Smudger's Nature: Flying Through the Gloom Into the Golden Light

Having not been able to get out for a walk for quite a while now, this day's walk was most welcome.
I had arranged to meet up with my friend Chris at Farlington Marshes once again.
We had been here last month watching 3 Short Eared Owls show really well.
We arrived just before sunrise and began our walk along the seawall.
As the sun rose, so did the tide and the wildfowl flew in from the sea into the reserve.

One of my favourite ducks, the Pintail were here in numbers for the winter, so elegant.

The Shoveler is another favourite and as the sun came out it lit up this beautiful male with it's unfeasibly large beak.

The Brent Geese were spread all around, some feeding on the mudflats, some on the shoreline and some just congregating on the pools.

As we followed along the seawall, we reached point field where we were almost assured to see the Owls that roost and hunt here. Not today however. The Farlington bird ringing group had chosen today to continue their work.This meant erecting mist nets all over the field the Owls use. This had a big influence on their presence and they were not seen for the rest of the day. I made my feelings known to the warden of the Wildlife Trust who looks after the reserve.
Although he apologised and said this was ongoing research, we both felt this could have been postponed for the time being. It was made all the more frustrating as there were signs posted to the public making us aware this was a sensitive area due to the Owls' being present and we were not to disturb them. One rule for one so it seems?!
To cap it all the wildfowlers were hunting here today. They have an agreement to be able to do so and this has been in place for many decades now. As shots rang out in front of us it made us feel sick to our stomach. They missed on the occasion we saw them but it all seems such a contradiction in terms. A wildlife 'Reserve' yet they can be murdered for fun?

We carried on, just a little frustrated. The tide was nearing the sea wall and the Dunlin were feeding voraciously like clockwork toys, calling to each other as they did so.
We began our walk back to the car park for lunch. Overhead, more birds were leaving the bay and heading onto the reserve. All morning they seemed very nervous and now we understood why.
A male and female Pintail flew over into the lake.

By now the sun was almost incessant. This Black Headed gull looked too good to pass by.

Shelduck are numerous here and added to the role call..

Out in the bay the Avocet had sat as the tide rose and we thought they might fly over onto the scrapes.

After a few passes they decided to stay put and do what other waders balk at doing...swim.

They seemed quite happy to bob around. Sometimes they would fly up but always return to deep water.

We lost them as we reached the car park and a well deserved refuel.

Our next port of call for the afternoon walk was Hayling Island to the East.
The old Oyster beds are a great high tide roosting site and a good vantage point to observe sea birds in Langstone Harbour.
As we parked the cars our first bird we saw was this lovely Greenshank. Normally a little shy, this individual allowed us a closer view than normal.

I managed to capture it mid defecation too!

Looking out along the edge of the oyster beds, the waders were gathering at high tide.
There was very little room left. They were crammed with Dunlin,Grey Plover, Oystercatcher and a few Brent Geese.

In the sheltered bay Red Breasted Mergansers had swam in to feed.

Every so often the roosting waders would fly up, spooked by some unseen predator and provide some amazing manoeuvres. Similar to watching murmurations of Starlings but with a silver streak running through them like a aerial bait ball normally associated with fish

The Redshank kept quiet and undisturbed in a sheltered part of the beds, seemingly unimpressed with all the exertion around them.

So too a Curlew that I spotted as it was lit up by the receding sunlight.

Out in the bay were distant feeding Black Necked Grebe and Long Tailed Duck and what we concluded was a rare female Smew, although very distant but it seemed to be little else on dissection of it's characteristics. Definitely not a Scoter for sure. It was never seen again and the doubt still plays on the mind!
We headed back to the car park as the sun began to set.
A Little Egret looking stunning in the fading light.