Black Tern

I have had a few trips out birding over the past week but they have mostly been on sea watches or looking for Terns arriving on the coast. Their have been a few good birds about but the picture opportunities have been limited.

Chichester Gravel pits are always a good place to look at this time of year and true to form on Sunday there were hundreds of birds hawking over the water. Black Tern and Little Gull were the highlights but dozens of Common Terns, Swifts, House Martins, Swallows, and a few Sand Martins added to the excitement.

All the birds were distant but I still managed a few record shots.

Black Tern and Common Tern

The Common Tern below helped me to a new first, the first time I have photographed a flying insect at about 100 metres. I knew that the Terns were agile in flight but I hadn't realise that they could also turn their heads through a hundred and eighty degrees.

It would be interesting to see the equation of energy expended over energy gained!

Common Tern

My sea watches at Selsey Bill did not prove very fruitful. I saw plenty of Terns going through but in general things were quiet and I also managed to miss the few Skuas that were present.

Common Tern

Little Tern

The Breech Pool at Pagham North Wall had a little more water in it when we visited on Sunday but most of the bird life seems to have abandoned the area. There were a few Sedge Warblers in the reeds, one Little Ringed Plover and a single colour ringed Avocet that flew soon after we arrived.

And today, Monday, was meant to be distant shots of the Red-rumped Swallow at West Marsh Eastbourne. Except nobody thought to tell the swallow and I had three hours staring at a birdless lake and didn't take the camera out once.

Not much of a birding week but the Black Tern was good to see. I thought about not doing a blog but then this is my diary of what I see and you have to accept the bad days along with all the good ones.