BIRD NEWS:439

This robin thinks it is a duck, assumedly. That brings us to the close of my Arundel trip late September. On the final day of the month I was off out again, though - this time to Bosham with Liz. I had not been told where we were going, as she hadn't decided when she called to invite me along. I therefore didn't take my noccies - but did pack my camera, water, wallet, and wear hiking boots - which came in very useful!

This board shows the general map, along with bird species sightable in the area - we saw turnstones, gulls, an egret. You may note that the info board states the flooding dangers of the coastal path - which was the one we were trotting along quite happily - watching for the tide to turn, and planning to turn when it did. We would have been approximately halfway between the warning sign and the black stripe indicative of a ferry when the tide did turn.

We were too late to get back without wet feet! Another half hour and we would have had no chance of being able to return the way we came - though we might just have managed to reach the end of the flooded part and gone to the parking area and taken the road back to Bosham - perhaps.

As shown above - along with a seagull - the pathway was flooded on our return - in 2-3 patches. The first I was able to navigate by stepping directly up to the wall and slowly walking carefully to the other side - but then we came to a deeper patch around the corner and this time I joined Liz in taking my shoes and socks off and wading thru, paddling...

Back home, and I was getting ready to clear the back yard and make adjustments before winter - the bird bath is not even visible currently, for example. Liz's neighbor's house is now sold, and I was offered a feeder pole or two to add to my collection - it being only 3-4 minutes trot round the block, I was happy to receive the gift. I therefore redesigned the entire bird-feeding set up.

Here is the current layout, complete with the new feeder pole, old short one, and original duo, now moved across. The first customer was a great-tit who came down to munch a peanut and beat me fetching the camera - but next up was a small group of sparrows who tucked in happily. Later in the day, a mixed flock of around 7-8 long-tailed tits and blue tits investigated while flying by.