Coastal Surprise.

During a very recent camping holiday in the New Forest we made a visit to Keyhaven Marshes and spent a few hours wandering along the coastal path.

Pied Wagtail

Numerous individuals were seen feeding and flying around the muddy margins at Keyhaven harbour.

One of two Northern Wheatear seen along the shoreline feeding up before continuing their southerly migration.

Little Egrets - Fishing and flying.

Black-tailed Godwit

The inland pools produced sightings of various waders including Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and a very brief visit by a Temminck's Stint but the most exciting sighting was of two juvenile Grey Phalarope.

[Juvenile - 1st Winter] Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicaius)

This small wader, similar in size to a Dunlin, is listed in most guides as a Red Phalarope but commonly referred to as the Grey. Distinguished from its close relative, the Red-necked, by its slightly thicker bill and pale grey scapulars.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters

Farlington Marshes - Winter Birding.

Earlier this year I made three visits to Farlington Marshes, one of my favourite sites on the south coast, to enjoy the spectacle of winter birding.

 

One of the main attractions being the thousands of Dark-bellied Brent Geese that migrate southwards from their arctic breeding grounds in late September to spend the winter months in and around Langstone Harbour.

The reserve and surrounding harbour attracts large numbers of waders, including Dunlin, Knot, Grey Plover and Oystercatchers (above) plus Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Black-tailed Godwit (below) in their drab grey winter plumage.

Wildfowl increase through the winter months with particularly high numbers of Teal and Northern Pintail (above) plus Shelduck (below).

During these winter visits I have logged 64 species including Avocet, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Water Rail, Water Pipit, Short-eared Owl, Bearded Reedling and one of several Spoonbill (below) that irregularly visit this site.

I will be revisiting this area throughout the year and hope to share the diversity of species that can be seen here.  FAB.

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

SBC Fieldtrip to Farlington Marshes.

As a follow up to my previous post 13 hardy souls joined me on Sunday morning, with the temperature hovering just a few degrees above freezing point and a very strong north-easterly wind, for the scheduled Surrey Bird Club walk around Farlington Marshes LNR.

Due to the weather conditions I didn't find many opportunities for additional photos during this walk so some inclusions are of those species seen but captured during my recce visit last week.

A scan over the extensive mudflats produced our first sightings, albeit distant, of six different waders.

Views around Farlington Marshes LNR.

The inland pool was nearly devoid of any water fowl but it did enable us to get much better views of the elegant male Northern Pintail in all it breeding finery.

Male Northern Pintail.

Trying to unsuccessfully get out of the gusty wind we followed the stream which enabled us to get reasonably close to the Brent Geese and plenty of Black-tailed Godwit, many beginning to show signs of their breeding colours.

Black-tailed Godwit with Teal. Brent Geese, Black-headed and Herring Gulls

Moving on to the eastern sea wall with the tide well on the turn provided more views of waders including Dunlin, Turnstone, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher. 

Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Turnstone.

Scanning the inland marsh when a flock of Lapwing and other species took flight I spotted a very small falcon, probably a Merlin, but it disappeared before any of the group could see it!

Lapwing.

Brent Geese, Pintail, Oystercatcher and Shelduck.

Along the western sea wall a couple of Pipits tested our ID skills as they flew up briefly and then disappeared back into the waterside vegetation. With perseverance we eventually identified them as Rock and a Water Pipit ... nice additions to the day list.

Finally a couple of images of the most numerous species seen throughout our walk the Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

List of my sightings:

Blackbird, Common Buzzard (2), Coot, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Dunlin, Little Egret, Black-tailed Godwit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Canada Geese, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Grey Heron, Lapwing, Magpie, Mallard, Red-breasted Merganser, Merlin, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Northern Pintail, Rock Pipit, Water Pipit, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Robin, Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Skylark (heard), Common Snipe, Starling, Stonechat, Teal, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren. [44].

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday.

Farlington Marshes LNR.

On Sunday (28 Feb) I will be leading a field trip for the Surrey Bird Club (SBC) to Farlington Marshes LNR that comprises around 300 acres of coastal grazing marsh, reed beds, scrub, with both freshwater and brackish pools. The land was first reclaimed from Langstone harbour between 1769 and 1773 by building a clay and timber wall to provide grazing land for cattle. The sea wall has been much improved and provides an ideal route around the reserve to view the wildlife both within the marshes and on the sea or extensive mudflats at low tide. 

