A flock of small waders at Pennington, including Ringed Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint and Dunlin
Saturday 4th December, 2021
This area offers a mix of marsh, meadow, gorse scrub and sea – a combination that can produce a huge range of birds. Peregrines often sit on the shingle or marshes between their raids on the many ducks and waders that frequent the area in winter. Merlin is sometimes seen too. Rare waders turn up here often enough to make it worth checking every flock. And don’t forget to check the many Brent Geese too, because they sometimes have an oddity among them. Spoonbills are now fairly regular. Keep an eye out too for Dartford warblers in the gorse, for Rock Pipits on the sea wall, and for divers, sea ducks and rare grebes on the Solent. This is one of the best sites to guarantee some real pre-Christmas treats.
Meet 09.30 a.m. in Keyhaven at the limited parking area at ///handbag.nearing.shepherdess or SZ3081 9158; there are other car parks and a toilet nearby. Note all parking in the vicinity is now pay and display.