Pants Birding!!!

As some of you may recall around 3 weeks ago I remarked on Twitter that hants birding should be changed to 'pants birding' as generally there was nothing in the county whilst everywhere else seemed to be picking up stuff even if not mega rare.

It transpires now perhaps I should open my mouth more often as since my initial tweet Hampshire has picked up with some good birds. Firstly a Squacco Heron was found on Friday 24th may at Titchfield Haven. This is a good county bird the last being some 20+ years ago at the same site so therefore this would be a county tick for me.

However there was one slight problem I was in the middle of Southampton shopping with the other half in IKEA!! I couldn't believe it, I never go shopping but when asked that morning I decided to go along which could have proven a costly mistake! The shop itself is very big, confusing and in general pretty shite. Thankfully within 2 hours of the news initially breaking I found myself at posbrook flood along with many other familiar Hants listers. 

After a nervy 45 minute wait the Squacco got up and flew but immediately headed south towards the reserve itself. I was happy I had seen it but as I like yo get pics I was rather frustrated so I started walking south down the canal path where I then managed to pick it up again. This time it was around c1mile away and still heading south so managed so really poor record shots before it dropped below the distant tree line. 

With a few others off searching the reserve I got myself positioned along the path at the south end of posbrook flood in hope it would head back towards me but I only had a few hours before I had to leave. It was getting close to the time I had to leave and my hopes of it coming back in were dropping by the second when I picked up a distant egret heading towards me but from the same range as before, 5 mins later and the Squacco was right upon me and drifted over at speed before dropping down into the thick juncas grass edges of the flood. 

Squacco Heron coming back in from the Reserve over my head. 

Squacco heading south at some c1mile range.


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