds were hunting over the grassland in front of a line of dying Ash trees.  At first I thought there were four Kestrels but it soon became clear there was a Sparrowhawk amongst them.

The kestrels were flying and the view I had was with the harvested field below them, the fort allowing me to look down on them

This looks like an immature Sparrowhawk and there did not appear to be any real animosity from either the Kestrel or the hawk they would just interact in the sky, maybe the Sparrowhawk mistook the Kestrels for another Sparrowhawk, it was interesting to watch.

Here the Sparrowhawk flew into the Ash tree where one of the Kestrels was perched and briefly settled next to the Kestrel.

I left the young birds and went off on my butterfly hunt.  On my way back I came across the Kestrels once again and this time they were showing very well close to me.

Here the Kestrel flew past me at eye level and appears to be watching me as as much I was watching it.

This provides some idea of how I was looking down on the Kestrels.

Sadlu a background of dead Ash trees.

Headless but it has something with the immature checkered plumage and brown of the harvested field below.

I picked this immature Kestrel hovering over the slope of the fort, with the grasses and flowers blurred in the foreground.

Looking out to the north once more one of the young Kestrels drifted past me heading back to the area where I had first seen them.

I walked on and picked up the adult male Kestrel in the area of the slope that drops down and around to the steep hill.  At first it was perched in a conifer, but then took off and flew past me.

Banking at me.

Hovering in the corner as the path drops down and this allowed ne to get to eye level with the Kestrel.  There was no movement in the wings to hover, just the wind ruffling the feathers.

After an unsuccessful hunt it regained height once more without any effort and then flew past me.  I like to think it was watching me as it did so.

A wonderful experience an the vantage point of the fort provides an excellent opportunity to really appreciate the flying skills of this lovely little falcon.