FARLINGTON MARSHES, 2nd AUGUST 2008
Saturday, 2 August 2008
12 members met on a damp and dismal Saturday morning for our regular summer tour of this excellent Hampshire Wildlife Trust reserve. Fortunately, as the tide rose, the rain abated leading to a dry and warm afternoon. As usual, the first 2 hours were spent on the west side of the reserve, with most of this time observing waders on or coming into the lagoon as the mudflats flooded. Ultimately many hundreds arrived, the most numerous being oystercatcher, black tailed godwit and redshank. A few curlew and whimbrel also flew in, but most of these roosted on Long Island in Langstone harbour. Amongst the ringed plover, dunlin and grey plover, many of which were still in stunning breeding plumage, were 3 adult curlew sandpipers, also in beautiful summer garb. A distant water rail patrolled the far reedbeds, where with patience, 2 juvenile bearded tits could occasionally be seen, as well as several sedge and reed warblers. Singleton turnstone and common sandpiper were also present, plus 2 avocets. Lunch was taken on the southeast corner, but not before a rock pipit, parties of linnets, goldfinches and greenfinches, plus 2 green sandpipers and 3 little terns were enjoyed. During lunch a common tern and a sandwich tern flew past, plus the only swift of the day. The best entertainment was provided by a pair of peregrines terrorising the curlew and oystercatchers in Langstone. At the Deeps, little egrets numbered 10 and little grebes 2, and as we left the seawall to turn inland, a hobby was seen hunting low level before pitching onto a fencepost, allowing prolonged scope views. The last additional species, as we made our way back to the lagoon, via the riverside walk, was a solitary swallow heading out to sea.
Additional species :- Great Crested Grebe (5), Cormorant (2), Grey Heron (3), Mute Swan (2), Canada Goose (many), Shelduck (10+, including juvs.), Gadwall (2), Mallard (few), Kestrel (1), Moorhen, Coot, Lapwing, Greenshank (5), BH Gull (many), Common Gull (3), Herring Gull (2), GBB Gull (1 juv), Woodpigeon (3), Stock Dove (1), Skylark (1), Meadow Pipit (2), Pied Wagtail (3), Blackbird (1), Starling, Magpie (2), Crow (2). 56 species
Reported by Steve Oakes
