Titchfield Haven NNR, 1st August 2017

After spending most of the day shopping in Portsmouth - groan, groan - we had just under 2 hours at the reserve on the coast of Hampshire. I last visited it about 2 years ago, about a week after the long-staying Greater Yellowlegs buggered off to the Isle of wight. My memories are of slight frustration.
Anyhow, yesterday was definitely a day of complete quantity not quality - by that I refer to my photography!
When we arrived, there were Common Terns whirling around everywhere, so I tried to get a half decent picture of one in flight - it was not to be.

Common Tern stare

Common Tern and fish

As we reached the visitor centre, there were 7 Turnstone scuttling around. By the time we left there were a good 30-40 individuals. It was pleasing especially because it was my first Turnstones since 2011 - another bogey bird.

Turnstone

Turnstone

Turnstone - evening 

Turnstone

Also in the harbour was a big gull, which I couldn't identify from its single rapid fly-through.

?

After seeing a Jersey Tiger moth from the reception, we began the walk to the gate on the Scrape route - there had been 8 Grasshopper Warblers ringed in the morning, but they'd all gone so we didn't take the other route. From the road there was a Little Egret fishing.

Jersey Tiger moth

Little Egret

From the Meon Shore hide there lots of Oystercatcher on show, with terns, ducks, lapwings and Black-headed gulls filling most of the islands. A Cormorant flew over.

Oystercatchers and Lapwing

Cormorant

Near the Pumfrett hide there was a big fungus - an aspect of nature I know nothing about at the moment, a Speckled Wood butterfly and also a mystery small bird which my mum saw disappear into the reeds, with a long bill. Possible Water Rail?

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Speckled Wood

From the Pumfrett hide there were lots of Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Avocet, a Redshank, Lapwing and a flyover Common Sandpiper.

B-TGs

Black tailed Godwit

Avocets etc

Redshank

From the final hide on our short walk, the Spurgin Hide, there were two Green Sandpipers showing on a distant small island. 

Green Sandpiper 1

Green Sandpiper 2

After we got back to the beach, a Common tern youngster (though it didn't look like it) landed and pestered an adult for a fish and was fed within 3 seconds. 

Common Tern being fed

A nature reserve which I would like to spend more time at, as it is quite a nice place!

On the journey back there were 5 Common Buzzards, 1 Red kite, 2 Kestrel and 1 Hobby (New Alresford) being all the raptors.