Families of Common terns fishing off Meon Shore. Adult birds have orange bills, while juvenile birds have black and Yellow Bills
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Common Terns.
birdwatching
Catching the breeze.
A few hours taking in the cool sea breeze this evening.
Little Egret in the harbour at Titchfield Haven.
Flypast Oystercatchers heading inland as the tide comes in.
Common Terns fishing including some juveniles.
Large Herons.
Grey Heron and Great White Egret in competition for the same fishing spot and airspace at Titchfield Haven; after a bit of argy-bargy, they flew off in different directions.
Evening terns.
With the heat wave earlier in the week we stayed by the sea to catch the cooler sea breeze . Common Terns were fishing off the beach.
High drop.
Herring Gulls drop clams from a height, smashing them open on the stony shore to get a meal. It seems to take 2 or 3 drops to open them. The pictures tell the story.
Alone.
I watched a commotion: a mother duck flying at a Herring Gull. It was sad to see her give up, and the gull fly off with a duckling in its mouth. Walking the other side of the pond, I found her again with only one lone duckling trying to keep it in the water lilies for safety.
New Forest ponies taking a drink.
Magpie
Skylark.
Male skylarks will rise almost vertically from grassland, salt marshes and moorland. They hover effortlessly, singing from a great height. Normally, a speck in the sky, but a treat to hear. This bird was keeping its feet on the ground, singing like mad.
UK Conservation status: Red
A different view.
I was watching a Shelduck chick learning to dive, he would dive down, pushing off with his over large feet. He would then stop and just pop up to the surface. I felt it made an interesting sequence of pictures.
Coastal birds.
A few photographs of birds spotted along the coast while on our Pembrokeshire trip.
Herring Gull.
Oystercatcher.
Linnet.
Pipit.
Ruff.
I got to see several male Ruff at Slimbridge Wetland Centre yesterday. There is a small breeding population of ruff in the UK. The Ruff is a large Sandpiper; they get their name from the large ruff of feathers around the males’ neck when in breeding plumage. The colour of the ruff can be white, black or buff. I have seen a few of these birds in non-breeding plumage at the marshes locally to me in Lymington. These birds were fairly plain-looking waders – pale fawn-brown all over, with a paler belly.
