the Solent & Southampton Water,

Black-tailed Godwit.

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Black-tailed godwits are a large wader. In winter they are rather dull and grey in colour. Now as we approach the summer they colour up their chests and bellies become a bright orangey-brown

They have distinctive long beaks and legs.

Wintering numbers in the UK are about 44,000 birds from the Icelandic population.

Black-tailed godwits breeding range stretching from Iceland to the far east of Russia. 

A film of Godwits on the River Hamble. (filmed into the sun so not as good quality as I would have liked)

followed by stills taken from the film.

Curlew.

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Curlew bird observation and facts. Today’s bird watching walk up the Hamble River gave some really good views of some Curlews. It is an easily recognizable bird by its size and downcurved bill.

The Curlew is a large wader (in fact it is the largest European wader). It is about the size of a female pheasant. They are ground-nesting birds on wet grasslands, farmland, heath and moors this can be miles away from the coast.

Some 140,000 birds winter in the UK with about 66,000 breeding pairs

I have added the call of a Curlew over the sound on my short film.

An afternoon at the Beach.

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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.

After storm 3!

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Another stormy night as the 3rd storm lashes the UK in as many days. Many trees are down on local roads and places closed. Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve remains closed since the end of last week as authorities need to check the trees are safe.

The Red Funnel Isle of Wight ferry was having a choppy crossing this morning. Some services were cancelled over the weekend.

A workforce was out repairing the seawall at Titchfield Harbour.

On the shore, Sanderlings were feeding at the water’s edge and out of the wind. Sitting down on the beach using one of the groynes as a windbreak I was able to take some pictures as the feed today clams seem to be on the menu.

The ringed bird is a regular bird that I see on Meon Shore.

Getting to know you.

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Black-headed gulls have started to pair up – and hence the “noise” has returned To Titchfield Haven. The screech of their call extends all around the reserve and will dominate until nesting season ends at the end of the summer.

Some of the birds are starting to get the breeding colours – their heads are changing to dark brown -which at a quick glance appears black and where these birds get their name from.

The bird below with yellow bill and legs almost caught me out as to what it was but it is a Black-headed gull in first winter colours so probably one of the chicks from last year returning to its nest site.

Ashlett Creek.

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View towards Southampton Water.

Ashlett Creek is a tidal inlet on the New Forest side of Southampton Water near Fawley. The creek is only accessible at high tide. There has been a mill on the site dating back to medieval times. The mill is a Grade II listed building that was built in 1816 and milled corn until it closed around 1910. Ashlett mill was a tidal mill – a mill driven by tidal rise and fall. The tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one-way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide begins to fall. When the tide is low enough, the stored water can be released to turn the mill wheel. Flat bottomed sailing barges were used to load and unload grain, salt and other supplies. A Victorian Quay was built in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

The Mill.
Mill pond.

The Jolly Sailor, a 160-year-old pub is an old smuggler’s inn near the mill.

Birds in the Mill pond.