But O, The Swiftly Shortening Day! Low in the West, the Sinking Ray!

The clocks had gone back an hour but I hadn't had a break from work since our West Country trip. There were many jobs to do around the house and garden to prepare for winter but the weather had been so calm for many days I had to take advantage of it while it lasted.  I completed a little in the morning but come the afternoon, to hell with the chores, I needed to disconnect to reconnect....
The Wildgrounds we visited a few weeks ago were having their last open weekend until March but I was torn between this and Titchfield Haven. It was a calm, still, and a stunning autumnal afternoon, so I chose the latter.
I parked the van along the cliff and as I loaded the camera my first shot was of a Dock Leaf Bug that had taken a liking to my van...
As I reached the harbour wall, the tide was receding and the Dark Bellied Brent Geese were gathering to feed. They come here for the winter from their breeding grounds in the Russian high Arctic.   

 The light was excellent. It was misty in the morning with the ship fog horns sounding as I woke but it had now cleared to reveal the perfect Autumnal day. The light through the reeds drew my attention.

 As I entered the reserve and the Meon Shore Hide, the Oystercatchers were preparing to depart their high tide roost to feed on the shore.

 The Lapwing were as flighty as always, regardless to the threat. There was a Buzzard and Marsh Harrier nearby though, so maybe they had a point.

 There were plenty of Snipe around the scrapes doing their best to be as inconspicuous as always...

 Having only a couple of hours at the end of the day it was fairly quiet but still a worthwhile relaxing time as I walked around the reserve.

 I do love the light through the reed seed heads, just like jewels...

 I returned to the Meon Shore Hide and got brief glimpses of a Water Rail but not enough for a  photo, so I had to make do with the golden autumnal backdrop and the occasional flight of a Jay with an acorn in it's beak. A Buzzard would occasionally glide into view too.

 

 As the reserve closed the tide had now fully receded as the sun was setting. The view across to the decommissioned power station at Calshot was very calming. 

 Looking back into the reserve, the setting sun lit up the reed bed.

 A Redshank fed in the golden glow...

 As I headed back to the van to photograph the sunset, a Spitfire emerged from nearby Daedalus airfield to produce a man made air display...

 Hill Head harbour looked serene as the tide subsided.

 I reached the top of the cliff path and looked back across to Lee on Solent as I waited to photograph the sunset feeling so lucky to live were we do.

 A short but sweet walk. Unseasonably warm but unrelentingly beautiful.

The title of this post is an excerpt from the poem 'An Autumnal Thought' by Anna Laetitia Barbauld