Titchfield Canal

Firecrest  Regulus ignicapilla

Friday 29 December

Quite a dramatic start to my my early morning visit to Titchfield Canal with Richard Osman.  Arriving at 9.15 we found three police cars in the small car park and an ambulance on the interior road in front.  By the time we had changed into wellington boots for the wet walk, the police and ambulance crews were returning from somewhere down the canal path with their casualty to place in the ambulance.  Suddenly we had a circling air ambulance, which certainly moved all the birds off the first water, and eventually the helicopter landed on the bowling green.  (Pretty sure that will have gone down well with the bowling club!)  Meanwhile, Richard and I set off on our walk and as we were checking the Bridge Street floods we heard the ambulance departing, with or without the patient we do not know.

A few Carrion Crow and Woodpigeons to join the Robin the car park but no sign of the resident Barn Owls.  On the main flood water to our left we watched a flock of Feral Pigeons descend onto the distant power lines whilst on the water itself many Pintail and accompanied by Coot, Mallard and Mute Swans.  Lapwings at the edges plus a resting small flock of mainly Black-headed but also a handful of Herring Gulls.  A couple of Magpies flew past and as we approached Posbrook Floods a couple of resting Heron plus both Blue and Great Tits.  The local Jackdaws seemed very active with at least forty individuals in the mobile flock.

The main flood water seemed full of bird life with a great number of Black-headed plus more Herring Gulls and the main duck being a large flock of Wigeon.  In addition many Teal and Shoveler plus more Pintail and Mallards.  Not so many Tufted Duck on this occasion but no shortage of Coot and even a a quartet of Gadwall.  Three Cormorants noted before finding the small flock of Canada Geese. On a grassy island a couple of cock Pheasants.

Mainly Black-headed Gulls Larus ridibundus with Shoveler Anas clypeata in the background

The trees on the canal bank produced a small number of Long-tailed and more Blue Tits before the passing Blackbird. However, sight of the morning was the busy little foraging Firecrest deep down in the shrubs at the water's edge.  Very active and most difficult to keep up with the bird, especially when fully exposed.

The ever active Firecrest  Regulus ignicapilla

Back to the car park to take a walk round the back of the buildings when the sudden heavy rain, preceded by a beautiful rainbow, arrived and necessitated us taking immediate shelter where we could find it.  When the rain eventually eased up, after about fifteen minutes, we made our way back to Warsash.

Birds seen:

Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Cormorant, Heron, Coot, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Firecrest, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Starling.

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