BIRD NEWS:389

On my late December Arundel visit, my first photos were of the Bewick swan family. You can see that the cygnets have almost lost their gray coloring and become practically white, like the parents.

I then encountered a long tailed tit - but my pictures were not very successful. I have taken better photos that I have shared in previous posts.

Ok, swan identification time - which of the four breeds of swan is this? Bewick, Trumpeter, Mute or Blacknecked? The above picture should rule out one species - and this next shot the remaining 2, leaving you with the result:

Finally - another shot to go with, before making your choice...

The answer will be in my next post. Back home, little is going on, apart from me chasing 2 black furballs out of my yard. There are very few birds around thanks to this pair of bullying pigeon-murderers.

If you are interested in which species are around England apart from in my yard - click HERE.

BIRD NEWS:388 and Christmas

The answer to my last post's question is that it was a mute swan. My next shot was a lucky-to-have-the-camera-handy shot of the jay munching peanuts from the feeder.

There was a recent unfortunate incident among the more pleasant backyard sightings of bluetits, great tits, blackbirds, robins, pigeons...

I was wandering into the kitchen one afternoon and happened to glance out of the window, as I often do. I spotted a black shape by my pond - a furry cat - before I could spot the second MONSTER the other side of the pond, I shot out, as the furry one closest to view was pawing at what I assumed was a frog.

As I approached, both cats stared at me as if to say 'WE are cats - YOU piss off', til I got closer - then they scarpered. I had now found the being they were swiping at to be a pigeon - now sitting on the plants in the center of the pond, petrified and with blood under its wing/on its head.

I succeeded in chasing both furballs out of the yard, but not in scooping up the injured bird to place into a position of safety - directly. It sheltered from the pond net under the bush to one side. Later on, when dashing out to chase those murderers away for the 2nd or 3rd time, the pigeon was up by the poly tunnel - and after following it with the net,  I finally managed to scoop it onto the rim and lift it up onto the apple tree - where it climbed safely from the net into the ivy covered branches.

I do not know if it lived or died - but I am hoping it survived, as it looked in tact, just scared and feather-ripped apart from the head gash. I have now started to look out for those bullies and chase the fur balls OUT of my yard everytime I spot them - I won't tolerate such behaviour from pe(s)ts....only wildlife seeking a meal has the right toi kill in MY garden.

Here are links to articles about woodpecker species:

LINK ONE

LINK TWO

Finally - if you have Christmas leftovers - check HERE.

BIRD NEWS:387

It was very cold and I did not stop long before passing along and finding a tree of pigeons! Here, we see a mute swan and a pair of black-necked swans sharing a lake with several other birds.

Next, another info board followed by a live specimen or two - of the swan goose.

I now have a questions for regular readers again - can you identify this swan by its bottom?

Here is an info board about 2 birds I have yet to observe. If I have seen either, I have not seen them long enough to identify them as these species, anyway.

Liz has seen one or both, as she mentioned to me on my next trip - to Pulborough Brooks. As I only took 2 pictures and the swan identity photo is the last photo taken on my current Arundel trip, I will now jump to the PB trip.

Liz drove me to Pulborough Brooks on the final Saturday in November. We wandered around, Liz knowing the place better than me, although I have been there 4-5 times now. I did not take very many pictures - but we did see quite a lot with our binoculars. My first of two photos was of a map, showing where Pulborough Brooks is.

My second photo did not come out very well - and was taken of a kestrel that hovered nearby. We watched it through the binoculars for a time, and just as I was getting my camera out, it flew further away - so not a very good picture. Our other sightings included a blacktailed godwit, treecreeper, buzzard, and longtailed tits. We also saw the show pigeons and a blue tit...

BIRD NEWS:386

Another shot of the cormorant surrounded by shelducks, gulls, and teasels is seen above. One gull decided to pose on a post nearby, before I moved to another hide.

I passed the Trumpeter swans en route. As you can see from the picture below, their area is flooded. I think it may be on purpose - as a pair of staff wardens were parading about in full-length gum boots within the enclosure.

I arrived at the woodland area to see a goldfinch stuffing itself on the same feeder as a blue tit and great tit - alas the great tit swung out of view and you can only see the tail. My second attempt did little better - as the blue tit was done and flying away and the goldfinch mid chomp.

