Tuesday 24 September
A dry day forecast before rain for the rest of the week and after a week stuck in the house waiting for my bursa (swelling above the hip joint) to do down or at least let e walk in some form of comfort, decoded to take the relatively short walk u the Hamble River to the conservation area and back. After all, what harm could it do!
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| Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba |
Both Black-headed and Herring Gulls on the first mudflat before the ferry crossing and then working my way up the meadow a couple of Curlew and the first of a good number of Black-tailed Godwits. Even a handful of Ringed Plovers and a quartet of Dunlin feeding near the water's edge on the incoming tide. To be expected, I also picked up a couple of Turnstone and then the first of four Little Egrets to be seen during the walk.
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| Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula |
Making my way on yup the river I soon found a small number of Redshank and even a Pied Wagtail on the path in front of me. Stopping to check the far, exposed island the two white "blobs" turned out to be resting Greenshank.
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| Distant resting Greenshank Tringa nebularia |
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| Distant record shot of the Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe |
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| Little Egret Egretta garzetta |
Approaching the conservation I noticed the Wheatear on the beach when then flew to the new fencing before disappearing onto the ground in the conservation area. A check of the are found 43 resting Wigeon at the back, the first seen this autumn, and nearer to me both another Greenshank and a Little Egret. The same species were also seen on the return journey along with a Woodpigeon and trio of Carrion Crows.
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The Wigeon Anas penelope have once again returned to Warsash
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With the legs not reacting to the sudden exercise following all that resting up at home, I returned to the house for a quick drink and change from sleeveless to my birding coat and headed off down to the
village harbour before continuing along the boundary path to the
Spit and on to the
Scrape behind
Southampton Water before finally turning for home at the
Meandering Pools.
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| Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa |
Leaving the harbour behind, my first sighting was of a Little Egret before finding a few Black-headed Gulls. Once up alongside the Strawberry Fields a Carrion Crow and a pair of Magpie on the grass to my left and a Robin crossing the path in front of me. Then, down on the shore itself before the slowly incoming tide, a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits accompanied by a number of Redshank, a couple of Turnstone, Ringed Plover and a few Oystercatchers.
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| Curlew Numenius arquata |
Once past the pier, where I saw a very distant resting Cormorant, the sight of a trio of Mute Swans near the end of the Spit and many more Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Curlew, Black-headed and a couple of Herring Gulls. In the lea of the Spit 21 resting Wigeon and more gulls. On the Solent side of the Spit at lest 85 feeding Oystercatchers on the exposed mudflat.
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| Redshanks Tringa totanus |
Reaching the Scrape I immediately found three Avocet and more Little Egrets along with a heron on the main island. On the water and near the islands at least thirty Mallard plus about eight Teal. Just the one Little Grebe but also a pair of Shoveler confirmed on the return visit as I made my way home. Also on the main island a visiting Moorhen.
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| Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta |
Moving on down to the Meandering Pool I came across a flock of forty plus Linnets in the gorse area but not a single bird at the pool itself. So slowly back home checking the Scrape on the way with a final total of 28 species for the morning but, as yet, still no sign of any Brent Geese to re-appear for the winter.
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| Part of the Linnet Carduelis cannabina flock |
Birds seen:
Mute Swan, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Wheatear, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Linnet.
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