BIRD NEWS:217

It was the weekend, hence time for another excursion - but not to the Wetlands reserve this week. I took the 700 for a run. I stopped off for 20 minutes in Worthing and then for a 20 minute short coffee grab in Shoreham. I then went on to Brighton where I spent a few hours searching for and purchasing a new camera.

This is so I will have one upstairs and one down and stop missing photo opportunities - also in case my current camera breaks down on me as it has twice threatened. The above shot was taken while wandering along the sea front in Brighton. I have no idea who the leg belongs to, other than a nasty-hearted man - who soon after attempted to kick the pigeon, who trustingly was rambling along when this human decided to enter his pathway and attack it!

While there are no pigeons in this shot, there are no nasty-minded humans either! It shows the mass of seagulls swarming about over the pier.

Next, a little experiment. I purchased a new camera with 20.1 megapixels rather than 12... The first two shots were taken on the new camera and the third on the old. I thought I would take the same bunch of birds on the feeder-poles to compare the cameras...

I am still experimenting with the new camera - but I think I have finally sorted out what setting to use - hopefully. My last pair of shots for today's post are of Pidge - who wondered what the black box was - being so used to the pink one! Pidge came onto the sill and I was still practising with camera settings...

BIRD NEWS:216

Another mother with young in tow, this time taking an afternoon snooze. I am now very close to the close of sharing Arundel Wetland reserve photos from my third 2016 visit. I have just a few more shots of information boards to share.

Back home, and the third week of June began with the bird table collapsing. It was tilted over for a week or two, but this time it was completely fallen. I did not bother to prop it back up - but made it into a hedgehog hut and re-used it in that way.

This giant 'weed' attracted the goldfinches. My friend and I were chatting over our regular coffee and she mentioned a feeder and seed for goldfinches that I could have, seeing as they visited my yard and not hers. They used to live in a tall tree that got chopped down next door between tenants, but still sometimes came to my yard, so assumedly have found another nearby nesting tree.

This was how the feeder pole looked prior to my friend's donation. I washed out the feeder, dried it, filled it with niger seeds and grinned hopefully...but I have yet to catch sight of any bird using it other than one sparrow on one occasion - so far.

BIRD NEWS:215

This is a better shot of the woodpecker taken in the woodland hide. I had seen one briefly for a few seconds earlier that day in the open area feeder woodland station, shortly after the squirrel was chased away by a duck. This time, the woodpecker stayed around long enough for me to get some photos, though.

The robin came back again, also. It was not a bit scared of me sitting on the wooden bench, camera in hand, staring through the open windowway. I took note of the fact that ducks and pigeons and blackbirds and doves have something in common illustrated in my next picture. They all stand around UNDERNEATH feeders when other birds are using them and eat the crumbs that the smaller birds drop.

This beautiful duck caught my camera next, as it preened when I passed by. I soon came across a couple more of the same variety. I expect by the time I have attended for my full year of membership, I shall know every species present, but for the time being, I will skip this one ID wise and just call it 'a duck'.

Readers of my last post will be able to identify this swan. (If you missed the link given - HERE is a useful page for identifying swan varieties.)

I am almost at the end of my Arundel Wetlands shots for this third trip of 2016 - but not quite! I caught this pair on a log.

BIRD NEWS:214

Well, regular readers may not be surprised to see this photograph appearing amongst my wetlands reserve collective. Being a pigeon/dove fanatic, I had to shoot this wood pigeon snoozing on the top of the restaurant while stopping for my refreshments, before wandering around for the second loop!

I caught up with a swan on the path again. This time, a duck was wandering along with it. You can tell it is a mute swan because of the orange beak. The Bewick and Whooper swans have yellow beaks. HERE is a link that details the yellow beaked swans.  THIS link is one of the best for showing the variety of swans present in the UK wetland reserves.

I took a photo of 3-4 more information boards on this excursion and here is one detailing two similar birds from the reedbed walk. I have not seen either of these birds in person as yet, though. I returned to the woodland hide, upon which my friend Liz and I agree is one of the nicest spots to birdwatch at the reserve. A familiar to British birdwatchers appearance stood on the open-air windowsill shortly after I sat down for my second short watch of the day here - a robin.

My next few shots were very exciting - well, to me - as they capture a bird I had not seen in person before - the woodpecker. According to an identification plaque in the hide, they are a recent and welcome newcomer to be viewed. I do not know when the plaque was installed though - maybe months or years ago. However, here it is on the peanut feeder, munching away.

BIRD NEWS:213

As promised, better quality pictures of the mystery bird. The answer was that it is a coal-tit. I took quite a few photos as it demonstrates the species for identification purposes, distinguishing it from other tits.

The blue-tit is smaller and has blue/yellow on, the great-tit is fatter and has a very strong thick black stripe on its belly, but the coal-tit is more greyish-yellow bellied and has a single striation upon the wing. HERE is a link to more information o the species. 

Here are some more ducks - photographed in the next section of my first walk around the reserve on my third trip for 2016. The next shot is also of ducks - with young. Hopefully, by going to the reserve every 3-4 weeks, I will be able to photograph the various life stages of the different species over the entire year.

Find out about birds within another interest topid of mine - Buddhism - HERE.

BIRD NEWS:212

One last shot of the trumpeter swan family, before moving on to other waterfowl. The bird in the blurry photo was a white duck - the type seen depicted in many children's storybooks as a duck. It was swimming along the pathside stream with a couple of young and I just had to take a shot - or two - or...

Well, the one of the little yellow baby did not turn out either. The coot swimming down the waterway came out far better though. It was not alone - I dropped the camera downwards in view and caught it with its water-mate, which I think is a tufted duck.

I wandered further along the reedbed walk and into the woodland hide where I spotted the Mommy duck with youngsters and baby moorhens that I had seen previously that regular readers might recall. Their tiny wings were the same size as their beaks last time I saw them. They were not much bigger this time.

This final shot for today is a quiz-game for readers. WHAT species is this tiny bird pictured near the peanut feeder above? Better quality photos of the bird will follow along with the answer in my next post!

BIRD NEWS:211

More of the trumpeter swan family, along with a few ducks. The cygnets were coming closer, and I was able to catch a few decent shots when I walked along a little, from the side.

The day following my trip out, I realized that not only had our jay not visited still, but the entire garden seemed to lack birdlife for the first time in several weeks. I am not sure if there was a cat roaming around or not, or if it was just the rainy weather.

I did however spot a mommy bluetit with 3 young. Mommy bird grabbed seed/suet from the feeder and fed the young in turn. One youngster managed to pick up the lesson and started eating directly from the homemade bread/suet ball feeder without waiting for mom!

I also spotted a goldfinch pop onto the feeder briefly, before returning to the large garden weed I had purposefully left for the birds to enjoy. I recalled they liked the seed from former years. When I mentioned the goldfinch to my friend at our weekly coffee-meet, she gave me a special feeder and some niger seed for them. I have rinsed out the feeder and will replace the broken plastic feeder that housed bread previously. (I have recently filled that and the other suet ball feeder with a mix of both homemade bread and suet balls).

But back to my trip - I turned aside to spot this fellow before returning to the swan family.