beach & tideline

Take off.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

Kestrel hunting by the Beach at Titchfield Haven.

One of the few books I had to read at school.

A Kestrel for a Knave is a novel by English author Barry Hines, published in 1968. The book is set in an unspecified mining town in Northern England. It follows Billy Casper, a young working-class boy troubled at home and at school. He finds and trains a kestrel, whom he names “Kes”. It was made into a  film directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett,

Sad find.

/ Andy Finnegan / 8 Comments

A dead 3-foot shark on the beach – A Smooth Hound, also known as Grumpy Shark and a Smut. Listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Sadly, fishing killed this fish. It was held in the water by 4 lead weights and 30 feet of broken fishing line.

Fishing line is a major hazard on our local beaches, especially to waders and Swans.

Dunlin.

/ Andy Finnegan / 4 Comments

I’m up with the light today and taking a walk up the Hamble River. I have good views of Dunlin, a small wader similar to Sanderlings. The Sanderlings favour the sandy beach at Meonshore, whereas the Dunlin like the mud to feed in the tidal river.

A rare duck.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

A first in the wild on the South Coast for me today. A Long-Tailed Duck in Southampton Water off Hill Head today.

The Long-tailed Duck is a winter visitor to UK coastal waters, arriving from their arctic breeding grounds. The majority of these wintering birds in the UK are seen in the north, around Shetland, Orkney, and northeast Scotland. Smaller numbers are found further south along England’s east coast.

These sea ducks were formerly known as the “Oldsquaw” .