#Wordless Wednesday.
“flight”.
Nature on the beach
Time on the shore.
A few hours bird watching on Meon Shore.
Groups of Turnstones – feeding – washing – and chilling at the edge of the sea.
Off shore.
A Common Tern fishing off the beach on the Solent. The meal of the day is small flat fish.
The terns are back.
The terns are back in town. Common Terns have arrived back at Meon Shore on the Solent and will be heading into Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve soon to nest.
Still here.
Seven Sanderlings were on Meon Shore yesterday morning feeding on the incoming tide I had not seen any for several weeks normally by now most have returned to their Arctic breeding grounds and I thought they had all left. Normally I see only the odd bird this time of year which has decided to stay on our shores. Interestingly these birds remain in their winter plumage and not changed to their breeding colours where their backs heads and wings change to a light brown.
Action in the colony
The black-headed gull is the UKs commonest small gull. The black-headed gull has actually a chocolate-brown head in the breeding season (In the winter their heads turn to mainly white ). I have posted pictures many times before as they are a common sight both on the coast and inland area where we live. There is a large breeding colony within Titchfield haven nature reserve. Now we are into April the colony is noisy with birds displaying pairing up and squabbling over nest spots. Many bird watchers will overlook this spectacle for rarer birds that visit our shores. Apart from the noise each year I look forward to this gull’s breeding season.
Length: 35-38cm
Wingspan: 1m
Weight: 250-330g
Average lifespan: 11 years
Black-headed Gulls are opportunistic feeders, they will eat most things taking invertebrates and plant materials, seeds bread, and are fond of chips thrown by tourists at the seaside.
Hamble point.
A quick stop at Hamble Point at the mouth of Southampton Water where it meets the Solent.
The gorse is now fully out in flowers and the smell of the flowers fills the air with their strong scent which is like the smell of coconut.
Greenfinches were a common sight when I was a child, especially on the bird table. I rarely see them today however, I spotted a pair feeding around the gorse flowers. (The male is darker in colour and is in the pictures I have posted 1st).
Another nice spot in the gorse was a small flock of long-tailed tits.
A duck’s life.
Not a nice side of a duck’s life. SENSITIVE CONTENT.
While theoretically monogamous, Mallard ducks will often engage in what used to be called “rape chases,” but are now known as “forced copulations.” This involves several males chasing a female and then forcefully mating with her – So brutal is the act it has resulted in the female’s death when she has been drowned by the males holding her head underwater.
In Titchfield Harbour 9 males Mallards pindown a single female.
She was able to get herself out of the water and onto the beach.
Finally, the brutal attack was over and she was able to get away.
It is all in the name!
Turnstone turn stones looking for food – they spend most of their time walking on the shore and climbing over rocks, picking out food from under stones & seaweeds
An afternoon at the Beach.
Thursday I spent some time on the beach and filmed the flock of Sanderlings enjoying the afternoon’s sun.
This post is a movie only, Please note it runs for a little over 8 minutes. Is best viewed on a phone screen & the sound is only the beach and wind so best watched on low volume or off.
Continued Reflections from my World. 