The joy of birdsong!
A mix of weather this week brought differing bird experiences.
From the calm and warm sunny weekend filled with songs of finches, Wren and Goldcrest to frosty cold mornings where only a few birds could be heard. However, one of those was the Blackbird, the first one I have heard singing this year! So lovely to hear!
Bird of the Week - Little Egret
The Little Egret is a small white heron that has become a very familiar sight around the southern coasts of the UK. It is not too long ago that a LIttle Egret was considered a rarity in England. Over the past 40 years, the range has increased northwards from its Mediterranean roots.
My Birding this week
Last weekend we visited another of our favoured local sites, Titchfield Haven, and the nearby Titchfield canal which we have only been to twice.
We started off at Titchfield Canal as we had heard reports of Glossy Ibis and Ferruginous Duck there. A path runs between the Canal and water meadows alongside the River Meon all the way to the coast. The canal is an artificial waterway and not navigable by watercraft. Trees line the canal on one side and a great variety of bird species may be found there because of the differing habitats.
We ate breakfast in the car park while getting kitted up, listening to the beautiful songs of Chiffchaff, Robin, Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Wren, which we could hear very well above the noise of the nearby road.
We spoke to a young birder, Jack, who told us he had not seen either of our target birds. He was travelling on to Acres Down, the site we visited last week, in the hopes of seeing a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
Undeterred, we began our walk in the sunshine, adding Long-tailed Tits, Blackbird, and Magpie to my list from the trees lining the canal. A Jay flew over as I stopped to look out over the water meadows with my binoculars. I spotted Coot, Moorhen, Shoveler, Shelduck, Gadwall, Pintail, Wigeon, and four different species of Gull: Black-headed, Herring, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed. A Great Cormorant stood on a railing and stretched its wings to dry. It was in breeding plumage, with white head feathers mingling with the normal black ones.
We had been told that the Glossy Ibis had been seen in this area so I scanned the fields and reeds carefully looking for the telltale shape of a dark bird with a down-curved bill. I had no luck with the Ibis, but did add Grey Heron, Canada Goose and Greylag Goose to my sightings list. I also heard a distant Little Grebe's whinnying cry and nearby a Cetti's Warbler burst out its loud call.
Further along a Little Egret was hunting in the water. It was fairly close to the path and I had good views of it disturbing the sediment as it poked around the small shrubs growing out of the water.
On the way back to the car I watched two Buzzards circling above and heard a Water Rail.
Despite not seeing our target birds, it was a lovely start to the day, and I delighted in listening to the birdsong. That walk gave me 2 new bird species for the year (Jay and Lesser Black-backed Gull).
Travelling on to Titchfield Haven we parked alongside the beach and scanned out into The Solent. Knowing that a Red-necked Grebe had been sighted in recent days we were eager to add this bird to our life list.
We spent time trying to identify a likely bird out to sea, although the bill seemed too chunky for the grebe. We eventually found it was a female Eider, then saw a small group of male and female Eiders resting on a shingle bank, the first time we have seen them at this location. Other birds also on the back included Black-headed Gulls, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, and Oystercatchers. There were a few Brent Geese beyond the bank and I was sad to see that someone let their dog chase after the resting birds and scare them off!
The sea defences are currently being rebuilt but I was pleased that the hoped-for Sanderlings had not been frightened away from their favourite spot at the edge of the harbour. I counted over 20 birds! A few Common Ringed Plover were also present.
Crossing the road to look out over the lagoons we spotted a Common Gull amongst the Black-headed Gulls and saw Coot, Gadwall and Mallard.
Passing the harbour on the way to buy our entrance ticket to the reserve I stopped to watch the Turnstones that are often present there.
Ticket bought, and with the afternoon disappearing (the reserve shuts at 4pm), we headed for the Meon Hide on the west side of the reserve. I settled down for an hour or so watching the courtship behaviour of the Black-headed Gulls (along with listening to their constant screaming). Plenty of other species were present, including Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Harrier and Teal.
As we headed back to the car, with the sun starting to set, we spotted a couple of possible grebes out in The Solent again. Setting up the scope to scan more carefully, these turned out to be Great-crested Grebe.
Even though we dipped (missed seeing) on 3 target species, it was a great day. I heard lots of lovely birdsong, saw 57 bird species during the day and added 4 more to my year list (Jay, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sanderling and Common Gull), bringing the total so far to 111 species!
Latest podcast episode
Birding in Peru - Rob Williams
Conservationist and bird guide Rob Williams shares the wonder of birding in Peru.
From the coastal deserts to the Amazon Basin, Rob highlights the diverse habitats that are home to over 1800 bird species.
Rob also shares how he would spend a fantasy birding day.
Recommendations and shout outs!
One of the repeated themes from episode 138 'Celebrating Women Birders' was concern for personal safety while out birding.
Next Wednesday Dee Crute from the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild (OWPG) presents a free webinar on an Introduction to Women's Safety in the Outdoors
Sign up at the link below - it promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking session.
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Until next week, happy birding!
I love Titchfield Haven and will often head down that way once or twice a year. I’ve never walked the canal. I know it’s there but for some reason we’ve always missed it, favouring the beach, the nature reserve etc. I’ve seen a Marsh Harrier there in the past and if I render correctly a Little Owl. Your doing identification skills are 1000000 times better than mine, would love to slow down and learn them.