Late decision made this morning to bird between the rainfall, so headed to Titchfield Haven to make use of the hides .. water levels still very high on the scrapes. The usual winter wildfowl and waders present and the golden plover Pluvialis apricia flock remains on site numbering circa 170 birds. Snipe Gallinago gallinago although in small numbers seemed exceptionally visible today and several were seen in flight between scrape shore and islands.
Brownwich Cliffs added a new bird to my lifelist in the form of 3 x velvet scoter Melanitta fusca a trio have been reported regularly in the stretch between Hill Head and Chilling since 27th January 10 although winter 09/10 reports of individual birds being seen in that area date from the start of December 09. This is the second scoter sp. I have seen this year having picked up on a single common scoter Melanitta nigra on the LTC count Farlington Marshes in early January.
Also present on the sea were 3 x great northern diver Gavia immer; 15 x great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus; and 2 x red breasted merganser Mergus serrator.
Hook with Warsash was a complete wash out adding insult to injury when I returned home and checked the going birding website http://www.goingbirding.co.uk/hants/ to see I had dipped on two firecrest Regulus ignicapillus and a bittern Botaurus stellaris all three of whom were seen late in the day about 25m away from where my car was parked.
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