BIRD NEWS:787

 

My garbage-camera managed to get a shot or two of the parent and youngster pigeon, if somewhat grainy and indistinct.

Meanwhile, my houseguest Naboo still didnt realy appreciate having his picture taken, often diving out of view or dipping his head into the seed tub to avoid it.

Of course, when he was actually allowing my camera close enough, the bars got in the way a tad.

I kept trying...

I took a shot of Ditsy - a parent collared dove - of which we now have 4/5 due to the youngsters.

The next trip Liz and I went on was a while later, near the end of July, due to bad weather and Liz's hip/eye/knee.

We went to Warnham nature reserve...but yet again my camera let me down. It was incapable of taking a decent shot of the cornmorants - or the grebe, tern, heron, coot nest.

BIRD NEWS:786

 

Here are a bunch of the pigeons hanging out on the roof at the RSPB cafe/shop.

And here is the one that wandered around the tables after we had sat down with our refreshments.

Some flew into the field next the cafe seating, where we had spotted 3-4 rabbits earlier.

They were all over the feeder station as we left.

It was lovely to see such a gang of pigeons again - reminiscent of my own back yard in the home before my current one.

Our next trip was to Shoreham, without a proper camera I was unable to take a shot of the few birds we saw on this short trip - I tried, but...

.....failed to get a good picture of the egret. This was the best I could manage.

BIRD NEWS:785

 

This is an 'I hate my camera' shot of a white tailed eagle. It really let me down. If I still had my lovely little pink fujifilm camera...this would have been a clear picture.

I persevered, but....

I didnt have much luck - or a good camera. We left the hide after seeing - better than my camera - the white tailed eagle. I spotted a young teenage crow foraging in the grass by the path.

It had its eye on something...

...then on something else...

At one stage it had a caterpiller - but didnt seem to know what to do with it, so dropped it. Next, we saw the show pigeons and a couple of city pigeon at the cafe-side/entry feeders.

So I took a few shots of these.

BIRD NEWS:784

 

Liz and I went to Storrington after a trip to the coffee cart for refreshments - then onto RSPB Pulborough Brooks.

My garbagey camera did not take clear photos of the distant birds - it seems everytime I try to get a better camera, I manage to get one thats worse than the last one was.

These were supposed to be of a mommy heron and her 2 youngsters - one laying nearby and the other rambling about, whilst beyond in the waters were a row of 4-5 avocets and what might have been gadwell.

I did manage to catch a shot of the robin who sat on the wooden bar at the edge of the hide, but....I always see robins.

The little fella was determind to have his picture taken!!

Next, I attempted to take photos of a pair of storks we had spotted. Alas, my camera let me down again. You may JUST see a couple of black and white splodges, but....you will have to take my word for it that they were actually storks. This is the first time I have seen storks here - they may have come along to visit from the Knepp Park gang.

At least the info board came out in focus!

BIRD NEWS:783

 

This was the best shot my new camera could manage of the sparrow parents feeding their young in my back yard - as soon as I go some place physically rather than computeredly that sells cameras, a new one is on my list. My next trip was to Worthing with Liz, from where we walked the coast into Lancing and back. Here is a shot I took of a crow on the boat.

I also took a shot of a pigeon under a seat where someone was feeding it lunch-crumbs.

I then took a photo of a baby sparrow waiting in the tree outside my kitchen window for mommy to bring food.

But the new camera took forever whirring away trying to focus.....and still failed.

Our next excursion, Liz and I went to Church Norton and walked back through Pagham Harbor reserve to Pagham salt house and back. My first shot is of a notice board we spotted.

Then an egret with some gulls.

And some shelducks.

BIRD NEWS:782

 

We approached the Bewick swan enclosure....

There was Mrs Silvertag Bewick.

I took another shot, and another...

There she was, parading about.

All alone, since the passing of Mr Orangetag Bewick.

Back home, and I took another shot of Naboo.

He was rumaging through the food he threw out his food tub onto the floor to find delicacies he might have overlooked or accidentally tossed out. I tried to take some photos of the parents feeding the young sparrows - but the new camera failed me.

BIRD NEWS:781

 

My first two photos today are more shots of the pigeons on display and/or for sale at the South Of England Show that Liz and I attended in June. If there are pigeons....my camera and I are there!

A local back yard shot next up.

Liz and I took Muku to WWT Arundel again.

Here are the spectacled eiders and avocets and pintails...

As we walked around, we came across a goose and her youngsters on the path ahead.

Muku was fascinated - for five minutes.

Then we came to the trumpeter swans.