 |
| Farlington Marshes |
|
|
Farlington Marshes is a well known bird watching area on the south coast between Havant and Portsmouth.
The marshes form a peninsular of reclaimed intertidal mudflats behind a seawall that also acts as a footpath and effectively separates the visitors from the wildlife.
The area behind the seawall consists of rough grassland used for grazing interspersed with small lagoons and reedbeds.
On the seaward side of the seawall the mudflats and small islands are exposed depending on the state of the tide.
The first impression you have when you get out of the car is one of noise. The noise comes from the incessant rush of traffic on the nearby A27.
Eventually you get used to the noise but it remains in the background all the way round the reserve. The wonder is that the birds do not seem to notice it.
If I had travelled hundreds of miles from the quiet of the tundra to the rumble of traffic on Farlington Marshes I would probably fly straight back.
Why then do people creep up on birds so as not to disturb them and notices in bird hides remind people that birds have ears?
Perhaps like us the birds get used to the roar of traffic and ignore it for the greater benefit of searching for food.
There are always birds at Farlington Marshes so you are rarely disappointed for something to see.
However if you are the sort of birdwatcher who is only interested in the rarer species then you may be elated one week and disappointed the next.
Unfortunately we seemed to have picked one of the weeks when the Ospreys, merlins, and bearded tits were absent.
This was partly explained by the brisk south westerly wind that ruffled the water and rustled the reeds so that finding the birds was almost impossible.
The cattle were still on the reserve but presumably they will be removed before winter and the migrating birds come along.
We did see one or two Brent Geese but the winter migration has not yet started.
Canada Geese are an introduced species from North America where they are used to migrating but in this country they just move about from north to south.
Nevertheless the Canada Geese were here in numbers.
There are quite a number of Teal which have arrived recently.
They breed on northern moors and marshes but winter in the south and west of England supplemented by others from the Baltic and Siberia.
The Teal were looking for food in the mudflats on the seaward side of the barrier taking advantage of the low tide.
Widgeon are also starting to increase in numbers but not yet as many as the Teal.
For the enthusiast bird watcher there was a green winged Teal but not seen by any of our members.
 |
Swimming |
|
Another wading bird that migrates here in the winter is the Black Tailed Godwit and there were a considerable number present already.
This is a bird easily recognised by its long straight beak but it loses its rusty coloured chest in winter and merges in with the Redshanks.
They have, as their name suggests, red legs and are easily recognised unless they are wading in the water.
The Little Egret has only been resident in this country for about twenty years but you expect to see them at any site on the south coast and at Farlington Marshes they are almost taken for granted.
Grey Plovers were also seen singly looking for food on the mudflats.
Our next outdoor meeting will be to Libertys Owl & Reptile Centre, Ringwood. Entrance fee will be required. Meet at Oak Road car park Dibden Purlieu at 10am on Sunday 16th November.
Our next indoor meeting will be at St. Andrews centre, Dibden Purlieu at 7.30pm on 24th November.
Our speaker will be John Poland and the topic will be on Lizards and Newts.
All visitors are welcome to indoor and outdoor meetings. Contact the Secretary on 023 8089 3803.
Any comments to mharrison67@btinternet.com |
