SPOTTED
REDSHANK SIGHTINGS
FOR WINTER 2021-22
in
reverse chronological order
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Redshank Home Page
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MONDAY
JANUARY 24 - 2022
Nore
Barn
I got to Nore
Barn at midday - about 3 hours to high water. The
tide was still quite low and the stream running well.
What I assume was a 'new' Spotted Redshank was feeding
in the stream when I arrived; it remained for 15 mins
or so until chased off by a dog. I managed to get
some photos and a video. The bird was feeding in
stream quite happily with people passing by and looks
as if has established itself in this prime feeding
area, taking the place of the old Spotted Redshank
that had been coming for the past 17 years, now
presumably deceased! 
Video clip of today's
Spotted Redshank . . . https://youtu.be/G35GinkiUf0
A young lady from Bird
Aware was established at the end of Warblington Road
chatting to passers by about the birds in the harbour,
mostly Brent Geese and Wigeon with a few Black-tailed
Godwits. She was grateful when I pointed out the
Spotted Redshank which she had not seen.
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 20 - 2021
New Spotted
Redshank at Nore Barn?
We have a regular
Spotted Redshank in the Nore Barn stream again. I saw
it last week and Tony Gray got some excellent photos
and video (see blogs for Nov 9 and Nov 11). Susan
Kelly has also seen it on a couple of occasions in the
past week. The question remains could this be our long
standing Spotted Redshank which has been coming to
Nore Barn for the past 17 years but which failed to
turn up this season?
I went to Nore Barn at
9.15am this morning, about 2½ hours to high
water. The tide was rising and the harbour gradually
filling. Plenty of Brent Geese were calling and flying
around. No sun and no wind, so conditions were
ideal.
The stream was still
fairly empty, but there was the Spotted Redshank in
the upper stream feeding quite happily in the fast
running water just like the old Spotted Redshank used
to!! It is a pretty smart bird is certainly welcome
where ever it's from
In all, I watched it
for about 30 minutes as it fed mostly in company with
a Black-headed Gull which was busily engaged in mud
paddling to dislodge food items. You can see it in the
photo below. The Spotted Redshank spent quite a lot of
time feeding around a temporary weir of stones that
someone has built across the stream. This barrier
probably provides a nice trap for creatures coming
down the stream. The red arrow points to the Spotted
Redshank in the photo below. Incidentally, the bird
was not disturbed at all by people and dogs walking
along the paths close to where it was feeding which is
what we came to expect from the old Spotted
Redshank
The only other birds
in the stream were a Common Redshank and a
Black-tailed Godwit.
I could just make out
the regular colour-ringed Greenshank far out on the
saltmarshes point, but it did not come into the stream
to feed while I was present.
Precisely at 9.50 the
Spotted Redshank suddenly flew off going south towards
Hayling. I would not have expected this sudden
departure by the old Spotted Redshank which used to
hang on feeding in the stream until the bitter
end.
Video clips . . .
Note: I find the best way to open these flies is 1.
right click the link then 2. select open in a new
window
Spotted Redshank
feeding in fast flowing Nore Barn stream
https://youtu.be/9eCQZKI2dfs
Black-headed Gull
'dancing' in Nore Barn stream with Spotted Redshank
nearby.
https://youtu.be/U1rNB2h8Ydo
Spotted Redshank
feeding around the stone weir on the Nore Barn
stream
https://youtu.be/5E1X2xVPht8
So, the question
remains is this bird our old Spotted Redshank? It's
possible, but I doubt it. Last week's observations by
myself and Tony Gray on Nov 9 and Nov 11 suggested to
us that it was not the old bird, but a new one,
probably a juvenile. It was brighter, cleaner looking
and sharper than our old friend and it did not behave
in the same confident manner, eg it was tentative
about coming into the stream to feed with the
residents Greenshank and Common Redshank.
Nevertheless, today's Spotted Redshank did come into
the stream and seemed comfortable there. So that's
puzzling!
Overall, I am inclined to say that the Spotted
Redshank many people have been seeing at Nore Barn for
the past week or so is not our old friend of 17 years
but a newcomer. However, it would be good to get other
people's views about this bird which now seems to be
settled into a regular feeding routine at Nore Barn -
best seen 2-3 hours either side of high water.
Please e-mail me with any sightings, photos, videos at
. . . brianfellows@tiscali.co.uk
WEDNESDAY
NOVEMBER 17 - 2021
The old Spotted Redshank??
