Birding Hampshire Way

Out west today to find the long staying Green-winged Teal that has been in residence on the River Avon opposite Sopley cemetery. As we parked up in the entrance to the cemetery it was obvious that this was going to be the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack, the river and the adjacent flooded fields contained a huge number of wildfowl. As I set up the scope I had a sinking feeling that we were doomed to failure, scanning each bird in turn - horizontal white stripe - horizontal white stripe. How on earth can we find it? We were joined by another birder, at least an extra pair of eyes on the job. Continuing the search - horizontal white stripe - horizontal --- no wait - vertical white stripe!! Found it. In the time it took to get Martin on the scope the bird had disappeared, try again - got it - get the other birder on to it - success.  The bird only had to turn 45 degrees and the stripe wasn't visible, at last the bird alighted on a grassy mound and stayed put - finally Martin got it. A life tick for both of us. Unfortunately the target was at least four hundred yards away - no chance of a photograph at that range.

Where next? We ended up peering through a gap in the hedge surrounding Kingfisher Lake at Blashford Pits. Standing about at the end of a cul-de-sac in a private housing estate is not a comfortable state of affairs for me - never mind that the target was an elusive Ferruginous Duck. It felt that we were wasting valuable birding time on an "iffy" bird so we left for the Tern Hide on Ibsley Lake. It was surprising how few birds were about on what is normally a well populated lake, no sign of the Red-crested Pochard, no gulls or sandpipers just two Black-necked Grebes at a fair distance. Visits to other hides on the reserve failed to produce a tick so we left for Eyeworth Pond at Fritham.

Eyeworth is normally good for a Mandarin Duck or a Goosander and either would have been welcome as photo opportunities. Also, the car park here is great for watching small birds, a couple of handfuls of bird food on the posts of the Forestry Commission gate has birds flocking in straight away. Today was no exception, as we soon had Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, House Sparrows, Dunnock, Chaffinches, Blackbirds and Marsh Tits coming in to take advantage of the bounty.  It was great fun to lay a line of peanuts across the top of the gate being watched by a Nuthatch about four feet away.

The Mandarins normally tuck up deep under the waterside trees, so I scanned carefully and I reckoned that there were about six drakes present. Just goes to show that you can miss a lot. The birds were spooked and took to the air and I counted at least twenty five in three flocks and it is probable that there were thirty flying around the pond, the vast majority being drakes.

 

By now the sun had gone and grey clouds loomed so we set off for home. However, we were not quite finished, as we approached Arundel, Martin suggested a trip through Warningcamp to the Burgh, ostensibly for me to get a Bewick's Swan tick but actually for Martin to get Red Kite and Grey Partridge