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.

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.