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Titchfield Haven.
Picture courtesy of Hampshire County Council |
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On September 18, a glorious late summer’s day, members
of the Waterside Natural History Society set out to explore
Titchfield Haven. This reserve was originally created in
1611, when the Third Earl of Southampton built a seawall
across the mouth of the River Meon to reclaim the land.
In 1972 Hampshire County Council bought most of the present
reserve, which supports a great number of birds as well
as plants and many insects. The group were greeted by a
pair of rival robins singing from each side of the path,
as they walked towards the Suffern Hide.
Just as they were
about to enter the hide, a spoonbill flew off and was missed. However
they had good views of two snipe, an immature cormorant
diving for fish and a kestrel and sparrow hawk.
A great
spotted woodpecker was calling on leaving the hide to walk
to the viewing point where Ron Mintrum drew their attention
to a small raptor on the fence.
This was identified it
as a merlin. At the viewing point, there were also several
red admiral, large white and comma butterflies nectaring
on bramble berries and bees enjoying the ivy flowers while
a migrant hawker dragonfly rested on the grasses.
Southern
hawker and common darter dragonflies were also much in
evidence. From the next hide the group watched a heron
catch and eat an elver that tried to evade being eaten
by wrapping itself around the bird’s beak. A golden
plover was also seen from this hide along with swallows
and oystercatchers.
Three green sandpipers and several
more snipe were among the birds seen on the scrapes from
Pumfret Hide. Outside the hide a Cetti’s warbler
was calling. Other birds seen included Black-headed gull,
Black-tailed godwit, Canada geese, Green plover (Lapwing),
Herring gull, Jay, Little egret, Kestrel, Shelduck, Shoveler,
Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat, Turnstone, Wigeon and
Willow warbler. This was a very successful day and 35 bird
species were seen altogether.
At the indoor meeting on
26 September, Martin Noble talked about the life cycle
of the Red, Roe, Fallow and Sika deer, which reside in
the New Forest. There are also a few Muntjacs, but there
is too much competition for food for them to become established,
and also the odd sighting of Chinese Water deer, that are
probably escapees.
The Society’s next outdoor meeting will be on Sunday
16 October to look for deer. Meet at Oak
Road Car Park, Dibden Purlieu at 6.30 am (Strong footwear
recommended).
The next indoor meeting is on Monday
24 October when Clive Chatters of the Hampshire
Wildlife Trust will talk about Dibden Bay. Meet
7.30 pm , St Andrew’s Centre, Dibden Purlieu. Visitors
very welcome at £2.00.
Contact Felicity Beard 023
8089 7660 for further information |
