BIRD NEWS:317

Plenty of pairs swim around together now - as it is just the start of their mating season for many of the geese, swans and ducks here. It is a good time of year if you want to spot both male and female of a species together.

This pair might have been a pair or might be friends at play - some species of duck do have sexes that look alike - though I am not yet expert enough to tell which do and which don't beyond knowing that mallard and eider do have differences. That is something I will begin to pick up over the next visit or two, hopefully - as mating season really kicks off.

Real birds are interrupted by another Dusty statue... This one is situated near the loo structure and the boat ride jetty. This was my second leg of the reserve, and this time I got some good pictures of the Bewick swans - without mallards flying in the way.

To close the post for today - here are two videos of the Bewick swans. ONE and TWO.

BIRD NEWS:316

I wandered along near the lakes and ponds on my way to the cafe - taking photos of whichever birds looked interesting as I wandered coffeewards. A few posed for me, while others just got on with enjoying their own lives without bothering about who was watching them. This shabby tailed fellow was watching me, though.

Next up, a good picture of an Australian woodduck. When we lived in Woolooware, before Wollongong, we lived near the geese and duck colony at the inlet behind the Caringbah camellia gardens. There were quite a few of these birds there - as well as larger geese for my son and I to feed.

Eiders on the lake mean it is almost coffeetime! Their lake is situated in front of the cafe and one can often see a few glide about as one sips ones refreshments. They make an interesting noise - as regular readers may recall from a video I posted in one of my blogs last year.

BIRD NEWS:315

These shots are of a pair of moorhens who have built a nest near the woodland hide. They were nibbling together and exchanging nest-sitting duties when I wandered past. Just a few steps along the path from the romancing moorhens, I came upon the first duckling I have seen this year, playing about near Mommy mallard.

I did not stop to count them, as there were more birds to watch, coffee to drink, and other things to be done. Pigeons, for example... This pair were amorously wandering about between coo-wooings.

The rest of the gang were at the feeder station across the lake. They were hanging out with jackdaws and ducks. There seem to be quite a flock at the reserve now, which is pleasant for pigeon lovers such as myself.

BIRD NEWS:314 and long tailed tits

This lil fellow was serenely nibbling greens by the fence as I wandered past. I assume this placard is of the goose in the picture.

Next up were the goldfinches that hang out at the Niger seed feeders in the wildlife garden where the talk I attended was to be held. It was a weekend of special events, which is why I had determined to attend this week rather than next as formerly planned.

The goldfinches munched away for a while - between disturbances of various visitors walking too close. The talk was about attracting birds and other wildlife into a garden - and I am pleased to report that other than not having a dust bathing area, my gardens have everything else required for happy birds - food, water, wildflowers, insects, shrubbery, trees, nesting material and sites...

This pair stayed in the tree above the feeders while people below bummalged about waiting for the talk to begin. I finally caught a shot of the Trumpeter swan with its head OUT of the water! It was gliding past observing its observers for a while.

There were several wildflower billboards up this week. I did take photos of a few more, but this is the only bird-related one, so the only one I will include in my blog. It is considered an unpopular weed in many gardens, although in the wild it is quite attractive.

HERE is some info about the longtailed tit.  They have this bird at Arundel and also at my friend Liz's home, but I haven't got any living in my own yard.

BIRD NEWS:313

Here is Naboo calmly munching a piece of cardboard from a used cigarette carton. We then return home to a shot or two of Curio and Ditty under the bird feeder.

My next excursion was taken on the final weekend in March and was to Arundel again. There were several changes on this trip. The pair of Bewicks' swans had moved to an enclosure the other side of the pathway from their former residence. That was the first alteration I noted - although in my first shot, a mallard flew across and stole the limelight.

There were another couple of Dusty's across the pathway, as I lingered in the boat-trip/wildlife garden area awaiting a 30 minute talk. I wandered along towards the trumpeter swan lake and sure enough the adult pair were still in situ -

- but there was no sign at all of the juveniles - now almost a year of age. I am uncertain if they have been set free in the wild, transferred to another reserve, or sent abroad - or maybe they were just hiding. The adults certainly hid their heads!

BIRD NEWS:312

I took a couple more shots of the budgies, hoping for a better clearer picture, before moving along to a bench to sit and eat my lunch. Somebody else wanted to dine with me - on my food! Alas for this gull, my food was not suited to birds today - chili flavor lentil chips, raspberry flavor coconut chips, and lemon/oregano olives are not really gull-fodder!

Well look at that - its Naboo again! This is the second trip so far in 2017 that I have taken to visit him and Bluey. This was a later in the day visit and there were several visitors, so Naboo was spoiled and didn't know who to screech at first.

Bluey, as usual, was well behaved for the camera - as was Naboo, for once. I assume due to the fact that he already had one visitor and then a third appeared and left whilst I visited. Maybe Naboo was already tired - for once.

Here is a shot of Naboo nibbling a peanut and one of Bluey on his bars - alas not with head upside down. He was playing his old trick of sitting on the ladder-perch-bar and tipping his head upside down to emit a variety of yawns - but it was his turn to elude the camera, this trip.

BIRD NEWS:311

Further around the park, I heard a familiar sound - a robin singing. In fact, this little fellow was heard quite plain and loud, once the cathedral bells had stopped ringing. He followed me around for a few minutes - along 2-3 borders - before disappearing behind the hydrangeas.

I then pottered along the other two main streets and grabbed a coffee to go, before going to my usual park. As I sometimes do in Arundel at Christmastime, I stopped to take a photo of birds that were not real displayed in a shop window. This time, I caught a heron and a hawk.

I arrived at the park I generally favor and sat down to finish my coffee shortly after spotting a couple of longtailed tits disappear into this tree - however, I cannot seem to find them in the photo...

Regular readers will maybe recall that 'Chichester' and 'park' generally mean my stopping at an aviary containing budgies. Yes, I stopped there on this trip, too! Alas, most of my pictures did not come out too well - the weather was dull and so the birds did not contrast the wire as well as usual.