BIRD NEWS:48

Back home, I managed to get 2 shots of the young robin despite the wind blurring one attempt. It seems to know that food appears on my sill, so may be a regular one day.

Of course, being back home, it was not long before another pigeon-photo opportunity arrived. Bubster-Pidge settled down on his favored branch to meditate whilst I read for a while before work in the first week of June.

It was still the first week of June when I took these next two shots as well. Bubster-Pidge had been meditating in the tree while I took a nap, it seems. I reached for my camera as a ''whoosh'' - a young jackdaw appeared nearby. Bubster-Pidge was a little unsure of this bird, about the same size as him but a very different color... The young Jackdaw ignored him altogether and preened then rested. They both sat there for a few minutes.

It was the middle of the first week of summer/June when I had a phone call - inviting me - and my wheelchair-pushing hands - to join in on an excursion with 'the wheelchair gang' to Arundel. Between viewing the carpet of flowers display at the cathedral and a coffee date we walked past the River Arun where I called a short halt to grab a picture or two of some black-headed gulls - with brown heads...

BIRD NEWS:47

Bluey then began to dash about a bit and made it difficult to take a picture in the way Naboo generally does. When he settled down, I got a much better shot of him however - prior to his blurred second photo opportunity.

Naboo peered out semi jealous of the attention Bluey was getting and semi 'camera-shy' acting, from between his grapes and cigarette-box chew-toy. This box got nibbled and chewed throughout my coffee visit and even came out of the cage wall at one point. I did not manage to get another decent shot at this point, as Naboo was soon up to his 'I do NOT want my picture taken with a shiny pink box' routine.

Before departure, I snuck my camera out again. This time Naboo was zzing in his blanket-bed. This is the ideal time to catch a good shot of him, as he is often too lazy to budge - even if there is a camera lurking around. He took a look then turned away to scratch his head.

Bluey as you can see was up to his dash-about the cage antics again, though.

BIRD NEWS:46

The 700-run began at Worthing Beach as it often does. This time, although the weather was not wet or exceedingly windy, only two of my pigeon pals were spotted. This was primarily due to the fact that the toilet block is still being refurbished, I think. However, I took a couple of shots of the pair I spotted hanging out with the gulls...

I wandered about a little, having a store I wanted to visit and some time before I was due to wander onwards on the next leg of my trip. I came across a pigeon pecking in the gutter of a building on the beachfront while awaiting my next bus trip.

I then arrived at the familiar-to-regular-readers habitat of a certain yellow bird that loudly greeted me within seconds of entering the door - Naboo. This trip, he allowed me a quick shot before playing his usual hide-away 'I am camera-shy' game. I also managed a shot of Bluey and Naboo both peeping out at me - the 'lady with the little pink box'...

BIRD NEWS:45 & a happy story

It was now the final week in May, and I spotted Mr Black in my tree - staring up with anxiety at the jackdaw on the chimney above him. After the danger had departed, Mr Black looked at me - the one thing on his mind now being FOOD PLEASE!

Starlet, one of the new generation of starlings, decided to come pay me a visit on the sill. Bubster-Pidge arrived shortly after and was not quite sure what to make of Starlet - but luckily they seemed to get along and shared the seed.

Starlet was then curious about inside my room - as soon as the pigeon was known to be safe and some food gobbled. Hmmm.... what was that great big moving thing in there that tipped food out from time to time...

In other news from the yard, we now have a young robin. It is soft sandy brown and fluffy at the moment - but you can tell by its face it is a robin. I also know this as in previous years such birds have grown red chests after a while.

This takes us to the final weekend in May. I did a second 700-run this month and this time managed to capture both pigeons and the pair of Bluey and Naboo, thankfully before my dying camera batteries died.

A happy story - click HERE.

BIRD NEWS:44

The third week of May resulted in my waking up somewhat early on a few occasions. I took a photo shortly after it was light enough to do so as the young starlings climbed from their inner-roof nest and prepared preenfully for the day ahead. It was not long before they reached my yard and waited for me to give their parents the food they would eat to start the new day.

The next day, also waking before 5am, I took a photo of a sleeping wood pigeon zzzing in the tree outside my window. I do not know if he had been there all night, or flown there ready for food and dozed off again...

I took a 700-run, but not this time to visit the parrot and budgie for coffee. I did not stop off at Worthing to capture any pigeon pictures either, on this trip. Instead, I took the bus direct to Brighton, where my first indulgence was to sit on the beach for a few minutes relaxing. These two shots are of the 'black beach bird' that strolled past. (Yes, one of those birds I cannot identify reliably..)

On the bank holiday Monday in the final week of the month, I sauntered up our local hill - Highdown. I did not stay long, but whilst there managed to spot one of THOSE 'big black birds' that I still find it difficult to identify - whether on beach or not.

BIRD NEWS:43

It was the weekend and I decided to go out on Saturday, not on a 700-run as usual, but for a long walk. There would have been plenty to view at home, but a change of scene was calling my heart. The evening before my trip, I spotted the opportunity to grab a picture of this fellow - a young sparrow - in my tree, eagerly awaiting parent bird with a beakful of food.

Well, there is a beach and some birds - but not my usual pigeons at Worthing. This was a gang of large black birds in Rustington. They looked very much like our chimney-top jackdaws - but not quite the same. Maybe a differing species of jackdaw, or maybe a rook, crow, or raven. From online guides, it is most likely to be a carrion crow, but...

One did stand on the wall for a good shot... Once I had walked past the big black bird colony at Rustington and wandered along the river Arun in Littlehampton, I came across some snoozing swans. They were zzzing outside a cafe near a slipway for small craft. Except for one - who had an eye open as someone walked past behind him.

He settled down soon after, however - though still peeped out at me, as if to say 'are YOU going to annoy me by walking past, too?' before realizing I meant no harm and returning to nap-status along with his buddies a little distance away - one of whom had woken up and decided to preen.

BIRD NEWS:42

Today, I will share some shots from mid-May. Firstly, the youngest crop of starlings decided to investigate a lump of bread and my veg plot.

It was not long before they decided - all at once - to take a bath. No worries if they all crammed in at the same time - it was water, and that was what mattered. One loner preferred the dry ground, though.

Later that same day the starlings were in the tree awaiting parental feeding and one youngster decided to investigate my windowsill, seing as so many birds found it worthwhile landing upon. What was that funny huge monster in there - with a shiny pink box - hmm....

I will finish today's report with a VIDEO showing the tree outside my window. While the photography may not bring to light many of the birds, I am hoping the audio quality is sufficient to prove that they are there, practicing their bird-band repertoire.