I tried again when a pair of chaffinches came along - the goldfinch still munching away. One female chaffinch is up top left in the corner on the tree...

BIRD NEWS:385

For regular readers wanting to know the answer to the question posted in my previous entry - the answer is YES! I share a few shots later on...but first, I managed to catch a longtailed tit. My next shot was of an egret, a bird longggggggggggg term readers will know about from my blog postings in Australia a decade ago, as well as anybody who read my book on the subject of Illawarra Birdlife...(which is still available HERE if anyone is interested)

There it is again, with a couple of shelducks. Further along, just beyond the next pile of stuff in the water - is the cormorant.

You can probably just see a large erect black bird with gray bib....a better photo is coming. But first, we pop along to the Bewick Swans to see how the pair of cygnets are going.

Finally for today - a better shot of the cormorant, taken from a hide closer to the island he perches upon. Shelducks and Barrows Goldeneyes can also be seen, along with a few gulls.

BIRD NEWS:384

My next bird trip was - no surprise - to Arundel! Before I went to the WWT reserve, I strolled along the River Arun for a half hour. As I wandered along in the crisp and nippy misted morning, I passed a field of Canada Geese between myself and the castle, so took out my camera.The very first bird I caught a glimpse of at the WWT reserve was a kingfisher!

It was just sitting on the railing that leads to the toilets near the boat jetty. Incidentally, this was the last place where I saw a kingfisher when I last visited Arundel WWT. Maybe it was the same bird. The next couple of pictures show the brighter blue stripe on the back, showing shinily.

Next up, the info board and living specimen - Barrows Goldeneye. Finally for today - another info board. This one talks about the cormorant. I will let regular readers have another question here - did I or did I not see a live cormorant at Arundel on this trip? Answer in my next post!

BIRD NEWS:383

The boat trip was quite exciting this time - with sightings of a female pochard and long tailed tit as well as this little fellow - and fellow it was. The first sighting of the kingfisher was when it flew down just in front of the boat - as the boat approached. I was not wanting to startle it, so did not dive into my bag for my camera. We got up really close before it flew away...

However, as we neared the end of our boat trip, the kingfisher was sighted again - or another one was - and this one landed on the toilet roof, as depicted in my second of today's photos - the first showing where it flew to next, enabling me and other passengers to grab some wonderful shots on our cameras.

It really was quite exciting - firstly to have gotten so close and secondly to have gotten such wonderful photos opportunities. The last 2 trips, I had spotted a kingfisher from the hides and observed thru my noccies - which, alas, I forgot on this 'rush to catch the bus' trip. However, it did give me more opportunity to use the camera - with shots like these not being available every trip!

Of course, it did fly away in the end - but we were near the end of the boat trip anyways - which had taken 30 minutes instead of the usual 20.

Back home and I viewed a few oddities whilst in the kitchen including a starling who landed on the seed feeder and tried to peck out seed through the tube - figured its error and pecked a few from the right hole with extreme difficulty - but when spotting a fellow starling munching fat balls nearby, ignored it and continued to attempt to eat seed. I also saw a tit - but am unsure if it was a willow tit or marsh tit - thought I have finally ruled out a coal tit - as it didn't have a white head patch on its third sighting.

BIRD NEWS:382

Here is the entire Bewick swan family enjoying the late afternoon on a warm fall day. Excuse the coot, mallard, shoveller... Next, the Trumpeter swan came over as I passed by their lake for the second time on my current trip.

I then stopped to take a couple of shots of the goldfinch colony in the wildlife garden area. This is where they normally hang out - unlike the goldfinch spotted in the woodland hide earlier in the afternoon!

Back to the Bewick swans, as I made my way towards the exit - toying with the idea of staying on til the latter bus and joining the last boat trip, rather than getting the early bus and stopping off to buy bird food on my way home. One young bird here was busy eating - grass, not bird seed/suet though.

Encountering Liz at the boat jetty, I decided to join in on the final boat excursion for the day - and she offered to give me a lift home, so I didn't have to juggle between running to catch the earlier or strolling about before the latter bus.

Soon, it will be time for the bird watch again - are you interested in taking part perhaps - if so - click here.