Archway birders assembling in the car park at Keyhaven always feel a tingle of anticipation for the birds that the morning may bring and on this occasion we were not disappointed!

Our visit to the hide over Avon Water yielded an obliging water rail visiting the base of the bird feeder and some snipe moving around on the scrape. Avocet, redshank, greenshank and approx. 60 black tailed godwits were also roosting or feeding.

Moving along the seawall towards the lagoons a beautiful red breasted merganser was spotted. He continued to play ‘duck and dive’ for ten minutes as we all tried to get on him through the telescope. Further along a Dartford warbler called and played hide and seek in the gorse, giving us some good views.

At the redshank pools we had the challenge of trying to differentiate meadow pipit from water pipit, both of which were hopping up on the tussocks around the pools. The water pipit appeared larger than the meadow pipit. It was also much paler than a rock pipit, which we saw later on the water’s edge.

At Keyhaven lagoon three spoonbill were present along with shoveler, teal and pintail ducks. Checking the gulls, we picked up a lonely kittiwake and we marveled yet again at the amazing camouflage of a group of turnstones feeding on the shoreline.

Deciding to stop for ‘provisions’ at Fishtail lagoon we poured out coffee and opened our snacks. Putting down binoculars to do this, without fail, causes something exciting to happen… and we weren’t disappointed. A large bird was starting to rise on the thermals and as we got the bins up we realised it was very big indeed! A white-tailed eagle was lazily circling, necessitating some of us to lie flat on our backs to see it recede further and further upwards. The legendary ‘set of flying barn doors’. What a bird!