Titchfield Haven and Canal

Saturday 1 February

A dry, dull and cloudy day with a hint of dampness but still at the Meon shore at Titchfield haven by 9am where the ide was just starting its return journey.  Just a single Great Black-backed Gull and an immature Herring Gull on the beach near the toilet block so on to the far end of the car park so that I could explore the harbour area as a Magpie passed over the road.  With the tide out just a score of Mallard plus the three Mute Swans and checking the lagoon from the observation area a dozen Shoveler along with a handful of Lapwing, Coot, Cormorant and a quartet of Gadwall.  A score or more Black-headed Gulls resting on the posts in the water and both Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon flew over.  On the far side and overlooking the fence into the reserve I could make out Wigeon and more Lapwing along with a couple of Shoveler.

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

Nothing else to add from the nearby road bridge so a walk through the marina car park to check the waders and birds on the southern side of the harbour.  Here I found the Brent Geese flock of about thirty individuals along with at least two score Sanderling, a handful of Ringed Plovers and a quartet of Redshank.  The over-active Turnstones, numbering at least forty, seemed happy to fly between beach and harbour depending upon how much food was being thrown into the latter by visitors.

Sanderling Calidris alba

In addition, a single Little Egret, maybe fifty Oystercatchers and hundreds of resting/feeding gulls, mainly Black-headed but also a further four Great Black-backed and a score of Herring Gulls. No need to say that always at least twenty Turnstones present.  Further out into the Solent six Eider Ducks but did not find the flock of Common Scoter that arrived five minutes previously but there was a solitary Great Crested Grebe.

By just after 10 I was back to the Titchfield Canal car park in readiness to walk to the far end of the avenue and back.  I had  thirty Rooks in the large ploughed field as I approached and up on arrival both Robin and Blue Tit quickly followed by a Blackbird and Great Tit.  A few Woodpigeons to be seen and a couple of Carrion Crows before finding the first Magpie since arriving at the shore.

Reaching the overhead wires I checked the field to my left but nothing other than resting Woodpigeons whereas the floods to my left contained scores of Black-headed along with a handful of immature Herring Gulls.  Checking out the rest of the flood southwards I soon found a number of Shoveler, Mallard and a few Gadwall plus a single Shelduck. Just the odd Coot and Moorhen but, almost at the end of the flooded area, the three resident Glossy Ibis were well exposed near a small flock of Black-tailed Godwits and a smaller number of Wigeon.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Moving on down to Posbrook Floods I soon found more Shoveler and Mallard plus many Coot and a number of Pintail.  Also present were eight Greylag Geese and a small number of Tufted Duck.

Greylag Goose Anser anser

The walk down the avenue and back from the anal bridge produced very little other than more Robins and Great Tits plus a sight of the singing Song Thrush. A quartet of Jackdaws flew up the water and a Cormorant was seen flying in the opposite direction.  The return walk produced a Heron coming in to land on the stream between the two floods and also in time to see the arrival of the three previously recorded Glossy Ibis.  A tree to the far left from the canal bridge produced a dozen Starling and a little further on a single Greenfinch atop a tall, bare tree.  Finally a trio of Canada Geese and a number of Moorhen before reaching the car park.  So ended the walk with a final morning's tally of  42 species.

Birds seen:

Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Brent Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Eider Duck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Glossy Ibis,  Little Egret, Heron, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook Carrion Crow, Starling, Greenfinch.

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