Sanderlings have a distinctive run/walk this is partly due to only having 3 toes on each foot, they are missing the hind toe. They run like wind-up little clockwork toys.
Like clock-work.
the Solent & Southampton Water,
Sea Hare.
Commonly known as sea hares, The clade Anaspidea are medium-sized to large opisthobranch gastropod molluscs with a soft internal shell made of protein. Sorting out some memory sticks I came across these pictures I took at Meon Shore Beach in the summer of 2019. I have only ever found 2 of these interesting creatures and have not seen one since this sighting.
Common Linnet.
These finches were once very popular caged birds because of their tuneful song. Males are marked with crimson foreheads and chests, and females are much browner.
According to the RSPB web page, the Linnet numbers have dropped over the past few decades, with the UK population estimated to have fallen by 57% between 1970 and 2014.
( 1st picture is a male bird the second is a female).
Common White Throat.
This bird is a summer visitor to the UK from Africa, this small, warbler frequents hedgerow and scrubby areas and can be seen singing from the top of bushes. They are here from April to October this bird was on the coast near Portsmouth.
Great Black-backed Gull.
second year Juvenile.
Turnstone.
A picture post.
SM520.
Spitfire SM520 was built by Vickers Armstrong at their Castle Bromwich factory in 1944 as a single seat Mark H.F.IXe high level fighter and delivered to the RAF on 23 November of that year. With the war in Europe coming to an end she was placed in storage until 1948 when she was sold to the South African Air Force.
After a major flying incident, SM520 was scrapped but was saved and went into private ownership. Later she was converted to a two-seater.
By the sea.
Sometimes by the sea, the bird spots are not just coastal birds today, it was good to see both a Dartford Warbler and a Yellow Wagtail.
Turn the other way and a sea view shows a Pilot Launch heading out to meet an incoming freighter.
Erosion.
An example of coastal erosion at Baton on Sea on the edge of the New Forest.
Movements.
Longshore drift is a geological process that involves transporting sediments such as single and pebbles along a coast parallel to the shoreline. It is dependent on the angle of the incoming wave direction. Incoming wind squeezes water along the coast, which generates a water current which moves parallel to the coast. Longshore drift is the sediment moved by this longshore current. This current and sediment movement occurs within the surf zone.
Longshore drift has happened along Meon Shore over the years I have watched the shoreline change with shingle spits changing and growing and the beach make-up changes as the shingle size changes. Wooden groins slow the currents and help stop erosion. The small harbour at Titchfield Haven entrance gets blocked up as stones and sand get dropped in that area as the currents slow and can not hold their weight as they slow. This week the sailing club has been moving the shingle back from the harbour mount to fill in the area on the spit that is being eroded with it.
A day out is not complete without some nature watching.
Continued Reflections from my World. 