Pennington Marshes - 26th September

As it turned out i did manage to catch up with the Semi-palmated Sandpiper at Pennington Marshes, it showed well though to far away for good photos, with a group of Dunlin and associated closely at times with a Little Stint giving a nice comparison. I had assumed i would dip this one but the Sabine's Gulls at Sturt pond do continue to elude me.

Wrong place wrong time - 24th Sept

My week off work is just about at an end and Pallid Harrier was the undoubted highlight. In Hampshire terms I've been very unlucky. I've tried to cover most of the key sites and found very little of note. Just to rub it in good birds have literally turned up at sites I have visited the day or two days before, on days when I have other commitments. Some days I wish I was possessed by a simpler hobby, but that would be no fun would it.

Richard Ford - Wildlife Photography
http://www.digitalwildlife.co.uk

More pictures of the Pallid Harrier, Burpham, West Sussex – 21st Sept 2011

Pallid Harrier, Burpham, West Sussex – 21st Sept 2011

What a bird, What a bird……

One of those twitches that had everything for me, we didn’t have to wait to long before it showed. When it did it showed for prolonged periods and performed brilliantly. If you were in the right place at the right time it showed well at close range allowing scrutiny of id features and good photographs. This bird has character, it gets a lot of attention from the local corvids, Kestrels and Buzzards give it hassle but it gives it back, on more than one occasion we saw it have a go at Crows and a Kestrels almost for fun, we watched it successfully hunting, feeding, preening and chasing Partridges (don’t tell the local game keeper) and best of all it looks AWSOME……

Here are a couple of photos, not doubt there will be more when I have sorted through them.

I also saw the Weir Wood Res, Long-toed Stint today (if that is what it is) which by comparison just isn’t worth mentioning.

Pennington to Farlington - 18th Sept

I'm just about start another week off work and though i wont be able to get out every day i do hope to cover the Langstone Hbr area as much as possible with a few trips further afield and maybe out of county if necessary. Fingers crossed for some good birds and with any luck it will be me that finds them!!


Today i spent the morning and early afternoon a Pennington Marshes in the hope of connecting with the the Bairds Sandpiper again ideally on the Shoveler pools which has to be the only place with a chance of it being close enough for good photos. No sign all day despite plenty of people looking though it was reported early AM and late PM, to put it diplomatically those reports surprised me!! Hmmm.... anyway Grey Phal on the Normandy Lagoon was nice and there were Curlew Sands, Little Stints, Spotshanks and a fly over Osprey to keep things ticking over.

I dropped in on Farlington Lake and the stream on the way back where two Ruff and a Whinchat were the best of little else of note there.

Baird's Sandpiper, Pennington - 15th September

I bit of a mad dash to Pennington this afternoon in the hope of connecting with the reported Baird's Sandpiper. I had approximately four hours to spare which left me with two hours to see the bird, it seemed like enough time, but two hours turned into an hour and a half and when i arrived the bird hadn't been seen for some time, a few useful conversation and text were exchanged (thanks SI and SP) and i relocated the bird at the back of Butts Lagoon with half and hour to spare......Phew. I enjoyed some good scope views but sadly for photos it needed to be on the Shoveler pools. An added bonus during the afternoon was five flyover Spoonbills. I got home a bit late but no harm done and another Hants tick in the bag.

Two record shots below

Farlington - 31st August

Thanks to Martin Gillingham for todays Temminks Stint on the lake at Farlington, which showed well if distantly untill it flew off west.