Tuesday 15 February
Jenny and I attended a Tea dance in Titchfield village this afternoon. It had rained non-stop all day and still hammering it down as set about exercising our legs after such along layoff from any form of dancing. However, come 4 o'clock and time to go home the rain had finally stopped albeit everywhere very wet, dam and generally miserable. Undeterred, we drove the 500 metres round the corner to Titchfield Floods (what a strange name for a birding site!) where at least there was a solid path leading to a clear view of the resident Barn Owls' roosting tree. Somebody at last saw sense and removed one bush to give a clearer view and so save any potential disturbance by people trying to get closer than the present 100 metres or so away from the public path.
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| Sleepy old Barn Owl Tyto alba (Look carefully; could that be its mate at bottom left of the owl?) |
Jenny had seen a Blackbird as soon as we got out of the car and arriving at the dedicated spot on the path we had a clear view of the sleepy Barn Owl. Poor chap looked thoroughly miserable and fed-up and looking closely at the distant photograph, could that be the lady wife snuggled down in the bottom left of the recess seen from the path? Whilst using the scope also had a single Green Woodpecker and the trees at the back had more than a score of resting Wood Pigeons.
Looking in the opposite direction at the water (Titchfield Flood?) a dozen resting Cormorant at the far right along with sixty or so Wigeon, mainly on the bank rather than the water's edge. Also amongst them at least six foraging Magpie.
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| Resting Wigeon Anas penelope and Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo |
Making our way back to the adjacent car park the only birds on the main water were a (true) pair of Pintail and a single Great Black-backed Gull but at least a quartet of Back-headed Gulls were seen overhead. Back in the car park not only a couple of male Blackbirds but also a Song Thrush before the single Chaffinch put in a brief appearance. Other sightings included both Carrion Crow and the local Jackdaws.
Birds seen:
Wigeon, Pintail, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Barn Owl, Green Woodpecker, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch.
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