Keyhaven - 29th September 2007

A cloudy, but mild afternoon. Highlights were Kingfishers, Peregrine, Hobby, Wheatear, Eiders and plenty of Little Egrets.

10 of us met outside the Gun Inn and set off along the road beside the harbour. A Kingfisher flew up along the harbour wall. For the next few minutes we caught glimpses of it flying around, but never saw it settled. Long-tailed Tits were in the bushes by Avon Flash and the Turnstones were in their normal place on the foreshore and resting on a small boat here. Roger found a Rock Pipit feeding on the foreshore and it was nice to get a good view of it. There was a lot of bird activity in bushes around the houses with several Chiffchaffs, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tits, a Jay, Chaffinches and Magpie. Mandy found some Goldfinches feeding on Teasels and we got great views through the telescope. A couple of Stonechats were in the long grass outside the last house. The tide was out and we stopped along the track to scan and see what birds were out there. John found a Wheatear on the track and out on the salt marsh there were a few Little Egrets feeding and some Teal and Curlew. A group of Sandwich Tern with one Common Tern and a Cormorant were perched on posts quite a long way out and on the further parts of the salt marsh waders could be seen flying about as the tide started coming in and covering the mud they were settled on. They were Grey Plover (some still in summer plumage with black bellies), Knot and Dunlin. John spotted something perched on a post a long way off. Through the telescope it could clearly be identified as a Peregrine. As we watched this groups of waders came and went. A few Shelduck and a Great-crested Grebe were seen on the mudflats and then another bird of prey appeared. A smaller falcon. It was a Hobby. It flew along the mudflats causing chaos with flocks of waders flying off. It tried to catch a couple of small birds, then flew past the Peregrine and eventually disappeared over Keyhaven Lagoon.
We wandered on to Keyhaven Lagoon. Quite a lot of Lapwing were on the far side with a few Greenshank. Several Shoveler were in the water and a Ringed Plover was found on the far side by Tracy. There were 14 Little Egrets feeding in the lagoon too. A Kingfisher appeared over the mudflats. It gave a great display, flying up and down the water occasionally hovering to look for fish. We all got good views of it. While we were watching it Dennis found a group of 4 Eider out on the sea and as we turned to leave a small group of Grey-lag Geese flew over. On the way back we saw another Wheatear and near the car park the Kingfisher was seen again briefly by Gaye.
Simon Curson.