A pictorial record of a short walk along a small New Forest stream.
Along a New Forest stream.
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Around the airport.
Views around Southampton Airport. Under the flight path.
Taken.
Raven – taking off with lunch.
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).
It is in the wind.
MHI Vestas, employs around 50 people at the former Fawley Power Station site. The company brings wind turbine blades to Fawley by special boat. The blades are manufactured on the Isle of Wight, where more than 700 people are employed. Each blade is 262 feet long. They are stored at Fawley after being finished and painted. They are then taken by sea to Portsmouth where they are then taken on to their wind farm sites.
Moon
View of the moon tonight from my garden.
fuji HX2s with 150-600mm. handheld 60th sec.
Chasing the tideline.
An enjoyable morning at the coast watching one of my favourite shoreline birds the Sanderlings. My last outing of 2024 and although stormy I could settle down behind one of the groins and watch these little birds dancing with the waves.
The name derives from Old English sand-yrðling, “sand-ploughman”. These little birds are in the Sandpiper family they are a passage migrant spending the winter on our coast before going north to their breeding grounds their Arctic breeding grounds.
11,11.
Weather warning.
Storn Ciarán is set to hit the UK this evening an amber weather warning has been issued which means ‘danger to life’ there are warnings for “very strong winds”. Coastal regions could be lashed by 90-mile winds with possible flying debris, blown-off roofs and power cuts expected across the country. Heavy rain with flooding in front of the storm is predicted
With this in mind, I decided to cancel tomorrow’s planned New Forest walk.
Between this morning’s showers and using the hides for cover, we spent a few hours at Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve and on Meon Shore.
Many duck numbers are increasing here on the South Coast as wintering birds start to arrive.
The Northern Shoveler, known simply in the UK as the Shoveler, is a widespread duck. This duck has a large ‘spade-like’ bill. The male is brightly coloured and the female is light brown in colour.
Another dabbling duck is the Gadwall. Only a small number of Gadwall nest in the UK, but large numbers winter here.
The Teal is a pretty small duck. The UK is home to a significant percentage of the north-west European wintering population.
On the shore, Sanderlings have also arrived from their Northern breeding grounds.
Dragonflies
With the recent hot spell, Dragonflies have been abundant during the week.
Picture heavy post of some of the best – all spotted in Hampshire.
Continued Reflections from my World. 