November at Calshot

Calshot is a bleak cold place to be in winter and today was no exception but despite this we the thirteen who braved it, all enjoyed in a masochistic way the wind and the cold. Because the tide was low exposing the beds, a rich source of food for the birds, there was plenty to see, enough to satisfy the most eager bird enthusiast.
From Mike.
The blustery wind was cool but we were grateful that the rain kept away for us to enjoy a good variety of wildfowl and waders feeding before the advancing tide.
Brent Goose - 80+ of which only 1 juvenile was seen and this indicates the poor breeding success on the Arctic coastal tundra this year. Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck in small numbers mingled with various plovers, Turnstones and a handful of Black-tailed Godwits, such elegant birds with a 4" long bill designed for probing into the ooze in search of worms. Larger numbers of Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatchers and the much smaller Dunlin added to the interest whilst just before mid-day a pair of Reed Buntings called "stew" to us from a gully and that seemed a jolly good idea and very appropriate as we were all getting a bit chilly by then.