BIRD NEWS:611

I tried zoom - but Kodak cameras are not well focused on zoom and I still could not tell if the field of swans were Bewick or Mute.

We could tell they were swans, but not much else. However, swans are one of my favored birds - along with pigeons - and so I took a lot of hopeful shots...

In this shot, you can almost identify them - it looks more orange than yellow on the beak - so I will assume they are mute.

We stopped for lunch - finding a seal sunbasking on the narrow stretch of beach below - then walked onwards, passing a little egret. Our trek continued into Littlehampton, where we took the coast into Rustington and then trekked homeward - our entire trip taking approximately 7 hours.

Bluetits, robins, blackbirds, skylarks, red kites, buzzards, sparrow, wood pigeon, swan, egret...then jackdaw, seagull, blackheaded gull....a birdfull day!

A couple of days later, I was intending to take a walk up past Goggles Pond and loop the woodland to call in at the farm shop on my return - but....there were trucks, traffic jams, building.....I gave up and just popped to the farm shop and then turned round. However, on my way to the road that was congested - I spotted my favorite bird - the show pigeon.

Liz and I went on ramble with her daughter Sue two days later - and I grabbed a snap of Goggles on our way homeward.

Back home, and the goldfinches have started frequenting the feeder pole once more. In fact, their sunflower hearts and the bluetits' peanut feeder were the only items needing a refill in the penultimate week of the month.

HERE are the annual results.