Black Tern

We went over to Shoreham today, to see the juvenile Black Terns, that have been feeding around the harbour for the past few days. We parked up at the Lifeboat station and had great hopes of getting pictures of them sitting on the rails around the station.

As we arrived there were a number of Sandwich Terns feeding over the water but no sign of the target birds. Fortunately after a short wait Dave picked them up approaching from the other side of the harbour.

Black Tern

They are a great bird to see flying. Very different from the Sandwich Terns, mostly low over the water and very elegant, making the Sandwich Terns look rather clumsy alongside them.

We watched them for about an hour but in that time they did not appear to land anywhere. The best we could manage, were a few all to distant flybys. 

Black Tern

One of the Sandwich Terns was a bit more obliging coming into land on the spot we had reserved for the Black Terns.

Sandwich Tern

Earlier that day after the rain had cleared we had spent some time around Pagham Harbour looking for migrants. It seemed like ideal conditions, a clear night with heavy early morning rain, it looked a certainty for a fall of migrants waiting to cross the channel.

Once again it was a disappointment. There were a few birds around, Spotted Flycatchers, Yellow Wagtails and a single Redstart but numbers were low and I have still failed to see a lot of the usual autumn migrants. Even worse, decent opportunities for photographs seem to have dried up this year.

Spotted Flycatcher

Willow Warbler 

Things must improve soon!

Mating Bloody-nosed Beetles

Well at least it's a title that I haven't used before.

I travelled around a few local sites today, looking for some of the birds that had been reported, but without much luck. The highpoint of the day were these two Bloody-nosed Beetles that I watched for about an hour. You have to admire his stamina, he didn't even take a break in that time. On the other hand the female didn't seem to notice he was there and just carried on walking for the whole time he was engaged.

Bloody-nosed Beetles

There were a lot more pictures but they don't really add much value. There was not a lot of variation in the action. The most interesting thing was the little pads on his feet that he uses to hang on. I must try to find out if they are suction or sticky.

Birds photographed were all at Old Lodge NR in Ashdown Forest. I managed to see five Redstars but I could not get a decent picture of any of them.

Male Redstart

A bit closer but a photograph of the wrong end

There were also Tree Pipits present enabling a comparison of  Meadow and Tree pipit.

Tree Pipit

Meadow Pipit

The usual Stonechats, although it was difficult to capture the contrasting black and white colours in the bright sunlight.

Stonechat

Woodlarks and plenty of Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs.

Woodlark

Contrasting colours but I am assuming that both of these are Willow Warblers

A good days birding but with Hoopoe, Wryneck, Ring Ouzel, Greater Yellowlegs, and Bee-eater being reported I could have hoped for something more.

Woodlark

With the improving weather, Wednesday and Thursday were meant to be birding days but I got it all wrong. I went inland on Wednesday when there was a large fall of migrants along the coast and I went to the coast on Thursday when all the migrants had moved inland. It wasn't a complete disaster, I saw a few birds and even managed to get a few photographs of them but in the end both days were rescued by butterflying opportunities. I have put all the butterfly pictures in the next blog.

My targets on Wednesday were Tree Pipits and Woodlarks and I headed up to Iping Common where I had seen both in previous years. There were plenty of birds flying. Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs seemed to be everywhere, there were a lot of Yellowhammers around, but strangely I did not see a single Stonechat in the time I was there.

Willow Warbler

Target birds - there was no sign of the Tree Pipits. This is usually a reliable site for them and they are a relatively easy bird to spot if they are about. Perhaps I just had the wrong time of day. I did see Woodlarks but frustratingly I just could not get a decent picture of them. They were either in cover or I was taking the picture straight into the sun. My best effort is below, poor technique but I did try. It does, however, show how effective the birds camouflage can be.

Woodlark - heavily photoshoped so you can at least recognise the bird

There were a lot of other shots of various birds to a similar standard and the recycle bin on the computer has been kept very busy.

I always do a dog count at Iping as it has so many ground nesting birds and lots of notices asking people to keep their dogs on leads. Today it was one on the lead, seven off the lead, and one out of control running through the undergrowth. I have given up challenging people, you just get so much abuse and aggression. It's not what I want on a lovely morning on the common.

Wednesday night I read lots of reports of good birds down on the Selsey peninsular so Thursday morning it was down to Pagham Harbour. "You should have been here yesterday" - they had all moved on. Even the usual birds seemed to be keeping their heads down.

A couple of hours pursuing a Cuckoo at the back of the Visitors Centre gave me lots of views but no pictures and a visit to the Severals did not produce the hoped for Garganey.

The North Wall seemed even less promising. It was high tide and the water levels in the Breech Pool where well up so there was little chance of waders. I have yet to see a Reed Warbler this year and today was no exception. Their were plenty of Sedge Warblers showing but the Reed Warblers seemed to be staying down in cover. Perhaps the highlight of the day was a good view of a Cetti's within six feet of me but of course it was gone before I could get the camera on to it.

Sedge Warbler

Sitting down to eat my sandwiches and to contemplate a disappointing birding day my spirits were raised when the local Kestrel flew in with what looked like a Water Vole and joined me for lunch.

Kestrel with lunch

All a bit gruesome but fortunately I only had peanut butter in my sandwiches

To finish off the day one of the Robins in the horse stables was feeding a youngster.

Should keep it quiet for a time.

See the next blog for the Butterflies seen over the two days

Penduline Tit

Mid February must be a good time to see Penduline Tits. Last year I had one at Stodmarsh on the 19th, this year it was two days earlier at Dungeness. They had been giving close up views at the Hanson hide over the weekend but then moved on to Hookers Pit. I tried the hide first as this would give the best picture opportunities but had no luck there. So it was over to the ramp at Hookers Pit where they eventually gave distant views.

It's not much to show for three hours standing in the cold

Digital enlargement

Disappointing but at least I came away with a record shot. Last years bird was much more obliging.

Stodmarsh Penduline Tit -  February 2013

Not much else to show for the day. Female Smew, Marsh Harriers and the usual Tree Sparrows. Brief glimpses of Goldcrests and Willchaffs but they were moving fast and were very difficult to get in focus.

Willow Warbler?

I stopped off at Scotney twice but everything was a bit distant. Plenty of gulls, a few geese, and loads of Lapwings but nothing unusual that I could see. Rye Harbour was very similar. Nothing much from most of the hides then when you got to the Crittall Hide so many birds that you couldn't see enough detail to pick out anything unusual.

Nice looking Little Grebe

But you had to be quick.

 I was a bit disappointed not to get closer views of the Penduline Tits but can't really complain. Plenty of birds and no rain what more could I ask for?