Titchfield Canal

Saturday 10 January

Bitterly cold but clear, calm and sunny as I drove over to nearby Titchfield Canal, arriving at 8.25 and staying for almost three hours during which time I recorded 36 species including 7 new sightings for the month/year.  First a walk "upstream" past the horse stables to locate the long-staying Glossy Ibis with a total of six recorded. Also noted at this start many Robin, Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits and, on the way back to the car park to pick up the scope for the usual walk down the canal, a male Blackbird and pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

A quick check of the Bridge Street Flood from the road noted the 17 Canada Geese a a small number of Coot and then a fellow birder drew my attention to the Jay that had just landed in a distant tree next the resting Sparrowhawk. Re-joining the canal path many more tits and Robins as I made my way down to stop and check the first flood area. Mainly resting Wigeon and Pintail plus a large flock of lapwing.  Searching in the muddy area to the left I found both a Ruff and a Grey Plover.   On the water many Black-headed and a handful of Herring Gulls.  A Moorhen wandered away form the bank so revealing a Black-tailed Godwit.  Very few Carrion Crows seen this morning but a couple of Magpies put in an appearance.

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

As I started off again towards Posbrook Flood a pair of Buzzards overhead being mobbed by a single Carrion Crow then a stop to observe the Stonechat atop a large bramble bush out on the meadow.  In the hedgerow to my right a Song Thrush followed by a Wren.

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos

On Posbrook Flood itself mainly Coots but also a couple of Mallard. Whilst in the avenue along with fellow birders Gary and Steve (trust I have the names right) able to see both Treecreeper and Goldfinch and just before catching them up, I had stopped to watch the two Nuthatches calling and moving about the large tree to my left.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus

Time to make my way back to the car park where I also found a handful of Cormorants of Bridge Street Flood and in the field below the new housing development at least a score of foraging Jackdaws.  The final bird of the morning was a single Egyptian Goose on the muddy extreme end of the flood.

Robin Erithacus rubecula

Birds seen:

Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Pintail, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Glossy Ibis, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow.

Male Blackbird Turdus merula

Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major

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