A Sky So Grey, I Cannot Remember the Sun

The view overlooking Keyhaven marshes at 7am on a misty end of March morning. Sun was still at a premium. Grey was the overriding colour, as usual so far in 2018.
To the right sits the massive shingle bank that leads to Hurst Castle that shelters the harbour and wildlife that lies therein.
I met Chris once more and we spent an hour seawatching in the hope of something interesting flying through the western approaches to the Solent.
Apart from a few Black Tailed Godwits, two Sandwich Terns and a few Mediterranean Gulls, all was quiet in the mist shrouded calm waters.

 The fog horns that greeted our arrival and pretty much continued throughout our stay, sped us on our way as we crunched across the shingle bank and followed the path along the tributary that flows from Sturt Pond a few metres North.
On the pond itself were the usual baying array of Black Headed Gulls and in amongst them were a few Black Tailed Godwits.

At the back end of the pond where the reeds funneled into it's neck we were ever hopeful of a Great White Egret. Alas, we were to be disappointed on this occasion. Not even a Reed Bunting would call or make an appearance. Still, I was happy with my love of the reeds.

Walking back we were treated to sights of Rock Pipits flitting across the raised bank before us.

Next stop was Keyhaven Harbour just a quarter of a mile East along the coast road.
We found a parking spot by the sea wall that sits opposite the freshwater and tidal marshes and began our walk towards Pennington.
There are two directions to follow. Either the shore path or the wooded inland trek. We chose the latter, driven by the repetitive hammering of a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the power line poles ahead of us.

In the marsh opposite us a female Marsh Harrier quartered the reed beds in the hope of a meal.

A few metres further on you are confronted with another crossroads. Either further inland towards the tip or recycling centre I should say or south towards Pennington car park and the shore. This time we chose the former. This skirts the northern edge of what was the old tip.
I often wonder of all the items buried deep in the earth below, maybe there is something of what I once owned down there?
If there was something I once owned down, then a Roe Deer was now sitting upon it staring at me with curiosity. Now that would be quite ironic.

The path follows on to the recycling centre (get it right Smudger) and surrounding these are a myriad of small lakes bordered by solar farms.
We heard the tuneless peep of the Bullfinch along here and managed a fleeting shot of this shy bird. Usually seen in at least a pair, the male showed itself for a moment and then was gone, as is it's  wont.

We exited the track onto Lower Pennington Lane that leads to the car park we usually inhabit.
In the tree next to the occasional houses that border the lane, a Stock Dove perched in all it's daintiness. I do love this enigmatic little Pigeon. So much more alluring than the more ubiqitous Woodpigeon.

Before rounding the bend that borders the main field by the car park, the pond there can give wonderful still reflections on it's sheltered surface.

As luck would have it, our often photographed friend the Tufted Duck slipped into view too.

Resistance was futile....

The field was alive with Wigeon grazing. They would be leaving soon. Heading north to their breeding grounds in Northern Europe.

The Lapwing would stay and breed here however. They have a distinctive walk. It's a short couple of steps, stop, peck the ground, stand up, pause then repeat.

Much of the field is flooded in winter, giving all sorts of feeding opportunities to all sorts of species. This in particular being a Ruff, a couple more were in attendance. They will leave to head north too, which is a shame as the males' breeding plumage is quite stunning.

Spoonbill had been absent on my travels of late and I am normally blessed with a sighting of them feeding, but today, two were to be viewed in their normal sleeping position and refused to even lift their unfeasibly large billed head.

This was Fishtail Lagoon, not just a good place to encounter 'Spoonies' but also another favourite in Spotted Redshank - another winter visitor. They are expert at feeding waist deep in water and that is a common indicator of their species.

 Keyhaven Lagoon is next heading west along the seawall and another Spoonie was being as indolent as the last. A Little Egret sat to it's right doing much the same!

 We were now back to the car park. Decision time which we were both in agreement with. Another date to find the rare Bewick Swan at Harbridge that had been alluding us. It had been seen around again, so maybe a last chance to catch a sighting of a bird so rare in the south. It might not return next year.
Upon arrival at Harbridge - which is a quaint little hamlet with nothing more than a farm and a church it would seem with the River Avon cutting a swathe through it - we found an odd Goose in the fields with all the grazing Mute Swan. It was a Chinese Goose. An escape from a collection somewhere or a farm as these are farmed and eaten. Being a vegetarian this sat a little uneasy with me. I was comforted in the fact it had escaped however.

We scanned the fields further. It was a little while before the cry from Chris went up. He'd found it at last!
A small part of the farmers field was flooded and it was socialising with the Mute Swans. This is the smallest of the Swans that visit the British Isles as can be seen set against the much larger Mute.

A glance of satisfaction between us and then another little gem glided into view. Chris shouted to me once again. A Red Kite was directly above us...

It didn't stop, so we jumped into Chris's car and sped down the track in hot pursuit...
All I could think of was Starsky and Hutch for some weird reason as we shadowed this raptor. We rounded a corner and I urged Chris to stop. I jumped out with my camera, leaving the car door wide open. I was intent on capturing it on camera. It seemed oblivious to our eagerness at it settled in a nearby tree.  

I hadn't been so close to one before and a first for 2018. We watched it as it casually dipped this way and that roughly heading northwards. We tried to follow some more but birds don't follow roadways strangely enough?

As we passed through the nearby farm I spotted Kes on the wires above us. Chris was driving so I took full advantage as we stopped right beneath it.
What a little beauty !

Having satiated ourselves with our intended goal plus a couple more as a bonus. We dropped into the nearby reserve of Blashford Lakes once again.

In the Tern Hide overlooking the huge expanse of Ibsley Water there was quite a lot to see still.
Little Grebes fed close to the shore. Great Crested further out plus lots of Gulls. Rare ones  such as Ring Billed and Little Gulls were just out of decent photographic range.

Tufted Duck never seem to fail us and when there is little else close by, we love to grab a shot of this contrasting bequiffed little gem.

Goosander were still here in numbers too. A male shot over.

Whilst in front of the hide a Lapwing or 'Peewit' fed along the shore.
There were migratory Wheatear too. Freshly arrived to breed in this country. Plus on passage, a Little Ringed Plover. The slightly rarer cousin to the Ringed Plover, it fed amongst the stones on the bank adjacent to the hide. Camouflaged too well in the stones.

Spring wasn't too far away by now. The beginning could be felt all around in the behaviour of the birds and of a few plants. What was really missing was a little more sightings of the large spherical orange object in the sky. We had had enough grey days to last a lifetime....

The title of  this post is a line taken from the poem 'Grey Sky Days' by Michael Tworzydlo