A stroll around Hook on a very pleasant autumns evening produced a decent variety of species with good numbers of wildfowl on show. On the Dragonfly front still plenty of Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters on the wing near the hide. The tide was high when I arrived after work so I had a quick mooch around the harbour and other than a Grey Wagtail it was rather quiet.
Grey Wagtail Hook Hbr 8 Oct 2009
The scrape on the other hand held plenty of birds. c300 Teal, c100 Wigeon and Canada Geese. Roosting Black Tailed Godwits peaked at around c140. A single Barnacle Goose and the Fulvous Whistling Duck from the Haven were also present plus lesser numbers of the usual wildfowl. I still have big hopes for the Whistling Duck. Free flying unringed long distance migrant!!! (maybe not then) Only last year the Hooded Merganser pitched up in Dorset and with the Blue Cheeked Teals in the country this late summer…who knows. The links produced a couple of Wheatear and Stonechat but unfortunately no sign of the Egyptian Geese that had been seen earlier in the day. As sunset approached many of the Canada Geese left the scrape and headed east. I'm guessing to roost at the Haven.
Barnacle Goose Hook Scrape, 8 Oct 2009
Fulvous Whistling Duck, Hook Scrape, 8 Oct 2009
 Canada Geese, Hook Links, 8 Oct 2009
 Canada Geese, Hook Links, 8 Oct 2009
 Wheatear, Hook Links, 8 Oct 2009
Grey Heron, Hook Hbr 8 Oct 2009
 An autumnal evening over Fawley.
Steve Copsey
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