BIRD NEWS:324 & goldcrest info

This pair cleaned up the seat of human dropped edibles, while the table was also being attended to. These birds made very good mini vacuum cleaners - and made so much nicer a noise!

This one landed down beside me on the seat - just in case any crumbs had been left behind by the others....

They even cleaned up the ground below the table...

Back home, and the second full week of April began. The usual crowd were in the back yard, including Pidge - whom you can also see in the picture below if you don't miss him for flowers and weeds. He was pecking for scraps below the bird feeder pole.

Alas, this is the shot I got when taking a photo of the bluetit parent feeding its young thru the nesting box hole. I had to wait a few more days before getting a better shot.

There is some INFO HERE about the goldcrest.

BIRD NEWS:323 and help the penguins

Yes, I was still taking plenty of pictures of those pretty dove/show pigeons! By now we had finished our own refreshments and spotting the crumbs....

...along came a friend to tidy up for us messy humans that left our crumbs behind us!

There were not that many crumbs, but....

...enough!

There were crumbs on the seat too. This cute guy decided to help us out and get rid of those for us as well....

If you would like to HELP THESE BIRDS - please sign petition. Thousands of penguins dive for sardines in the Pacific around the Chilean island of Chañaral, one of the world's great biodiversity hotspots. Whales and dolphins also feed and raise their young in the cold waters of the Humboldt current. For the past twenty years, this paradise has been threatened by various industrial projects. Most recently, the construction of two ports by a mining company. This potential disaster has been stalled by local protests that led the regional government to reject of one of the ports. SIGN HERE.

BIRD NEWS:322 & dunnock info

The previous occupants at the cafe table had left quite a few crumbs behind for the birds to munch as we finished our own refreshments.

There must also have been crumbs under the table at our feet...

Humans do leave rather a large feast behind for pigeons - even if they are JUST a few left over crumbs to us. Plenty for all to share....

Yes, this is a big black bird - NOT a pigeon/dove. Liz was educating me on the difference between rooks, ravens and crows - which regular readers might be aware I have difficulty distinguishing between. I can tell a jackdaw, as we have those nest in our chimney every year - but other big black birds - are big black birds - or were.

Now, I have a few clues as to identification in my mind, I may be able to actually label them properly. This sample we were discussing flew away as I tried to take his shot on the roof, and again on another roof - I managed this partial shot on a table through the bushes, but with 4-5 attempts this is really the only shot in which you can tell it is a bird. It was a rook, by the way.

Finally for today - HERE is some info on the dunnock.

BIRD NEWS:321

Still plenty of pigeon/dove shots to share! Liz did eventually return with our refreshments, but between sips of delicious black coffee, I had a to take just a few more shots of these adorable birds.

They appeared to congregate upon the roof of the cafe/visitors shop/entrance building - then fly down to eat any crumbs us careless humans might have left behind us. Unlike seagulls, pelicans and ibis birds that would quite possibly come up to you while you are still eating and snatch from your plate or hands, pigeons/doves are far more civilized and wait for humans to finish first, then dive in and scoff the leftovers when you have abandoned your plate - or not used it for a while and left a few dots.

The birds came and went from a hole in the roof - a cross between a pigeon coop and dove cote, so once again - I remain uncertain which species we had with us. We finished our drinks and my friends finished their shared piece of cake. Well, as soon as these clever birds spotted crumbs, not being eaten, not being attended to, and obviously unwanted, on the tray beside ours -

-along they came. Firstly, they sampled the crumbs on a left behind tray the previous table occupants had discarded. They had also had cake, it seems. The crumbs were much enjoyed by these well behaved birds, to the delight of myself and my camera.

BIRD NEWS:320

Still at Pulborough Brooks, my first two shots for today show a linnet. The first one is in need of the second close-up shot to identify the position of the bird, perhaps. I managed to see it quite well using Liz's binoculars, and took a photo 'just in case' it came out clear enough, but...

Now, back to those dove/pigeons. Well, there is a city pigeon hanging out with them, whichever of the two species they are!

There were quite a flock of them down, rummaging about for under-table crumbs. With Liz disappeared to fetch our drinks, and John enjoying the sunshine while pondering just how many photos I might take, I took rather a lot of photos.

There seemed to be a large flock, and at one stage Liz counted and we made the number to be between 16-20. It reminded me of my back yard in Wollongong, where I had previously lived and housed a pair of released show pigeons that bred on a neighbors roof, producing 4 lovely birds to entertain me and my son - 3 pure white like these guys, and one smokey grey. This last shot for today has a pair attempting romance - well, the guy bird was, but....

BIRD NEWS:319

I appear to have not shared 2 photos from the past folder with you - so here they are:

They come from an Arundel trip taken earlier in the year. Both shots were taken in the woodland hide at Arundel Wetlands center. Back home, and the starlings are joining in with the wrens, robins, sparrows, blackbirds...

There are plenty of stray grassy things lying about the yard for nest building. Unlike spotless gardeners, I leave a lot of debris behind for wildlife to enjoy - trees and branches for hedgehogs, beetles, slaters, for instance, along with these pulled out weeds and grasses that dry and become nesting material.

You may be mistaken and think that this next shot was taken at Arundel again - but NO! These next few blog posts will sample the birdlife from a trip taken the second Sunday of April, when friends Liz and John took me with them to Pulborough Brooks nature reserve. This one is an RSPB one, unlike Arundel, which is WWT.

The first two from Pulborough show a lapwing on the edge of an island, with shelducks diving down in the water beyond. Next up - ah ha, guess what I found at the cafe while Liz popped off to order our refreshments! I am not entirely sure if they are doves or show pigeons. The eyes look more like doves, yet their behaviour rather resembled that of show pigeons...

BIRD NEWS:318

Viewing thru a hide window, I recall when I first began to attend regularly last May/June that these gull/tern islands were filled with youngsters and nests - and it all looks like it is about to begin again. I continued around on my second or third circle of the site - and passed some ducks coming thru the reeds - though some were just sitting.

I was beginning to think about leaving - though the glorious spring sunny warmth was encouraging me to stay longer - but I had been there almost 3 hours and was going to have to buy more than a pear juice and a coffee if I stay much longer - and the center shut in an hour or so anyway.

I took a couple more shots as I neared the exit/cafe yet again. This time, of the shelducks. Finally - for this trip at least - one more dusty!