Keyhaven Marshes

I got the new mid-afternoon of a juvenile Kentish Plover at Keyhaven Marshes. A while later it eventaully made it onto the pager, as Lee and myself were whizzing down in 'The Saxo' with one wheel trim missing!! Time was getting on, and it was looking very bleak, strong wind. And the tide had come right in.

With just a few spits on show at range. Ringed Plover could be picked out...just. An hour passed with no sign. Until i managed to pick up a distant paler, and smaller Plover with its back to us roosting. Eventually it stirred, turning around breifing revealing itself to be the right bird. Phew, that was almost a dip there!

Avon Valley

The White Stork was reported there again during the morning while i was at work, once i had finished Lee and myself thought sod it. I decided we would go and find it...no luck, yet again. Hopefully this bird will settle in a regular place sooner or later.

Farlington Marshes

A mid-morning visit to Farlington Marshes where Dan Houghton had contacted me before hand, making me aware of a call he had recieved earlier this morning. A reliable friend of which claims 2 probable pratincoles (thought to be Black-winged), firstly one over the main lagoon, before seeing both hawking over The Deeps together.

The weather was terrible, but Dan and I gave it a shot. Surprisingly we found nothing, a good number of waders on the main lagoon, held absolutely nothing of any interest, but i did actually manage a first for the year...wait for it....and im quite embarrassed to say it...but Wheatear!!

Chew Valley Lake

I finally gave into the Yank Herring Gull in Somerset, with a Fudge Duck there as well, it could potentially be a fairly good trip. The Gull hadn't been reported for a few days now, but thats presumably because everybody else in the country had seen it, in the time we took to decide. I went with Lee Fuller and arrived roughly mid-morning. No sign of the Gull.

Mute Swans are easy targets for crap photographers like myself, but Pochards rarely come that close, this one was no exception © Ashley Howe

So went round to Heron's Green Bay where it didn't take long to pick up on the Ferruginous Duck. At range however. We drove closer, but some how the bird had disappeared into thin air. We gave up shortly after that looking for it. So went back round to Herriot's Bridge to look for the Gull again. Via the cafe, which i highly recommend visiting guys!!! There is one stunning girl serving there!!!

A Pied Wagtail on the foreshore of Heron's Green Bay, it did have to legs! © Ashley Howe

But anywhooo, we waited for hours around Herriot's Bridge with nothing more than a Yellow-legged Gull. We left late afternoon after paying the cafe another visit (Lee insisted on a cuppa - sad twat ha ha). Before going back and relocating the Ferruginous Duck for others.

A rather distant Fudger © Ashley Howe

Middlebere Farm

After work, a quick dash into Poole before the girlfriend came round, got me the female Lesser Grey Shrike currently residing in the same field as a yellow digger. Unfortunately it wasn't showing as well as i had hoped....and although Shrikes are as sexy as they are...this one didn't really do it for me. The most exciting thing it did was probably stick its head in the air when a Fox popped out of a bush before re-entering.

A very heavily edited shot, which you can probably tell, from the rather bulbous shaped head :-/ © Ashley Howe

Titchfield Haven & Langstone Haven

Lee and I got down to Titchfield Haven just prior to opening, hoping to connect with a Roseate Tern and perhaps some Black. There was very little in terms of Terns about the area today, though in recent days a few hundred had been gathering off shore and infront of the Meon Shore Hide. A few Arctic Terns flew through early on, but nothing else until we heard of the Northern Bottlenosed Whale that had beached itself in Langstone Harbour.

A small selection of the Northern Bottlenosed Whale, but i dont understand why they're trying to save it when its going to die? © Ashley Howe

Popping back into Titchfield Haven before heading home, to see whether there was a change in the number of Terns gathering. Which there was....now there was less!! Bollocks!

I hate Titchfield Haven for photographs....makes the birds go weird....theres a Coot that thinks it can walk up-straight and a Common Sandpiper trying to eat its own reflection © Ashley Howe

New Forest

A quick visit into the New Forest, again another site that will remain undisclosed for now, but had great views of a female Nightjar, circuling overhead, while a male churred down in the valley.

Itchen Valley Country Park

Yesterday a Gropper was reported from Itchen Valley CP, not really expecting it to still be there, Lee and I got up early to go to this local location. Surprised, we picked up on the bird reeling at a fair range, narrowing it down to a small area. Reeling constantly til at least half 10, it showed itself very briefly, allowing just a few photos before typically singing form the undergrowth again.

Sadly i was too slow picking up on the bird singing unlike Lee © Ashley Howe

After we payed Lakeside Country Park a visit, though there wasn't anything else there either, and was very quiet, though it did allow a few very good photo opportunities with Great-crested Grebe.

Adult Great-crested Grebe in mid-preen © Ashley Howe

Cley NWT

From previous posts (well the last one at at least) i moaned at how bored i was, so i decided to go on little adventure to try and liven things up again. Getting up at 4am, to get a train from Eastleigh to Lndon Waterloo, navigating the underground to get to Stratford, then from there to Norwich. Where i met up with Steve Rutt as planned, and we trained-it again to Sheringham. And using the very handy Coasthopper to Cley NWT.

A close up of a cygnet passing one of the hides, and part of a family of Little Grebes from the approach boardwalk to the hides. © Ashley Howe

There wasn't any birds i was particularly bothered about seeing though, a White-rumped Sandpiper would have been handy if we could pick that up too. Visiting the hides there wasn't really much on Simmond's Scrape, but a bit more stuff on Pat's, with a Curlew Sandpiper amongst Dunlin. A near-ad Yellow-legged Gull, Little Gull, rather dashing Spotted Redshank, and an Arctic Tern. Bearded Tits were knocking around the Hide, but never showing well enough to photograph.

Again, some more snaps from the hides, this Reed Warbler was reluctant to come directly out into the sun, but the Lapwing had no problems coming right up close to the hide. © Ashley Howe

Over to the North Scrape, where things improved alot. A distand group of Dunlin held the White-rumped Sandpiper, which very quickly decided to either back over to Simmond's or carried on West. A few Common Sandpiper were picked out on the fringes, where at least c10 Green Sands were also. A calling Sandpiper revealed itself to be a Wood. A mobile Little Stint eventually landed infront of us. And the three Spoonbills were at the far back looking pretty dead, as they layed on the floor in the early afternoon heat :-/

Ok, this shot could have been taken better, but the Redshank kept flying off. © Ashley Howe

It was near enough time for us to go. So a little more photography, and then we had to catch the coasthopper back to Sheringham. Luckily today went like clock-work and there weren't any cock-ups (especially on the underground - where i was actually bricking it encase i messed up and got on the run one - missing connecting trains) I left Steve at the Stowmarket stop between Norwich and London Liverpool Street. I arrived home at midnight, where the train managed to miraculously by-pass the Hedge End station, so i ended up in Fareham, where i had to be picked from there by my bare mandems!

Home

Right, ive been abit bored lately...with jack all rarities popping up, or that i can twitch anyway....

so i have reduced myself to taking pics of bugs in my garden!! This is a serious low for me..and a first for the blog.

I'm not messed up, I no a Blackbird doesn't count as a bug © Ashley Howe