BIRD NEWS: 926

 

Pidge waiting for his lunch made a great silhouette shot. Our next trip was to Knepp Park, taken the second weekend in March.

We started with the shortest walk - the yellow route. It was not long before we spotted storks. There were 2-3 nests in a couple of trees with 1-2 storks per nest. However they did not show up well, even with zoom.

Even an enlarged zoom shot doesnt show them as well as the bins did.

We also saw stork flying....2 stork and one red kite in the distant skies in this shot.

I took several shots attempting to get all the 3 large birds in one picture....but...

...I seemed to get stork and crow rather than stork and red kite.

I kept trying....and did manage to capture the storks in various airial displays - talking of which......

HERE is an article concerning murmurations.

BIRD NEWS: 925

 

Continuing with the RSPB excursion, here is another shot of the rookery that is setting up.

I thought the tree and sky - black and white style picture pretty enough - even without a close up of the rooks. In blue and white -a different camera setting - it looks just as spectacular.

Standing from a different angle, the rookery nests show up better.

I took quite a few shots, as I thought the art aspect as well as ornithology aspect worth capturing.

Our next excursion was to Borde Hill Gardens.

Where I took a couple of shots of the pelican statue on their pond.

I thought the clouds showing in the water looked good as well as the bird-aspect. My final shot for today is of Pidge waiting for his lunch on a tree branch outside my window at home - taken thru the curtains.

HERE is an article concerning seasonal birds. 

BIRD NEWS: 924

 

Still at Nymans, the jackdaw walked along the roofway of the ruined house.

I suppose it wanted to visit the gargoyle.

Then we spotted another one in a tree.

Which subsequently flew away.

Girls vocals - See HERE for the article.

Our next trip, was ro RSPB Pulborough Brooks. They now seem to have installed a bird feeder to discourage rats - and mice - and squirrels. They used to lay seed and suet pellets on logs and on the pond rim, etc - not any longer.

It is no longer so easy to see or photograph the birds, but there were blue tits, great tits, march tit and coal tit.

As we took Liz's scope and our bins to the overlooks, we spotted a rookery setting up in a large tree on one corner.

BIRD NEWS: 923

 

Yeh - more pelicans at last!" See HERE for details

Still at Mewsbrook Park....a coot and moorhen wander the pondside.

I found a pigeon! And some swans along with the moorhen and coot.

This is my last shot from the Park.

Next up, Liz was over her bout of flu and we went off for a half day trip to Nymans.

I took some shots of the dovecote, primarily because I spotted a city pigeon enter it, and it was not only the fake dove inhabiting it this visit!

There is the fake dove...

Up on the house ruins, I spotted a jackdaw.

BIRD NEWS: 922

 

We start today with my final photo of Naboo from when he stayed several months as a guest with me. Here is his new home, waiting for him when he left my coffee room.

My next picture comes from a Saturday excursion - alas not with my best friend Liz, as she was sick with flu, just a solo hike to grab coffee and wander the coastline and a local park.

I spotted the inevitable mallards, along with coot & moorhen... I photographed a couple of info boards in addition.

Unfortunatly there are a lot of litterbugs as well as waterbirds in Rustington it seems, by the rubbish in the pond at the park.

My final photo of Naboo to share with you is when he got home to his new home....and sat on his owners shoulder.

HERE is an article concerning winter.

The seagulls seem to enjoy the boats in the off season. When I was a child and teenager, they had paddleboats and row boats on Mewsbrook Park lake...and it is here that my great aunt taught me to row a boat.

Finally for today, here is a woodcarved bench depicting a parrot or cockatoo.

BIRD NEWS: 921

 

We now start 2025 with a few shots of Goggles taken on a solo woodland hike. He was hanging out with some mallard pals.

Next, Liz and I took our only excursion in January to Wakehurst Place. This was primarily because she had her overseas daughter staying, but then she had a serious case of mainline flu that knocked her out for a few weeks - and extended her daughter's stay.

Egyptian geese strolled below a tree.

We wandered along to the bird feeding area beyond the Himalayan Glade.

Pheasants, blue tits, coal tits, marsh tits, great tits, robin, nuthatch....there were plenty of birds to photograph and observe.

As usual, I took way too many pictures, but it is not always my fault. Sometimes my camera decides to take constant shots and not just one. This feature might be useful to some, but not me, and I am uncertain as yet how to turn it off when it seems to turn itself on when it chooses rather than is commanded.

Here is my last shot from the bird feed station.

Bird romance? HERE

BIRD NEWS: 920

 

Our next trip took us to Shoreham. We wandered along the River Adur, in the cold damp gloomy wintery weather. Two swans cheered us up a little bit.

You can see Shoreham airport behind, on the other bank.

We ended up seeing quite a few birds - including robin and blackbirds, of course. We saw redshank, egret, cormorant....but I did not capture too many photos as the weather was so grey and gloomy.

Later on, we spotted lapwing and a bird I did not ID with surety - possibly a curlew, definitely a wader. I failed to take any more pictures on this trip though.

So, have another couple of shots of Naboo from when he guested at mine.

HERE is an article concerning birdlists.

and here is my birdlist for 2024.

BIRD LIST 2024

AVOCET

BLACKBIRD

BLUE TIT

BEWICK SWAN

BLACKHEADED GULL

BUZZARD

COLLARED DOVE

CROW

CANADA GOOSE

CITY PIGEON

CHAFFINCH

COOT

CORMORANT

CURLEW

FIELDFARE

GREENFINCH

GOLDFINCH

GREAT TIT

GREY HERON

GREATER EGRET

GRAY WAGTAIL

GOLDEN PLOVER

HERRING GULL

HARLEQUIN DUCK

JACKDAW

JAY

KESTREL

LONGTAILED DUCK

LAPWING

LITTLE EGRET

LINNET

MAGPIE

MALLARD

MUTE SWAN

MOORHEN

NUTHATCH

PIED WAGTAIL

PELICAN

PINTAIL DUCK

PEREGRINE FALCON

POCHARD

ROBIN

RED KITE

REDSHANK

RED BREASTED GOOSE

RADJAH BLACKBACKED SHELDUCK

REED BUNTING

RED POLL

SPARROW

SHOVELER

SCALYSIDED MERGANZER

SHELDUCK

STARLING

SHOW PIGEON

SONG THRUSH

SPECTACLED EIDER

SCOTER

SNIPE

SISKIN

TUFTED DUCK

TRUMPETER SWAN

TREECREEPER

TEAL

WOOD PIGEON

WREN

WIGEON