Trip reports

Titchfield Haven - Thursday 12th November 2009

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Despite a breezy overcast day with the constant threat of rain, 15 members gathered to visit one of our favourite south coast reserves. With the tide high most of the waders present were roosting on the limited shingle available or the groyne at the eastern end of the little harbour. The dominant species was black-tailed godwit. Although by now in grey winter garb, the small flocks were still arresting to watch, particularly when in flight. Ringed plovers, so well camouflaged, were initially difficult to spot. Not so, piping oystercatchers. Several hundred Brent geese were feeding hungrily along the tideline, although the rumoured pale-bellied bird was not amongst them.

First stop in the reserve was the Meon Shore hide. This area is normally full of birds, but the high water had attracted just a few duck, notably teal, although flocks of wigeon, mallard and shoveler were seen in flight. A detailed scan of the bank did reveal up to four roosting snipe, blending in perfectly with the vegetation, until a wing was stretched or a bill moved. A kestrel sat facing into wind on one of the boundary fence posts.

The hide at the northern end of the reserve gave better views of the ducks and briefly played host to a pipit that became the subject of much discussion. It featured dark legs and a pale supercillium, and a greyish brown back. Could it have been one of the 10 or so water pipits that winter on the riverside meadows a short distance from the reserve? The call certainly didn't seem to be that of the more common meadow pipit. A pity it didn't stay longer.

After lunch, most of the party birded the east side of the reserve and were rewarded with extensive views of a feeding water rail. This normally skulking species was comfortably the bird of the day, positively shining in the dull light. Finally, from the Knights Bank hide, a female sparrowhawk flew low from a nearby fencepost, a buzzard was perched at the feeding station, (placed successfully to distract this species from eating the avocets that had bred here), and a stonechat watched on as a fox upset the Canada geese flock.


Species recorded :- Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel, Pheasant, Water Rail, Coot, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Turnstone, Dunlin, Curlew, Black tailed Godwit, Redshank, Snipe, Black headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black backed Gull, Lesser Black backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Robin, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Cetti's Warbler (h), Chiffchaff (h), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit(h), Long tailed Tit, Starling, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Crow, Rook, House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Goldfinch. 62 species.

Reported by Steve Oakes