On Tuesday I made a recce visit to check out the wildlife and to get some images of the species that can be seen here just in case the windy weather that is forecast for Sunday doesn't provide me with many photo opportunities.

During the winter months one of the main attractions are the very large flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese that feed on the grazing marsh.

At this time of year the marsh also supports good numbers of Curlew, Northern Pintail, Oystercatchers, Lapwing and Teal plus I was also fortunate to get several sightings of two Short-eared Owls.

During my recent visit I also saw three species of Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Shelduck, Shoveler, Wigeon, Gadwall, Dunlin, Redshank, Grey Plover, Knot and Turnstone plus good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits (see below) disturbed from feeding by a low flying Common Buzzard.

At high tide I also watched the spectacle of many hundreds of Dunlin streaming close above the water seeking out a suitable spot to roost and wait for the mud to reappear while inland there is always something else to capture one's attention such as ....

a perching Stonechat, one of many Northern Shoveler in their full breeding plumage and the various gull species including the Black-headed Gull. The site also hosts reasonable numbers of Little Egret (see below).

During my wandering I logged about 50 species but with more eyes on Sunday it is possible to add a few more including Kingfisher, Peregrine, Merlin, Water Rail, Rock Pipit, and the elusive Bearded Tits. FAB.

Linking to: Saturday's Critters, I'D-Rather-B-Birdin' and Through My Lens.

Birding Farlington Marshes.

As a continuation to 'Geese Galore', which focused on the over-wintering migrant geese that take up residence in Langstone Harbour, this post will highlight just a few of the 53 species logged during last Sunday's visit to Farlington Marshes.

When I arrived at 9 am after a 56 mile drive the high tide was on the turn but there were still small groups of Brent Geese on the water.

Brent Geese (Branta bernicla ssp. bernicla).

Whilst most of the waders, including Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Avocet, Turnstone, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and Grey Plover were feeding way out in the harbour on the slowly expanding areas of mud I did manage to locate a lonesome (Common) Redshank close by the sea-wall.

Redshank (Tringa totanus).

Once the party of a dozen birders from the Surrey Bird Club were assembled we commenced our anti-clockwise circuit of the 153 hectares of Farlington Marshes by following the track around the seawall. 

After scanning the harbour and adding Mallard, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Pintail, Little Egret and the usual Gull species our attention turned to the nearby pool.


With typically high water levels at this time of year there weren't many waders present, just a few Godwit and Dunlin but we added Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall and one of my favourite winter ducks the Northern Pintail with the males sporting their elegant breeding plumage. I also located a Snipe hiding in the grass, bobbing slightly as it moved, but it turned out to be just the common variety!

Northern Pintail (Anus acuta).

I have previously mentioned that this site is internationally important as it plays host to particularly large populations of the Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin.

Some of the Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits can be seen wearing coloured rings in various combinations on the tibia  (above the ‘knee’ joint) and the tarsus (below the ‘knee’ joint), and each scheme has one ring of a particular colour in a constant position. The Farlington Ringing Group plays an important role in this and you can find out more about the coding and schemes here. 

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa).

As you can see it can be difficult to clearly identify all the rings on some individuals especially when they are walking in the water but every sighting record submitted helps to build up a picture of each bird's location history. One of our group diligently documented our combined sightings.

During a visit here in January 2009 I digiscoped my first colour ringed BTG and you can see the images and some of its life its history in a previous post entitled 'Godwit Sighting History'.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta).

One of a handful of Little Egrets seen searching for a meal during our walk. Amazing to recall that any sighting 26 years ago was considered a rare event.

Herring Gull

After one full circuit my colleagues walked back to their vehicles for lunch but I decided to spend some time wandering along the stream to capture some flight shots and while scanning the extensive adjacent reed bed two Bearded Reedlings zipped in and out of view and a Cetti's Warbler called from a nearby shrub.

I also obtained a few shots of Gulls and Shelduck flying to and from the harbour.

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna).

Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus).

Every now and then the flock of Lapwings took flight, probably disturbed by over-flying noisy helicopters, and so distinctive with their two tone wing pattern, shape and shrill 'pwaay-eech' call.

Very surprisingly the only raptor I spotted was a hovering Kestrel. 

Further round the circuit a small flock of Linnets passed overhead. Skylarks were heard and then two seen chasing one another. Stonechats popped into view at several spots.

