Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island

After a busy ringing session this morning, which I will write about later, I received a text from Pete Gammage, saying that he had just found a Tawny Pipit at Gunner Point, on Hayling Island. It was not a new bird for me in Hampshire, but it was a species that I had not seen for many years in the county, so I headed down to see it. After a bit of confusion with the actual location I arrived at the site and headed out to look for the bird. Unfortunately, I was greeted by that dreaded scene of a handful of birders looking at where the bird had last been seen, but the bird having flown off towards the golf course.

The assembled birders spent a while scanning before gradually drifting off, and before long there was only a few of us left. We were just about to head off, when Mark Edgeller picked up the bird flying over and away from us. After much circling it settled on the beach briefly, but before we located it, it took flight again and flew back to the area where it had been found, giving excellent views to everyones relief.

Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island

Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island

Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island

Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island

Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island

Tawny Pipit - Gunner Point, Hayling Island