05/09/2021-Blog 1 of 2: Wonderful waders, Wheatears and more at Lymington and home: My first Curlew Sandpiper of the year and more
On a very sunny and warm day I enjoyed Woodpigeon in the garden, bee coming in my room briefly and loved seeing lots of Small White butterflies in the back garden especially one I got close to when walking through to go out this afternoon which I took the second picture in this photoset of where I also enjoyed the flowers in the garden again especially hebe and sedum starting to come into flower and noticing some fleabane in the garden one of the flowers I am most fond of seeing outside for the first time seeing this lovely yellow one in the garden so another big garden flower highlight for me this year. I also took the third picture in this photoset of a red flower and on the way back through the garden with it still very sunny when back home I took the final two pictures in this photoset of flowers in the garden enjoying the alyssum and chrysanthemum again too.
We then came to Lymington in pursuit of Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint that had been around as always key September bird targets for us. Fitting for the day #WildflowerHour occurs on Twitter as is so often the case I had a strong botanical start to the walk as I noticed more lovely sea aster on the fringes of Eight Acre pond at Salterns Sailing Club where we parked near a flower I noticed within this reserve but further along at Pennington for the first time this year last weekend and then I saw it’s purple and yellow lookalike some stunning Michaelmas daisies glowing in the sunshine as we got onto the path including the one in the fourth picture in this photoset I took today. I first ever saw these here and they are one of my favourite flowers to look for in late summer and early autumn at such areas. Also one I knew before my big delve into flowers. So it was lovely to see them today. I also saw the key for the area rock samphire my first of the year of these too beautiful quirky shaped green flowers and as the walk went on ragwort, bindweed, yarrow, carrot and the first broad-leaved clover I’d seen in a while looked great.
Walking on towards Normandy lagoon where the two wader targets of ours were reported at and I saw my first of a long stream of glorious Wheatears this afternoon. It was exceptional to see this exotic and striking species flying around and settled on the ground and on posts, including the path and the bits of land on the lagoon. I very much enjoyed seeing some of the most I ever had of them in one day for this migrant that is passing back through areas like these on the way back to Africa currently that I have seen so much of this year quite notable for a bird I was seeming to see a little less of the past couple of years perhaps so this is really encouraging. I got the sixth picture in this photoset of one among others I tweeted on Dans_Pictures tonight. We saw another colourful delight around this area when a smashing Kingfisher darted around over the lagoon and channel beside it the first I’d seen for a little while and key bird here so this was great. I also saw my first of a strong amount of Curlews today at this point probably my most at once this year which again is very encouraging for this species who’s decline and struggles have been well documented with them flying around a lot and seen still. I took the fifth picture in this photoset of one.
Then we had the moment of the day when on Normandy lagoon we spotted the almost snow white plumage of the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper on Normandy lagoon as it was illuminated by the bright sun. It was special to make out its splendid patterned back too. We got one of our best ever views of this species building brilliantly on last year’s some of my best ever views at Farlington Marshes in September. I took the first and seventh pictures in this photoset of this bird. It was extraordinary to watch this wonderful bird sparkle as it waded in the shallows of the lagoon and rested on the shingle nicely too with Dunlin and Ringed Plover around nicely for comparisons particularly of size with the Curlew Sandpiper considerably bigger. I was in my element watching this species some amazing views of one of my birds of the year and my first of the species in 2021. Fittingly for a bird that was involved here in at the time my 2014 year list overtaking my 2013 one to become my then highest year list, it took my 2021 year list to 177 levelling my 2014 total to make it my joint sixth highest ever year list with my totals in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2020 and 2016 higher than this with the final totals in that order. Another amazing moment with my year list this year and something I am so pleased to get to. And I feel so very lucky and humbled to be able to say that it means its another month that I have now definitely got at least one bird year tick in, my chain of getting at least one year tick in every month since November 2015 goes on. It was great to see both Curlew and Curlew Sandpiper well today not something I’d noticed happening a lot before I may have seen Curlews on the same day as Curlew Sandpipers as it’s always the right habitat but it hasn’t stuck in my mind before.
It’s remarkable over the years how many times on the same day as seeing my first Curlew Sandpiper of the year I see my first Little Stint of the year too or it’s the next year tick after it or the one before they are both around at the same time of year after all and are a real due for me. We then walked around the rest of the lagoon getting quite near to Lymington town to see if we could see the Little Stints that had been around too but we didn’t manage it today. We did see some more incredible waders though. With very big numbers of Ringed Plover and Redshank throughout the afternoon and some Redshanks on the mudflats with the tide out mostly were making a racket which was so delightful to hear with their high-pitched call and it was noticeable to some other people walking which was interesting, the former one of my birds of the weekend after seeing them yesterday at Hill Head too. There were also loads and loads of slick looking Greenshank today, as there quite often is at this time of year. It was fantastic to see them with memorable views of three together on the lagoon and one flying on the mudflats the other side of the sea wall from the lagoon too which I hadn’t often seen before and I photographed as tweeted tonight I have had a top few weeks for these as one of my stars of Rutland Water when we went last month and had a good year for them. Spotted Redshank were on the lagoon too. On the shore with some Redshanks and then later behind the fence of the lagoon quite close to us with a Lapwing was a shiny golden Bar-tailed Godwit with its upturned beak and name providing marking on its tail feathers. A wonderful bird to see another of my birds of the year which it was thrilling to see again in 2021 and I felt so lucky. I took the eighth picture in this photoset of one.
Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Curlew Sandpiper of the year, two of my favourite birds the Little Egret and Kingfisher, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, great views of Grey Herons I took a picture of one with my bridge camera which starred today rather I took all but two of my many bird photos today with it which reminded me of the first picture I ever produced with the bridge camera I believe in this month three years ago of a Grey Heron at Titchfield Haven I don’t think I envisaged at that stage how important this second camera would become for me with all the help for birds further away and with ID so its exciting to celebrate the three years for me, Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, lots of Herring Gulls including many young, Mallard, Tufted Duck with a shine in its eye, Wheatear, great views of Stonechat and Reed Bunting too, Whitethroat, Feral Pigeon, strong view of a large Raven, a Swallow nicely fairly late on at the place I saw my first of the year on Easter Sunday which seems an age ago now, Small White, Brimstone, Small Heath out late as they often are at this type of habitat, another butterfly I couldn’t quite see what either Peacock or Red Admiral and dragonflies I couldn’t quite see which as they were flying fast.
My next post has some landscape pictures I took today and more reflections on the day.