Warsash and Southampton Water Shore

Sunday 19 February

A beautiful sunny morning with hardly any breeze and getting warmer and warmer as my two hour walk along Warsash shore and on down Southampton Water to both the Scrape and Meandering Pool was completed.  Other than a good flock of Black-headed Gulls around the small harbour very little to be seen until at the School of Navigation pier when a handful of Herring Gulls were seen resting on the water at high tide.

Approaching the Spit I took time to scope the nearside bank and identify the resting birds whist a couple of Carrion Crows flew over.  More than thirty Wigeon and twenty Teal but the main flock was the 82 sleeping/resting Oystercatchers plus a quartet of Redshank and three Curlew.

Oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus with a single  Redshank Tringa totanus

Then on to the Scrape where I started with a pair of Mute Swans and a single Coot before checking the main water.  More Black-headed Gulls, Wigeon and Teal but also a few Mallard, another four Gadwall.  However, the min ducks were the very many, 21, Pintail at the back of the water.  Nearer to me I had four Shelduck and a pair of both Canada Geese and Little Grebe plus a lone Little Egret.  In addition three Brent Geese and a further four were noted flying down Southampton Water.

Pintail Anus acuta

Continuing on down to the meandering Pool I finally found the first of two Magpies and, on the water, a handful of Teal.  Beyond the pool and near he fence separating the reserve from the houses at the back I recorded both a Starling and another Curlew.  Making my way back between these two last waters I stopped to watch a trio of Sky Larks in the field housing the gorse bushes. Finally, back in the harbour at Warsash a Pied Wagtail was forging on the slipway.

Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrelli 

Birds seen:

Brent Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Pintail, Little Grebe, Little Egret, Coot, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Sky Lark, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling.

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