A wet day at Gilkicker.

Saturday 18th November 2023.

The female Common Scoter just offshore today.

With poor weather looking to wreck our birding today, I had to make a decision whether it was to be the Hides at Titchfield Haven this morning or give a try at Gilkicker for a sea-watch. We opted for the latter, though at times, I wondered if we made the right decision. Sightings were a little far and few between during the five hours we were there, though there were a few nice birds on show to prolong our interest there.

The weather was not so good, with squally showers frequently coming in from the south and visibility over the Solent at times was poor, so we had to watch from the east side of the shelter to avoid the buffeting wind and rain. On a positive note, there was a female Common Scoter close inshore showing all day while we were there that kept us entertained. However, when a juvenile Kittiwake went through close in eastbound, along with a Tern species that was most likely the lingering Arctic Tern (just didn't get enough on it at the time and my hands were full with a flask of coffee I was holding at the time!), sadly I could not get a photo of it and Andy even dipped on the Kittiwake. However, he picked up an adult bird some distance out heading east low over the waves.

Above, several skeins of Brent Geese were seen and below, the flooded fields attracted good numbers of Gulls.

Above, a distant photo of the female Common Scoter and below, the odd Great Black-backed Gull would fly past.

Above, the only Med Gull seen today was this adult over the sea. Below, this male Pied Wagtail walked just a few feet from us by the shelter.

Several flocks of Brent Geese went through overhead and a few low over the sea along with at least two Great Crested Grebes, two flocks of Shelduck west (3 & 14) and a pair of Sandwich Terns flying close in heading east. A small flock of 3 Sanderling flew close to the beach heading east and two flocks of waders, probably Dunlin, headed east; but they not only flew fast but the light was poor and getting a proper ID was near impossible in the gloomy conditions. I did pick up a probably Diver species some distance out heading west, but near impossible in getting an ID in such poor light.

Behind us, the flooded fields held a large number of Starlings and a variety of Gull species that included Herring, Common, Black-headed and Great Black-backed Gulls, but the only Mediterranean Gull seen today was an adult flying east over the Solent. Though we didn't see all that much we were hoping for, the company I kept was, as always, very entertaining and the hours flew by.