Susan Kelly
reported seeing a Spotted Redshank feeding in the
stream at Nore Barn at 8.45 this morning close to the
bridge. This could be the new Spotted Redshank which
we have already seen, but more significantly Susan
added that the bird was 'unbothered by passers-by'
which is exactly the behaviour one would expect from
the old Spotted Redshank. We must investigate this
further.
THURSDAY
NOVEMBER 11 - 2021
A new
Spotted Redshank
Yesterday (Nov 10) Tony Gray got some excellent
photos and a video of a Spotted Redshank at Nore Barn.
Tony's photos convince me that this is not the same
bird that I have been watching and recording for the
past 17 years. The new bird looks bright and sharp and
could be a juvenile, even an offspring of the regular
Spotted Redshank?
Its behaviour is also
different from our regular Spotted Redshank as I noted
in yesterday's report. As before the bird did not move
into the stream to feed with the Greenshank, Common
Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits which the regular
Spotted Redshank certainly would have done.
Tony observed it for
an hour and it stayed put on the edge of the
saltmarshes. He thought the bird seemed tentative
about joining the others in the stream which is not
the behaviour we would expect of the regular Spotted
Redshank which has been so tame and unfazed with
people and dogs nearby. Tony's photos and an excellent
video of the new bird can be seen on the Facebook page
'Wildlife in Havant, Hayling and Emsworth'.
I think we can now say
with some confidence and sadness that the Spotted
Redshank which became such a firm favourite with
Emsworth folk and which attracted photographers from
around the country has died. It lived for at least 17
years which is a very good age for a Spotted Redshank
- maybe a record? I personally became attached to this
little bird over the years and always looked forward
to its reappearance in October. Yes, I feel a sense of
loss, but also gratitude for the interest and pleasure
this friendly bird has given to so many people. Sorry
I am anthropomorphising. I will leave my special web
page as a tribute to this remarkable bird. He was
undoubtedly THE Emsworth Spotted Redshank!
MONDAY
NOVEMBER 8 - 2021
Nore Barn
11am. Tide rising to high water at 13.30. Conditions
were ideal for the Spotted Redshank! I met Peter
Milinets-Raby who had just come from the eastern
Emsworth Harbour where he saw a Spotted Redshank fly
towards Nore Barn so he came over to have a look. With
our scopes we quickly located a Spotted
Redshank sitting in rising water in the bay with a
Common Redshank and a few Black-tailed Godwits nearby.
Meanwhile, Peter counted 163 Brent Geese, 119 Wigeon,
c100 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Turnstone.
When Peter left I walked down to the stream to wait
for birds to turn up. I noticed someone had
constructed a dam with stones across the top of the
stream, not seriously blocking the flow of water. The
only bird to arrive was a Common Redshank.
So, I walked a little
way round the shore and found the Spotted
Redshank on the far edge of the saltmarshes
together with a Black-tailed Godwit.
I watched it for about
15 minutes as it moved a little way along the shore to
rest behind some grasses, but it went no further.
Then, at about 11.35 it flew off heading south towards
Hayling Island. Now, our Spotted Redshank would
certainly have moved into the stream to feed, so my
hunch is that this was a visiting birds and not our
regular one. But I shall keep checking. We have often
had extra Spotted Redshanks turn up at Nore Barn over
the years, so today's bird was not totally unexpected.
However, it was our first Spotted Redshank at Nore
Barn this season, so let's keep looking.
When I left the tide had filled the stream; the lone
Common Redshank was snoozing on the edge of the
saltmarshes.
WEDNESDAY
OCTOBER 27 - 2021
Nore
Barn
13.45. Tide rising to HW in 2 hours. I stayed for
about 30 mins watching the stream slowly fill up on a
neap tide.
The only birds in the stream during the time I was
there were a few Black-headed Gulls, a pair of Mute
Swans, a Little Egret, two Black-tailed Godwits
(juveniles) and a Common Redshank.
Surprisingly, the
regular colour-ringed Greenshank (G+GL) was not
present. Here's one I took last week.
No sign of the Spotted
Redshank. I am feeling on edge, but it is not too late
for this famous bird to turn up for its 18th winter.
Two of the first sighting dates over the past 3 years
have been right at the end of October: 31-Oct in 2019
and 30-Oct in 2018. So there's still time.
For other sightings and photos go to . .
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Redshank Home Page