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Time for a proper walk!

In an attempt to boost the on-foot bird list I left the house at 0320 yesterday morning and walked over the Downs to Amberley Wild Brooks, Waltham Brooks and Pulborough Brooks and back.

Plans of a picture of sunrise over the Downs were scuppered by the fact that visibility was only about 30 yards, but it cleared up a bit as I approached Amberley and it was a cold but pleasant morning on the Wild Brooks.  3 Nightingales were singing, and I eventually dug up a Garden Warbler that was singing invisibly from a tree.  The Grasshopper Warbler heard there on Wednesday was silent and the Hobbies hadn’t got up yet.  On to Waltham, where the Grasshopper Warbler and a Barn Owl were active at 0830 two days earlier.  Plenty of time: I got there at 0730.  No owl was a disappointment, and other than a few 5 s bursts of distant reeling, no Grasshopper Warbler either.  (It’s on the list, but not very satisfying.)  Pulborough was absolutely freezing, and the birds reflected this.  I heard a second’s worth of Nightingale song, a great start to their bank holiday Nightingale festival.  The straggling winter ducks had heard me coming and left, and still no hobbies, but Little Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwit boosted the list (Whimbrel was more unusual, but I’ve had plenty on the sea).

It was turning into a sunny afternoon, so in search of Hobbies, I diverted back via Amberley, but despite an intensive scan there was no sign of any.  No sign of the birder who had five there later in the afternoon either, curse him.

After that it was a nice walk up and over the Downs to finish an epic 38 mile walk.  A great day, but not one I’ll do every week.

Not quite sunrise over Amberlley Wild Brooks

A couple of Grey Partridge

Black lambs: cute and up to no good

(Not many pictures: I don’t carry a large camera on a walk like that.)

A late post from last weekend, when we went to Waltham Brooks to find a Grasshopper Warbler reeling strongly in mid-morning.  It eventually showed very briefly, but was far less cooperative than the Sedge Warbler that was establishing its territory.  Orange Tips abounded.

Meanwhile at home we have the fattest Slow Worm I’ve ever seen and the smallest Grass Snake.

An evening walk to the brooks east of us found 8 Reed Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers and about 5 Cetti’s Warblers on territory (and the foxes over there are less contemptuous of me than our garden pair.

A very fat Slow Worm

Karen’s picture of a tiny Grass Snake

Sedge Warbler

Orange Tip

You ain’t seen me!

There have been plenty of birds seen recently, but not many photographs.  The big camera doesn’t get carried on long walks, and that has been the running theme: on Good Friday and Easter Saturday I totalled 50 miles walked.  Part of this has been birding, but part just out enjoying the superb weather.

At home we have added two butterflies, Green-veined White and Orange Tip,  and one moth, Lunar Marbled Brown, to our house list.  The roofing felt is proving popular with our Slow Worms.

A Speckled Wood on the Kingcups by our Pond

Lunar Marbled Brown, a new moth for the house

Who are you calling Slow?

Bluebells in Clapham Woods

Blue and green must not be seen… unless it’s the green of new leaves against a perfect blue sky

Keep up, slowcoach

Trouble

We had a weekend in Wiltshire, walking with some friends.  On Saturday we walked from Amesbury to Old Sarum and back, and on Sunday we walked on Salisbury Plain and had a look at Stonehenge.  Two very pleasant walks, but only common wildlife.

Wren: not rare, but rarely this cooperative

Grey Wagtail

Rook

British Summer Time started on Sunday and we took advantage of the longer evening by walking from home to Arundel and back.  It was a glorious but windy day and the woods were full of birds that I have been scratching around for so far this year.  A few new ducks for the on foot-list at Arundel, a pint at the Black Rabbit and a long but pleasant walk back made for an excellent day.  I don’t think I’ve ever walked 26 miles before.

The woods at Blakehurst

Mandarin

Arundel Castle from the Black Rabbit

Wood Anenomes

Karen gets in the swing

A quieter day bird-wise, as we walked up to Cissbury Ring after a bit of work on the pond at home.  Nothing particularly exciting, but we had a few nice birds and it was a glorious day.

A freshwater leech from the pond

Stonechat

Buzzard

Yellowhammer

I love raptors, but in a wood full of common birds, why did it have to eat a male Bullfinch?

Common Gull

A walk down to Brooklands Park and Widewater this morning, in search of Wheatears.  We had none at Brooklands, but the Black Redstart that has been on the beach finally cooperated and the willows around the lake were full of Chiffchaffs.  Bird of the day was found when scanning the sea: a summer plumage grebe that I assumed was Slavonian, as it’s the more likely here.  Only after I had put the word out did I realise that this was a Black-necked Grebe (and then Birdguides got the location in Goring, 4 miles away, so not the best effort at publicising the bird).  Too far away to photograph and it quickly drifted away.

Down at Widewater we had a total of seven Wheatears, but not much else.  On the Adur estuary the tide was high so there was a selection of waders on an island.

Back at Lancing Green we ate our lunch and looked at the sea, which was slow but excellent, with a couple of Slavonian Grebes (definitely this time and in winter plumage), a small flock of Shoveler passing, a Black-throated Diver  and our first Sandwich Terns of the year.  Throughout there was a steady trickle of Meadow Pipits coming in off the sea.

8 birds added to the on-foot bird list, taking it to 112.

Gotcha! The Black Redstart finally gives herself up.

One of several Chiffchaffs at Brooklands

Wheatear on the rocks at Widewater

Another Wheatear between Lancing and Brooklands

A week on, the Cetti’s Warbler is still hanging around.  It’s now in full song, rather than the chuntering subsong that we had last week.  It has made a few brief forays into the garden, inspecting the pond, but never in good light, so the photographic evidence is weak.

Meanwhile, our fox becomes more blasé by the day.

Out and about today we had our first Adders of the year at Church Norton and a nice Curlew showed well.  A group of Cattle Egrets by the road flew off just as we arrived.

Cetti’s Warbler

Adders

Curlew

Fred

We had a windy walk up on the downs today, up to Cissbury Ring and then along the Monarch’s Way.  Not much to speak of bird-wise, but a pair of Hares were followed by another single, that just came running towards us.

Skylark: the sound of spring

The first two of the year

Gimme three!

It was a red letter day at home yesterday, when I opened the window, thinking there might be a migrant or two about, only to hear a Cetti’s Warbler singing at the end of the garden.  A new bird for the house list, which briefly showed itself.  They breed in the reedbed near us, so it’s not too much of a surprise, but to actually see it rather than hear a distant song is.

Today we had a look at the reedbed and the brooks next to us, with the highlights being a couple of Water Rails that eventually showed themselves and a much hoped-for Woodcock: my hundredth bird for my on-foot year list.

Of course they didn’t hang around to be photographed, but some insects showed that spring is coming.

Only a Mallard, but it’s three years since we had one at home, so a welcome return

Small Tortoiseshell

Bee Fly