Normandy Marshes - 10th October

Highlights were Kingfisher, Golden Plover, Whinchat, Greenshank and Knot.

A sunny warm day with quite a few migrants still around. We left the car park and walked along the sea wall. One of the first birds we saw was a Kingfisher at a swimming pool! It sat on a railing and then flew off over the sea. We looked over the mouth of the Lymnington river to the mudflats on the other side. There were quite a few waders here. Lapwings, Turnstone, Redshank, Curlew, a few Black-tailed Godwit and several Golden Plover in amongst the Lapwing. A little further on we saw both Wheatear and a Whinchat. Migration was also obvious by the Swallows and Meadow Pipits passing overhead.
Normandy Lagoon had plenty of waders and wildfowl on it. Many Teal, Wigeon and Redshank, but we were surprised to see 9 Greenshank on one of the islands. Eight Acre Pond was quiet, save for about 5 Little Grebe, but the mudflats on the other side of the path had several waders roosting and feeding. These included many Ringed Plover, some Dunlin, a Grey Plover and a young Knot. We turned inland and bumped into a tit flock. There were Great, Coal, Blue, Marsh and Long-tailed Tit and some Goldcrest. As we walked back along the lanes some of the fields had many Lapwing and Rook and one field had a few Stock Dove in it.
Simon Curson