BIRD NEWS:794

 

I backed out again, and the camera gave a reasonable if not good shot of Mr and Mrs Silvertag Bewick.

I went to the cafe for a hot chocolate to wait for my human guests to meet with me and spotted a mommy and child mute swan glide by the window.

I strolled back thru the foyer to the pelicans, wondering if I would ever meet up with my human friends.

I treid photos on both my garbage camera and phone - as I had to bring my phone along to contact friends who might be late...but unknown by how much. I still couldnt get a great shot. One friend had arrived in arundel....but was at a war memorial and pub not WWT....two were not replying and one was possibly still asleep. I therefore went back to the Bewicks,

I wanted to hang with swan pals til my human ones turend up.

I waited for messages on that contraption I usually dont bring let alone turn on. The one who had arrived in Arundel was unaware of where WWT was....

I went back to the foyer when they said they were THERE, only to find they were somewhere else in Arundel...so I wandered back to the pelicans

BIRD NEWS:793

 

The coots grew in number and closeness as we lunched.

We took a stroll round a path or track off the downs link way and I spotted a swan....on a board.

My next trip was a solo hike to meet with friends at WWT Arundel. My walk began by passing Goggles' pond....or mud hole as it could currently be called.

But there was Goggles, anyway...

I got to Arundel and took a picture on my way to WWT.

At WWT, I was waiting to meet friends at 10-30, so popped along to visit the Bewicks while waiting...

Well, Mrs Silvertag is now joined by Mr Silvertag....the only way to differentiate between the two is that one wears their tag on the left and one on the right leg.

As soon as I tried to zoom in for a better shot...my camera misfocussed and gave a worse one

or two.

HERE is some info from our local WWT center at Arundel

BIRD NEWS:792

 

It was great to see the Trumpeters again.We only had an hour before the reserve losed though - so could not spend long watching them.

On we went to the meadow maze that Liz likes strolling around - to find a few baby coots hanging about sunbathing.

So this is what a teenage coot looks like...

Onwards to the Bewick swan pond - to see Mrs Silvertag Bewick...and...a new partner?

Yes, definitely two bewicks...now, was one our Mrs Silvertag or were they both newbies?

Well, there was a silvertag on one of them.....

The next excursions was when Liz and I went to Southwater to do a 5 mile hike followed by trotting round the lake and having a picnic lunch. We sat wth a view of the main lake and some coots.

BIRD NEWS:791

 

Alas, my cameras zoom works less well than the camera in normal shooting mode - at a fairly close distance, so blurrs despite taking 5-10 seconds to focus itself.

There was also mallards on the pond, and a coot...but we were off for our hike.

After attempting the hike and going wrong 3 times, we went to WWT Arundel. Here, my garbage camera took a garbage shot of the 2 remaining pelicans.

This is supposedly a marsh harrier, though my first guess was an eagle.

I managed an average shot of the Nene, strolling upon and nibbling at a lawn.

Next up, an info board about magpie geese.

My final shot for todays post is of the trumpeter duo floating on their lake.

BIRD NEWS:790

 

The last shot of the show pigeon outside Warnham starts todays bunch of photos. Then we get into the next excursion Liz and I took with birds involved - to Leonardslee.

It is the Surrey Sculpture time of year, and as usual, a few of the sculptures were bird related, so came under the eye of my garbage camera.

Alas, I was unable to solve my camera issue yesterday so my photos are still blurry, grainy, or disasters. (I tried Currys - but they had NO point and shoot digital compact cameras under £200, Argos only have garbage ones, and I can't get to a proper camera store yet). It was raining, so no more photos were attepted on this trip though.

Our next excursion was to Benbow Pond, where we arrived after a short visit to Midhurst for refreshments/toilet usage. We were greeted by a black swan and hoard of Egyptian geese.

They were lazing about on the side of the pond where we were to begin our next hiking adventure from - this time, a 5 & 3/4 mile hike.

They were at the right distance for my garbage camera to more or less get a focussed if not good quality shot.

Liz was tying on her hiking boots after taking off her driving shoes, so I had time to take several shots, hoping a few would come out reasonably well.

BIRD NEWS:789

 

Spoiled by the c-word camera, this would have made a nice picture of 2 young heron and a bunch of coot and ducks with a gull flying in - but.... the camera insisted on ruining the picture for me.

Again, I did not choose to take a smudgy picture with a few blobs in....but the camera turned my choice into such.

My goodness - you can actually see what this bird is - a heron - my camera must finally have decided to behave! (I am still going to replace it ASAP thoguh)

Back to its old tricks - my camera spoiled this picture of a heron and great crested grebe.

As we were leaving, I spotted a shabby show pigeon - a fantail I think - outside the nature center. Out came my camera...just in case.

I took a whole bunch in the hope at least one would come out well...

...but alas, my camera ruined every single shot.

BIRD NEWS:788

 

I am truly dissappointed in this camera. This shot was supposedly an egret...and the one below a tern...

A pair of pies....grainy of course.

This was supposedly a family of 6-7 young bluetits and a goldfinch, but my camera spoiled the shot again.

This would have been a great shot of a greater spotted woodpecker if my camera had functioned properly.

As would this.

This might have been a jay if the camera had not decided to be horrid.

Luckily the trip itself was pleasant, if not my misbehaving camera. below is a pair of young pheasant.