the Solent & Southampton Water,

Hamble point.

/ Andy Finnegan / 2 Comments

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.

Think Pink.

/ Andy Finnegan / 9 Comments

Another walk along the River Hamble today – yesterday we had a flurry of snow although it did not lay this morning’s walk was bitter with a biting wind blowing down the river.

The ferry on the Hamble between Warsash and Hamble-le-Rice today is an ‘on-demand’ passenger ferry service is summoned via mobile phones – when my boys were small you had to jump up and down until the ferryman spotted you. What has also changed is the waiting shelter on the riverbank and the ferry which are all today painted a bright pink were then blue.

Records show there has been a ferry on the site dating back to 1493 when the crossing was part of a pilgrim’s route. The ferry now provides a link for local, and national footpaths such as the  Solent Way and the National Cycle Route 2.

A pair of Shelduck on the mud they are large ducks that are about the size of a small goose.

A Little Egret fishing as the tide comes in.

Black-tailed Godwits (+ a couple of Brent Geese) holding onto the last part of the land as the tide comes in.

Edit extra picture from one of my previous blogs. Ferry waiting hut.

Getting ready for summer.

/ Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

Further Pictures of Black-tailed Godwits

In April or early May, wintering Black-tailed Godwits will soon undertake their journey back to their breeding ground in Iceland. Most will have left by mid-April or early May. Before this journey, they will need to build up their energy and the rather boring grey plumage, is discarded, to be replaced by their summer colourful, feathers. The rich breeding colours act as camouflage in the habitats of the bird’s nesting grounds.

Full Summer Colours.
Starting to change to summer colours.

Godwits get quite vocal and have little spats over the areas where they are feeding especially if they encroach on each other’s space.

A duck’s life.

/ Andy Finnegan / 8 Comments

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.

Black-tailed Godwit.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

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.

/ Andy Finnegan / 6 Comments

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.