Lesser Redpoll

I always look forward to birding during January and February. Cold, crisp clear days with beautiful soft lighting and always the prospect of some good photographs. It just didn't happen this year.  Wind, rain and dull weather and a seeming lack of interesting birds. This part driven by a lack of a real cold spell to drive the birds south but also a function of my reluctance to venture out into the storms looking for them.

I did go out on Wednesday, not with any great hope but I had given a commitment to a friend, Jim, and I needed to make the effort and get out birding again. The problem was where to go that wasn't a foot deep in mud. We ended up at Warnham LNR up near Horsham and I will be forever grateful to Jim, for levering me out from sitting in front of the computer. I just needed a good bird and a picture opportunity to get me fired up again......... and it turned up

Lesser Redpoll

There is nothing like a bit of colour to brighten up both the day and the spirits. Lesser Redpolls are not that common on the south coast and when you do find them they usually stay in the tops of the trees.

Lesser Redpoll

It showed well and although there were the usual problems with branches in the way, I did get a couple of decent shots.

Lesser Redpoll

Even the Blue Tits and Robins suddenly seemed worth photographing.

Blue Tit

Robin  - just in case you didn't recognise it!

A scruffy looking Coal Tit stopped long enough for a photograph but I couldn't get clear shots of the Marsh Tit and Nuthatch that were also around the feeders. Nor could I piece together the full details on the Coal Tits leg ring.

Coal Tit

Walking round the plantation later we also had an obliging Treecreeper.

Treecreeper

Reed Bunting

Warnham is well worth a visit. It has always been good for photography, a place where you can get close to the birds without disturbing them but with recent additions, it now has a mix of seven screens and hides so gives even more opportunities. It costs £2 to get in but it's well worth the money. Whilst you are there have a look for some of the other wildlife. Bank Voles are guaranteed under the feeders and later in the year it's worth looking for the Willow Emerald Damselfly.

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.

Avocets

Beautiful spring weather this morning, sunshine, clear air, and all the right conditions for photography. Just a pity then that the best bird of the day, the Avocet, is the one bird you really need overcast conditions for. Its a really elegant bird and great to watch but the camera just cannot cope with the huge contrast between the black and white in bright sunlight.

Avocet - Ferry Pool Pagham Harbour

Still with the birds going through their mating ritual and with the possibility of successful breeding pairs on the Ferry Pool it was worth getting a record.

Seeing off the other contenders

Female bending forward and lowering her head into the water in submission (or as an invitation?)

Mating

Followed by the kiss - touching bills

There were no real signs of the migration getting into full swing. The week has proved to be a bit slow and today was no different.We did see a few Wheatears but there were no picture opportunities. Chiffchaffs could be heard all around, and the usual suspects were much in evidence.

Chiffchaff

Linnet

Treecreeper 

Song Thrush

The warm weather today did see more butterflies on the wing so there should be some good picture opportunities soon and Dragonflies are not far away.

Comma

Goosander

Another morning spent padding out the year list. This time we went up to Petworth Park to tick off the Goosander and Egyptian Geese. Neither were playing ball. The Goosander was on the usual lower lake but was mobile and seemed determined to stay as far away from us as possible. We settled for distant shots rather than chasing him around. I assume that he is the same bird as last year but he seems much more reticent about having his picture taken this year.

Goosander but a bit distant

 
The geese are usually on the same lake or in the tree at the south end of the lake. This time all we could find were two out in the park close to the deer. We intended to get pictures as we made our way back to the car but they took off and did a flyby to inspect us before disappearing into the field on the opposite side of the road. I would normally be happy with the chance to get them flying, but this time the camera was not ready and I was a bit slow seeing the opportunity, so no pictures.

There are a lot of old trees in the park and we are always hopeful of finding an owl in one of them. No owls this time but there were Treecreepers everywhere.

Treecreeper

This is a bit of a bogey bird for me. I see them often enough but I have never managed to get a good picture.

We still had a couple of hours of the morning left so we dropped in at Pulborough Brooks. We had a walk down to the West Mead hide but the path was flooded beyond that point. I had seen the pictures but you get no idea of the volume of water involved until you sit in the hide and look out over the brooks. It was like being on the coast. As you would expect all the birds were on the far side of the water probably a mile or so away. We had to be content with a few Fieldfare and Redwings feeding in the bushes close by the hide.

