11th April - Brownwich Cliffs and Titchfield Haven Canal Path, Hampshire

A strange weather forecast had me initially thinking things could be good jus after dawn, but then the reality wasn't as expected.  I arrived at Hill Head with the wind quite fresh but coming from the south west and there wasn't any rain.  The tide was falling but the sea was quite rough and it was almost impossible to pick anything out sitting on the water.

The only movement through the air was a few Swallows coming in off the sea and several gulls off shore.  We stuck with a sea watch for about half an hour, then decided to walk up to Brownwich Cliffs to be able to look down on the water.

This was the right move as it didn't take long to find the scoter that have been present for the last few days.  I didn't see Common Scoter last year, but here was a nice male, although best viewed through the 'scope.

It wasn't alone and there was the bonus of a male Velvet Scoter as well, the head shape is slightly longer and of course there is the white flash in the wings.

We made our way back to the cars and moved them to Cliff Road.  After checking in we walked around to the harbour, a Sandwich Tern flew over, while there were mostly Gadwall off the harbour bridge.

Rather than go onto the reserve we were going to walk the canal path.  As we started at the bottom of the path there was a Whitethroat singing from the blackthorn.  It took awhile to locate it as it hid amongst the branches and blossom.

But, it didn't stay hidden for long coming up the branches to sing in the open.

Newly arrived male Whitethroats are a smart bird.

Leaving the Whitethroat we headed up the path, where the path opens up there was a male Roe Deer in the field on the west side.

There was plenty of bird song along the Canal Path with plenty of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps.  A Greenfinch was singing from a hawthorn bush.  

It took a while but we finally managed to get a Blackcap out in the open.

It is a lovely song at this time of year.

My favourite image.

A male Marsh Harrier drifted over the meadow.

We were on a warbler hunt and next was to get one of the Chiffchaffs.  There were plenty about but were singing high above us.

But then one dropped lower in a willow.

Another male Marsh Harrier appeared, this one a lot darker than the individual seen earlier.

We could hear Sedge Warbler singing in the reeds, but they never showed frustratingly.  There were at least a dozen singing Blackcap, while the numbers of Whitethroat were just a little less.  We came across another showy Whitethroat.

There were large numbers of hirundines above Posbrook Floods, mostly Sand Martin but there were also several Swallows and a few House Martins.  A search of the water and flooded vegetation did not find the elusive Garganey this year.

A Nuthatch was searching on the ground in front of us.

On the other side of the path Ian found a Cetti's Warbler either feeding or looking for a drink by the edge of the water.

There was a strip of corrugated tin on the ground by the fence and at first we thought we would have to lift it to see if the re was anything under it, but on top and in the sunshine was this Common Lizard.

We walked up to the car park at Bridge Street and found a bench to have lunch.  After hat we started the long walk back.  Out of the breeze the sun was warm and this was enough to bring out a few butterflies.  This a Green-veined White.

A little further along a singing Goldcrest.

The water levels in the canal were down, and this meant the water was quite still and clear producing some beautiful reflections.

The walk was then a little quiet and on reaching the bottom of the path we decided to try the Meon Shore hide, but there wasn't anything of the ordinary there, so we walked around to the east side and were treated to a lovely male Orange Tip off the boardwalk.

An open wing Orange Tip is always sought after, but here you get the best of both, the patterned green underwing and the orange tips.

With the recent sunshine there have been plenty of Comma butterflies about but I haven't been able to get a photograph of one.  That was corrected today as this one settled on a post.

We walked to the Knight's Bank hide where the male Kestrel was on the meadow, it has been seen catching bugs here.  As I raised the camera it decided to fly off, I caught it just as it took off.

The female Kestrel appeared but sat on a post out of view, behind the bramble.  The male did not return.  I waited but time was creeping up on me and I had to leave.

An interesting day with some common migrants along the canal path.

20th January - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

I left home in the dull damp overcast conditions that seem to have settled in once again, but as I came through Droxford the skies cleared and the sun appeared.  It was beautiful as I pulled up along Cliff Road, the view out across the beach at Hill Head quite stunning and extremely welcome.

A pair of Eider were on sea off the sailing club building.

With the sea so calm I took my scope and walked around to the sea wall opposite the reserve entrance on the west side.  I found the Velvet Scoter and Common Scoter that had been reported, but felt I would be better off going p to Brownich Cliffs to view.

The views were marginally better but good enough to pick out the distinguishing features.  There were four Velvet Scoter and they stayed quite close together, every so often diving.

The Velvet Scoter is bigger than the Common and has an angular head very similar to that of an Eider.  The easy distinguishing features though is the white hindwing panel that is seen well in flight and when the birds wing flap on the water.  Through the scope it was possible to see a stripe of white as the birds was at rest.  The males have a white spot behind the eye, while the females have two white patches behind the eye and the same white hindwing panel.

The Common Scoter were two males appearing all black on the water.

I picked up two Great Northern Divers, but had arranged to meet Ian and he was on the Rainbow Bar watching another so I decided to join him, but became distracted by a group of twenty Sanderling feeding on the beach.

Several were feeding away from the water's edge and I was able to get down close to them.

A couple of children were on the beach and ran at the flock spooking them and they flew off.  I was annoyed but in retrospect they probably saved me having to process hundreds of images.

I joined Ian on the Rainbow Bar, but the Great Northern Diver was now quite distant.

We went on to the reserve and the Meon Shore Hide and were greeted with the news that there was a darke Goosander on the South Scrape.

Goosander are a difficult bird to get close to for photographs, but with the hide and the fact this bird was probably the one that has been around since the summer there was a great chance for some good shots.

It found it hard to settle and would swim around chasing the Shelduck.  Every so often it would look as if it was about to fly off, raising the head as if alarmed.

While other times it looked as if it was displaying to the Shelduck, here pointing the bill skywards.

Not sure what was going on here.

While here it shows off the serrated edge to the bill that gives it the name of "saw bill".

It would threaten to come closer to the hide but then turn and swim around the islands.  My attention then turned to others on the scrape.  This pair of Shoveler right in front of the hide.

There were a total of twenty eight Snipe on the "Snipe Island", but I decided on this part of the island for the photograph, I like the symmetry in the shot.

The Goosander then started to come a lot closer, but was still looking as if it was about to fly off.

Looking as if to fly again.

Then eventually it did, flying straight at the hide.

But not going far, dropping back down amongst the Shoveler.

But it didn't stay long, eventually taking off once more and circling the scrape.

And then flying towards the hide, but turning as if to fly back to Brownich Pond from where it probably came this morning, probably more fish there.

So it was back to the regulars on the scrape.  A smart drake Teal

A Redshank roosting on one of the crossbars of the goal posts.

And the Shoveler pair photographed earlier were still present, but had moved a little bit.

We decided to head over to the east side.  Walking past the harbour there was a single Dunlin on the mud.  Dunling seem to be plentiful all around the shores of the Solent except for here so it was an opportunity to photograph one.

We walked up to the Meadow Hide, with very little about.  On the way two immature Spoonbill flew over and headed north east.  There had been some significant clearing work around the Walkway Pond which looked interesting but other than a Wren, no birds.

From the hide we saw two Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard.  There were Wigeon and Gadwall on the river, but that was all.  We decided to bring an interesting day to an end, Great to finally get some worthwhile shots of Goosander.