Warsash and Solent Shore

Saturday 6 January

The weather has changed providing a beautiful sunny morning with little wind but a tad on the cold side albeit not as cold as forecast.  The only bad news is that the camera seems to have developed a blue look and mid-walk stopped to function; everything functioning until the triggered fired but nothing happens!  Back to the on-line manual for help as soon as the blog completed.  So, on with the show, with a walk passed Warsash harbour and then on down to the Spit to take the Solent coast as far as the Meandering Pool before starting the return journey.

No sooner out of the house than a Robin in the tree outside followed by a whole range of birds as soon as I reached the muddy shore just passed the slipway.  First a Turnstone followed by a handful of Brent Geese and a single Black-headed Gull.  By the time I had walked the path below Strawberry Fields looking down on the shore with the tide rapidly falling away, many more Brent Geese and Black-headed Gulls along with a few Turnstone, couple of Curlew, a handful of Oystercatchers, good number of Redshank and even a lone Black-tailed Godwit (first one seen here for a month or more). On the land side a magpie and Woodpigeon and in the distance the first of the many Carrion Crows to be seen.

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa with Brent Goose Branta bernicla

Once at the School of navigation (SoN) a large flock of feeding Dunlin plus more Brent Geese and a number of Herring Gulls. Past the mud and turning right towards the Spit a Dunnock took off from the path in front of me and at the water's edge a single Great Black-backed Gull. On the rapidly emptying water to the lee of the Spit at least 70 resting Wigeon and a pair of Little Grebe.  More Wigeon as I passed by and in amongst the resting Black-headed a couple of Common Gulls.

Common Gull Larus canus

So on down to the Scrape, noting, the foraging Blue Tit atop the bare tree to my left, where I fund a trio of Shelduck along with a handful of Mallard and a couple of Teal.  Also present a Little Grebe and 18 Canada Geese. But it was at the nearby Meandering Pool that I found the Little Egret accompanied by at least seven Snipe and a resting Heron with a half-dozen Teal further on.

Resting Snipe Gallinago gallinago

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Making my return walk back home it was the stop at the Scrape where I discovered that the camera no longer wanted to play games with me so unable to photograph the resting Shelduck.  A Cormorant flew south overhead and upon reaching the small spinney at the Spit I found both a Great Tit and Robin whilst a Linnet was foraging on the grassy bank. Back at the SoN, the small pond held both a single Redshank and Greenshank and at the water's edge below Strawberry Fields over three hundred feeding Dunlin in a long line of at least 100 metres.

Feeding Dunlin Calidris alpina

Birds seen:

Brent Goose, Canada Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Heron, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Linnet.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

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