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<\/a><\/p>\nLesser Whitethroat – Ancient Highway, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n
Lesser Whitethroat – Ancient Highway, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Lesser Whitethroat – Ancient Highway, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Lesser Whitethroat – Ancient Highway, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n As I wandered around the seawall it was evident that the tide was very high and the waders on the salt marsh were tiptoeing in knee-deeps water when normally they would be high and dry. Scanning through their ranks there were many Dunlin and Grey Plover and I counted a total of 185 Curlew. Scanning over the scrub looking for the Wryneck that has been present recently I picked up an immature Sparrowhawk that was harassing the pipits, a Marsh Harrier and a Red Kite flew north over. Red Kite is still a scarce bird here.<\/p>\n Sparrowhawk – Iley Point, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Walking around the seawall an obliging Wheatear was on the track while at Fishtail there were good numbers of wader with 180 Black-tailed Godwit, six Snipe and 90 Lapwing along with small numbers of Redshank and Dunlin. I watched a pair of Mallard foraging in the shallows accompanied by three Little Grebe, the Little Grebe were diving in the ‘slip stream’ of the Mallard and were clearly foraging for prey items (small invertebrates) disturbed by the Mallard – I do not recall seeing this feeding association before. Scanning over the saltmarsh I picked up an immature female Merlin chasing a Meadow Pipit which it eventually downed over the scrub at Iley Point.<\/p>\n Wheatear – Keyhaven Lagoon, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Wheatear – Keyhaven Lagoon, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank – Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank – Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Foraging Mallard accompanied by Little Grebe – Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n At the Jetty there were around 30 Turnstone and 15 Dunlin feeding on the seaweed that has accumulated on the beach – quite unusual that the beach is not disturbed by dogs so I spent a little time he photographing them. I then headed along the seawall past Pennington Lagoon before cutting inland and back to the car.<\/p>\n Dunlin – Jetty Beach, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Dunlin – Jetty Beach, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Turnstone – Jetty Beach, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Dunlin – Jetty Beach, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Dunlin – Jetty Beach, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Dunlin – Jetty Beach, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n Chiffchaff – Pennington Lagoon, Pennington Marsh<\/p>\n <\/p>\n