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| Robin Erithacus rubecula |
Wednesday 9 March
A relatively early morning visit to a new site on the western outskirts of Southampton; Testwood Lakea at Totton. Arriving at 9.30 it was dry of somewhat cold and a good breeze blowing. The skies had clouded over but were to clear as soon as I left the site after less than two hours. Lovely site with, on the whole, gravelled pathways, well maintained but a great shortage of bird life other than on the "The Scrapes" to the north.
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| Woodland walk at Testwood lakes |
Parking at the entrance car park and walking north to the Visitors Centre I had a couple of Blackbirds before checking out Testwood Lake which produced a number of Black-headed Gulls along with both Coot and Great Crested Grebe. A Carrion Crow flew away to the left and there were numerous calling Robins and they appeared at regular intervals throughout the clockwise circular walk of the site. Checking the northern end of the lake I also found both a departing Cormorant and a couple of Canada Geese.
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| Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus |
Once across the meadow beyond the Visitors Centre I encountered a couple of Chiffchaff followed by a Magpie then a pair of Long-tailed Tits. So to the Sand Martin Hide which gave both ground and elevated views over the Scrapes. At least a couple of score of Wigeon along with a good number of Mallard plus Teal, Tufted Duck and Shoveler. Just the one resting Heron and a handful of Coots. However, it was the score of Lapwings that caught my attention. Meanwhile there were also very many Wood Pigeons resting/feeding on the grassy banks.
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| Lapwing Vanellus vanellus |
A Great Tit as I left the hide but, other than a pair of Coots, Meadow Lake was completely bird free until I found a handful of Canada Geese at the very back slowly making their way south accompanied buy a lone Greylag Goose as they passed the resting Cormorant.
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| Canada Geese Branta canadensis accompanied by a Greylag Goose Anser anser as they pass the Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo |
The return walk took me past the southern end of the Scrape providing a closer look at some of the Lapwings and also produced a single Oystercather. Walking alongside the adjacent River Blackwater I was able to locate a male Pheasant in the first field and the second produced a couple of both Greylag and Canada Geese. Finally, as I turned left a the bottom of the main lake to make my way back to the car a single Moorhen.
Birds seen:
Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Heron, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow.
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