BIRD NEWS:727

 

Another sculpture at Leonardslee.

I really liked the galah, having had experience of living galahs whilst living in Australia for 22 years.

They have now got some new info bards, so I took photos of the bird related ones, so that it was not just statues. Of the at risk species, I am well acquainted with several. The song thrush we have in our back garden often spotted in winter, for example. I also have a grey wagtail that enjoys my pond seasonally.

We both liked these sculptures far better than the usual ones. They were more realistic.

Some were better than others, but I tried to take picture of all the bird related ones. I did miss a few, as the first 20-22 sculptures we missed.

Alas, most of the signs did not come out very well. Luckily we picked up a brochure, but the camera failed me on the signage

This one came out clear... but this did not.

BIRD NEWS:726

 

Of course, I had to get a picture or two of the trumpeters.

The Bewicks were also encaptured on camera.

The Bewicks also stuck their heads underwater to feed.... Tamuka found it fascinating and unusual.

The cygnets were gliding about as well.

After WWT, I showed Tamuka Swanbourne Lake.

Some of the usual birds were there, but some were absent.they had cygnets here, and pigeons, gulls, coots, moorhen, mallards....but I didnt see any tufted ducks on this trip.

My next excursion was with Liz again, and we went to Leonardslee gardens. They had little floral color, but had the Surrey sculpture society exhibition. I therefore got a bunch of photos of bird statues.

BIRD NEWS:725

 

We walked across a field then I spotted a message on a tree a little way into the field. We had to go to read it...

Stork nest - we had to look, even if we couldnt go closer!

Well, two nests in one tree....but alas, no stork! We had seen a stork flying down into the trees shortly after arrival however, also we had at least seen one today.

My final shot from Knepp Park was a close up shot of the nests. We saw a lot more wildlife, but apart from too-far-away- buzzards, nothing worthy of the camera AND feathered. We saw two species of deer - fallow and red - and wild pig, wild longhorn cattle, etc....but no other birds of note.

My next excursion was to WWT but with Tamuka not Liz. We spotted the usual assortment of birds and he was fascinated that ducks stuck their whole head underwater at times, let alone some that dived. Here is a goose that was as interested in us as he was in the waterfowl.

The avocet and merganzer were lazing in the aviary, now reopened.

This jackdaw thought it was too hot!

BIRD NEWS:724

 

There were a series of infoboards on the wall at the bird hide on our next excursion, which was to Knepp Park.

I had to take 3 photographs to get them all in shot.

We went on two of the four trails and one of the sightings we had was over the water from the bird hide, closely followed by the same location to one side seen from a bridge.

We saw mostly mallard - a few coots, a gull, a cormorant...

Over the back we saw a swan....

no, wait....2 adults and three cygnets!

There was a crow in the field that we next walked past - sitting on the anti-deer frame around a young tree.

BIRD NEWS:723

 

Here are the entire Bewick family enjoying a swim around their enclosure.

Quite serene!!

Onwards we went....

Another infoboard got its picture taken - to update long term readers on the new signage as well as inform newbies. We then went out of WWT and to Swanbourne Lake for ice creams.....

Lots of cygnets, tufted, seagulls, mallards, coots, moorhen...

& pigeon!!

Yes, definitely time to capture a few pigeon pictures before we left!

BIRD NEWS:722

 

We came upon the trumpeter swans. Next, we walked along the boardwalk and spotted a mucky mallard.

We arrived at the Bewicks - unsure if we would find last years trio of teens, or the parents and this years brood.

The latter was what we discovered.

Orangetag and Silvertag were casually parading and swimming about their enclosure with 3 new cygnets to show off.

Here are Mr Orangetag Bewick...

& Mrs Silvertag Bewick.

The new signage was amusing - Orangetag was not grumpy today....

HERE is something you might like to listen to.

BIRD NEWS:721

 

As Liz and I approached Arundel, we sighted a bunch of swans on the river.

We counted 11 swans. One was swimming last in line quite some way back and being territorial. After coffee, we wandered along the avenue to WWT where we had our lunch before wandering around.

They have put up new info boards, so I took a few photos of these on our travels - here are the real thing along with a stray tansy.

The aviary was open again - so I took a few pics there. Here are the avocets.

The spectacled eiders were trying to keep cool on this summers' day by gaping.

The merganzers seemed fine with the warmth - maybe as they did a lot of diving.

I had difficulty getting the ducks and info in the same shot onto a cropped picture here.... the black backed radjah shelducks have been moved into their own area at the waterfall site....but to get the info board and ducks in the same postable pic I had to crop two pics from the one.