A cold, wet, windy summer’s day brought moments of wonder with Ravens, Little Terns and Black-tailed Godwits!
On Saturday July 6th we spent the day at Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes Nature Reserve on the south coast of Hampshire. Walking the seawall between Keyhaven and Lymington provides views across salt marshes when the tide is out, looking across to the Isle of Wight. On the landward side of the seawall are big lagoons separated by areas of gorse and scrub. We wanted to start our July birding with a good list of species, and this area never fails to provide!
Despite the forecast of rain showers, we headed down to the coast. As soon as we got out of the car, I realised I would need to wear overtrousers and a cagoule as wind and rain protection - not really what would be expected of a July day! I was so cold!
On our walk to the reserve entrance we stopped to look over Lower Avon Water. There is a restricted access bird hide here, overlooking a small tidal lake. Through the trees we could see large numbers of Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets, six Little Egrets and a Cormorant. We had missed seeing a Bar-tailed Godwit last time we were in the area, so we spent some time with the scope and our binoculars trying to ascertain if there were any to be seen. Unfortunately the Godwits were all at the distance limit of our optics so we decided to continue on to the main reserve to discover what might be there. As we crossed the little bridge towards the reserve I spotted a Marsh Harrier flying low over distant fields.
Walking into the reserve we found ourselves buffeted by the wind. We stopped to look over the gorse for possible Dartford Warblers and Stonechats, but without luck. Probably hunkering down out of the wind! There were, however, plenty of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns flying by. As we continued on we looked carefully at the areas where we had seen Snipe earlier in the year, but the previously wet ground was dry and all we could see was a large flock of Linnets feeding on the grasses.
Looking to the seaward side of the path, John spotted a Sandwich Tern fly past. We then realised there were quite a few more terns on one of the spits of land further out. It was just after high tide so we moved down onto the shingle by the edge of the tide in the hopes of being protected from the wind (spolier: we were not!) and John set up the scope. Once again the birds were at the limit of my binoculars, but the scope revealed both Common and Sandwich Terns, and a lone Mediterranean Gull, its red bill and white eyering standing out against its black hood. A flock of around 30 Starlings, with juveniles calling among them, flew past beside us and we watched a couple of Pied Wagtails catching flies. While standing there, a short rain shower made me very glad I wore my waterproof clothes.
Continuing on our walk alongside the lagoons we saw lots of Avocets and Black-Tailed Godwits feeding, and a big group of adult and immature Great Black-backed Gulls sitting on the back edge of the lagoon. Other species present were Shelduck, Canada Geese, a few Mallards, Little Egrets and a Heron. John carefully scanned along the edge of the water and saw a Common Sandpiper, which I was very pleased about as it was a first of year bird for me.
We continued on the path below the seawall to escape the worst of the wind. Between the two big lagoons is a strip of scrub with small trees. This area is fenced off to protect the birds, but we usually hear a Wren and see a Robin at this point. No luck on this day with the Wren, but I did hear a Robin. Walking alongside the next lagoon (known as Fishtail Lagoon) towards our lunch spot we saw many of the same waders we had seen on the previous stretch of water. Luckily, the clouds had cleared by this point although it was still windy. the blue skies were a welcome sight.
There is a small channel of water leading to the sea at the end of Fishtail Lagoon, and we wandered inland to the bench where we planned to have lunch. I watched Little Terns fishing in the channel - they are a species I do not see often, and they don’t seem especially worried about people being nearby, so I attempted to take some photos of them in flight.
The bench was available so we sat and had a late lunch, watching terns fly by, some carrying small fish, and seeing distant views of Coots and Mute Swans. The Coots were chasing each other and creating quite a disturbance. There had been sightings of a Garganey here, but we were unlucky. I’ve only ever seen one once in my life, so it would have been a special bird if we had spotted it.
While having lunch I heard a Water Rail call briefly, and we saw a big flock of Black-tailed Godwits take to the air. As we watched them we realised we could see a Sparrowhawk amongst them, carrying prey in its claws. Maybe it had taken a Godwit chick and that was what sent the birds into flight. We spent some time scanning the flock looking for a possible Bar-tailed Godwit amongst them. We were primarily looking for a bird that did not have feet extending beyond its tail. But we couldn’t see any.
Three Ravens flew by, croaking as they went. It’s always a thrill to see these large corvids.
After lunch, John continued inland to search for the reported Little Ringed Plover. I looked for a while but the sun was in our line of sight and made for challenging viewing conditions. I went back towards the sea as the tide was now well out and birds would be feeding on the mudflats. I had a lovely view of Black-tailed Godwits and a Little Egret in the afternoon sunlight.
John messaged me to let me know he had found the Little Ringed Plovers, and I rushed back inland to see them. The view was not great, with dazzling sunlight reflecting off the mud and water. Looking through the scope didn’t make it much easier, especially as the birds seemed intent on facing away from us! I did eventually see one well enough to confirm the identification, with its yellow eye-rings and dark bill. Another first of year bird for me!
Heading back along the coast we kept a look out for possible Spoonbills and Greenshank, but without luck. We did have a lovely views of the Ravens again, as they landed in a field next us.
On our return leg, we bumped into Keith Betton, Chair of the Hampshire Ornithological Society and Janice Beck, founder of the Ladybirders sub-group. We chatted for a while about the birds seen and the upcoming Global BirdFair, which we will all be attending.
In other nature notes, I saw a caterpillar of the Lackey moth, a type of caterpillar I have not seen since childhood (but to be fair, I don’t look for insects that often). This one was determinedly making its way towards my foot as we ate lunch, and we eventually moved it onto some nearby grasses. As we finished lunch it was on its way back again towards my foot - clearly on a mission. Maybe I was sitting near its favourite food plant.
I also identified Common Mallow. This beautiful purple flower was everywhere. I mentioned to John that it reminded me of the cultivated mallow we have in our garden, and when we used the Seek app on it, we found it was called Common Mallow. I was quite pleased at my observation, considering I have limited knowledge of plants!
It was definitely a birding day to blow the cobwebs away, and it provided me with 49 species to add to my July list! My personal highlights were the close views of Ravens, the Little Terns fishing, and seeing Black-tailed Godwits in the afternoon sunlight.