BIRD NEWS:482

My next trip was to Arundel WWT, and the last bird I saw on my last trip was the first to greet me on this. I wandered along the clockwise route and spotted a few Emperor geese dozing.

From the second hide, I spotted a collection of Greylag geese babes among the seagulls. There were also a couple of cormorants in sight at this hide.

On my way back from the first 2 hides, I passed the Emperor geese again - this one opened an eye to regard me as I passed, disturbing its nap. I headed onwards towards the bewick swans, wondering if mommy swan had her new mate yet or if the four youngsters were still in situ...

No Bewicks for me to encounter this trip! The adult swan in the sickie enclosure had also vanished. Onto the trumpeter swans - they were still there. On this occasion one was having a splashing bathe, while the onshore swan was preening.

BIRD NEWS:481

This assemblage of pigeons was shot from either Chichester or Bognor, I forget which as I traveled to both on the same trip and day. A rooffull of pigeons was definitely sufficient for me to bring out the camera, though, as my regular readers will know!

Here are a few more pigeons trotting along the street. The following day my excursion took me to Mewsbrook park's boating lake - and I caught sight of a pair of farm ducks among the mallards, seagulls, mute swans and coots.

On the third day, Liz and I trotted off around Warningcamp and Arundel on a mini-hike, and although we spotted a pair of buzzards, along with several other birds such as blackbird, heron, and a smaller reed bird, I had not taken my camera with me so have no photographs.

My next excursion was also solo, and I spotted several egrets on the wide water lagoon situated between Lancing and Shoreham. There were no mute swans and little other birdlife apart from sparrows on this trip however.

Arriving at Shoreham, I spotted multiple seagulls and a pair of brown birds - alas I did not have my bins with me to see them close enough to make out what they were - but you can spot them amongst the greenery.

Here is evidence that supplying sunflower hearts attracts goldfinches. They used to hang for nyjer seed, but these days they appear to prefer sunflower hearts. Maybe I should copy Liz and sow some teasel seeds, too...

BIRD NEWS:480

I was trotting home from a hike to the shops in a nearby town, when I spotted something flying above the back yard and local area - the red kite! Oh, if only I had had my camera on me!!!!

Another local sighting was of a pigeon - half show pigeon and half city pigeon - on a neighbor's roof. The next excursion with birds upon it was when Liz & I trekked around the back of Swanbourne Lake - then wandered off into the land between Arundel and Amberley.

Some of the first birds we saw were pigeons - so out came my camera, before we had even passed the lake! Other birds sighted on our trip that did not get photographed include a robin, song thrush, blackbird, a few kestrel and buzzard, several swans - and a peek thru the wire fence as we walked past the WWT trust reserve showed us the black necked swans and black backed radjah shelducks.

My first 2019 week of vacation came up and on the first day I went to Chichester and Bognor on a shopping trip. That is how I took these shots of 'chatter-budgies', in Priory Park. It was gloomy and damp, so the pictures did not come out very well on this trip, but regular readers may recall this gang.

BIRD NEWS:479

I was fixing my lunch when I noticed a flock of seagulls agitated by something - on closer inspection the reason there have not been very many birds in the yard lately may not just be due to furry pets of other people. There appears to be a bird of prey in the area...a red kite!

Yes, I realize it looks more like a tadpole, but I can assure you it is a red kite! My next excursion was short and solo. I hiked to Mewsbrook park in Rustington on the second Sunday of March. It was very windy, and I just felt like getting out without shopping - and Liz was busy.

The park has a few info boards about, as well as a lake with waterbirds, gardens with butterflies and pigeons and smaller birds, and a cafe. I used to come here as a child to the playpark area or to learn to row a boat on the lake with my great Aunt Cora. It has changed a lot since then - but has cheap coffee and is a place I can reach by foot.

I noticed a sport of floating hut on the lake - with an accumulation of twigs inside - and assume it is a nest. It seemed strange that the hut was floating about, drifting around the lake at random...

Further along, there was another one! This one had a moorhen sitting on the porch platform though!! I am assuming someone put them there for the birds to build nests in - but am not 100% sure, of course. It does not show up very well - but the wood pigeons have made a nest in the tree...