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| Black-tailed Godwits in formation © Chris Robinson |
Starting out towards Sturt
Pond from the adjacent car park at 10 am under a cold grey sky, the tide was
coming in with high tide due at 12.30 pm.
We saw Rooks and Wood Pigeons in the car park, while Black-headed Gulls
and a Great Black-backed Gull hovered over the sea. At the pond were Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck, Mallard,
Black-tailed Godwit (one in breeding plumage), Redshank and a Little Egret.
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| Common Teal © Richard Smith |
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| Little Egret © Richard Smith |
Walking alongside the
channel below the spit we enjoyed an excellent view of a Little Egret feeding
in the channel, shaking each leg in turn to dislodge its prey from the mud. As we reached the footbridge we encountered a
flock of twenty-two Mute Swans and looking out towards the spit a flock of more
than fifty Brent Geese.
Walking across the
footbridge and taking the road towards Keyhaven we saw Pied Wagtail on the
road. Looking out over the water and mud
we saw Oystercatchers, Curlew, Pintail, Redshank and Teal. Taking a gate on the right to follow a path
by the water we stopped to look at a Sea Mayweed un-seasonally in flower, and
noticed the leaves of Spotted Medick along the path side.
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Sea Mayweed © Julia Race
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| Spotted Medick leaves © Julia Race |
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The sun came out and
the sky brightened, in the water we spotted Dunlin, Spoonbill and Grey Plover. Looking inland, a Roe Deer rested in the sun
with a Pheasant in the nearby field, and a Jay heard. A female Stonechat was found in the nearby
hedge and a Wren in the reeds.
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| Stonechat - female © Chris Robinson |
As we re-traced our
steps a Skylark dropped into the field and a Reed Bunting was seen by the
channel. Stopping in the hide by Sturt
Pond we saw Collared Dove, Cormorant, Redshank, Teal and Jackdaw. JR & AJ
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| Reed Bunting - male © Chris Robinson |
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Our route
© Crown copyright 2023 Ordnance Survey. Media 006/23.
The licence is valid until 31 December 2023 |
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