Barn Owls – Titchfield Canal

Posted on 20th February 2020 by Richard

Not one, but two !

A walk along the footpath beside Titchfield Canal can give you one of two things reference birdwatching; a good day or a bad day and this day was a good day !

I’d seen one Barn Owl there both last year and this year some two weeks earlier and after a lengthy walk down the path toward Titchfield Haven I returned with not much to shout about. I thought there’s a good chance of seeing the Owl in it’s usual tree house some 100 meters on the other side of a safely fenced field and close to the Car Park, I glanced up and hit the jackpot !

I’d timed it just right, after a few quick clicks, the one of the left made a hasty retreat.
Upon returning to the Car I sat down in satisfactory mode and had a Sandwich. Another Birdwatcher came up the path and as passing me said he’d heard about two Barn Owls but only seen one.
I have to admit I nearly said the infamous Birdwatchers favourite sentence of “You should have been here 10 minutes ago” but refrained and just said I’d mseen the two, showed him the photos on my camera and suggested he returned and waited.

About 400 meters to the south is another tree barely 20 meters from the Path and on many occasions one can see a Tawny Owl sitting there watching the world go by. I was lucky enough to get a rather poor photograph of one of it’s young last year, but alas, a shot of an adult Tawny Owl is yet to come.

Squacco Heron in Titchfield

Posted on 7th June 2019 by Richard

Rare Heron, Rare Bird

I’ve been very lucky over the last few weeks with Herons. First, whilst visiting Ashford for a few days, thanks to Neil a good Birding friend, I saw a Night Heron at Conningbrook Lakes ans then, the Squacco Heron at Titchfield.

I managed to see it the second time it visited. It made it’s first appearance two weeks previously. Being a bit of a fairweather Birder, I went down to Titchfield on the fifth day of sitings only to find it had flown away the night before. This time I made sure and went the second day and after a few minutes wait by Posbrook Floods it suddenly flew from the north side to south.

A great siting and…..the next day it had gone again !

Juvenile Tawny Owl

It’s strange because the Tawny is the most popular and seen Owls in the UK., In 5 years of birdwatching I’ve seen Barn, Short Eared, Long Eared and little, but never the Tawny.

Although it would have been nicer to see an Adult first, I was delighted to spot this Juvenile not far from the Nest half way down the Path alongside the Titchfield Canal.

Maybe the adult will come my way shortly !

Barn Owl at Titchfield Canal

Posted on 28th February 2019 by Richard

Without a doubt, the nicest spot of the month was the Barn Owl seen in a large tree alongside Titchfield Canal Locals say they often nest there but after a couple of weeks it had moved on.
The Canal path is quite a gem for spots, from north to south it’s around two and a half miles consisting of Water, Fields, Reed, Woodland and the Posbrook Flood. The main visitors are Dog Walkers and Birders, but with the path is well fenced so a good deterrent for wandering unruly pets and the odd Birder who doesn’t necessarily always keep to the proper places !

Titchfield Haven was still showing how well it is populated by birds through the Winter. The Avocets started to arrive, the Marsh Harriers did their usual daily hunt around the Reserve and on the shore a number of Gannets were seen flying up and down Southampton Water. I also made a first visit to the Forest of Bere and was amazed at the number of Goldcrests I saw, it seemed that almost every tree had them. Another nice thing about it the Food Van they have there, one of the best Burgers I’ve had for a long time and garnished with various vegeatbles all locally produced.

Forest of Bere – Curlew – Goldcrest

Avocet – Common Buzzard – Curlew flying at Warsash

Good weather also allowed quite a few walks around my two Patches, basically north of my Flats and south of my flats ! Great Spotted Woodpeckers were out in numbers as were Green Woodpeckers, but heard but not seen.
Bishops Waltham is never short of Common Buzzards and almost every walk produces a good view.

Overall, February gave a hint of things to come, relatively dry weather gave the odd hint of Spring, but all in all, birds were busy and awaiting the longer days for nest building and mating.

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Little Owl on the Marshes

Posted on 21st December 2017 by Richard

Little Owl

I read through a tweet by my good Birdwatcher friend Neil the whereabouts of a Little Owl south of Warehorne on the Romney Marshes.
As I had to pop down to the RSPB Shop at Dungeness I detoured around the Marshes and was lucky enough to get a good pose whilst the beautiful bird was sunning him or herself on a derelict Shed Roof.
I’ve seen three now, the other times at Hook-With-Warsash and the regular resident at Scotney Farm near Lydd.

A Heron landing in one of the Dykes in the Romney Marshes

The beauty of bleak at Dungeness

Old Lighthouse at Dungeness with Cormorants

Being in a bit of a rush (or panic!!) to get my Christmas shopping done and dusted I didn’t have much time at the Reserve, just a pop along to Firth Hide and the ARC.
Burrowes from Firth was pretty much iced over with just a huge amount of Cormorants in their usual position on a small Island and in the trees to the west, a number of Shelduck and an assortment of Gulls.

