BIRD NEWS:573

Due to Coronavirus crisis, the WWT at Arundel shut down - first to the public then to members too, so that now only the staff go on site. One week beforehand, I had gone along planning on skipping 1-2 months due to not wanting to use public transport. This does not mean the end of my bird blog - but that most photos will be from my back yard again, or from local walks allowed as 'daily exercise'.

My first photo today was a garden oddity - a chaffinch spotted finding a meal on the path in my back yard. I have seen many chaffinches at Arundel WWT woodland hide, but it has been at least 3-4 years since I have spotted one in my own garden.

HERE is another update from WWT Arundel...

The goldfinch that came to our yard last year is back with a mate this year. In fact, its buds all popped by this afternoon - 5 were sighted at once when I did the washing up after my latest excursion - a solo hike in the local woodland.

Due to the virus lockdown, one is allowed a daily exercise outdoors. 5 times a week this is my allotment plot, but on the other two I like to take a ramble. Today, I chose to walk up Swillage Lane and take the path across, before turning back through Patching - I did not actually end up taking that planned hike, but did get as far as turning right from Swillage Lane - before birdlife changed my mind. The above photo shows Swillage's Poachers Pond with a farm duck/goose preening nearby.

Not much further along, I spotted a couple of peacocks in a field - alas, they came out as one blue stripe in the photo - but I can assure you there are at least 2 peacocks in the field at the far end.

I heard a woodpecker - which changed my plans from birding and stroll to birding. I never did find the woodpecker, but I did hear something bustling about a tree...

My first shot shows a nuthatch, which is what I tried to take pictures of - but the second looks more like a blue-tit.