birds

Not for the shops!

/ Andy Finnegan / Leave a comment

Well, we did not go far today a couple of hours into the City. Not for the shops but for a walk around one of Southampton Parks.

Berlin Express leaving the container port. Wishing her a safe trouble free trip. This German-flagged containership is heading for Algeciras in Spain.

Some views of Southampton Water from Mayflower Park.

City Birdlife.

Winter birding.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

I always find on a winter morning when the sun is out it is good to watch small birds today was again good for Long-tailed Tits. Also, a few Duncocks were about and a well-puffed-up Blue Tit obviously feeling the cold!

Magpie.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

There are many variations of the Magpie rhyme, but one of the most common versions is the version that I know :-

One for Sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss.
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.

2024.

/ Andy Finnegan / 3 Comments

Into another year – doesn’t time fly? It seems only the other day it was a new century. It seemed everyone was out for a New Year’s walk this morning.

The “pink” ferry across the Hamble River was doing a good trade. Running on demand from Hamble village to Warsash the fare is £2.50 each way. Today’s walk was a regular route from Swanwick Marina to Warsash and back a 4-mile round trip. All on the flat.

All the usual bird sightings along the river.

Brent Geese.

Curlew. Being our largest wader it is only a bit smaller than a Brent Goose.

  • Curlew – Wingspan80-100cm
  • Brent Goose – Wingspan110-120cm

Male Wigeon followed by 2 pictures of the female.

Greenshank.

Grey Plover.

Chasing the tideline.

/ Andy Finnegan / 5 Comments

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.