Keyhaven : 1st May 2014

Keyhaven : 1st May 2014

Our last day in the New Forest was given over to a visit to the coast to get some birds we had not seen yet. Our first port of call was Keyhaven where we checked out the times of the ferry to Hurst Castle which is at the end of the long shingle spit. The answer was that after 1st April they are every 20 minutes starting at 10am (£5.50p return). We had looked at the council pay and display car park charges were extortionate and the since we had a bit of a wait for the first ferry, we decided to drive along to Hurst Beach first where we parked up along Saltgrass Lane which has the advantage that it is free (bear in mind though that if there is a particularly high tide when you are there you might just find your car under water when you return, as the sign indicates that the gate may be locked then!).

As soon as we got out of the car we could see on the landward side some Shelduck, Canada Geese and a few Lapwings which were displaying and calling wonderfully. We took a walk up to the shingle ridge to get a better view and saw two or three Turnstones that were later joined by others. There was a single Redshank and a Curlew as well. A group of Herring Gulls and a number of Mute Swans were on the water and a couple of Common Terns squawked above. As we looked over to the fields there was a Buzzard on a post. Unfortunately it had started to drizzle a bit but we got on with it anyway.

We walked back along Saltgrass Lane and the bushes were filled with little birds, some of them very difficult to find, but we did find a couple of Whitethroats in full song. Another treat was the regular appearance of Wheatears and Reed Buntings. This is a very productive site for this kind of bird. Out on the water it was not so special with just the usual suspects. We met a chap who gave us a very useful piece of information about free parking very close to the ferry which we later utilised. This is reached by turning down a lane almost opposite the Gun Inn (it is actually just the other side of one side of the pay and display car park) If you follow it down to the end there is space for quite a few cars and it is also the start and end point of a circular walk – Solent Way

At the end of Saltgrass Lane we got the ferry over to Hurst Castle (where you can neither use the loos not buy a cup of tea without first paying £4.50 for entrance to the fortress!). We baulked at this so set about birding in the drizzle. The weather did not seem to put of the Linnets (best views ever and a year tick) or the Rock Pipits (Also a year tick). By a little pool we saw a Redshank and a Ringed Plover and at the edge of the water looking a bit miserable, a Little Egret, all hunched up and standing on one leg.

The drizzle and wind took their toll so we got the ferry back. As we did so we could see a couple of Common Terns feeding. We walked back to the car and took the gentleman’s advice about parking near the pub. If you take the path to the right it goes along the coast with the sea on one side and a range of sizes of pond and marsh on the left. There wasn’t a great deal on the water but a highlight was pair of Little Terns plunging into the water are an incredible speed. On the ponds were Gadwall, Tufted Ducks and we surprised a Grey Heron that rose suddenly from a gutter beneath the path.

The Solent Way path runs all the way to Lymington via Pennington Marshes but there are a number of turns you can make along the way to make the circular route shorter. Due to the relentless drizzle and a lack of time we decided to take the track at Butts Lagoon that passes through the old landfill site. Among the bushes there were lots of Goldfinches, fewer Greenfinches and Sand Martins and Swallows. At the end of the track you turn back on the path that returns you to the car park. We were a bit wet and tired by now but the walk was lightened a little by the presence of lots of singing Reed Warblers on the right hand side and Dunnocks on the coast side. As we neared the end of the path we were given the treat of a Cetti’s Warbler shouting out its call.

Eventually we got back to our starting point and tried to dry off the scope and bins as best we could in the rain and set off home. We filled up with petrol on the way home as we are due to leave the New Forest tomorrow. We were pretty happy with the day, despite the foul weather, with fantastic views of Linnet and Wheatear and nice views of Whitethroat and Little Tern.

Bird Sightings : Keyhaven