Hampshire Dragonflies - Titchfield Haven 12th July

With recent reports of up to six Norfolk Hawker at Titchfield Haven I needed to see this species as it was clearly breeding on site with a female being seen ovipositing. It was a species to add to the list of Hampshire breeding species and hence needed to be seen in my quest to seee all the Hampshire breeding dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies this year. It took me three attempts before I finally connected with a stunning, recently emerged male on Darters Dip on the west side of the reserve. He showed superbly well for around 45 minutes before disappearing flying away from the pool. A rather scruffy looking female was also seen. Other new species for the year here were Ruddy Darter and Willow Emerald, the latter also a new species for me.

Norfolk Hawker

Norfolk Hawker

Norfolk Hawker

Norfolk Hawker

Ruddy Darter

Willow Emerald

Titchfield Haven - 6th September

After a short survey in Fair Oak I popped down to Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve just as the reserve opened to try for the Temminck's Stint that had been present since 2nd September. At the reserve entrance there were 25 Sandwich Tern and five Common Tern. On the South Scrape there were 15 Snipe, five Common Sandpiper, a single Green Sandpiper and around 75 Black-tailed Godwit. The Temminck's Stint was visible from the Pumfrett Hide on the South Scrape but was always distant and in very poor light. Still, its elongated shape and creeping nature were distinctive.

Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gull - Titchfield Haven

Sandwich Tern - Titchfield Haven

Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gull - Titchfield Haven

Views of the Temminck's Stint were distant and into the sunlight - Titchfield Haven

Caspian Stonechat - Titchfield Haven 11th April (plus a brief visit to Pennington Marsh)

I had to pop to Christchurch today for a quick survey so got up early and headed to Pennington Marshes first. It was raining when I got up at 05:00 but I was optimistic that it would brighten up and I was at Pennington by 06:15. It was lashing down, I took shelter and scanned over the marsh of Lower Pennington Lane, 12 Dunlin, a Marsh Harrier and three Teal were the highlights. Stopping at the car park I listened to the news and waited, it was no good I had to go for it but it was pouring down but I do like the optimism that can be found when birding in the rain in the spring. I walked out to Efford Lagoon then out to the point at Butts Lagoon and along to Keyhaven Lagoon. I realised my jacket was no longer waterproof and I was soaked. There were relatively few birds, obviously avoiding the rain and far brighter than I, 150 Dunlin, 10 Grey Plover, a handful of Common Tern, Sandwich Tern and Little Tern, 20 Swift and 50 Sand Martin was all I had to show for my optimism. I nipped to Christchurch for my survey and was on the road back towards the office by 10:00.

Last night news broke of a first summer male 'Caspian Stonechat' at Titchfield Haven and given I was running ahead of schedule I decided to head for Titchfield as the bird was still showing this morning. As I approached the rain eased and there were around 30 birders present. I latched onto it quickly and the bird showed very well from the roadside feeding amongst the scrub and reed just to the west of the western entrance to the reserve. It was a fantastic bird, all pied like a Pied Flycatcher and somewhat hyperactive, presumably desperate to feed after a long journey.

Personally, I tend to follow the taxonomy defined by the HBW and Birdlife Illustrated Checklist rather than the numerous other taxonomic lists, to me the stability and gradual rather than seemingly constant splitting of species is more palatable. Currently, HBW/Birdlife consider variegatus (and Siberian Stonechat) a race of Common Stonechat. However, others consider variegatus a race of Siberian Stonechat S. maurus (which also includes armenicus, indicus, przewalskii and stejnegeri). And yet others split variegatus and armenicus as Caspian Stonechat. However, this is a simplification of a complex situation, a useful overview can be read here. A British Birds Article on Identification of Siberian Stonechat in spring and summer can be read here.

The bird can be identified as variegatus by very black and white appearance and in particular the extensive white rump and almost wheatear (most like Black-eared Wheatear) like tail pattern with extensive white bases to the tail feathers, particularly the outermost ones. This feature can be seen in my images below. Regardless of how this bird is treated taxonomically it is a fantastic bird and has undergone an amazing journey to get to Titchfield Haven.

Distribution of Stonechat sub-species from British Birds Vol. 104; May 2011 - 236–254. Variegatus occurs along the north-west shore of the Caspian Sea

Penduline Tit - Titchfield Haven 20th January

At last, fourth time lucky, I enter the West Hide at Titchfield Haven and there in front of me are four Penduline Tit, two males and two females. The birds were feeding on the heads of Greater Reedmace (these are not Bulrush as is being commonly claimed) pulling apart the downy clubbed seed heads of the plants for small insects and grubs - the second photograph shows a bird with what appears to be a small beetle grub. These birds have been present at Titchfield since 7th December, with a brief foray to the IBM Lake at Cobham, Portsmouth on 15th and 16th December before disappearing only to reappear at Titchfield again on 29th December. The IBM Lake is a little over 7 miles north-east of Titchfield Haven and it appears remarkable that the birds were firstly found at the lake but then decided to relocate back to Titchfield - seemingly a collective decision of birds that remembered that Titchfield Haven provided good conditions for them. Unfortunately, today in the bright sunshine of the early morning the light from the West Hide was not great so most of my shots are not of great quality, furthermore, none of the shots I took of the male birds are worthy of publication - a good reason to go back for more views!

