BIRD NEWS:407

Onwards we move to the next group of swans - the trumpeter swans. The adult pair posed sweetly for my camera - no sign of a new brood as yet though. Talking of swans, the next nest-board I came across talked of the type of nest swans make.

Another nest-board was come across before I ambled on to the next photo opportunity. I have a robin at home, and often pass them when out hiking locally, in the woods, parkland, lanes, or on the hill. Here is another of these friendly fellows just posing as if for a Christmas card.

Another brightly colored bird was in sight at the woodland hide - a male pheasant. Its colors were vivid and glossy today, so I took rather a lot of pictures trying to capture them - alas, none of my shoots do him justice.

The colors so bright through binoculars, show only shaded and forlorn in photograph, but perhaps you can glimpse an idea of how they might appear, if somewhat brighter than in my pictures. My last shot of the day comes the closest to capturing the colors precisely - the pallid greys, shimmering underbelly, chestnuts, tan and rust - with the bright red facial patch and glimmery neck.

BIRD NEWS:406

I was going round the first pathway when I spotted this gull - emulating the strawless bird on the nearby roof. Not much further along was a grassland patch with ducks and daffodils.

A row of geese presented its napping selves to me as I turned towards the first turnoff. Not recalling the identity of the species, I made sure I took a shot of the info board when I located it later on - emperor geese!

You may search the picture here and miss the bird I intended to capture - mistaking my aim to be the geese. I had intention to capture the lapwing - readily visible by binocular, but only a spot or two in the lens. Next we come to the swans. Regular readers will recall that I generally start my photos with the Bewick swan family - well, the adult pair were still there!

Once again, the juveniles have vanished. I assume they have been selected to be added to a wild bunch or to another reserve, or maybe just released, due to the approach of the new breeding season, just as the trumpeters lost their 5 young 2 years ago.

BIRD NEWS:405

Did readers of the previous post guess correctly? Those big white blobs in the above photo are the birds I spotted...yes, SWANS! I have not seen any flying around our locality before. I wonder if they are last years Bewick swan babies or the year before Trumpeter swans from the WWT at Arundel? Or maybe they are just mute swans from Littlehampton, Shoreham, or...

This cute close up snap of a tiny blackbird shows that yet again, a bird fell out the nest in our garden. This little fellow was far too small to fly, but might have scrambled or flapped - then fallen. I was in and out of the poly tunnel today and heard a commotion from the blackbirds - thinking there might be magpies about I investigated and saw nothing. The third time I looked I saw this chap on the ground, staring up at me...

I knew the parents knew me well enough to know I wouldn't harm their kid - so scooped it up into a large flower pot and placed the flower pot into the tree, under the nest...

My next excursion was to Arundel WWT, taken the first weekend in April. As I left the bus stop, to ramble along the avenue beside the moat to the reserve, I spotted a couple of pigeons on a roof top. A short way along the tree-lined avenue I caught sight of what I assumed were long tailed tits - I took a couple of shots to blow up on the computer at home to make sure, not having time to unpack my noccies - yes, longtailed tits

On this trip, as usual, Arundel had various information boards dotted about the pathways for adults to learn from - as well as a duck spotting game spread across the site for kids. The current boards mostly refer to the differing nests birds make. I took photos of 4-5 of the boards - here is the first.

BIRD NEWS:404

Alas, my skylark photos were failures compared to those I managed 3-4 years ago. It was pleasant to hear them accompany me throughout most of my excursion though. They sung to me from much the start of my trek, just past the robin from my last post, until I descended and reached the same spot again.

This shot was taken in the gardens themselves - of a blackbird enjoying the spring flowers. My final shot from that visit was supposed to be of a pair of pigeons rambling through a farm field - but the focus went onto the hedgerow and the wood pigeons became a blurr amidst the green crop. You may just see one dead center and the other a little to the right and higher than the first - as gray blobs. Luckily, regular readers will know what wood pigeons look like by now anyway!

This small brownish bird almost lost amongst the spring green field is a skylark. I was on my way across the PYO fields to catch a bus to Brighton on the final Saturday in March when I caught sight of a couple of skylarks hovering around and saw one land nearby.... It might not be a great shot - but it is better than the ones I took last week!

Above are two more shots - showing the bird for those unable to see, and as best a shot as I got on this excursion. It was a lucky shot altogether, because I was not expecting to take any photos, just go shopping for new shoes and Indo-Asian groceries.

In my next post is a totally unexpected pair of photos. I was still crossing the PYO fields to the bus stop, when I saw two birds flying across the field. I have never seen this particular bird in this location before, and usually I see them swim or waddle - not fly. Can anyone guess what I saw before my next post is posted?

BIRD NEWS:403

The answer to the question in my former post is the Nene - AKA Hawaiian goose. Onto a favored subject of mine and a favored spot for them to perch as this is the third time I have photographed pigeons in this tree top.

Back to the eiders again! The above is the female eider duck and below the male. I was just wandering around for 10-20 minutes prior to strolling slowly down the tree lined avenue towards my bus stop...

Back home and despite the colder weather, not much activity seems to be going on in the back yard. This starling was pecking up a few pieces, but otherwise, a pair of blue tits are nesting in the nesting box, the occasional blackbird or robin sighting and not much else is happening.

I decided to go for a walk on the penultimate week in March and chose to hop up Highdown Hill - to stroll the spring garden flowers and hopefully catch some skylark photos. before doing either, as I began to trail the track towards the base of the hill, this robin sung so loudly - I took its picture. I then tried to take a photo of the skylark...

BIRD NEWS:402

A couple more shots of the eiders on the cafeside lake begin today's writings - followed by a comical shot of a black-headed gull munching something on the path.

The above shot is also unusual - in the fact that the smaller bird is not the young of the black necked swan pictured with it, but a different duck on the same lake. A clearer shot of the swan follows.

This baby duck does belong to the parents pictured with it. Continuing, another shot of the swan...

Can anyone guess what picture will start my next blog post? I will give you a clue - it is a goose from an endangered species that makes a loud noise and chases people if they come too close during mating season/young rearing.

BIRD NEWS:401

Above are the trumpeter duo. There was a piece about them on the info board at the entry/exit stating that the male swan is called Arthur. The female is called Storm.

Here is another of those cute photos of non-ducks taking over a ducks only territory - this time, pigeons and a seagull are rambling freely under the excuse that they cannot read! The pigeons were strolling along the path, also.

Back to the eider ducks/cafe lake - but that does not mean the end of my pigeon shots! Next to the eider lake is a feeding area frequented by many birds - including pigeons!

I took a lot of shots of the eiders on this trip. Back home, not very much has been going on - other than myself shooting outdoors to chase away THREE black cats who annoy my wildlife and murder pigeons. Between cats, the robin, blackbirds, sparrows, starlings and a blue tit come down - but there are few other sightings lately. I did spot a pair of long tailed tits last week though - briefly.