Ruff

I sat at home Sunday and Monday watching the reports of the American Wigeon at Pulborough. We had the family round and I couldn't get away. It is one of a very few birds that I have seen but then have been unable to get a decent picture of. My best effort to date is shown below

American Wigeon in the centre - taken at Old Moor RSPB July 2015

However, if it was on the back of the scrape at West Mead hide it was probably within range. I rushed up to Pulborough Brooks on Tuesday morning and round to the hide only to find that it had moved. It was now over on the North Brooks and could be seen from the hanger. Seen that is, at a distance of about half a mile and when it decided to come out from hiding behind a grass bank. No picture.

Fortunately I had seen three Ruff from the West Mead hide so I abandoned the American Wigeon and went back to photograph those.

There was also the peregrine in its usual tree close to the hanger. If its looking for dinner what's the betting that it has spotted the American Wigeon?

I wonder if it would let me do a bit of pruning?

and my first Adder of the year. This was a big female, probably over two feet long. It moved slowly out into the sun stayed there for a few minutes and then returned to cover as the clouds moved in.

I then went down to Arundel. I had read at the weekend that ducks like kale and pea shoots more than bread, after all it is more like there natural food, so I took them the trimmings from the weekends brussels. The Swanbourne ducks were having none of it. They didn't even investigate, they just paddled off to see a couple of young children throwing in half a loaf of supermarket white bread - proper duck food.

However, I did manage to pick up a Treecreeper before I left.

No picture of the American Wigeon but perhaps it will stay a bit longer and move back to the West Mead scrape.