A lovely midday walk down the Canal Path.

Thursday 14th April 2022.

My first Common Whitethroat of the year along the Canal Path and not too far away from the car park.

I could not resist doing some birding today and so after some household chores, I made my way to the Canal Path at Titchfield Haven, hoping to catch up with some new migrants that might have arrived. On arrival within the small car park, a Blackcap was in full song behind me and Chiffchaffs were singing nearby too. It was 11am when I arrived and after grabbing a bit of lunch from the Village local, I made my way slowly down the footpath heading south.

Above, the walk south along the start of the Canal path, a Tree Bumble Bee enjoying nectaring on White Dead-nettle and another photo of the Common Whitethroat. 

Out on Posbrook FLoods, I could see at least a dozen Black-tailed Godwit and a few Lapwing in the large pool, but there was nothing more unusual among them. A Common Snipe took off from the south of the pool and headed north, calling in while doing so and overhead, I counted at least 5 Common Buzzards all in the air at the same time. Sadly, I could not find any Hirundines hawking over the pools, but a Swallow was seen later along the walk, a gorgeous singing bird as it passed close by heading south over the fields. Cetti’s Warblers were calling repeatedly along the Canal Path and more Chiffchaffs were showing well, including one individual male sporting a ring. My first Common Whitethroat of the year was found singing close to the Canal as I watched it searching for food low down within the reeds and brambles, but at times it showed very well. Another two more singing males were seen along the path. 

Above, Lesser Celandines were abundant along the Canal Path and below, my first Coltsfoot of the year.

I thought there would have been a lot more butterflies on the wing, but the sightings were far and few between, though I did see my first Comma of the year plus sightings of Peacock, Brimstone and Small White. I also saw my first Coltsfoot flowers of the year, though the likes of both Lesser Celandine and Dandelion were abundant along the footpath. As expected, there were an awful lot of dog-walkers along the footpath and because it was Easter Holiday for the kids, a large noisy family of kids, with their rogue dogs off the lead, got a filthy look from me. Mind you, the two ladies in control of them did tell them to keep the noise down! Kids will be kids!

Above, a drake Pintail and Shoveler on one of the pools. A singing male Chiffchaff sporting a ring on its right leg, though it was too distant to get a number on the ring.  

Along the wooded section of the path, a Treecreeper showed superbly just a few feet from where I stood, but it was an active individual and my camera struggled to grab decent photos of it as it explored an Oak Tree low down. A Nuthatch was singing continuously in the same stretch of woodland, but it was elusive up in the canopy. I did have my second ‘year-tick’ of the year with a brief sighting of a Willow Warbler which I had heard singing deep within some Willows. Not the best sighting of this lovely species, but it was a sighting nonetheless. I didn't really want to pass that family and so turned around to walk back to the car. A male Kestrel was hovering close to the footpath, but a passing Gull decided to shoo it off! A good search over one of the pools produced a variety of wildfowl on the water including a drake Pintail, Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal and Mallard, but no Garganey hiding among the reeds. Near the end of the footpath, a singing male Stonechat was perched on a tall out in the fields and a Reed Warbler was briefly in song within a small stretch of reeds close to the path, but, frustratingly, it would not show and so I headed back to the car. 

The showy Treecreeper along the wooded area of the Canal Path. What a beauty.

A couple of the ‘Lazee Birders’ were watching Nightingales in the fog this morning back at Whiteley Pastures and this spurred me on to try Marlpit Lane to see if the birds had arrived back there. In a nutshell, no, despite a good walk up and down the lane, but there were plenty of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs there and overhead, a few Buzzards were soaring in the sunshine. Not a great deal else and so I made my way home through Emsworth on my way home. I hope to be birding early tomorrow morning and Woolmer Pond is on my mind, seeing there were a lot of Tree Pipits seen there this morning.   

A singing male Stonechat near the main footpath. 

One of the many Common Buzzards over the fields this afternoon.

This male Blackcap was singing its heart out at Marlpit Lane, close to the main road.