Keyhaven walk 18 April

The weather was sunny and fine! Highlights were Little Ringed Plover, Little Owl, Whimbrel, Common Scoter, Mediterranean Gull, Knot, Pintail, Sand Martin, Cetti’s Warbler and the first Whitethroat of the year.

This was the last of the Project Fred walks in the foreseeable future, so we were hoping for a memorable wander.
We met on the roadside at the base of Hurst Spit at 9am. There were a few Brent Geese, Black-tailed Godwit and Black-headed Gull on the mudflats and many Sand Martin and a couple of Swallows overhead. We walked up on the shingle spit and did a bit of a seawatch, but it was very quiet due to the good weather. We were pleased to see 4 Common Scoter sitting on the sea a little way out and a couple of Gannet were seen very far out. We walked from there along the front to the car park opposite the Gun Inn, seeing Greenshank, Shelduck and a few Whimbrel on the way. Mandy and Arun joined us for a short while.
Avon Flash (just over the road from the car park) was very quiet and had a Moorhen and some Mallard and an Oystercatcher. As usual there were some Turnstone on the shingle at the harbour edge. The reed-fringed pool opposite the harbour just had Mallards and Coot. Lyz spotted a Little Owl at the window of a derelict barn.
We walked around the harbour edge. There were more Black-tailed Godwit and Oystercatcher here. We got brief views of a Willow Warbler in some scrub and a Buzzard settled on top of a distant bush.
The first lagoon, Keyhaven Lagoon, had quite a few birds on, mostly Shelduck. There was also some Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, a Greenshank, a Canada Goose with a Barnacle Goose, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and surprisingly a Pintail. Stonechat and Reed Bunting were also seen here. The next lagoon, Fishtail Lagoon, was far more flooded than usual and there were still a fair amount of ducks here. Mallards, Shoveler, Teal, a few Gadwall, a Wigeon and a few pairs of Tufted Duck. Lyz found a Little Ringed Plover on one of the islands. A little further and we scanned the mudflats getting brief views of Dunlin, Knot, Grey Plover and a Ringed Plover. A pair of Mediterranean Gull flew over calling. The scrub beside Fishtail Lagoon had a few birds including our first Whitethroats of the year and we managed to glimpse a Cetti’s Warbler! We walked back beside Fishtail and then along the back of the lagoons. The freshwater pool had a few Mallard and Lapwing and a Chiffchaff singing close by. Altogether a wonderful walk.
Simon Curson