Warsash and Solent Shore

Wednesday 25 March 

It may have been broken cloud and a sun shining through but there was a very strong, cold wind blowing in from the north. Needless to say uncomfortable walking south and very tiring on the return journey from along the Warsash shore down to the Spit and then on to the meandering Pool before returning.

Upon reaching the slipway a couple of Black-headed Gulls along with 23 Black-tailed Godwits and 26 Brent Geese with six Redshank close by.  Before reaching the navigation pier I had also added a Carrion Crow and Curlew plus a further eleven Brent Geese with 68 more on the other side of the pier.  Also present here a trio of Herring Gulls.  Across the water resting on the head of the Spit a single Cormorant with a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls.  On the Solent side of the spit a flock of forty plus Oystercatchers.

Great Back-backed Gull Larus marinus

Moving on down to the Scrape a Robin in the nearby spinney but only another dozen or so Black-headed Gulls on the water.  But I did record a pair of Linnets as I approached and then, once at the end of the gorse section at the Meandering Pool, a Skylark took off from the grass in front of me.

Skylark Alauda arvensis

The return journey was very straight forward if difficult against the strong wing but managed to locate the three Mallards foraging in the adjacent canal and the Little Egret on the small navigation pond followed by a lone Woodpigeon and a pair of Starlings on the beach as I returned to the village. The final sighting was that of Mallard leading her five ducklings through the yacht enclosure down towards the water.

Birds seen:

Brent Goose, Wigeon, Mallard, Cormorant, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Skylark, Robin, Carrion Crow, Starling, Linnet.

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