Juvenile Woodcock

A short blog but for me a great record.

A juvenile Woodcock found on a rutted track, in Rewell Wood, whilst we were searching for the Pearl-bordered Fritillary. It couldn't fly and was unable climb out of the ruts and back into the undergrowth. A helping hand from Dave and it disappeared immediately. We couldn't see the mother around but it seemed to be in good shape and capable of looking after itself.

The camouflage is amazing. We were within three or four feet of the bird and had not spotted it. If it hadn't panicked and moved we would probably have walked past without seeing it.

Juvenile Woodcock

It's the best picture I have ever managed of a Woodcock. I usually only see the backend as it disappears into the distance.

Goosander

Although birding has its share of surprises you find yourself repeating some activities every year and you know exactly how it is going to pan out. End of January and it's time to head over to Petworth Park to look for the Goosanders.

I love to see them but it is always a frustrating trip. There is very little cover around the lake and Goosanders tend to be very wary, staying well away from people. Poke your head up to take a picture and all you get is the backend as they disappear across the lake. Strangely dog walkers can be quite useful here. They can be a bit annoying when they wander over to ask you what you are looking for but one walking round the far side of the lake can often flush the birds towards you.

It is always difficult to get decent pictures of the Goosanders. On the male, the contrast between the black and white plumage is difficult for the camera to deal with and the green gloss on the head is only visible in good light. The red head females are easier but on this occasion the two I saw both stayed close to the island in heavy cover, only venturing out to chase the males away. So true to form I came away with the usual record shots and I still don't have a decent picture of a male Goosander.

Today was a real mixture of ups and downs. An early morning and then late afternoon visit to Pulborough Brooks to see the White-fronted Geese was looking like a waste of time. No White fronts, very little else other than half a dozen female Bullfinches a few Black-tailed Godwits and a distant Jay. Then as I was leaving just after sunset a couple of flyover Woodcock. My thanks to Matt for advice on the best place to stand to see them.

As well as Petworth, I also managed to fit in a trip to Warnham Nature reserve and spent an hour watching an assortment of small birds around the feeders at the Woodpecker hide. The two I was after were Siskin and Marsh Tit but preferably with them giving picture opportunities away from the feeders. The Siskin was obliging, the Marsh Tit less so.

Siskin

Marsh Tit

There were a good selection of other birds present, Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Nuthatches, Sparrows, Reed Buntings, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Blackbirds, Magpie, Wren, Pheasants, Mallards and with that selection always the chance of a Sparrow Hawk through. That's just the count from the Woodpecker hide. It's probably a good place to drop into if you still have a bird race to do. The only downside is that there haven't been any Redpoll on the feeders for a few years.

Long-tailed Tit

Song Thrush

Wren

There were plenty of ducks around today but, with the exception of the Brents, there seems to be a shortage of Geese and Waders. I am not sure if I want a cold snap to get there numbers up and to drive the Waxwings down into Sussex or if I would prefer a mild February to increase the number of small birds and to give the Dartford Warblers another successful year.

Crossbills, Woodcock, and Dartford Warblers

Just got back from a great day's birding with Dave. Poor light so not much good for photography but we saw 42 species during the day.

We started by addressing one of my pet hates - "the bird was in its usual tree". I cannot think of anything more annoying when reading through sighting reports. If you don't want to tell me where the bird is, then don't post the report.

I got Dave to point out the "Little Owl in its usual tree at Staple Ash Farm West Dean". I had been up there just before Christmas and wasted a couple of hours searching every tree in the area. For anyone having the same problem the usual tree is pictured below.

It's the dead Larch in the middle. The picture was taken standing on the road at Grid Reference SU841151 looking towards the west. The Little Owls are usually best viewed from down on the road seen in the background.The Owl was present but well hidden amongst the branches and at 1/8sec  ISO800 in the dull early morning light I ended up leaving without even a record shot.

We had a look for Hawfinches further along the road towards Yew Tree Cottage. Got a distant sighting and were hopeful, but even through the scope we could not be sure. Probably Greenfinches so this one did not count.

There was a shoot starting up on the West Dean estate so we decided to move on to Ambersham Common where I had managed to get a picture of a Dartford Warbler on my last visit. All seemed very quiet at first but then we had a flock of Coal Tits through and behind these a brief glimpse of a Dartford Warbler. This was a male and had much bolder colouring than the one I had previously seen.

All the birds had flown into the low sun so we decided to reposition in an attempt to get some photographs. As we arrived under our chosen tree Dave thought he heard Crossbills and this was confirmed by a steady shower of wood and cones from above.

The beak in action

It looked like there were three birds, and fortunately the sun was out, so we had about an hour observing and photographing these before they left the tree and flew off in search of water. We were then able to count a total of seven birds disappearing into the distance.

Finally as we walked around the tree to leave we flushed a Woodcock that must have sat hidden within 10 metres of us for over an hour. A great sighting or a real missed photographic opportunity - I am not sure which.

We then moved on to Lavington Common. Heading east just past Cowdray Park Polo Club we passed a couple of trees with a huge finch flock rolling through them and over the road. It was impossible to count the numbers with all the movement going on but it must have been several hundred. They were mostly Chaffinches but we could also see Goldfinches, Greenfinches, and Brambling in the flock.

 A great sight but our cameras were safely tucked up in the back of the car. There was no obvious reason for them being there. They did not appear to be feeding other than in the trees and they all disappeared in small groups heading in the same direction, south over the adjacent hills.

Lavington was a bit of a let down. We walked around the plantation but nothing was moving, only a couple of wrens heard and a Goldcrest seen in a gorse bush. Burton Mill Pond our next location was also very quiet. No small bird movement and just a few ducks - Mallard, Pochard, and Tufted on the pond.

We finished off with a quick visit to Burpham with distant views of Buzzards and Red Kites. Not many pictures but a great days birding.