TheFinancialBirder

After clearing a load of paperwork from the Office, I spent my lunch hour in the revamped Meonshore Hide at Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve. Despite a cool easterly blowing, it was a pleasant day with bright sunshine. It has been a while since I have used the hides and it was a nice relaxing hour just watching the birdlife etc. There were a few people in the hide as expected but good behaviour meant it was nice and quiet. On the notice board, whilst paying for my entrance ticket, I noticed that a Roseate Tern and a Little Gull had been present recently, so I had to keep my eyes peeled.

But it wasn’t quiet on the outside. The Black-headed Gulls were making an awful racket as their chicks were now mostly fledged though plenty of young ones were on show. At least a hundred plus pairs of Black-headed Gulls were on show, pushing out the Terns that were present a few years before but now the Common Terns and Sandwich Terns were occupying some of the islands at the back of the scrape and probably sitting on eggs. Also amongst the gulls were good numbers of Mediterranean Gulls feeding their youngsters too. At least ten pairs were seen but there was probably more around.
I was hoping to see the Avocets on the scrape and wasn’t disappointed as I found at least five pairs on the scrape. Several youngsters were seen with their parents also at the far end of the scrape. One adult Avocet tried to shoo off an adult Shelduck and isoon became a battle of Wills in which the Shelduck won. On the nearest island, a juvenile Lapwing was feeding with an adult; the scaling on the back most notable on the juvenile bird. Oystercatchers were in good numbers and a single Black-tailed Godwit was seen flying high over the reserve in a twisting flight as if to avoid a predator, then disappeared northwards. This was my first of this species for a couple of months.
Constantly scanning the sky behind the reserve, I was rewarded with my first Hobby of the month, hawking for dragonflies high over the fields. A Common Buzzard was also seen soaring in the sky and a male Kestrel hovered nearby over the reedbeds. The Kestrel flew over the scrape but nothing chased it off. A female Shoveler gratefully was added to my month total as it flew towards the hide then landed nearby on the water. Both Gadwall and Tufted Duck were taking care of their young on the scrape and close by, a Shelduck family with three youngsters were giving a Mallard brood a hard time by chasing them.
Passerines were in short supply but a Cetti’s Warbler was seen all too briefly on top of a bramble before flying off as I neared the Hide. A Reed Warbler was busy flying from one reedbed to another and seen again with a big caterpillar in its bill before flying off deep with the reeds. A pair of Linnets held territory near the entrance with the male bird singing quite happily by the roadside.

After a lovely ice-lolly and a new drink from the Farmhouse shop, I got the car park at Church Norton around 1pm. There was a mist blowing over the harbour with a cool breeze blowing in off the sea causing the mist.
I was hoping to catch up with some wader month ticks and started really well with a Whimbrel showing really well by the shoreline. The tide was slowly on the way out but the mist made visibility a little difficult sometimes. Apart from Oystercatchers, there were no other waders until a lone Ringed Plover finally showed up nearby.
Both Common and Little Terns showed well within the harbour and my second Hobby of the day was seen flying within the mist high in the sky until flying off east.
The walk back to the car produced a fleeting glimpse of a singing Blackcap that flew into a bush. The bird constantly singed but never showed again.
I notched up eight month ticks today, which put me on 97 for the month. Apparently, the White tailed Plover showed again today on Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve this afternoon, so it is getting nearer. Other rarities included the long staying Killdeer on the Shetlands and a Great Reed Warbler in Kent.

Piczo