Titchfield Canal

Buzzard Buteo buteo

Wednesday 5 April

An early morning visit to Fareham and able to be back at the Titchfield Canal car park before 10.30.  Dry and calm but a little on the cool side after yesterday's glorious sunshine.  First of all a walk round the, now wet underfoot, spinney at the back of the car park which produced Chiffchaff, Great and Blue Tits, Carrion Crow, Green Woodpecker, Goldfinch and a number of Woodpigeons before moving out to the road to check the the site from the bridge over the River Meon.  Only a single Mallard to add then back to the car park to collect the scope and picking up a lonely Mute Swan, Robin, Blackbird and Greenfinch on the way.

Off down the canal path to discover that the Barn Owl pair were deep inside their nest but out on the flooded river lots of Black-headed Gulls along with a smaller number of Herring Gulls. In addition to the resting Cormorants, I found two of the wintering Glossy Ibis along with a pair of Wigeon, a couple of Coot and a Moorhen plus many Gadwall, a few Shoveler and a Pintail.  Just the other side of the meadow fence a Stonechat alighted on a small twig to pose for all those present at the time.  Continuing the search with the scope I also found a couple of Lapwing, a pair of Canada Geese and a handful of the local Jackdaws.  The first of a few Carrion Crows flew across the meadow.

Continuing on down the path I added a pair of Wren plus more Robins and Greenfinches.  The Chiffchaffs were busy calling and then another pair of Long-tailed Tits.  In a large tree in front of me a resting Buzzard along with a few Woodpigeon plus the male Reed Bunting that alighted high up on the opposite side.  From the far end of the water I was also able to find a dozen Black-tailed Godwits grazing at the water's edge on the far side.  Turning to look at the large expanse of Posbrook floods, there were numerous Black-headed Gulls along with a second Mute Swan and many Shoveler plus the occasional Teal, Coot and Moorhen.  Resting alongside more Canada Geese a few Black-tailed Godwits.

Canada Geese Branta canadensis with Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa

Behind me a Great Spotted Woodpecker was banging away and both Chiffchaffs and Great Tits singing away in what seemed like a competition between each other.  Not so much the Robin and Wren but the Blackcap joining in made it sound more like the dawn chorus as I walked along the avenue.

The visiting Wren Troglodytes troglodytes

Time to start the return journey having, at the far end of the adventure, noted the pair of distant Mute Swans further down the river and the nearby singing Blackcaps and Cetti's Warblers.  Once clear of the trees I was able to watch the circling Buzzard that was later joined by its partner.  A Heron had arrived at the other ned of the floods.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Back at the first stretch of river a pair of Shelduck had appeared and at the far end where I had seen the Glossy Ibis there now stood a solitary Egyptian Goose. It seemed amazing that in the past two hours I had not seen a single Magpie, then looking up as I approached the car park itself, a resting individual atop a high tree on both sides of the path as if they had been awaiting my return, and so took the morning's tally up to 42 species.

The arrival of an Egyptian Goose Aloochen aegyptica plus a pair of Jackdaw Corvus monedula

Birds seen:

Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Pintail, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Heron, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Starling, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting.

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