Joint NDOC and BOC Trip to Pennington Marsh, 28th November 2022
The delayed Monday trip to Pennington Marsh took place on November 28th with nine members in attendance.
After a slightly delayed start due to heavy rain, we walked down the eastern edge of Fishtail Lagoon finding amongst other things: Pintail, Teal, Wigeon, Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Rock and Meadow Pipit. A Great Black-backed Gull was feeding on a carcass and we heard Cetti’s Warbler and Curlew.
Due to flooding we were unable to reach the seawall and turned back and inland to traverse the northern edge of Butts Lagoon. Not much to see here on the water save for a Snipe but in the surrounding shrubs we found a group of Song Thrush, Dartford Warbler, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Stonechat, Goldfinch and a Kestrel.
Two of the group decided it was easier to slide down the muddy embankment rather than walk down and spent the rest of the trip “a brighter shade of brown.” The path to Pennington Lagoon became very difficult but we reached the seawall with judicious use of our tripods as a third leg.
On the corner of the lagoon and the seawall, by the jetty, we had tremendous and prolonged views of a Dartford Warbler feeding in the gorse. The bird was out in the open for at least five minutes and many photos were taken. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera.
The lagoon itself did not provide us with much save for a group of 12 Snipe and a few Redshanks. Turnstones were on the beach as usual and a pair of Eider were offshore with some Great Crested Grebes. A few more Stonechat and another Dartford were found on the water’s edge at Oxey Lagoon. We spent some time here looking in vain for the day’s “rarity”, but no luck. By this time we were getting hungry so we completed the circuit via Oxey Barn.
On Pennington Marsh, by the car park, the field was awash with birds: Canada and Greylag Geese, Golden Plover, Pintail, Teal, Lapwing and Shoveler. A Great Black-backed Gull appeared to kill a “duck” by continually dunking it in the water before feasting on it.
After lunch we drove round to Normandy Marsh. On Eight Acre Lake we found a small group of Little Grebe, and Maiden Dock provided a “gulp” or “flight” (depends which book you read) of Cormorants in fishing mode.
We are now coming to the most productive area, Normandy Marsh. You name it, it was here. Hundreds of Dunlin and Ringed Plover, Avocet, Greenshank, Redshank, Red-breasted Merganser, Shoveler, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Black-tailed Godwit and Spotted Redshank.
On the corner of the lagoon and sea we found the “promised” bird, a Slavonian Grebe which conveniently fished alongside a Great Crested Grebe so that a size comparison could be made. Out on the sandbars there were more Dunlin and Grey Plover with more Lapwing.
Highlights of the day were five or six different sightings of Dartford Warbler, Spotted Redshank, Slavonianand mud. Approximate total of species seen 61.
Bob Lyle