Note the small grub in the bill of this bird

Greater Yellowlegs at Titchfield and Pennington Marshes on 25th May

The Greater Yellowlegs that has been at Titchfield Haven on and off since 11th January has so far eluded me over the course of two visits to the site but during the course of last weekend when I was on the Isle of Wight it appeared to become a little more settled and had been showing on the river just off the coast road where mud is exposed at low tide and the Black-tailed Godwits gather to feed. So on the evening of 20th May as I passed nearby on my way between a survey and the office I popped in, the bird had been at the Suffern hide for much of the latter part of the day but when I arrived it had disappeared so I visited a number of the hides enjoying the Black-headed Gull colonies, Mediterranean Gull in full breeding swing and Avocet with about 35 of the latter present, many now with chicks. The news broke that the Greater Yellowlegs was showing from the on the Frying Pan so a quick dash around from where I was saw me enter the Knights Bank hide as the bird flew off - I had distant in flight views only.

Avocet - Nice views from Pumfrett Hide

The following morning (21st may) I had to drop Sarah off at Winchester train station and then head to Chichester for a survey so, knowing that the bird had been showing well at low tide in the morning from the coast road, I couldn't resist popping into Titchfield Haven again and as I arrived a small group of birders were staring intently at the mud and there it was, my first proper view of a Greater Yellowlegs in the UK. I enjoyed good scope views as it fed on the mud on the opposite bank of the river but my photos were poor due to the distance and the light conditions. Also here were around 100 Black-tailed Godwit which showed well close to the road. After 20 minutes the Greater Yellowlegs flew up-river and it was time for me to head-off.

Greater Yellowlegs - Distant shot of the adult from the coast road on the River Meon 

at Titchfield Haven

The bank holiday weekend had largely been a working weekend for me but I was able to pop down to Pennington Marshes on 25th May. I parked at the corner of Lower Pennington Lane and walked to the Efford Lagoon, passed the Shoveler Pools, passed Fishtail Lagoon, out to Keyhaven Lagoon and back via Butts Lagoon and Shoveler Pools. The marshes are a great place at this time of the year with breeding in full swing although it is often fairly settled with few migrants coming through. Highlights included 30 Swift over Efford Lagoon, two Little Ringed Plover at Efford Lagoon, good views of many Reed Warbler, six Dunlin in summer plumage, three Spoonbill and two Avocet on Keyhaven Lagoon, four Great Crested Grebe offshore, six Common Tern and a Wall Brown.

Oystercatcher - A pair are breeding close to the road at Lower Pennington Lane

Reed Warbler - Good numbers breed in the reed beds

Cormorant - Sequence of shots of a bird eating an eel

Spoonbill - One of three showing at a distance on Keyhaven Lagoon

Coot - Keyhaven Lagoon

Common Tern - Sequence of shots showing the male courtship feeding a female. Note the male bird has a ring on the leg, I have seen this bird (presumably the same bird) feeding a female on this same post over the last three years

Meare Heath, Somerset - 1st May and Sidlesham Ferry Pond/Titchfield Haven - 21st April

I have had a frenetic few weeks and little time to bird or blog hence lack of posts, busy work and social life BUT, bloody hell a female Hudsonian Godwit in Somerset, how could I resist, a world tick and my 400th bird in the UK. So I headed off from home at 05:00 on 1st May for the 1.5 hour drive to Meare Heath part of the RSPB's Ham Wall reserve. When I arrived the bird was tucked under the near bank but after a 20 minute wait the bird flew with Black-tailed Godwit and its stunning black underwing was visible. I watched the bird for over three hours as it fed on the part drained lagoon with the Black-tails. It occasionally showed fairly close and the intricacies of its dark plumage could be seen with lovely chestnut crescents on the flank, heavily barred body and a bicoloured pink/orange and blackish bill. The bird was fairly aggressive towards the Black-tails and there was frequent skuffling between it and  neighbouring birds.

A comparison of the Hudsonian Godwit and a winter and summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwit shows the overall darker tone of the Hudsonian.

Typical aggressive behaviour towards Black-tailed Godwit

Amongst the Black-tailed the Hudsonian could readily be picked out by its dark tones

Distinctive black underwing and reduced upper wing bar made the Hudsonian highly conspicuous when in flight

Supporting birds at Meare Heath included two Marsh Harrier, many Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler,  male Garganey, a single Ruff and two Bittern which spent a couple of minutes chasing each other over the tree-tops.

Bittern in aerial pursuit

This twitch was far more successful than one that I did on 21st April when I attempted to see a Black-winged Stilt that had been present at Sidlesham for three days previous and the erratically occurring Greater Yellowlegs at Titchfield Haven - I dipped both! At Sidlesham I spent a very noisy hour or so at the Ferry Pool with traffic roaring past my back - a quite unpleasant place. Scant reward were 15 Shoveler, three Whimbrel, two Avocet, 30 Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank and my first Nightingale of the year.

Shoveler

Whimbrel

Black-tailed Godwit

Avocet

At Titchfield I spent a couple of hours in the hides on the west side of the Haven seeing little. The Black-headed Gull were busy nest building and Mediterranean Gull ferried back and forth. The roadbeds were alive with the sound of Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler and offshore were six Sandwich Tern, four Common Tern and a small group of Eider and a flock of eight Whimbrel with a single Bar-tailed Godwit which flew east along the Solent but not a sniff of the Yellowlegs.

Fine summer plumaged Black-headed Gull

Sedge Warbler