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That was the question that occupied the minds of those members of the Waterside Natural History Society as we gathered for the February outdoor meeting.
In the end it was the fiscal policy that won the day, some members were afraid they may be charged for parking at Lepe, and off we went to Calshot.
The weather in February is difficult to judge when planning a programme of walks so a well known local walk is always a good idea.
In the event the weather turned out to be dry and calm, if a little overcast, ideal for bird watching. We decided to walk along the coastal mud flats, past the Fawley power station to Ashlett creek and back to Calshot along the same route.
The tide was at its lowest as we set off and had barely reached high tide as we got back several hours later so we had a good view over the mud flats and salt marsh.
Brent geese were the first obvious bird sighting which we almost take for granted at this time of year but they will soon be off for their summer holidays in Siberia.
This is not on the usual tourist route but it obviously has its attractions if you are a Brent Goose.
Black headed gulls are seen everywhere in this area and if you want to recognise other varieties it is a good idea to fix the black headed gulls characteristics in your mind.
They are best recognised by their dark red bills and legs and although they do have a dark brown head in summer it is replaced by a dark spot in the winter.
The other type of gull we saw at Calshot was the Common Gull.
This gull has yellow/ green legs and bill with signs of a black band round the bill.
It is also slightly larger than the black headed gull with a flatter more rounded head which is usually white and may have light brown streaks at this time of year.
Bird watchers are a bit touchy about the word seagull often reminding you that there is no such bird as they should be called gulls and preferably identifying the variety.
The mud flats are broken up by small rivulets and creeks which contain water even at the lowest tide.
Widgeon and Teal inhabit these stretches of water either looking for food or resting on the banks.
These will soon be returning on their migration together with the Brent geese.
Redshank and curlew can be seen at the water’s edge looking for food.
Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipits occupy the scrub on the landward side of the path and a Skylark was disturbed from its hiding place in the grass only inches from our feet.
We walked along the shore past the power station and on to Ashlett noting the IKEA /Isle of Wight ferry.
A group of New Forest ponies were walking over the salt marshes.
They are always in this area even though there does not seem to be any reason why they could not go anywhere they pleased.
The old mill at Ashlett has a freshwater lagoon feeding the mill stream and there were quite a number of Gadwall on the water together with Little Grebe disappearing beneath the water whenever the binoculars focused on them.
The next outdoor meeting is to Cheesefoot Head near Winchester.
Meet at the Oak Road car park Dibden Purlieu at 10am on 15th March 2009.
Non members welcome at no charge.
The next indoor meeting is a talk on Bustards by Paul Toynton.
Meet at St Andrews Centre, Beaulieu Road, Dibden Purlieu at 7.30pm on 23rd March 2009.
Non members welcome at a charge of £2.
Contact the secretary on 023 80893803 for membership details.
Any comments to mharrison67@btinternet.com |
