Keyhaven Salt Marshes - Hampshire

[rolf]

This village on the coast next to Lymington and opposite Yarmouth Isle of Wight, has some excellent salt marshes, with a wealth of wildlife.

Popped down there today to meet up with someone and managed to take a few photos.


Keyhaven, Google Maps

[rolf]

Here are a few birds spotted on the marsh and estuary today.

Little Egret
Black-tailed Godwit
Redshank
Curlew
Reed Bunting
Above pictures are in the Gallery

Also:
Black-backed Gull
Stonechat male
Turnstones
Grey Heron
Stonechat female
Oystercatcher
Shown as clickable thumbnails at the bottom of the post.

[Chocky]

Lovely captures Rolf.
Looks like a nice place to visit

[rolf]

Yes it certainly is Beryl, I will definitely make my way down there again, it is only a couple of hours away and it has plenty of parking, with a little cafe which is open all year round for thirsty and hungry birders.

[Chocky]

Sounds really well worth a visit

[Blue Jay]

Yes I agree. Nice looking place for wildlife. Some nice shots there Rolf. Well done

[rolf]

Lovely looking place, also only a couple of hours drive for me, may have to take another little wander down there.

[Chocky]

I wonder how long it would take me to get there ? Probably much longer

[rolf]

No idea Beryl, don't think that there's a direct rail link and probably not a quick trip by road.

[Chocky]

No. I guess not. I think it would be time to go home by the time I got there

[Catherine]

Have been at Milford/Keyhaven today to see the new hide;
New Forest Local Group - The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

You'd have needed wellies to approach the hide today, so we just looked at it from afar!

There were people inside it, seemingly excited at seeing something we couldn't - unless it was a pair of Greater Black-Backed Gulls!

Anyway, the good thing about it is that it is sheltered from the sea 'breezes' by the new Marine Café (Art Deco-style restaurant/bar), therefore it faces north, so the sun will shine on any subjects you may wish to photograph. It overlooks Sturt Pond, a small lake formed as the Dane Stream meanders towards the sea..

And the not-so-good bit? Well, for the same reason it will be very cold in winter/early spring, so you'd need a flask of soup/hot drink handy to help you keep warm!

Car parking is on the sea front nearby - to pay from March to end October. Café there too - open 364 days a year!

Here are some pics I took today. (The sea is over the 'spit' or embankment which protects the land from erosion. The hide is the little black building behind the large black Dutch barn-type building which belongs to the District council)

[rolf]

Looks good Catherine, very handily next to the cafe as well.

[Catherine]

- and even nearer to the Bar, Rolf!

[rolf]

LOL, you know me too well Catherine.

[Catherine]

We were back at the hide last Monday. It was very cosy inside and there are binoculars, reference books and charts to help with IDs.

It is difficult to find, so you need to go into the new Marine Café car park and look for the well-marked gate right next to that.

We'll definitely go back!

Here are a few of views of the hide - inside and out! (Sorry about the blobs on the outside pic of the hide - It was rain unfortunately!);

[ladylouise62]

That's not 'blobs' that's called flattering soft-focus

I've not been in a hide, but that does look rather swish.

[joe]

Louise ,if you've not been in a hide you will have to get over to Dinton Pastures (3 public hides and 1 members only)

[ladylouise62]

I would love to - I've thought about trying to get there, but with no transport (and not being terribly fit), I'd be too knackered by the time I got there to do anything

[Catherine]

Well, the 'flattering soft-focus' was rain drops anyway, Louise!

[rolf]

Looks like a nice hide Catherine, must give it a go next time.

[Catherine]

We were along at the hide on Wednesday, but didn't stay as three others had spread themselves, their tripods and other equipment all over it and didn't seem inclined to move! Grrr!

None-the-less, I DID manage to catch a few shots past them. Brent Geese had joined the scrape regulars, but apart from a Greenshank (which those there hadn't noticed) there was nothing unusual to report.

I love those small Geese, which not much bigger than Mallards. However, when they 'mooned' at us, we added that to the 'we were here first and you're not welcome' attitude of those in the hide, got the hint and decided it was time to leave!

[Catherine]

Decided to put Friday's pics on this thread - rather than divide them into other sections. I thought it would give folks a better idea of the full picture - and see what can be found at Keyhaven at this time of year!

First of all, setting the scene! The 30th September was a very warm day down here - mid 20s Celsius - and this is what Keyhaven looked like, from before 10am to just before 1pm;

1. Passing the harbour, folks already boarding the ferry for Hurst castle (background) while Gull shows no fear of shiny CDs meant to scare him off the boat in the foreground!
2. Twitchers watching Avocet on a lagoon - even had camouflage 'jackets' on their camera lenses.
3. Cattle keeping cool
4. Pier on the Solent side of the path. Many were built here to load Mulberry harbour sections to France in time for D-Day
5. Gulls and Knots on peninsula, with Isle of Wight, The Needles and The Needles lighthouse in the background.
6. On the path on our way back to Keyhaven

[Catherine]

Now, the birds!

Amongst the species we saw were Mute Swans, Heron, Little Egrets, an Avocet, Great Crested Grebes, Little Grebes, Coots, Moorhens, Coots redshanks, Spotted redshanks, Snipe, Great Black Back Gulls, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls (and other unidentified Gulls), Knot, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits, Robins, Stonechats, Whitethroats, Linnets and Carrion Crows.

[Catherine]

Then there were other things - the Common Darter Dragonfly, the Wall Brown Butterfly, Mallow flowers peeping through the seeds of other plants, Roses growing wild, Brambles galore, Sloe berries, Teasel seedheads - and, as we neared the end of our walk, Mrs Stonechat (whose pic was just one too many for the 'birds' section so she demanded inclusion here!)

[rolf]

Excellent series of photos Catherine, surely enough to convince anyone to visit Keyhaven.

[Catherine]

Three months later.....

We returned to Keyhaven on Wednesday. It was a wonderfully sunny day - blue sky, not even a breeze, and 12c recorded.

There were many birds to be seen - my favourites being the ever-singing Linnets which flew around us often, landing in flocks to feed on seeds (?) on the ground, then fluttering off again along the side of the path.

There were a great many Brent Geese too - and what a noise they made - their constant 'honks' rising to a crescendo giving us the signal that they were about to take flight!

A great many Mallards, Teal and Wigeon filled the corners of each lagoon, but due to the low winter sun and their having their bills constantly in the water eating, were not easy to photograph. Shelducks, Mute Swans, Heron and Little Egrets were easier to make out, but the couple of Curlews we saw were rather far away to photograph well.

The lagoons near the harbour had many Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and some smaller waders were basking in the sun at one side of the water, while a gang of Black-headed Gulls waited hungrily for titbits thrown into the water by the Scallop fishermen.

Oh, and we were told that we'd just missed a 20 min display from a Kingfisher at the harbour side. Good to know!

[Catherine]

Brent Geese..... noisy!

Links to two videos; 7. Brents take off from the lagoon | Flickr - Photo Sharing! and 9. Brents circle round | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Catherine]

And there's more!

[rolf]

Some super photographs there Catherine, looks like you cose a wonderful day to go as well.