Category: Autumn 2020

I headed to the beach where the sea was quiet with three Great Crested Grebes fairly close in shore. As I was about to head back inland I picked up a Great Northern Diver heading west, the first of the winter and a patch tick. The Dartford Warbler was very obliging following me along the fence line and showing well in the sunshine.

A noisy group of four Raven circled over B Water and four Avocet were feeding from DL’O hide.  I met up with Ian at the sailing club where one of the Peregrines watched us from G Island, a single Greenshank fed near the pontoon and a Spoonbill flew up from Inchmery Marches before settling on the edge of the estuary.

As I was heading back to the car I watched a Marsh Harrier quartering over the spartina marshes in front of the S Hide and just before dusk I pulled over in the Reedy Ditch layby hoping for an owl. No luck, unfortunately, although there was a fair bit of activity and I was rewarded with a stunning Firecrest, a Marsh Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Firecrest photos by Ian Williamson

After a drizzly and foggy start there were good numbers of thrushes including 30 Blackbirds, 15 Song Thrushes and 6 Mistle Thrush. The sea was quiet other than nine Great Crested Grebes and a Wheatear on the fence line near the beach was the latest I’ve seen in the UK.

The immature male Marsh Harrier was quartering over the B Water before dropping down and completely disappearing into the reed bed. I counted 331 Teal and 479 Lapwing although I’m certain there were more hidden from view.

Avocet numbers were up to five and I heard a Spotted Redshank and saw one Greenshank. Two of the five Spoonbill were still around and resting on the Estuary Scrape while five menacing Great Black-backed Gulls fed from a Greylag carcass.

I arranged to meet Dad to show him around the reserve and we started by meeting Ian to see if we could find Wednesday’s Penduline Tits again. There was no sign although I did manage to pick up single Bramblings and Fieldfares flying over east, both patch ticks for me. Other finches were also on the move with handfuls of Lesser Redpoll and Siskin also going east.

There were two Great Crested Grebes on the sea and a pair of Swallows drifting over the NP Pool were the latest I’ve seen in the UK. The Dartford Warbler was on the beach fence line very close to MM’s house. A confident sounding pipit picked up from the marsh looking robust and dark and proved to be a Rock Pipit. 

We headed to the hides with a Chiffchaff calling as we walked along the walking trail hedge. Highlight of the day was a female Goldeneye on the water near JV hide. I texted Ian and he confirmed that Goldeneye is very rare here and actually a patch tick for him despite having been birding here for more than ten years! He route marched over to join us!

A Little Egret and Greenshank were close range treats from the DL’O hide and two Avocet were swimming on the Estuary Scrape. A curious Southern Hawker buzzed us several times in the winter sunshine and the five Spoonbill were resting on Inchmery Marshes viewable from the point.

A lovely calm sunny day after several days of wind and rain. The Dartford Warbler was still in the south west corner of the reserve in gorse bushes near MM’s house. A pair of Lesser Redpoll flew over calling but there was only a single Great Crested Grebe on the sea.

I headed over to B Water for high tide where 363 Lapwing and 48 Shoveler were on the Estuary Scrape. While I was sat in B Water hide a Marsh Harrier quartered close by before settling on a dead tree across the water. A pair of Pochard on B Water were a patch tick and a male Tufted Duck was only the second I’ve seen so far. A Merlin dashed over the fields as I was heading back from the hides.

Seven Greenshank and two Spotted Redshank were roosting in their normal spot hidden from DL’O hide but viewable from the gate to the south. A single Black-tailed Godwit, the first I’ve seen since September, was with the Lapwing. Two calling Chiffchaff were either late migrants or possibly wintering birds.

A single Rock Pipit was hunting for insects from underneath and around the sailing clubhouse and one of the Peregrines was surveying the marshes from its position on G Island.

As I was leaving, at just after 3pm, Nigel Jones texted to say that he had found two Penduline Tits! They were in the reed bed around the NP Hide not far from MM’s House. I was just passing the start of G Drive which leads down to MM’s house and so I quickly abandoned the car, messaged Nigel to see if he still had them and then jogged off hoping to join him.

He replied to say he was still there and I soon noticed him on the other side of the reed bed. Two minutes later I was with him, slightly out of breath. He suggested that we head around to the other side as the birds had flown in that direction. We headed back towards the NP Hide and then played their call back, we also tried some pishing and amazingly they called back and then danced across the top of the reeds heading in our direction. They sat up posing nicely on the edge of the reed bed, right in front of us, amazing! Ten seconds later they were off, flying west towards the marsh around MM’s house and they weren’t seen again.

Penduline Tits photos by Nigel Jones

There had been five Penduline Tits at Titchfield Haven at the end of October, it’s possible that our two birds may have been part of that party. Penduline Tit is a county tick for me and this is only the third time I have seen them in the UK.