www.birdfact.comwww.birdfact.com
Report of Field Outing to Thornham Great Deep on Friday 25th October. Leader David Hart.
Considering the day’s weather forecast ( thundery showers by 11o’clock) it was great to join nine members, assembled and ready to go. Even better was that straight away we could admire two Marsh harriers flying and occasionally settling on some nearby trees. What a treat! Very soon from the car park, were noted Raven, Kestrel, Cormorant and Magpie. The footpath to the harbour side was lined with hawthorn, bramble and scrub and provided useful sightings of Robin, Goldfinch and Blackbird with overhead Heron, Starling and a Buzzard being mobbed by some Crows. We also enjoyed the sound of Cetti’s warbler…. Heard but rarely seen ? we shall see!
Once at the water’s edge, looking over to Emsworth, we saw Oyster catcher, Black-headed gull, Herring gull, Mute swan and heard the call of the Brent geese which was to grow in volume as we headed south. Curlew and Little egret were spotted as a Cormorant flew overhead. On the sand bank, exposed by the falling tide, were Redshank, Dunlin and Widgeon as well as more Curlew and Little egret with Great-crested grebe diving nearby. Meanwhile, on our left, were Teal, Coot, Tufted duck and Little grebe. But we were happily diverted by formations of Brent geese flying over the water to our right.
As we progressed to the Great Deep, we were greeted by more and more noisy Cetti’s as a Grey wagtail posed on a useful fence post. With our eyes to the left, we saw Wood pigeon, a group of Stone chat, together with Reed bunting and Linnets flitting about the bushes. Three Sky lark were singing and dodging about high above us and at a lower level we were entertained by a mixed charm (is there such a thing?) of Goldfinch and Linnet. On the Great Deep itself there was not as much bird life as expected with only Mallard plus more Coot and Great-crested grebe being spotted. Saying goodbye to the harbour, noting a final lone Shelduck and Grey plover, we descended (some of us on our bottoms as it was the safest way to travel!) to the lower path.
On our way back, Meadow pipit were recorded and then, miraculously, some members first heard and then SAW a Cetti’s! The drizzle kicked in as we reached our cars but we’d had a good time. Many thanks to attendees and especially David for his knowledgeable leadership and members who took photographs, offered use of telescopes and volunteered to note our sightings on IRecord ( For how to access / use IRecord see home page of the Chi Nats website and check Chi Nats activity for our results.)
Gill Hance
Header photo of Cetti's Warbler from
www.birdfact.com