With holiday days piling up at work, finally managed to organise things to get a day off! The weather was looking pretty good for some classic winter birding, the forecast suggested minus temperatures and a massive wind chill factor, however as a seasoned Seawatcher I am well prepared for such conditions, going full hardcore with Long-Johns, 2 thermal shirts, Fleece, ,fancy-dan Thermal trousers,2 pairs thermal socks, Inner Coat, Outer Coat, Wellies, Balaclava and Thermal Hat ,not gonna lie was sweating my nuts off half way round!!!!😀😁Put it this way my good birding buddy Keith would probably still be in shorts!!😀 Was gonna post some pics of me in my Long-johns but didn't think the world is quite ready for that yet!!!😲
I had to take Margie to work and while waiting for her to get ready, watched the spectacular sunrise and a Blackcap came in and started eating the Cottoneaster berries clearly not realising they are for the Waxwings!! Cheeky Bugger😲!! (although Waxwing invasion not looking that likely at the moment)
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| Sunrise |
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| Blackcap nicking the Waxwing bait!! |
So finally on my way, our road had the usual crew with Starlings, Sparrows and Blackbirds! Was going to go straight up Orchard Way and then Bullfinch Lane but as the mud-bath field was frozen solid decided to divert to Langton Lane.
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| Starling from our street |
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| Rabbit from the field (I know but with Margie at work I feel obliged to try for some cute stuff) |
I headed for the dung heap 💩(where else) a Grey Wagtail flew off as I arrived, which wasn't a great start, a couple of Pied Wagtails present, pretty sure the same two an adult and a juvenile have been here since the autumn, the usual Mipits, Robins and Dunnocks several Song Thrushes and Blackbirds were chasing each other about as well and then I flushed a Woodcock, now I've got pretty good reactions but unfortunately the camera weren't quick enough (when in doubt blame the tools) apology for the pic but you can tell what it is!!
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| Woodcock got most of it!! |
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| Woodcock honest guv!! |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Pied Wagtail |
The view from here was quite good and the sky was doing some funky stuff!
I decided to carry on up the lane in the hope of finding last weeks Kestrels in better light but got to the Turkey Farm with no luck, though did see some Greenfinches and a very posy Robin which is always good, at this point decided to head back up Langton Lane and then hit Bullfinch Lane
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| Posy Robin |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Sky still being funky |
So heading down Langton Lane saw some movement through the hedge and I had found one of the Kestrels hurrah!! A Silhouette at first but managed to manoeuvre myself into position to get some pretty fabulous views of it hovering!!
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
Well having filled me boots headed up the lane, crossed the main road and headed down Bullfinch lane pretty usual fare got to the first farm, nice to see the Sparrows back though to quick for pics in the Ivy there were 4 Song Thrushes and several Blackbirds one of the Song Thrushes posed well. I christened him Paul as he was slightly folically challenged like myself😀! A small patch of Ivy but well visited, such an important plant, if you have some cherish it!!
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| Folically challenged Song Thrush |
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| Another of my occasional series of Hurst Church from various angles |
I continued along the lane, as the fields opened up I picked up a bird gliding across from right to left, a quick visit to the bins confirmed my suspicions, Red Kite!! I considered running but dismissed the idea instantly, not with this many layers on I could hardly walk as it was😲😰!! Luckily the bird took pity on me circling around several times giving great views in the sunlight!!
The bird eventually flew off, to my relief to be honest,my shoulders were killing me that blooming lens is kin heavy!!
Plenty of Red Kite food in these fields, the first field was full of Meadow Pipits, difficult to say numbers but at least fifty in the bit of the field I could see!
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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Dunnock
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I moved on to Yellowhammer corner which was sadly devoid of anything yellow, however the fields all around were full of Skylarks and the two fields further on were covered in Fieldfares and Redwings, of course getting close to birds in the open fields even with my legendary, Ninja like fieldcraft is extremely difficult, though managed a Redwing pic and was getting into position for the Skylarks and Fieldfares when a dog walker appeared and with a cheery "good morning" walked through the middle of the flock, which promptly decamped to the bottom of the field😢 magnificently resisting the urge to beat him to death I decided to wait and see if they returned. To be honest I was more annoyed with how close he got to them before they flushed, if I'd have done it I would have got awesome pics damn my adherence to the birdwatchers code!!
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| Another posy Robin |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Posy Song Thrush |
Out on to Church Lane, followed it down to the Church, looking out from the gate opposite to the church was another field full of Thrushes, Fieldfares, Redwings, Mistle Thrushes, Starlings and a surprising amount of Song Thrushes! The Fieldfares were particularly boisterous with quite a few feisty encounters!!
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| Red Kite |
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| Red Kite |
The action continued three Snipe shot through and then a lovely loose flock of Lapwing. Was difficult to get all the flock together so concentrated on individual birds but were probably 25 birds in the flock!
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| Snipe almost missed them hence the bad pic! |
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| Lapwing |
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| Lapwing |
At this point a Kestrel flew in and had a mad fly about before settling on a wire,largely ignored by the thrushes!!
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
As I was taking pictures wondering whether I could get any closer when from the corner of my eye I noticed a distant kerfuffle across the fields, a good tip for new birders if you see a kerfuffle put your Bins on it as it's usually a sign that something good maybe about and it doesn't get much better than a Merlin!!! Hurriedly getting the camera on it I managed a few record shots as it disappeared over a distant line of trees!!
I was shooting on Hi-speed continuous from getting the camera on it til it disappeared I managed 21 shots, the best of which are below !!
I was Humming and Harring which way to go, but this decided me, foregoing the vineyard I retraced my steps and followed the footpath up the hill in search of the Merlin which was probably halfway to Cowfold by the time I got there!! No sign and not much else although some Jackdaws in a dead tree were nice as were another flock of Lapwing!
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| Jackdaws in a dead tree. |
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| Lapwing |
Was knackered now 6.84 miles walked so headed back along Albourne Road, there were a couple of Ladies with small dogs coming towards me so politely stepped off the path into a driveway of some stables, my politeness was rewarded as on a small heap of Dung was a cracking Grey Wagtail which showed rather well!!
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| Grey Wag on Dung (Dung is Good) |
That was about that, went down Langton Lane again rather than the main road but nothing of interest posed, arrived home pretty happy 2200 pics taken mostly of the Red Kite ,most of them unusable but there you go!!
Local birding is not always bad, hopefully tomorrow will be as good with decent weather forecast again, providing I'm not completely seized up obviously!!!
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