BIRD NEWS: 857

 

The next excursion we took was taken at the close of March to Warnham nature reserve. I took a bunch of pictures of a red poll....that did not show up very well.

We also saw siskin and reed bunting, but most of my pictures were of the bank voles we spotted, as we don't usually see them either. The redpoll pair was a quite rare spotting for me, though Liz has seen them before.

Above is the female in a tree.

At the next hide, we spotted a male and female pheasant.

The male is very shiny and brightly colored at this time of year, but the female, although duller, is still pretty in her markings.

I then spotted a wood pigeon sitting in the tree.

We then went to the small hide overlooking the boggy fields - and found a greylag goose.

BIRD NEWS: 856

 

One last shot of the supposed linnet before we come to the last bunch of pictures from our RSPB trip....

Show pigeons!!

Lots of them...

1...2...3...4...

5....6...7...

There ended up with me counting 10.

Bye bye pigeons...

If you have been waiting and wondering - HERE are the garden birdwatch results for 2024.

BIRD NEWS: 855

 

Let's start with another Naboo shot - then return to our trip to RSPB.

This was supposed to be a bird - but the bird flew away and left a squirrel peeping out at us. A kids board was next up.

Then we spotted a rookery!

There were several rooks in the rookery, too.

As you can see looking out over the brooks towards Pulborough, there is land as well as water on this trip. The last time we visited, these fields were flooded into one gigantic lake.

Then we came upon a little sparrow sized bird on the fence - ruddy fronted...not a robin, nor stonechat....nor redpoll... Possibly a linnet.

On enlarging it didn't seem much clearer...but I will guess linnet from ID charts I saw afterwards.

BIRD NEWS: 854

 

A blue tit and 11 rats...and greenfinch and a great tit.

While the tit observes the peanuts - a rat has managed to climb the bar and sneak under the squirrel prooving onto the bird feeder of wild bird seed!

Here you can see the rats amassing under one feeder - while the tit still stares at another.

There he is - observing the rat family...

Backed by blossoming blackthorn, an ID board.

Then we learned about longtailed tits.

More info for you....

BIRD NEWS: 853

 

A rat and 2 bluetits star in my first picture today, taken at RSPB Pulborough Brooks.

A blue tit and a greenfinch star in the next shot. At first just one rat and greenfinch - then two of each, then....

...two bluetits.

They really enjoyted the peanut feeder. The alternatives being mixed seed or black sunflower hearts.

Then, along came a robin and scared one of the bluetits away.

2 greenfinch, 2 sparrow and ....a whole bunch of rats!!

So you dont get bored, here is Naboo!

BIRD NEWS: 852

 

Starting today, Liz and I are at Leonardslee again. The first shots are supposedly a buzzard in flight - shot between the treetops...but I can't spot it on the photos.

We spotted something hiding in the daffodils....

....a pair of mallards.

Here is Naboo 2023 for an interlude before our next trip.

The next excursion was to Pulborough Brooks RSPB. Where we saw blue tits...

...great tits...and rats!

Greenfinch came down also.

BIRD NEWS: 851

 

My final picture from Leonardslee was of mallards swimming towards us on the lake.... Now, back to Naboo before the next excursion.

Next, a shot of the two doves - Ditty and Ditsy - on the tree outside my bedroom window.

Then a shot of pigeons on the house across the street's roof.

Now, we are back to trips out with my best friend Liz - our latest was to Nymans & Leonardslee. Here is a shot of the dove cote at Nymans.

Next, the cormorant tree, as Liz and I have named it, at Leonardslee. Everytime we go there are at least 3 cormorants resting in THIS tree.

On this day, there were 4.

Sometimes, we picnic watching them - but on this occasion we had already had lunch.