Keyhaven - Sun 3 Jan 2010

The weather was frosty, sunny and fine! Highlights were Eider duck, Dartford Warbler and Snipe.

17 of us met in the car park opposite the Gunn Inn at Keyhaven. Avon Flash (just over the road from the car park) was frozen over and just had 2 Mute Swan and a Heron. As usual there were some Turnstone on the wall of the harbour edge. The reed-fringed pool opposite the harbour just had Mallards and Teal at the back of it and a Little Grebe on it.
We walked around the harbour edge. Several Brent Geese and a Little Grebe were feeding on the water and many Black-tailed Godwit roosting on the other side of the harbour. The tide was high and rising, so there were few waders about, but we did see some distant Dunlin, Grey Plover and Curlew. Lyz then found a wonderful male Eider with some distant Brent Geese and there were a few Pintail out there. The frozen wet grassland had a few Snipe and Redshank on it. We also saw Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Rock Pipit and Skylark feeding on the paths and beach.
The first large lagoon, Keyhaven Lagoon, was mostly frozen, but there were quite a few Teal, Wigeon, Pintail and Mallard with some Black-tailed Godwit, Shoveler and Redshank. As we passed some Gorse by Keyhaven Lagoon several people had brief views of a Dartford Warbler. Some people also saw a Tufted Duck out in the harbour.
We walked on to Fishtail Lagoon and saw more Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Pintail, Mallard, 2 Gadwall and Oystercatcher. Just before we turned back a large flock of Brent Geese flew over calling and wheeled around before landing in the harbour – they make a spectacular sight. On the sea there was a pair of Red-breasted Merganser quite a long way off. We walked back seeing much the same and finally saw a Great-spotted Woodpecker fly past and stop briefly on a telegraph pole!
Simon Curson