In the Monochrome Air, I Dream Technicolour, I Dare...

It was 6.30am as I reached the end of the road in the van and stared out at the sea.  Well I expected to see the sea but all I saw was a grey misty wall. Not good when setting out for an early morning seawatch on the other side of Hampshire.

I reached Cut Bridge by Hurst Spit an hour later where I met up with Chris. The scene was very much the same so the seawatch was cancelled for something a little closer. Even closer wasn't great as we stared up the tidal river leading to Sturt Pond nearby.

 Hearing was very much to the forefront in the limited visibilty. What we could pick out were Black headed Gulls, Brent Geese, and Mediterranean Gulls out in the middle of the pond and marsh, along with the ever consistent boom of the foghorns out at sea.

 The Med Gulls have the unmistakable whining call.

 In the field adjacent to the pond many Gulls were taking advantage of the damp conditions to feed on worms and invertebrates brought to the surface for rich easy pickings.

 Every few moments they would startle and fly up and across us a we stood on the path that borders the pond and field. The sound of their wings flushed past us in a rush of wind before they would return and settle once more.

 Having turned back we were walking the edge of the river where I spotted a passive Greenshank and froze so as not to disturb it. The have a tendency to be rather skittish, but it stayed for a while this time. 

 Just further along a couple of Mute Swan were busy courting. The male being extra dominant as he grabbed her by the neck in the throws of their amorous coupling.

 We drove the shore road a quarter of a mile to Keyhaven to walk to Pennington from there.
It allowed closer, less grey photography of matters around us. Hawthorn was just beginning to bud.. 

 Blackthorn was in full flower

 And Red Dead Nettle lined the paths giving a little colour to a drab morning.

 The onomatopoeic calls of a Chiffchaff rang out above our heads along the path by the pond we had reached. On said pond a rare Green Winged Teal had be seen for a few weeks now. It proved elusive to us as we scanned the water.

 Past the Pennington car park and along the old tip towards the shore, views were still very limited.
Two Little Egret sat hunched, seemingly as pissed off as us by the shroud that hung over everything.

 We knew that time was all that stood between us and the sight of the sun as it rose higher and evaporated the misty blanket.
We carried on undeterred until then.

Along Oxey Marsh, Black Tailed Godwit in their stunning chestnut summer plumage fed before us.

Spotted Redshank too, but only just beginning the moult into their dark spotted attire.

We took the path inland and came across Skylark dust bathing on the path before us.

Past Moses Dock and back in a loop to Oxey once more. It gave up the sight of more waders. Easily confused with each other at first glance.
Greenshank...

Spotted Redshank

and Black Tailed Godwit once more...

Looking out to sea, Great Crested Grebe are always a certainty to see, now coming into their Summer phase

We reached the jetty. All winter a Red Necked Grebe had happily fed offshore here. It was still about, but only a satellite tag could locate it in this gloom. All the while we kept saying to each other 'I definitely think it's clearing' in some sort of blind reassurance.

The last overwintering Brent geese still hung on. Feeding up to sustain them on their long journey North to Russia.

Common Redshank fed as we passed by Fishtail Lagoon and a small orange ball started glowering tentatively in the sky above us. Could this be what we had been waiting for for so long?
Maybe the male Reed Bunting singing before us heralded a new dawn and not just it's territory ?

It may have nearly turned 11am but increment by increment, the sun did appear and before we knew it, we were bathed in brilliant sunshine. Shame I had forgotten my cap and factor 30 ?

Nothing mattered now, the sun always brings a smile and helps when wielding a lens too.

It also gives nature a leg up too. Suddenly everything came to life. Chiffchaff and Blackcap burst into song along the path near the pond we had visited earlier on in the mist. Still no Green Winged Teal though. You can't have everything...
Although a Pied Flycatcher, fresh from it's southerly migration had passed by - again we had missed it by minutes. I hope to catch up with these on my sojourn to Devon next month in their breeding habitat with a bit of luck.

There were a couple of Snipe on the pond, doing their usual camouflage routine on the bank.

Cometh the sun, cometh the Butterfly. That time of year is upon us. We had been waiting what had seemed like forever to see our first one on the wing. My first had been a Red Admiral in my hometown. Here was a burst of activity.
A Peacock, fresh and a little tatty from hibernation was performing it's usual routine of basking in the sun on the path. The first sight is normally as it springs from the ground before you but with a little patience and stealth it is possible to sneak up on them...

All the while a Buzzard quietly circled above us...

Once more back at the pond. The Teal had gone AWOL clearly but there are always things to see.
Canada Geese had been setting up territories and setting up nests too.

Willow Warblers sang their descending notes along the path

We were heading East again towards the old tip and Pennington car park.
In the field adjacent to Efford Lake and the car park, many Oystercatchers roosted on the grassy bank.

While gliding above us I caught sight of a Marsh Harrier that are common along the coastline here.

The Willow trees had been throwing out their fresh fluffy catkins, attracting a myriad of Bee and Fly species to it's pollen.

Once more at Oxey Marsh and now in a different world. How a totally different weather scenario can paint a contrasting picture.

The rusting barrier by the jetty gave up a brilliant white reflective light. So different from two hours ago. A great place for Turnstones to roost.

Back on the marsh, the Black Tailed Godwits or 'Blackwits' performed some wonderful manoeuvres. The contrast of the colours against the gorse was heightened by the sun.

With little wind, the scrapes were still, the water like a mirror. Fantastic for watching a Little Egret feeding in the lagoon.

The Mute Swan was irresistible too.

and a lone Cormorant also..

As Chris walked ahead, I saw an unfolding drama. A Grey Heron had seen a Mallard mother with new borns'. Herons are opportunists and as harsh as this scene is, it has a job to stay alive too.

It will no doubt return to take some more.
The fact the ducklings are so cute makes it all the more horrific for us but why should it be any different from any other taking of life, from the Blackbird taking a worm to this scenario. Maybe we are too conditioned to a certain way of thinking ?

The calm sea gave some light relief.
A call of a sighting of a Diver is always nice to behold. On intial thoughts, we thought it a Black Throated Diver but when trawling through the photos and zooming in, it turned out to be a Great Northern. Fairly common around these waters.

Our day was drawing to a close as we followed the footpath back to Keyhaven car park.

From the disappointing grey beginning a bright new day dawned and lit up all before us. 

From the Reed Bunting to the Willow Warbler, they all seemed to parade before us now.

Kes too and even more Butterflies.
Our first Comma of the year.
These are feisty little characters that will check you out closely if you happen to stray upon their patch. They have a rapid wing flap and glide flight on flat wings along sunlit paths.

Another first this year was a Green Veined White. Always good to check on these when still. They are not necessarily your usual Large or Small Whites' they can be dismissed as. Their defined striped wing pattern is a giveaway.

A contrasting day in all shapes, forms and sounds.

The Spring season is late but when it arrives it sends shivers through the soul, hopefully this is a sign of warmer sunnier times to come?
I'm sure I've said this before...?

The title of this post is a line taken from the poem 'Technicolour Monochrome' by Jade Howser