Fortunately one of the Fieldfare came into the open to dispute territory with a Blackbird and I managed to get a couple of pictures.

Fieldfare

There being nowhere else to go we retired to the cafe and sat out on the terrace with a bacon baguette and a cup of tea whilst we added a few more year ticks from amongst the birds using the feeders.

Sussex Commons

I had a few disappointing days wandering around the Sussex Commons earlier in the year. The open heathland, the walking and the scenery were all great but the commons seemed devoid of bird life. You tend to expect more from such a unique environment. I have not been back since, but having seen a few promising reports on the SOS web site over the last couple of weeks, and knowing that the dragonflies would be about, I thought it would be worth another look.

I started off on Iping and Stedham Commons. Initial impressions were good, a lot of singing and plenty of birds flying. However, it did not last long, by 10am with the temperature gradually increasing and the humidity rising it started to go quiet. There were birds about but they were hard to find.

Tree Pipit

The Tree Pipits were perhaps the easiest to spot but they are going to have a difficult time nesting on the ground here. There were notices up all around the common asking for dogs to be kept under close control to protect the ground nesting birds, but of the thirty or forty dogs I saw on the common none were on leads and most were running backwards and forwards through the scrub. It was perhaps fortunate that there was nothing around for them to chase.

Tree Pipit

I did have a few doubts over this second Tree Pipit when I saw the length of the claws but the identifying feature is the rear claw which is shorter and more curved than on the Meadow Pipit and this can be seen in the picture above.

Stonechat

Stonechats seem to be in short supply this year. This is only the second one that I have seen so I was pleased that he was looking so smart.

Treecreeper

I am still trying to get a good picture of a Treecreeper. They are fast moving and usually stay in the shadows so it is hard to get a good shot of them. When they do come out into the sun the silky white on there underside burns out as soon as the sunlight hits it

Yellowhammer

There were Yellowhammers about on the common but my pictures there were poor so this is a shot taken on Cissbury Ring on the way home.

I tried Ambersham and Lavington Commons but by midday both were very quiet. Fortunately we are now into the dragonfly season so most of the day was spent photographing these. Getting good pictures is just as challenging as with the birds but you don't usually have to walk so far. Something I was grateful for on a hot afternoon.

See my next blog for the pictures.

Grasshopper Warbler

Today I thought I would have a look around some of the commons at the north of the patch. Last time I had visited, there was very little flying or singing, but perhaps with spring coming on I would have better luck and pick up a Dartford Warbler, Crossbills or some other rarity. No such luck. Having walked four of the commons and with quite a few kilometres under my belt I had very little to show for it.  Chaffinches, Crows, a Woodcock flushed and a few buzzards flying overhead but not even a Stonechat on the gorse. My best effort was this quickly grabbed shot of a Treecreeper as it disappeared from sight.

Treecreeper

My next stop was Pulborough Brooks to see if I could improve on my Nightingale shots. It was just after midday when I arrived so perhaps not the best time for viewing birds. There were a few singing but mostly from within dense bushes. A couple did make brief flights but none felt like posing for a picture. I can understand why, there were a lot of people standing around waiting for them to appear. It felt a bit like a twitch and I was keen to move on. I can't complain though, everyone is entitled to see the birds, it's just that we all feel that we would like to keep them for ourselves.

Fortunately I was saved by a call from Dave Potter to tell me that he had located a Grasshopper Warbler at Waltham Brooks.

Red Kite

 

A quick walk through the RSPB site, stopping only for a picture of a circling Red Kite, and a short drive got me to the brooks in time to get some pictures of the Grasshopper Warbler.

Grasshopper Warbler

and in full song

This was a singing male establishing his territory and far more colourful than previous birds I had seen. He looked wonderful in full song and people tell me how good the trill sounds but it is too high pitched for me. I see the bird open its mouth but there is no song - very sad.

As always the pictures could be better. This is the birds natural habitat but it would be nice to get it against a plain background.