Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria L.) Titchfield Haven

Undertook two successful trips to Titchfield Haven to catch up with the very showy Barred warbler which had been giving confiding views in the Visitor Centre garden since the 3rd of Dec. The bird being originally seen on the 19th Nov by a number of observers - but then went unreported until the 3rd of December.

We visited on the 10th December and enjoyed exceptional views minutes after our arrival. However, because the weather forecast had been so dreadful, I had left the camera at home. As such, I only managed a cheeky phone video on the day .. 3 seconds of distant grainy grey flutter as it flew across the path in front of us.

This morning I returned, camera in tow with the 200mm lens only - as the 400mm is still awaiting repair! The food plant it had previously fed on was denuded of berries. The bird had been seen - albeit briefly - an hour before my arrival, by the pond on the eastern side of the reserve. It took almost another hour before it was relocated in the hedge line of the car park by the Sailing Club.

Having been refound the bird soon flushed back to the hedgerow leading to the Visitor Centre garden gradually making it's way back to a berry-full cotoneaster, where by it gave crippling views for about 15-20mins - feeding then skulking - feeding then skulking - before disappearing into a dense dogwood and out of sight. Even with the 200mm lens I was struggling to get the camera to work fast enough to freeze the motion. In all the ISO went up so high - I could only hope for a grainy record shot - and I was not to be disappointed!

Barred warbler (Cropped record shot)

Titchfield Haven - some lesser noted species, and a GYL

An afternoon's trip to Titchfield Haven NNR was rewarded with the deafening cacophony of breeding black-headed gulls, their young an assortment of ageing unfledged forms varying from brown balls of black spotted down, to the large grey youngsters that resemble waders out of the corners of your eyes. A single pair of med gulls, amongst them, the female still sitting on unhatched eggs. Avocet youngsters mimicked their parents scooping at the surface of the water, one pair with four(!) young at the water's edge.

Drifting between the hides on the northern side of the reserve, hoping for a glimpse of the GYL - we stopped at the Darters Dip bridge, watching a four spotted chaser patrol its territory - battling off usurpers - from its favourite perch on a dead stick wet ditch side.

Below in the ditch, a small shoal of chubb swam, easily disturbed by a shadow cast from, or heavy footfall on the wooden planks of the bridge. A brilliant green female damselfly - hastily identified as a banded demoiselle - as much on habitat expectations as features noted - shone amongst its duller cousins.

A solitary painted lady flighty in the wake of passing disinterested birders, failed to settle, flushing frequently before heading west along the path.

A quick drag up to the Posbrook Floods, and we were able to connect with the GYL, staring intently at a clump of rush some 40-50m away for about twenty minutes, before the bird finally appeared mid-clump like a shy actor emerging from between the stage curtains. Too far away to bother with a record shot, we watched the bird a while, as it preened, roosted did little else of note.

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides L.), Titchfield Haven NNR

record shots only

"Breaking the law, breaking the law" ..

kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) breaking the local byelaws
grainy photo courtesy of phone camera

60+ Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus L.) at Titchfield Haven

Accipiter nisus L.

Titchfield Haven - birding highlights

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.

Titchfield Haven - birding highlights

Panurus biarmicus

A visit to Titchfield Haven brought good views of a small flock 9(10) of bearded reedlings Panurus biarmicus feeding on Phragmites australis just inside the south gate.
Unusual for this site a flock of golden plover Pluvias apricaria roosted amongst lapwing Vanellus vanellus on the south scrapes northern bank. The scrapes themselves were completely frozen over leaving the waders to roost in all but single specie flocks on the small islands, whilst BH gulls Larus ridibundus flocked directly on the ice. 3 avocet recurvirostra avosetta were also noted.
A single bittern Botaurus stellaris was seen in flight heading up river at around 13:10 mobbed by two BH gulls.

Branta leucopsis from Knightsbank hide

Arenaria interpres Hill Head harbour

Recurvirostra avosetta single bird on north scrape with Vanelluss vanellus

A rare autumn passage migrant at Titchfield Haven

An adult aquatic warbler Acrocephalus paludicola generated a whole lot of excitement early this morning for both bird-ringers and paying public alike, when it was ringed and released at Titchfield Haven N.N.R. The aquatic warbler whilst in passing resembles the sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus stands out from the latter due to its bright cream-coloured central crown-stripe and it's streaked back, rump and upper tail-coverts. The bird was aged as an adult because of its streaked underparts. This rare autumn passage migrant was last recorded in Hampshire in September 2007 when a 1st yr bird was ringed and released - again at Titchfield Haven.

This migrant passes through the South of England in the autumn en-route from it's breeding grounds in Eastern Europe to West Africa where it will over-winter.

The aqautic warbler is a SPEC 1 species with Unfavourable conservation concern (global concern) and also a RED List and UK BAP priority species.

For the author the bird was both a Life list and Hampshire bird tick.

Preening and bathing birds at Titchfield Haven 16th August 2009

At Titchfield Haven we caught up again with this years juv Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta resting and preening in front of the Meon Shore Hide.

Common Terns Sterna Hirundo were also in abundance including a large number of juvs like the bathing bird below:

Titchfield Haven, National Nature Reserve [NNR]

Titchfield Haven is an NNR situated at the mouth of the River Meon which discharges into the Solent at Hill Head, the site is managed by Hampshire County Council.

It holds one of the only two breeding populations of Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta in Hampshire. Last years breeding attempts at the Haven though at first hopeful with 11 chicks hatched - disappointingly failed after they all became prey to the local pale phase buzzard Buteo buteo prior to any fledging. The photo below is of the last Haven avocet chick of 2008 just two days before it was lost.

Avocet chick Titchfield Haven 5th June 2008 (own library)

This year the Haven has had more success, following an active management plan by which the local buzzard is fed with carrion from a feeding platform further up the reserve and away from the scrapes. The buzzard was fed from the start of the breeding season and still continues to be fed whilst the avocets remain on site. Currently two pairs of avocets have successfully raised six young to date, who on todays evidence, appear strong enough to be out of the parents sight and feeding alone across the scrapes.

The adult birds are one of the most charismatic waders breeding in the UK, and it is no wonder that they continue to remain the icon of the RSPB.

Evidence of more recent breeding activity was also apparent with these three young moorhen Fulica atra chicks making demands on a parent that has probably already raised a brood or two this year.

Another member of the rail family, Rallidae, was showing well for a while in contrast to its usual skulking reputation amongst the reeds and flora of the waters edge. The water rail Rallus aquaticus only usually shows it presence by its call a squealing wail that is reminiscent of a stuck pig. However, at the Haven these birds always seem to give particularly good value.

These are the first videos I have attempted shooting using a combination of both digital camera and telescope - on a tripod which is getting older and stickier more quickly than I am - so please accept my apologies for the quality of footage.