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After finishing off lots of paperwork in my office, I took a drive down to the north end of Titchfield Haven for the Spoonbills, which had been seen yesterday. Another gorgeous day with lots of warm sunshine and hardly a wind, though that is about to change for the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend.
Arriving around midday, I grabbed the scope and all my equipment and slowly walked south down the footpath adjacent to the canal. I was pleased to see more Banded Demoiselle damselflies buzzing around the footpath and by the canal and promptly took a couple of photos of these delightful insects. Scanning the floods east of the footpath proved useless, as the grass had grown quite high therefore obscuring any possible sighting of anything feeding near the water. Grumble! A Little Egret flew up from the area but no sign of the Spoonbills.
A male Reed Bunting was in full song by the footpath and nearby, a Common Whitethroat was also in song. Searching the sky, I picked out a single Common Buzzard soaring high over the reserve but no sign of any Hobbies. Apparently, the long staying Kentish Plover was still in Pagham Harbour, so I walked back to the car and took the long drive east.
The long, hot drive to Pagham Harbour was worth the effort as I got cracking views of the male Kentish Plover feeding with other waders on the mudflats within the harbour, opposite the Hide. I walked up to the Hide and was surprised that no other birder was present so I had to find the bird myself. Amongst the Dunlin and Ringed Plover present, I finally found the bird feeding with a Ringed Plover on the sandy mudflats. Its black half collar and sandy coloured crown was clearly seen in the bright afternoon sunshine as well as its long black legs. It was a difficult bird to photograph because of the heat haze over the harbour, so apologies for the photo.
This was my first Kentish Plover for many a year and the last one I saw were in exactly the same place! So, that is another quality bird I have seen in May and it’s not quite over yet!
The American Golden Plover was still on Farlington Marshes yesterday along with a Curlew Sandpiper and a Marsh Harrier. Though there was no sign of the Plover this morning, there’s a good chance it might turn up this afternoon when the tide is up.
The singing male Reed Bunting at Titchfield Haven
Pagham Harbour NR, nr Chichester, West Sussex
A record shot of the male Kentish Plover seen this afternoon in Pagham Harbour.