With the tide receding further we had distant scoped views of Common Ringed Plover, Great Crested Grebe, Goldeneye and several pairs of Red-breasted Merganser.

The grazing marsh was, of course, littered with hundreds of Brent Geese (up to 4,000 recently recorded on site), 28 Barnacle Geese, and numerous Shelduck plus a few Tufted Ducks amoungst all the other duck species already logged.
 

Barnacle and Brent Geese.

After some six hours of glorious coastal birding under a chilly winter sun I had added a dozen species to my year list to take the total to 101. So with final views of the Barnacle and Brent Geese in flight it was time to wend my weary way home.  FAB.

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

Around Pagham Harbour.

A fairly early start on Sunday morning saw me again driving the 60 odd miles southwards towards Pagham Harbour to join a field outing with the Surrey Bird Club (SBC). 

Arriving well before the appointed meeting hour allowed time to scan the Ferry Pool at Sidlesham [point 1 on the map] where I logged Avocet, Shelduck, Mallard, Teal, Moorhen, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwits, Golden Plover, one Dunlin, a single Mediterranean Gull amongst the many Black-headed Gulls, Rook, Crow, Magpie, Starlings, and several flocks of Pintail and Wigeon flying overhead out into the harbour.

As on previous outings our morning walk would take us from the Ferry Pool [1] skirting the harbour along its northwestern boundary to the North Wall [4] and return by the same route as there is no way of crossing the harbour entrance between the shingle spits. After lunch we would drive around to Church Norton [5], visit the beach [6] and walk the southern spit [7].   

In my experience ideal conditions for birdwatching on an estuary are to arrive at least 2 hours before high tide so that the wildlife is always pushed closer to the watcher. Unfortunately for this outing the tide was on the turn so a scope was essential to pick out distant species. With hedges and high brambles bordering our initial route I spotted Blue and Great Tits, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Wren, Robin, Goldfinch, Chiffchaff and a female Blackcap gleaning insects while Curlew called as they flew to different feeding locations. Little Egrets also occasionally uttered their distinctive hoarse 'aaah' as they moved about.

 

At point [2] a brief stop to check out the large pond in this property's garden.

In the past we have heard Water Rail calling from within the reeds here but not on this occasion. We did however get decent views of a couple of Little Grebe diving and nearby saw several Mistle Thrushes who were disturbed from their late morning feeding session.

A Grey Heron crossing one of the few remaining stretches of open water.

On the ever increasing areas of mudflats we added Lapwing, Redshank, Grey Plover, a few Brent Geese plus Common and Great Black-backed Gulls while overhead there were Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. On reaching the North Wall [4] I watched a Water Rail move quickly between two stands of reeds and had much closer views of several Black-tailed Godwits preening and feeding on the inland pool.

Black-tailed Godwits.

You can view more of my images of this species on FABirding.

Close to the sluice a Kingfisher zipped past while scanning across the bright sunlit mud produced a Spotted Redshank plus more Golden Plover, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Dunlin and increased numbers of Wigeon. 

On the return walk the water level was still falling exposing greater areas of mud further up the harbour.

I added Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Swallow and a single Pheasant.

Butterfly species seen during this part of the morning were Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and a Clouded Yellow.

During our afternoon stroll along the shingle ridge I managed to catch a Clouded Yellow resting amongst the pebbles.

At Church Norton we added a few more waders to the day list; Ringed Plover, Turnstone, a leucistic (albino) Curlew and after much ID discussion a solitary Bar-tailed Godwit. Beyond a group of distant Cormorants we also located one of the resident Peregrine Falcons.

A bit of sea watching produced a few Great Crested Grebes and I eventually locked onto a an adult Gannet feeding way in the distance which was a much wanted species for the life list of one of my colleagues and a nice addition to my year list.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying westwards along the coast.

A Little Egret resting on the rusted remains of part of the old harbour wall supports.

We trudged out along the open shingle spit in an attempt to get closer views of a large white blob on the far side of the muddy harbour. This shape eventually gave itself up as a Spoonbill with a blue/green leg ring but still too far away to read its number.

Due to the extensive winter storms the shingle spits on both sides of the narrow harbour entrance have dramatically changed shape.

At around 5pm after 8 hours of birding with a personal tally of 66 species seen it was time for me head home. FAB.

Linking to WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY.