BIRD NEWS:590

 

You can just spot the bird perched on the path perhaps? I am still not sure what they were - but there were around a dozen of them, along with a pair of chaffinches and a goldfinch, and they seemed to have a lot of yellow on them when flying.

 

Yellowhammers - but too small. Greenfinch - but not the right shaped head. So I really don't know. In the second picture it came out clearer - but the face confused me. You can maybe spot the magpie on the other side of the picture though - they are easier to identify.

This is the best shot of it  that I got...

Back home middle of the month, and I spotted a bird investigating the recently relined pond. 'Ooh... what are you?' I wondered - and ran for the camera. It was wobbling its tail - so grey/yellow wagtail was my first guess, but it may have been a chiffchaff, or warbler, or....anything really.

It was welcome anyways - and after consulting an ID guide, I am assuming it to have been a juvenile yellow wagtail.

Can you guess who was standing on the windowsill by the shadow they gave on my wall?

It was Pidge! Can you guess where I was visiting next from the following picture?

BIRD NEWS:589

 

 

 

Here is the current situation of the back yard from a birds-point-of-view. A cafe pole, filled with mixed seed, suet balls, peanuts, peanut pieces, nyger seed and sunflower hearts, along with several places to bathe and drink, and plenty of foliage.

Out front, looking across the street one day, I spotted a pair of seagulls and a trio of magpies sharing the same rooftop.

The sight of Goggles the farm-goose must alert regular readers to the fact that during the midst of October I took a hike towards or into local woodland passing the pond on Swillage Lane.

Goggles was hanging out with his duck mates in the pond, formerly titled Poachers Pond, yet currently unnamed and unfenced.

I think he got bored of me pointing my lil pink box at him!

On this occasion I wandered further along Swillage Lane, intending to take a 2 hour - or thereabouts - hike through the woodland. The next feathered being I caught sight of was this robin. He saw me too and had a good look in case I was a cat or other form of trouble.

 

Prior to reaching the turning down which I turned right, I passed the fields. In the fields were numerous large birds pecking at the ground - pheasant I assumed - but maybe partridge. I was not close enough to see.

Talking of unclear views, the above picture is of a blob in the sky. As usual it was a bird, but unfortunately unidentifiable. There were in fact a group of about a dozen small birds flittering about the tree and fields and I had hoped to capture them on camera do as to identify them. Alas, this picture did not suffice.

BIRD NEWS:588

 

Goggles flapping and preening means I must have taken another stroll down the local woodland.

Goggles is still there on my way home.

It was a fairly short walk as I had something else I wanted to do that day. As evidenced by picture, Goggles was still standing about preening.

I brought home a discarded pheasant feather as a souvenir of that walk.

Just to show that there are still birds in our garden, if I have yet to revisit some of my other usual haunts, here is a picture of some sparrow residents enjoying their cafe pole.

I did try to take a video, but it did not come out for longer than 4 seconds for some unknown reason. Before September ended,  I took another stroll up past Goggles's pond.

That brings us to the close of September 2020...

BIRD NEWS:587

 

You might not be able to see it very well as the photo is somewhat blurred, but there is a wren down there just below my kitchen window.

HERE is a link to an article about vultures...

Although it is also blurred, you should be able to see that recently we have had a family or two of sparrows munching at the feeder pole. They are not fussy and sample many of the options available to them - sunflower hearts, nyjer see, mixed seed, suet balls...

HERE is a link to an article about how drones affect birds.

My magpie pictures were likewise blurred.... This one came out a bit better, but....

Back to blurry for this magpie strolling along the path.

My final shot for the day is a bit clearer....

BIRD NEWS:586

 

My next solo hike was up Swillage Lane for a brief wander. I passed Goggles on his lake, hanging out with the mallard family and a bunch of other ducks sunbathing...

On my way home, there was Goggles again!

HERE is a link to an interesting article.

Oh, there is Goggles - I must have taken another woodland stroll. A young wood pigeon preens on top the telegraph pole....

...before I turn to return homeward - passing Goggles again.

HERE is a link to an article about swan behaviour. I found this interesting - as I have witnessed Bewick swans getting upset and a bit hissy when mute swans have been in the pond over the pathway from them... but then I have not met Bewick meets Bewick other than the 'partners' or partners with their kids.

BIRD NEWS:585

 

Here is the latest bearer of the title Pidge. The wood pigeon who taps on my window downstairs to let me know it wants food on the upstairs windowsill - as it knows I often curl up in the coffee room and can be relied on to provide a free meal....

From this shot, regular readers will spot Goggles hiding in the undergrowth and know my next few pictures are likely to be from a woodland walk. Sure enough, this walk was taken at the end of July. The main purpose being to go blackberrying up Swillage Lane, as Dappers Lane is too busy with builders making homes instead of countryside this year. A pity - there were some nice big berries - but they would be too dirty to eat.

 

The next birds I spotted were a bunch of swallows darting about then resting on wires overhead.... They don't usually stay still long enough to get a good photo, so I was quite pleased to find some resting between swoops and glides.

From these pictures one can see the telltale tail and coloring depicting swallows, as opposed to swifts, which I had originally assumed them to be as the throat color was indistinct.

 

I might have taken another shot of Goggles on my way home - but an elderly couple were scaring him away from the mallard family as I approached....Not sure if they thought they own the lake or not, but Goggles and the mallards got along fine from my own previous sightings.

BIRD NEWS:584

I eventually passed beyond the mute swan clan and began to walk around the lake to the coast to continue my planned trip. The plan being to walk into Littlehampton along the seafront and then along the River Arun up to the RNLI station and back. I spotted some waterfowl ignoring the sign post as I continued my trip.

A crow greeted me as I walked along the coast, westward, whilst it sat on a beachhut roof. I don't know if he was sunbathing or hunting. My next picture shows the gulls on the other side of the river, as I turned North.

On my return, I walked through Mewsbrooks again. I spotted a butterfly as well as some birds on the statue-post. The swans were still on the lake.

One parent was still alone, watching from a distance - while the main one was hanging with the octet near the footbridge. iI took a few more pictures and then walked home, via Rustington shops.