BIRD NEWS: 800

 

The first shot today was taken of the hawk display at Findon sheep fair 2023. It depicts a bird they called Amy and the young lad who trained her.

Here is the same bird, this time with the father in the background giving the demonstration talk to the crowd, as is my final shot from this trip.

Our next excursion was to Petworth, where part of our day's enjoyment was spent walking around the deer park.

First we came upon the biggest lake where a row of Canada geese and Egyptian geese bordered the waterline.

A pair of ravens flew overhead.

They dissappeared behind the treeline.

Our next trip took us to Cowfold, where we attempted a 4.5 mile hike, only to discover that the instructions for the walk didnt match reality. We got stuck at instruction 2 of 9. We went on to Leonardslee...where we spotted a cormorant in the trees by the lake.

BIRD NEWS:799

 

This would have been a shot of a long tailed tit - except my camera decided to blurr the image. My last shot from this excursion should portray a long tailed tit and a greenfinch - at least the camera managed to get one in focus.

Next is a back yard shot of some sparrows enjoying their meal at the bird feeder poles. This was taken on my workphone, so is a little grainy.

The next excursion we took was to the Findon sheep fair 2023.

The usual birds of prey demonstration was cut short due to excessive heat, but the birds themselves were undercover.

They had no pigeons/poultry display this year, possibly due to the heat - not hot for those of us who have lived in the Australian climate for a couple of decades, but too hot for many of the locals and animals/birds.

This young lad is the son of the main presenter and works with the birds of prey and is a part of the display.

I tried to get all the birds in, alas, a few humans also got into the pictures.

BIRD NEWS:798

 

The last picture I took of the mixed flock of pigeon at Brooklands lake...with that one white fella staring at me as if he knew me....making me contemplate that maybe once he was one of my former flock...but maybe not - maybe just someone I once knew who was close to me come back as a bird.

The next series of pictures come from a trip Liz and I took to complete a 7 mile hike starting at Pagham Harbor, passing through Church Norton, before circling back through Selsey. There were masses of small darting birds, and we were wondering if they were house or sand martens...

...Alas, my camera failed to inform us. However, a bird watcher nearby said it was a group of house and sand martens and swallows also, flocking and preparing to fly overseas after spending summer in the UK. We did see them fly out towards the ocean, then swirl back, then out again....but my camera didnt manage to take a single decent shot. It had better luck capturing the mommy and teenage seagull on Selsey beach where we stopped for our picnic lunch/toilet break.

I then spotted some pigeons on the roof of the RNLI...but, as per norm, anything in the distance fails to appear without blur on my camera. The camera insisted on focussing on the chain fence instead, sigh.

After our walk, we passed through a hide at Pagham Harbor RSPB and spotted an assembly of great tit, blue tit, chaffinch, greenfinch, dunnock, and long tailed tit - which I ever hopefully attempted to capture by camera.

But once again, I fail to see what I tried to photograph. This darn camera decides to do its own focussing instead of JUST taking what it sees.

You might just spot a great tit - but not the greenfinch or long tailed tit in this last picture for today.

BIRD NEWS:797

 

We are still with the mixed pigeon flock at Brooklands for the first photo in todays' bog post.

One of the white show pigeons seemed to stare at me more than the others.

This was supposed to be a sot of a grebe - but it dived down as the camera focussed. (curses camera)

Got it!! but the camera blurred it. I do wish it wouldnt TRY to focus; I wish the darn machine would just take 'as is' pictures rather than attempt to correct what does not need correcting.

The cormorant showed off....well sunned off.

Of course, I was soon back to taking pigeon pics - especially as one seemed to stare at me...as if to recognise me, perhaps.

Maybe it was one of my former garden stock come back in a new body....

I do like pigeons, sigh....

BIRD NEWS:796

 

The first picture for todays post is taken on my next trip out with Liz at Brooklands, showing a bunch of cormorants. The next shot was a zoom in on the birds...but my garbage camera couldnt focus itself properly.

It did manage to take a good picture of a foursome teenage coots with mommy looking on from afar.

The young might already have learned to stare at humans in case they are given crumbs insted of cameras....or they may just be curious.

Here we are with another shot of the cormorants.

...and again.

Next we stumbled upon a bunch of birds - including some pigeons. There seemed to be a mixed flock of city pigeon and show pigeon, which pleased me.

Of course, my camera could not cope with taking a decent shot close up, sigh.

BIRD NEWS:795

 

Waiting inside the WWT til someone appeared, I hung with swans and pelicans...waiting on phone messages. There was one contact somewhere in Arundel, but not here ar WWT, and 2 AWOL who were on their way but silent....

Finally the two in transit arrived and I met them whilst awaiitng on the one in town but not here yet to arrive and we began to walk round together..

We went past the pelicans and aviary and onto the enclosure with Nenes and magpie geese....

Then onto the Trumpeter swans.....

One of my pals was game to be a bird for a picture.....

The other somewhere in Arundel friend was collected/met in the foyer and we began to trot round the reserve once more...this time finally making it to the boardwalk. What did I see but a show pigeon! A little concerned....it seemed to be either young or unwelll....and bird flu is present in our area.....it didnt leave the boardwalk when we went really close....if only I had had my lil pink camera, sigh...a perfect shot would have occcured.

We had walked almost all round the reserve and were back to the bewicks near the start/end, as the final member of our meet-up announced that they had now arrived....so we headed back to the cafe/foyer to meet them after a quick detour to the sand martin hide with no sand martins...whilst the guys got hungry and ate some blackberries en route.

Finally, for todays' post , prior to all of us meeting up at the cafe.... - a VIDEO HERE - of the bewicks.