The ARC was pretty quiet although, according to another Birdwatcher in the Hide, I’d just missed the Kingfisher !
I also spotted a Bittern landing in the Reeds opposite, but not spotted quick enough to get a photo.
I don’t have a problem with missing things, I go on the ‘if they’re there they’re there’ and ‘right place, right time’.
However, as always, the bleakness of Dungeness is always special

Saying all that, there was much activity by Tree Sparrows at Boulderwall Farm. With numbers continuously dropping, it’s good to see them there – and being well fed to boot !
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Two Long Eared Owls Dungeness

Posted on 28th February 2017 by Richard

RSPB Dungeness

With showers due mid afternoon, I ventured off to Dungeness in hope I would, for the first time, be lucky to catch the two Long Eared Owls which have frequented the Dipping Pool at RSPB Dungeness on or off for the last few weeks.
About this time last year I was lucky enough to get the one, since last November I must have been there 15 times and not even seen the one.

Today I was in luck !

Not only were they there, it was a nice sunny morning and as a bonus, the sun behind you for a reasonable view.
Needless to say there were the inevitable twigs in the way, but after some 60 or 70 shots from all angles and heights I did get a fairly good shot of them.

Rough Seas

After that I went to the Beach, nothing much happening there except large waves caused by the blustery wind and the tide coming in.
I glimpsed a Peregrine Falcon flying toward the Power Station, but it eluded me….this time !!
Another notable spot was that of a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly, who decided to flit away just as I was supposed to click.

But happy with my lot I left for home via a brief visit to the ARC., but nothing there either, just a few Reed Buntings, Tree Sparrows over the road, Chaffinches and Dunnocks.

Young Lambs – Spring is here

I decided upon the quiet route back along the Lanes of the Marshes coming out just north of Brenzett.
A Common Buzzard caught my eye but by the time I got out the car, it was gone.

However, it was nice going past the fields where some lambing had taken place. After all, it’s the Sheep the Romney Marshes are famous for!

It’s strange that no matter what, whenever you go anywhere, you never come home empty handed, even if it’s just a Robin in a nice pose.
That’s what I like about Nature, you just never know what’s coming
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Little Owls and Yellow Wagtails

Posted on 4th July 2016 by Richard

I was supposed to be in Scotland this week but on my first day there, due to a medical situation treated at the excellent Fort William Hospital, had to return back to Ashford to set about some tests.
After three days of going to various places I was getting the shakes from not going out and decided that today was a day to get lost and be alone with nature.
A good day it proved to be.

The Little Owl keeping an eye on me!

My first point of call was Scotney Farm, set back from Jury’s Gap, the road between Lydd and Camber Sands.
A pleasant walk at a very slow pace brought about a sighting of the now quite well known Little Owl tucked high up in a Barn forever peering down to see what’s what and who’s who.

The fields to the North produced a view of an Avocet having conflict with a Crow and quite a few Yellow Wagtails flitting around amongst the barren shrubbery and Grasses.

White Wagtail – Swallow – Avocet and Crow

Just to cap things off a White Wagtail suddenly popped down to another Barn Roof and went about picking and choosing from the moss etc. which was growing on it.

After that I popped down to the ARC at RSPB Dungeness.

The Yellow Wagtail

Although a relatively calm day with the sun shining brightly I looked forward to seeing quite a bit of bird life, but as always, it never seems to follow your logic, nothing much about at all and the only half decent shot I got was that of a Swallow passing over the View Point on the ARC.

But the day did for me what I wanted it to, a day to take my mind of things and focus on just being out there.

Over 60 pages of Garden Wildlife on the main Web Site here Nature on our Doorstep

Little Owl at Hook in Warsash

Posted on 31st March 2016 by Richard

31st. March 2016

With Spring almost on our doorstep and visiting family in Netley I thought it may be my last chance of capturing a few Waders etc. before they head off to their Summer destinations (except the Short Eared Owl !!)

The Little Owl

At first I popped over to Titchfield Reserve where there were some Adviocets and Black Tailed Godwits busy in the shallows and banks.
A few Chiffchaffs were making a racket in the Trees and the odd Goldcrest flew past me at speeds I couldn’t keep up with!

Time to move on so over to Hook in Warsash (on the other side of the Hamble River Estuary to Hamble itself).
Not very much about when I came across another Birdwatcher who told me the possible location of a Short Eared Owl.
Off I went !

After a 300 meter slow stroll along a Private Lane (allowed pedestrian access) I found the spot and after closely scanning three trees finally spotted him tucked in amongst the lower branches some 50 meters away.

Black Tailed Godwits at Titchfield Hampshire

Black Tailed Godwits stocking up!

They certainly are delightful, unless I’d been told where to look I would have never thought about looking there, plus they camouflage quite well !
I’m indebted to the Birdwatcher I bumped into.

It’s odd, since I’ve been photographing Birds I’ve managed a Long Eared Owl, a Short Eared Owl and a Little Owl yet thus far have not spottd the two most common, the Tawny and Barn.
I hear both quite often in the night down and around the Lane, perhaps one day !!

Over 60 pages of Garden Wildlife on the main Web Site here Nature on our Doorstep