BIRD NEWS:121

Bluey rarely minds having his photo taken, as regular readers may have gathered from the abundance of pictures with him looking at the camera, rather than dancing about hiding from it - as Naboo purposefully does.

I did not really manage to get any more clear shots of Naboo...but at least I had that one, this trip.

After coffee in Lancing, I went to Worthing intending to watch the new Star Wars movie - but the wind was so strong, my sinuses were not feeling good and I did not fancy sitting without sipping water for 2 hours, which would make them worse. I therefore took the bus back east to Brighton. I wandered along for a while looking for shops that would sell ladies cloth hankies - and found some pigeons enjoying a snack on the sidewalk. No, the bread was not really flying as the photo makes it seem - a pigeon had tried to eat it and tossed it upwards...

 

BIRD NEWS:120

There it stood, drinking from a puddle - but keeping an eye on me once I was spotted. Further along, there was a whole group of these guys - though I really do not know if they are jackdaws with funny colored eyes, rooks, ravens, crows, or what...

In my last post I mentioned Lancing, and my regular readers know what that usually means - a visit to Naboo and Bluey! Today, Naboo had plenty of grapes and a large piece of cardboard - the latter occupied him predominantly, for he kept going to rip shreds off. Another of today's antics, was Naboo standing on the bottom of his cage shuffling backwards - and yet another was Naboo on the bottom of his cage, beak into the wood chips, shoving his beak forward making a path in the chips.

But there he is on the cage front giving me a photo to start with - and not many more to follow! Bluey was far more obliging, however.

BIRD NEWS:119

I took a few more shots of the feeder pole being used by starlings - and caught Pidge munching the dropped crumbs below! This is not the first time; there is often a blackbird or pigeon or dove below eating the messy starling's dropped peckings.

These next two shots were taken on Christmas day 2015. Pidge is back below the starlings eating crumbs - but this time it is not suet ball or homemade bread - but Christmas pudding with seed. I purchased a mini pudding, cut it into quarters, and rolled it in bird seed...

Boxing day took me further afield. I took a 700 run for the second time in December. This time, I arrived in Worthing and slowly dawdled along the gale swept coast towards Lancing. I spotted one of those big black birds on the wall...

BIRD NEWS:118

I have a couple more sad pictures to share concerning the garden wipeout next door. These are the before and after on a very tall tree which was used as a nesting site by the local goldfinches - who will now need to locate a new home. You might also see a slab of wood on the washing line post - where Beatie's nesting box used to sit.

December continued...

Here is a shot of Pidge staring into the bird table below, about to fly in. He actually did so and was busy eating seed for a while. He was shortly joined by two doves, whom he did not object to.

Meanwhile, as we entered the weekend prior to Christmas, here is a shot of the starlings busily enjoying their feast. Behind you can see my newly reclaimed poly tunnel - due to the removal of next doors' trees and shrubs, there is now enough light to use it again. I have decided to do so - half as a potting shed and half as a poly tunnel.

Oh look! Chackie came to investigate the feeder pole!

BIRD NEWS:117

Here are two rather good shots of a young gull and a curious pigeon taken in the park mentioned in my previous post. My next shot looks like a pigeon about to take a jump - which indeed it did shortly after I shot the picture. It's partner had already dived down to the water below and it chose to follow. Winter is rather warmer than most years, and even in December the pigeons are amorous rather than shivering this year.

Taking a glance further across the water, you can see where the gulls are hanging out on a sand bank. Back on the concrete park path, a pigeon was finding it suitable to fluff up as it strolled along in my direction - it must have felt the cold more than its brothers and sisters.

Regular readers may recall that on my last trip to Shoreham I encountered a group of pigeons in a side alley on my way to the toilets. Sure enough, they were there again on this trip.

I was on the bus traveling homewards, riding in the top deck for a change to get a better view. As I left Shoreham and progressed towards Lancing (sorry - no Naboo or Bluey shots taken on this trip!!) I was just quick enough to catch this group of - yes folks, more pigeons - seemingly attacking a door handle on an upstairs balcony. You can also see those horrid wire spikes, which are used on building when people do not want pigeons on them - hee hee.

BIRD NEWS:116

Turning back to the bird table from the feeder pole, here is Chackie munching away at a slab of bread-cake-whatever it is. (I make it sort of bread like, but it has fruit and nuts and seeds in too...)

Regular readers may recall having read of the garden wipeout next door. The pigeons - three of them - took advantage of the clearing to peck about in the junk remaining in the back.

Meanwhile, back here at home, the starlings were at the suet again. I mentioned in my last post that I had gone on at least one long distance trip. After taking a gold all day rider ticket on the 700 bus to shop in Brighton, I came back via Shoreham where I stopped off to have a coffee and take some photos. Here is the first of a gull in flight against the overcast skies.

Simply sitting on a bench in the small park area adjacent to the bridge/street, I saw numerous birds. It is a pleasant place to have a cuppa, and much better than being stuck inside a cafe. There was nothing going on this week, so I had the parklet to myself - well, to myself and the birdlife.

BIRD NEWS:115

As you can see, Beatie soon moved on to the suet feeder for dessert! This is the most popular feeder on the pole, with the starlings attacking the suet balls regularly. Luckily the crumbs fall to the grounds so the blackbirds, pigeons and doves can feast also - as these birds do not fit on the feeders.

Beatie must have been quite hungry, as she spent considerable time pecking away greedily at her feast of peanut and suet.

But she was not alone, and as mentioned above, the starlings and pigeons also make good use of the feeder pole. Here they are doing so...

Regular readers may be wondering when I am going to take another trip and get something other than garden birds to post about again, despite my abundance on feeder-pole shots. Before December closed, I took at least one trip away from my home village - so stay tuned!