The Champagne is on ice!

Monday 8th November 2021.

A Common Snipe in front of the Spurgin Hide this morning. 

It is the last of my day’s off and my, that has gone quick! Being just two species away from the magic 200 species for the year was too close for comfort and with a few species that could possibly be ‘ticked’ off today and the weather looking good, it was a ‘no brainer’ for me to grab my target with both hands! A quick check on Birdguides revealed that the two female Velvet Scoters were still in Chichester Harbour, viewed from the end of Ellanor Lane in West Wittering. But was the Jack Snipe still from the Spurgen Hide on Titchfield Haven?

The Turnstone by the small harbour at Hill Head are always showy birds. 

The only answer to that question was to take a drive down to the reserve and check for myself. Yes, reluctantly, I paid the two quid parking fee at Hill Head and paid the additional £6 entrance fee in the main building before I parked the car by the reserve entrance and made my way slowly to the Spurgin Hide. There was not a breath of wind here and one could pick out both Chiffchaffs and Cetti’s Warbler scurrying about in the reedbeds, calling in doing so.

Sanderling on the beach off Hill Head.

The female Pied Wagtail on the beach at Hill Head.  

A large flock of Long-tailed Tits flew out of the bushes along the footpath, with a few Great and Blue Tits among them, but nothing more unusual like a Firecrest. As I neared the Spurgin Hide, I could see someone already in there and hopefully, that person might be on the Jack Snipe. I said Hello but got no response from the three birders already there. I put that down to either bloody ignorance or they were all deaf! Anyway, they looked all intent on studying something in the nearby reeds and sure enough, there was the Jack Snipe. Or so I thought! 

This evening, I put some photos of the bird on the Facebook Hampshire Birds and it didn't take long for some people to question the identity of the bird. In fact, it had me questioning myself on the identity and then checking myself on YouTube some of the videos of the bird feeding, I had then had to accept, the bird I was looking at and indeed the others in the Hide at the time, was a Common Snipe! Call it what you like, but my credibility seemed to fly out the window, but hey, the best of us all make mistakes and in a way, one learns from them. I have to admit, I did think the bill was quite long and the flanks did not seem dark enough on this bird, but when I saw the bird 'bobbing' while it was feeding, then that swayed me entirely over to Jack Snipe. However, Common Snipe do this as well, though I don't think I have ever seen one do that in my defence.

A Common Snipe doing a damn good impression of a Jack Snipe.

Video footage of the 'bobbing' Common Snipe this morning in front of the Spurgin Hide.  

Other birds noted here included a male Stonechat perched on a reed stem and a very brief view of a running Water Rail running between the reeds. Both Gadwall and Teal swam on the water  and both Little Egret and Grey Heron were seen in front of the Hide. Happy in the knowledge that I had grabbed my 199th species for the year, I made my way out of the Hide and back to the car.

One of the Great Crested Grebes offshore this morning at Hill Head.

Making my way back to the car along the footpath, a couple of moths grabbed my attention and even though I followed them through my binoculars, hoping they might land, they both disappeared into thin air, or so it seemed! Bugger! Another flock of Long-tailed Tits flew out of the bushes and a Cetti’s Warbler showed very well along the footpath too. Even a Common Snipe got in on the act as it flew low overhead and then flew back to probable the South Scrape.   

A mixed flock of waders over the Solent this morning.

The Brent Geese off Hill Head before the tide moved them on westwards.

When I reached the car, I checked the very calm Solent for anything of note. The large flock of Brent Geese seen earlier had dispersed to the west and a large mixed flock of Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Dunlin were circling low over the water. A lone Great Crested Grebe was fishing on the sea, a Rock Pipit flew overhead and a female Pied Wagtail was searching for food on the beach, but nothing else on the Solent. My next stop was the long drive to this Ellanore Drive over on West Wittering.

One of the two female Velvet Scoters in Chichester Harbour.

When I reached the end of Ellanore Drive, it was high tide within Chichester Harbour and in front of me on the small islands, a good gathering of waders was present including Oystercatchers, Dunlin and a few Turnstone. I quickly swept the harbour for the Scoter and my first attempt only picked up three Great Crested Grebes. The water was dead calm and so my chances were good in seeing the birds if they were there and on my second attempt, the two female Velvet Scoters showed very well having been fishing and now sailed quietly on the flat calm water. Their distinctive head pattern easily tells it apart from the Common Scoter.

Oystercatchers and other waders gathering on the small islands from the end of Ellanor Drive. The Velvet Scoters were close to the yellow buoy you can see in the background.

Having seen the Velvet Scoters, I was wanting to go and view the 3 Glossy Ibis in the nearby fields off Redland Lane, but according to Birdguides, they had gone east and probably over to Medmerry RSPB Reserve. However, when I got back home, they did return to the same field. Never mind, that was a very good morning’s birding. And now I have to wait a little longer to claim my 200th species and with news of the returning Ferruginous Duck back on Kingfisher Lake at Blashford, maybe I can celebrate then? Today, there are now FIVE Snow Buntings on the beach near Sinah, Hayling Island although the Warsash bird was not seen this morning.