Titchfield Haven, Mid-September Update

It is now mid-September and what started as a slow season has turned out to be an excellent autumn. As I have mentioned in previous posts, we try to use standard trapping methods at the Haven, this includes using the same number of nets, ringing on only three mornings a week and the same tape lures. This allows us to directly compare our totals year on year. Of course the birds that we catch will not necessarily be from the breeding population in the UK, but are likely to be birds from other parts of Europe, as was illustrated so dramatically illustrated with the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler a couple of weeks ago.

Looking at the nine key species that we study, it is evident that they have all had good years. The Sedge Warbler total currently stands at 1183, which is already our sixth highest total ever. Reed Warbler's seem to be one of the winners this year, as the total of 642 is already the second highest total ever, and the Willow Warbler total of 267 is the highest ever.

The Grasshopper Warbler total is the fifth highest total ever and Garden Warbler's appear to have had a good year as this total is our second highest ever. It is still early days for Chiffchaff, as this species is a later migrant, but the total to date is the second highest of the last five years. I was only today reading a post on the BTO Bird Ringing Demog Blog about large numbers of Blackcaps being ringed at western and central sites in the UK, and this is definitely the case at the Haven. We have already ringed 537 birds, which is the eighth highest total, but looking at the year to year comparisons, the total this year is already 180 more that at the same point in 2010 when the third highest total ever was recorded. The total for Common Whitethroat is on a par with our highest ever total, which was recorded in 2011 and the Cetti's Warbler is again indicating a strong breeding season.

There were no surprises over the last week, although we did catch our second Sparrowhawk and Green Woodpecker of the year and our first Spotted Flycatcher of the year.

Yellow Wags, Farlington Marshes - September 2014

August and September are the best months for catching Yellow Wagtails in Hampshire. Unfortunately we didn't manage to do any sessions in August, but we have managed two sessions so far in September. At Farlington Marshes the Yellow Wags spend most of the day in the fields with cattle, but at dusk they come into roost in the reed bed. We did our first session last week and another last night, and have amassed a total of 57 new birds so far.

Yellow Wagtail - Farlington Marshes

In theory Yellow Wagtails are pretty straight forward to age; adults undergo a complete post breeding moult and juveniles only a partial post juvenile moult. Adults therefore will have fresh plumage with the medium and greater coverts and tertials tipped a yellowish-green or buffish colour. Juveniles however have slightly worn medium and greater coverts and tertials, with white fringing.

Juvenile Yellow Wagtail - Note the white fringing to the greater coverts and occasional whiter fringed medium covert

Juvenile Yellow Wagtail - All of the greater coverts in this bird are juvenile, the medium coverts are post juvenile

Juvenile Yellow Wagtail - Note the white fringed juvenile medium coverts, which stand out from the buff fringed post juvenile ones. The greater coverts are all post juvenile

Adult Yellow Wagtail - Note the yellowish-green fringed medium and greater coverts and uniform generally warmer plumage

Adult Yellow Wagtail - Note the uniform yellowish-green fringing on all of the wing feathers.

Whilst waiting for the wagtails to come to roost other species of note that we recorded included three Whinchats, one Stonechat, a Green Sandpiper, 50+ Greenshank, Little Egret and at least 100 Black-tailed Godwits.

Red-backed Shrike and Mediterranean Gulls - Sandy Point, Hayling Island - September 2014

Back on the 4th September Andy Johnson found a Red-backed Shrike at Sandy Point on Hayling Island. I had been hoping to get down to see it at some point but had been too busy, today (14th September) it was still around and so after this mornings ringing session at Titchfield Haven I headed down to see it. The bird had been frequenting the south-eastern corner of the reserve, and therefore was best viewed from the beach, so that's where I headed. I arrived around midday and the bird was performing well. Occasionally it would drop out of view in a patch of gorse, but most of the time it was sat proud on top of vegetation. At one point it appeared to try and catch one of two Stonechats, but they managed to avoid it.

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike - Sandy Point, Hayling Island

As well as the Red-backed Shrike and the Stonechats, two Northern Wheatears were present and a couple of Dartford Warblers put on a good show.

Dartford Warbler - Sandy Point, Hayling Island

After a while the shrike disappeared, so I began to scan out to sea. In the race just offshore there were a large number of gulls feeding, of which the majority were Mediterranean Gulls. They were fairly close to the shore and so I headed down to the tide line to get a better look.

Adult Black-headed (left), 2nd Winter Mediterranean (middle) and two adult Mediterranean (right) Gulls

There were over 70 Mediterranean Gulls present of different ages, the most numerous being first year birds, a couple of second winters and a good number of adults. Some images of the different ages are below.

First Winter Mediterranean Gull 

Second Winter Mediterranean Gull

Adult Winter Mediterranean Gull

As I sat and watched the Med Gulls several other species dropped in. A juvenile Kittiwake put in a brief appearance, as did a couple of Common Terns followed by a four of five Sandwich Terns, a mixture of moulting adults and juveniles.

Adult Sandwich Tern - Sandy Point, Hayling Island

Juvenile Sandwich Tern - Sandy Point, Hayling Island

Juvenile Sandwich Tern - Sandy Point, Hayling Island

My attention was diverted at one point by two Lancaster Bombers flying east.They were quite far out to sea, but headed in land later for a display in West Sussex, which I was able to watch from a distance.

Lancaster Bombers - Hayling Island

Lesser Yellowlegs, Titchfield Haven - August 2014

News broke yesterday of a Lesser Yellowlegs at Titchfield Haven, and as it was still there today I nipped down this evening to go and have a look. The bird had been frequenting the North Scrape and so is best viewed from the Pumfrett Hide but I thought I would check the South Scrape first, just in case it was present. The light was fantastic and in front of the hide a couple of Pied Avocets, several Common Snipes and a Black-tailed Godwit were feeding.

The Avocets were both juveniles, and one of them was wearing some colour rings. I have yet to find out where this bird is from, but suspect it was ringed in the west of the County as Graham Giddens apparently colour rings them. One of the issues with colour rings is the way that they discolour, on the Haven bird the upper ring on the right leg is discoloured, I suspect it is white. The ring below appears to be light green, but appears to have faded and looks to be a similar colour to the discoloured white ring above. Maybe coloured darvic rings, with letters would be a better idea for a species of this size.

Avocet, Titchfield Haven - August 2014

Avocet, Titchfield Haven - August 2014

The snipe were also feeding just in front of the hide, at least six snipe were present with another 20 scattered around the scrape. Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing were the other wader species present, with ducks, including Gadwall, Mallard, Shoveler and Common Teal also on the scrape. I scanned around the south scrape but could see no sign of the Lesser legs, but then I spotted it feeding in the North Scrape.

Common Snipe - Titchfield Haven, August 2014

Common Snipe - Titchfield Haven, August 2014

Common Snipe - Titchfield Haven, August 2014

I headed round to the Pumfrett Hide to view the scrape and there it was. The Lesser Yellowlegs was towards the back of the scrape, and although giving great scope views in excellent light, it was bit too far away for decent photos. Given that there has been a Lesser Yellowlegs at Keyhaven for the last few days, I suspect this bird has come from there, as that bird has not been seen the last couple of days. It is great to see another bird so soon after the one that wintered last year.

Lesser Yellowlegs - Titchfield Haven - August

So not a bad week for the Haven, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler on Saturday, Lesser Yellowlegs yesterday and today, what will tomorrow bring!