Prinsted and Nutbourne Channels, Guided Birdwatching 20th December

On a guided tour around one of the many productive areas of Chichester Harbour we bumped into an old friend from Norway and enjoyed some of the delights from the midwinter season.

Last November at the top of Nutbourne Channel we found a Norwegian colour-ringed rock pipit that I have previously written about here and here. I was aware that '364' had returned to this part of the harbour, so made sure to keep an extra eye out for him during our trip. In the late morning we managed to find him on the concrete surround of a streams outflow. Knowing the life history of an individual bird always adds to the experience of seeing it. We knew it was likely that earlier this year he had migrated north to his breeding grounds in Scandinavia, and come autumn flew back to this favoured area of the harbour. An impressive journey for an animal that weighs around 22 grams!

Later on we were having lunch just south of the area where we first spotted the rock pipit, when an orange shape caught my eye. Lifting up my binoculars I was greeted with the most beautifully illuminated kingfisher sitting above the stream outflow. The orange-red lower mandible of the bill indicates that this bird was a female, although the colour does not usually extend quite so far towards the bill tip as on this individual. She happily sat there for a long while before flying off westwards.

Fortunately we were also moving westwards and after only 100 metres or so relocated the kingfisher along a narrow stream. She had found a most productive fishing spot and we watched her catch four fish from this little channel.

With the sun behind us the light was perfect for viewing birds, as demonstrated by possibly the most brightly coloured kingfisher I had ever seen. Later on a handsome male stonechat perched in a typically obliging manner for us to admire.

Within the channels of the harbour large numbers of wetland birds were seen. In particular the dunlin were found in impressive quantities. Male pintails were looking dapper with their appropriately named tails growing into attractive lengths. On the water red-breasted mergansers and great crested grebes fished. Over the surrounding farmland we heard an early skylark singing in the bright sunshine of a midwinters day, and on the day before the winter solstice this most evocative of sounds was a prelude to the upcoming longer days.

Photos were taken and provided by Les Phillips.

If you are interested in attending a guided walk such as this one, the upcoming events can be seen on the Events page on this website, here. Or to receive news of upcoming events prior to them being published on the website you can join my mailing list by emailing me at: baggaleyhugh@gmail.com

- Hugh Baggaley