Saturday 19 March 2016

More Coastal Birding.


Whenever we visit my father-in-law on Hayling Island I usually manage to wangle an hour or two to wander part of the shoreline overlooking Langstone Harbour and yesterday I was able to extend my time by walking part of the 'Billy Trail'. With the tide well on the ebb most of the waders; Curlew, Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Knot; were specks out on the expanding mudflats with large numbers of Brent Geese also seen flying to other parts of the harbour.





Looking inland this Little Egret was sitting quietly by the edge of a stream that crosses one of fields which is also often frequented by a Kingfisher but no sighting during this walk. A Common Buzzard (below) made a brief appearance overhead before disappearing beyond the nearby woodland.




With little else catching my attention I retraced my steps and made my way towards the old Oyster Beds with the strident calls of hundreds of gulls increasing in volume the closer I got to their nesting site. A month ago there were just a handful of Black-headed and one or two Mediterranean Gulls but now the colony was alive with activity as they jostled one another for their allotted spaces.

I will feature some additional images taken of the Mediterranean Gull in a separate post very soon. 

Close to the path I disturbed a Rock Pipit while out in the harbour I also spotted a pair of Shelduck and a single Red-breasted Merganser.




One of a pair of Brent Geese wandering around the edge of the tidal pool and close by a couple of Oystercatchers (below) were seeking out morsels from the muddy margins.


Now if my visit yesterday had coincided with a high tide I might well have experienced the joy of watching mixed gatherings of thousands of waders; usually Dunlin, Grey Plover, Redshank and Knot; taking refuge on the much depleted shingle shoreline. The images below were taken just about a month ago.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'

16 comments:

  1. Wow, amazing numbers of shorbirds. I love the egret, oystercatchers and the pretty gulls. The Brant Goose is a beauty! Wonderful photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!

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  2. Incredibly some great sightings! Oh, when should already spring.

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  3. Great birds. A lovely place to spend a few hours. Or days.

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  4. These lovely pictures remind me I still haven't written my little egret article

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  5. It's so interesting to see the variety you are able to capture. And a month ago? WOW! That's amazing! Enjoy your weekend!

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  6. Fabulous! And Frank, thanks for pointing my errror in ID of pintail. I knew and still typed teal.

    Your joining I'd rather b birdin' this weekend is much appreciated.

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  7. I can see why you take the chance to have a wander Frank...with the great selection of bird life that's show there...[;o)

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  8. Some great shots, what a lovely share.

    All the best Jan

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  9. I don't think I have ever seen Black Headed Gulls before. Beautiful images!

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  10. Lovely collection of bird shots. Have a great week ahead.

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  11. Nice post, Frank. All the delicacies go to the first bird to find them uncovered by the ebbing tide!
    ~

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  12. Wonderful sitings and photos, Frank! We've had dozens of Bald Eagles at a local slough - lots of winter kill fish right now floating to the surface. Awesome photo ops.

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  13. Great set of pictures - it was not that long ago when that egret would have been a real star bird. Things are changing.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  14. Such a great beach/shore walk. The best part of the Coast is how the tide changes everything completely ...views, the birds, ... I love the Coast and thanks for sharing yours. Love the Oystercatchers (maybe because even with my limited skills I can always ID them).

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  15. A variable set of pictures, they are superb.

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  16. Maybe one day I can get to bird that corner of England. It looks entrancing.

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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