The weather was abysmal yesterday so instead of going birding we went into Southampton and bought a new pair of binoculars, Optricon 8x42. They are mainly for my husband as he is really getting into this birding lark now! I am hoping for a new pair of bins myself but I haven't found a pair I really like yet.
The first thing I noticed this morning was a Red Admiral butterfly outside my kitchen window. Then as I walked down the front path I noticed my wild geraniums were flowering. I have never seen them in flower in January before!
Today we went looking for the Great Northern Divers on Southampton Water again, only this time we were at Hythe Marina. It was bitterly cold, not the kind of day to be hanging around. The nice thing about Southampton Water is that even if you don't see any interesting birds there is always something else to look at. Two cruise ships were in dock and the Red Funnel Ferries were coming and going to the Isle of Wight.
There is also a ferry from Hythe to Southampton and a little train takes you down Hythe pier to the ferry. I have always enjoyed my trips on the Hythe ferry especially on summer mornings.
the pier train for the Hythe - Southampton ferry
We were at the Marina for quite some time but apart from a Great Crested Grebe we hadn't noticed anything else. We were just about to call it a day when a razorbill popped up about two feet from where I was standing! What a good result. I have seen razorbills off Durlston in Dorset but this was a first for me in Hampshire! I was absolutely delighted and even managed to get a photo of it before it went back underwater again. That was it, I was freezing cold and happy to call it a day. Time to go home and light the fire!
27.razorbill
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