BIRD NEWS:465

It was the big garden birdwatch weekend - and I had decided to do my count on the Sunday, seeing as I went to Arundel on the Saturday. It began rather poorly - with only a pair of blackbirds and a robin sighted in the first half hour, probably due to the strong winds. However, as the second half hour came along a few more birds appeared in my garden - a thrush, a wood pigeon, a magpie and 7 sparrows added to my count - finally worth counting.

I forgot this photo when loading my last trips worth from Arundel. But now onto the next trip - taken exactly one week later and with Liz for company, yet back to the same place - Arundel WWT - a firm fav with us both.

The eider ducks were fairly quiet today - hanging out in the rear of their long lake - but the Canada geese were as noisy as anything! Of course it did not take me that long to find one of these - a pigeon!

The first swans that we saw were the black-necked swans, lazily grazing the waters of their lake. We wandered into the woodland hide, being on an anti-clockwise trek as per usual for Liz. I found another pigeon - this time a wood pigeon.

This 'action shot' shows one wood pigeon munching seed carefree, whilst a second flaps in alarm as a rat lunges towards it, wanting the same food supply, with a water rail foraging in the rear. My final photo for today's post shows the wood pigeon strolling off to the background with the rat curling up near the log - possibly.

The thing is, not long afterwards another rat appeared and this second rat was gigantic compared to the smaller rodent. I am still undecided whether the smaller of the two is a baby rat or a mouse - though Liz is convinced its a baby rat.

BIRD NEWS:464

The water rail was still strolling about the Trumpeter enclosure snacking in the lawns. I took a few more shots before moving on - just in case my earlier samples did not come out properly.

The young Bewicks were munching luncheon as I walked past, nearing the end of my late January excursion.

While that was the last photo taken at WWT, I took 3 more on my way back into Arundel town before taking the bus home. I spotted a group of seagulls perched in an interesting arrangement and had to take a couple of shots as I walked by.

The last shot I took before returning home was of a pair of grey heron - also in the field behind the ditch in which cows sometimes munch.

BIRD NEWS:463

It is not often that I visit a bird reserve without spotting at least one pigeon, and here is the third of the day, after the two wood pigeons already depicted. On my second passing, the shots of the merganzers did include the other variety, although this time they were napping.

I walked right past this male blackbird and he didn't hardly notice me - at first. Even when he did, he just stared. He seemed tame, so maybe someone tossed him a sandwich one day and he learned to trust humans.

He seemed to have no fear at all, so I was able to take some very good close-up shots before wandering onward. My next stop was back with the water rail.

BIRD NEWS:462

A real robin illustrates the robin board I passed soon afterwards. I wandered onwards, spotting some eider hanging out with a Mute swan and Canada geese on the pond that extends along towards the cafe.

Naturally, it being winter, I stopped at the cafe for a cuppa. I took a shot of the eider ducks again.

It was lunchtime for the Nenes as I walked backwards on my second circuit of the reserve. The mute swans were in the lake opposite the blacknecked swan lake as I returned - and the blacknecked swans were still interested in me and once again followed me along part of my journey, watching me watch them.

BIRD NEWS:461

There was a lot of splashing going on as I passed the waterfall cages - from the merganzers. I thought I had taken shots of both types, but only one variety came out.

I then approached the black necked swans. they seemed fascinated by me on this trip - and followed me along the entirety of their lake as I walked past.

There were of course other birds on their lake apart from them - such as these American woodducks, coot, etc. I passed another robin-board.

BIRD NEWS:460

There was a blue tit hanging out in the trees as I walked further around the reserve. I then passed another robin infoboard. I stopped - as I was approaching the external woodland feeders, I came across a resting wood pigeon - and decided to go the other way to avoid disturbing him.

I next spotted a goldfinch, hanging out nibbling its brunch. I popped out of the reedbed boardwalk and spotted a song thrush hiding in the undergrowth watching me.

Then, I entered the woodland hide and spotted multiple blue tits and....a wood pigeon.

BIRD NEWS:459

I have a few more pictures of the water rail to start today's post with. This is the first time I have seen this bird since 2 winters back, where one was hanging out at the reedbed hide.

Eventually, I moved on - passing the Trumpeter swans again. They did not seem impressed that I had stood nearby and ignored them for a while, however and turned their heads away from me sulking.

I departed from the reedbed hide/wildflower station and spotted a blue tit investigating a nest box on the corner. It was either looking for winter warmth or an early bird searching for a nesting site.

I passed another robin board and progressed to the reedbed walkway.