BIRD NEWS:346

Today, we start with the eider ducks. They were sighted on each of my three circles of the reserve in late May. Mostly, they stayed on the farside bank, but this pair went for a swim.

Looking up at the cafe roof as I came through between circles 2 and 3, I spotted some pigeons! On my third and final circuit for this trip, I caught a couple of shots of the diving ducks obtaining food.

Their feeding station allows them to tap at the yellow tag which in turn allows a few pellets of food to fall for the ducks to munch from the surface of the water. As I circled my final time for this trip, I caught some better shots of the shelduck family.

They were swimming nearer to the hide window on this circuit, so I was able to get some better pictures of the young ones.

BIRD NEWS:345

Geese and ducks were not the only youngsters on site. Here is a young moorhen wandering along the pathway after the parent and its siblings. Next up, a bunch of birds gathered under the feeder station. The group includes jackdaws and ducks, a moorhen, a passing coot - and pigeons!

After several trips without spotting the blacknecked swan, I finally managed to capture it on camera again. My first shot was of it beginning to preen as it swam about the lake. It then went into a frenzy and nipped and nibbled away chaotically - I can only assume it had something akin to a flea that it wanted to be rid of as it splashed and nipped and swam in crazy circles.

Finally it calmed down a little and swam away with a splash and shudder before returning to its usual graceful motions.

A pair of American woodducks were in the same location for me to photograph. The male is the colorful bird, as is generally the case with ducks. Finally for todays' post some information about bluetits. We have some in our nesting box currently - second family of the year.

BIRD NEWS:344

One last shot of the shelduck family - for now. Moving on, another information board appeared. I photograph these as well as the living birds in order to remember the information given as well as to share it with readers.

Oh look - on my way to the woodland hide I encountered yet another goose family wandering hissfully about. Inside the hide, I spotted yet another family; this group were learning to eat fallen seed pieces as the chaffinches and tits above dropped spillage below for them whilst messily munching.

Yet another family of geese wandered along the pathway, almost in single file, to join the bunch at the feeders. Below, you can see the arrangement - where geese munch fallen food while a chaffinch eats above dropping crumbs.

Later on, sleepy mallards replaced the geese. I in fact circled the reserve 3 times on this occasion in late May. I was on an all day excursion, so it was not just a coffee and single circuit wandering with perhaps a boat trip or lunch thrown in on this occasion. There were young ducks too.

BIRD NEWS:343 and the whitethroat

Starting today's post, here are the Bewick swans again, hanging out around their 2017 nest with a few ducks in attendance. I walked along the pathway - only to encounter another bunch of geese and goslings.

They were sitting right in the middle of the path and it was difficult to get past without being hissed at - as though they thought they owned the right of way rather than shared it equally.

Here is a map of the entire reserve. I thought it might be of interest to regular readers who are unable to attend in person seeing as I post quite a few pictures from Arundel WWT. I generally start at the visitors center, turn left and do a clockwise circuit - sometimes stopping for coffee first and sometimes taking the left leg as well as the circle track. I generally skip Sussex screen and go around the reedbeds.

Here are the Trumpeter swans - they are also nesting. Last year they hatched a whole bunch of young ones - which mysteriously vanished a month or two ago. Swans take 2 years to loose their gray plumage and become white adults, but these youths vanished at 1 year of age - so I am assuming it is part of a breeding program and there is a call for another batch to be born already.

In the reedbed hide last year's swallow appears to have returned to its old nesting haunt.

Almost ending today's post, I caught sight of a group of shelducks - 5-6 young with a parent - floating about at one hide.

Finally, HERE is a link to some info on a bird we do not seem to have in our area...

BIRD NEWS:342 & Black cap info

After my coffee, I began my usual clockwise circle of the reserve. I had now been a WWT member for one week short of a year, so long time readers may recognize this familiar family group of geese from last year as their new breeding season brings forth youngsters - again.

Here are the Bewick swans. As last year, a nest is being attended to. Hopefully, unlike 2016, 2017 may bring forth hatched eggs. Next, an information board.

There is something taking flight to the right hand side of the above photo - also seen below. I am assuming it is a lapwing. The bird kept swooping about a little too fast to get a decent shot on a regular camera, but just slow enough to get a few average photos.

The black headed gulls are busy at their nesting. Some have young already - while this one shown in flight was gathering nesting material then diving down and putting it into a nest.

Oh look - more baby geese! They were everywhere on today's trip. Mostly Greylag geese, but a few Nenes were also in 'hiss-mode'.

Finally, HERE is an article about the black cap - which we sometimes see in our yard during winter and heard at the wetlands reserve in June.

BIRD NEWS:341

Flowers are not as important as food to a teenage pigeon - although this one was standing there staring at them before munching seed. Around the garden there are currently - early May - several other youngsters. We have sparrows for example - as depicted in my next few photos.

Here we see mother bird feeding a pair of youngsters in my tree. Like the starlings in the previous 2-3 years, the sparrows have learned to park their young in the tree branches, go to the feeder for food, fly back and feed them. Eventually, a youngster cottons on - parents get that yummy stuff from some place around here......

...alas, they are as yet not understanding how it gets from pole to parent to beak! Maybe tomorrow...and the next day the youngster will grab a few extra bites while waiting!

This shot may alert regular readers to the fact that I made another excursion to Arundel. The familiar WWT americano mug with a lake beyond did indeed mean such a trip was taken - on the penultimate weekend in May. There, beyond the coffee, were the eider ducks as usual - although on this occasion they were hanging about the bank rather than swimming around. This is probably because of nesting and young emerging.

On the waters were a selection of other ducks however - including this group of red and blue billed ones.

BIRD NEWS:340

One last picture from my late April Arundel excursion - showing a lone eider swimming about in the cafe-side lake. Back home, Bubster Pidge was on the windowsill, not bothering to fly away when I went to smell my birthday flowers!

The young pigeon I recently encountered has a sibling. I have begun to spot both together at times around the yard, such as depicted above on the fence next door - and here is one teenager learning about the stone bird bath.

It was not long of course before the thought of food came across the youthful pair. Several of the larger birds, such as jackdaws and one silly or lazy starling, have learned to stand on the feeder pole perch and bite at the suet balls. Here we see a young pigeon attempt to copy the feasting activity....firstly, landing back to front, then awkwardly turning around. I am pleased to report that after a few misses, it began to sucessfully get a few beak nibbles.