A mornings walk down the Hamble River from Bursledon to Warash – bird watching as the tide slowly comes in.
Little Egrets. There were at least 8 different birds on different bits of the river.
Down the river
birdwatching
Curlew on the shore.
The curlew is the largest European wading bird. There were around 10 birds on the mudflats at the edge of the incoming tide catching small crabs at Lepe Beach on the edge of the New Forest. They also feed on worms, shellfish and shrimps. The UK breeding population is around 58,500 pairs and the wintering population increases to some 125,000 birds.
UK conservation status: Red.
Thinking of fish.
Some views of a Grey Heron.
I thought this photograph gives a good chance to see the size of the Grey Heron with a Little Egret.
White.
The Little Egret is a small, white heron. They feed on small fish and crustaceans. Once a very rare visitor from the Mediterranean but today they are a common bird in the UK. I often see more Little egrets than Grey Herons on a trip out.
Return of the Snipe.
The numbers of Snipe have started to increase as we approach winter. In winter, birds from northern Europe join our resident birds. The RSPB states there are around 80,000 breeding pairs of these birds in the UK this numbers increase to over 1 million birds.
Willy Wagtails.
Pied wagtail
UK breeding: 470,000 pairs
Grey Wagtail.
UK breeding: 38,000 pairs
Bird feeding post.
Nuthatch feeding post in the New Forest.
It is worth watching the film with the sound on.
Marsh Harrier hunting.
#Wordless Wednesday.
Turnstones on the shore.
These little waders like rocky shores as well as sandy and muddy coastal beaches. Here on Meon Shore, they feed between the rocks they look in the seaweed, and will feed by picking up food from under stones. They eat small insects, crustaceans and molluscs. These birds are known as just Turnstones here and in Europe but worldwide they are known as Ruddy Turnstones.
Ibis on the beach.
#Wordless Wednesday. {posted Tuesday evening!}
Continued Reflections from my World. 