A weekend in Hampshire for Dee and I and while driving down late afternoon Friday an unexpected year-tick, when a
Tawny Owl flew across the carriageway at dusk as we approached the M3 motorway!
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| Glorious views of the Solent from the sea wall at Titchfield Haven... |
☀☁ Saturday 21st January... A glorious frosty start to the day for our first ever visit to Titchfield Haven NNR which covers 369 acres across the Meon Valley. With the pools frozen we decided to forgo the Scrapes Trail, instead visiting the three hides which overlook the meadows and River Meon beyond. These produced
Snipe,
Black-tailed Godwit and a good selection of the usual wintering wildfowl. Two
Marsh Harriers were the highlight and a large group of
Canada Geese feeding on the meadows yielded a single
Barnacle Goose within.
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| Two Sandwich Terns among the Gull was a real surprise! |
After lunch in the centre a walk East along the seawall and while scanning a group of gulls opposite the Hill Head Sailing Club we were amazed to come across two
Sandwich Terns! I'm unsure as to whether wintering Terns are the norm in these parts? Waders along the shingle included
Ringed Plover,
Sanderling,
Dunlin,
Oystercatcher,
Redshank and
Turnstone.
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| A very obliging Snow Bunting! |
Returning west along the seawall and across the harbour road bridge a
Kingfisher was showing rather well and then a very confiding
Snow Bunting near the boat dry dock, which posed quite happily for several photographs. A long spell scanning the Solent from the sea wall was very productive with a selection of (15)
Eider, (6)
Scaup, (30+)
Common Scoter and (5)
Great Crested Grebe.
We did manage a brief visit in the fading light to Beaulieu Road Station in the New Forest. A
Great Grey Shrike reported yesterday but we were not surprised to dip on this one! This can also be a great place for
Dartford Warbler but again there was little chance.
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| Dee's excellent photo of Kingfisher at Titchfield Haven! |
☀Sunday 22nd January... Another glorious morning and an afternoon at Lymington~Keyhaven Nature Reserve. Some superb habitat here with mudflats and salt marshes, plus a seawall which offers great views out towards the Isle of Wight.
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| Brent Geese! |
Despite being mobbed by Sunday walkers highlights here were over 1000
Brent Geese, (110+)
Pintail,
Marsh Harrier, pair of
Stonechat, Little Egret and a very inquisitive
Fox! There are hundreds of waders feeding on the mudflats to scan through, including good numbers of
Godwit and several
Grey Plover! The sea seemed extremely quiet, other than double figure
Red-breasted Merganser!
More Images of the day:
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| The inquisitive Fox! |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Little Egret |
