Warsash towards Hook.

January 17, 2022January 17, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

Today we decided to walk from Warsash quay at the mouth of the River Hamble down Southampton Water towards Hook.

Some different birds spotted as well as some usuals.

A little way from the car park at Warsash you pass Warsash Maritime Academy which is part of Solent University. It is said to be the only maritime training provider of its kind in the world. Offering150 accredited deck, engineering, interior, maritime and offshore training courses.

Ship lifeboat training station always looks interesting. Training was taking place as we passed by.

There were a lot of Wigeon just off the beach. A medium-sized duck they are an Amber List species

Wigeons breed in central and northern Scotland and also in northern England. In the winter large numbers visit UK sites, from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia.

UK breeding:400 pairs

UK wintering:440,000 birds

A little Egret and a Turnstone.

There were a number of Curlew on our walk a bird we tend to see across Southampton Water at Fawley and very rarely in Titchfield Haven.

The Curlew is the largest European wading bird, recognisable by its long, downcurved bill.

UK breeding:66,000 pairs

UK wintering:140,000 individuals

A Redshank feeding on worms.

Pigeon Battle.

January 17, 2022January 17, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

A visit to Warsash this morning for a walk on a bright frosty morning. On the quay is a memorial to D-Day Combined operations.

In front of the memorial a pair of pigeons battled – or it may have mating but it looked more like war than love to me – feathers were shed.

A rare spot.

January 16, 2022January 16, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 6 Comments

I had only ever seen a Bittern once before many years ago and that was a fleeting glimpse but Friday at Titchfield Haven I saw another, this time was a good fly past and I was able to get a few distant photographs.

The Bittern is a member of the Heron family. They are said to be Britain’s loudest bird, Male bitterns begin to boom as early as late January to establish territories and attract mates.

The recorded numbers of Bittern’s in the UK is small at 80 males with at total population of about 600 birds in Winter.

Nuts about nuts!

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

The nuthatch is about the size of a Great Tit they are a distinctive bird with an orange breast, blue-grey wings and compact build. It has a long, powerful beak and a black streak running across its eye. To me they look like a small woodpecker.

In the summer much of their diet is made up of invertebrates, In winter, the species feeds on seeds and nuts.

Chaffinches.

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 / Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

The Chaffinch is a common, sparrow-sized finch of gardens, woodland, parks and farmland. they can regularly be spotted in woodland car parks where they home in on picnickers looking for an easy meal.

Leg lesions, commonly known as ‘scaly leg’ or ‘tassel foot’, are growths on the legs and feet seen in finches across Europe. Leg lesions in Chaffinches are one of the most frequently observed signs of ill health in British garden birds. It is said to be caused by both a mite and viral infection that cause leg lesions and is thought to be transmitted by contact. Most affected birds continue to live normally. Although birds with severe lesions can become lame so are increasingly vulnerable to predation.

The male Chaffinch is a colourful garden bird with a blue-grey crown, brown back and pink breast. Females are pale brown and have white shoulder patches and wing bars.