1st Day of the 2022

 January the 1st, traditionally the day when all birders are up at crack of Dawn to spend all day in the field to get their year lists off to the best possible starts! So didn't quite work out like that, we made it up at 9 I was ready to go when I heard those chilling words "have I got time for a quick shower?" I loaded up the car, made a Full English, ate it, had a quick nap, filled the bird feeders before we were ready to go, Cleopatra has a milk bath (including milking the donkey) quicker than Margie has a quick shower!! In her defence she claims she cleans the bathroom at the same time!! 

Anyway we arrived at Beeding Brooks, the chosen site for today's activities at 10.20 so not to bad, Beeding Brooks chosen because it's only 8 miles from home and it is usually a productive site. The weather was quite bright and not that windy for a change! Hurrah!! Starting in Upper Beeding we follow the East bank of the River Adur, before circling around over the Brooks arriving back at the river.

 Things started slowly with relatively few birds about, though a singing Song Thrush was nice, a few dog walkers about wasn't encouraging either especially one couple who had a Spaniel that barked, continuously and loudly for most of the way round, which was pretty annoying!!! On the plus side the farmer has put up a sturdy new fence which means the beasts of the fields cannot get to me and more importantly the numerous dogs are less likely to disturb the birds, win, win!! Once past the small footbridge things picked up with a Stonechat posing well as they often do! A very posy Black-headed Gull also showed well and a couple of large flocks of Lapwing!

Stonechat

Lapwing

Margie captured some views of the area below!

The tide was well in

The caged beasts looking annoyed they can't get to me!

We continued around, it was hard work, I added Chiffchaff to the list with a continuously calling individual though couldn't get a pic of it, a single Goldfinch was feeding on teasel and a Red Kite went over, scanning over to the west bank there were another couple of Red Kites and a little further round a Peregrine was sat on the ground though so distant other people thought it was a Magpie!!! 

Red Kite

Goldfinch on Teasel, Classic!!

Peregrine

Skylark

Buzzard on a Bush

Lulled into a false sense of security the new fence ended and these beasts were unfettered although admittedly pretty docile!!

We left the river and headed across the very wet grassland, there were about 4 Buzzards sitting on bushes making occasional flights across but main highlight in this area were the Skylarks which were numerous, they were chasing each other about but difficult to get a shot off as they disappeared as soon as they hit the grass, were several Meadow Pipits about as well!!

Mute Swan

Buzzard flypast

Kestrel distant and recovered from a spat with a Buzzard

Typical view of a Skylark

A rare showy one

Peregrine flypast maybe the same bird from early

Margie's Mute Swan

More Scenery from Margie

Leaving the Brooks we follow the Footpath back across to the river, here it becomes dodgy, the land owner has 6 horses in a very narrow field, when we arrived there was a couple of people standing by the gate with a dog, they were undecided to go through, with the Dog clearly even though on a lead agitating the horses, they decided against it!! Now you know my thoughts about large animals and these were large horses although with the dog departed they had settled down and were eating Hay but the field was about 20 yards wide!! However the alternative was to retrace our steps approximately 3 miles, laziness prevailed over fear and we headed through, though the sign on the gate didn't inspire confidence!!

Worrying Sign

Horses that may bite or kick!!

The horses eating the hay ignored us, phew!  However another horse appeared and walked towards us........................................... then walked straight past us literally 3 ft away, double phew!!! We made the gate!!

Personally I think it's out of order having so many horses in a small field which has a public footpath running through it, previously this has been a corridor between fields and I suspect it has been done deliberately to discourage use of the footpath. I also heard a discussion on the radio once that suggested that putting a sign up leaves you open to legal action, as by putting the sign up you are acknowledging that you know the animals are dangerous, so if anyone is injured legally using the footpath with a dog, by those horses I would imagine they would have a good case for compensation!!

Anyway rant over, we survived!!

Just past the gate of doom there is a nice pool of water, the bushes around it were alive with birds, a Jay, several Redwings, a Wren, Blackbirds, Great Tits, Blue Tits a Goldcrest and several Long-tailed Tits very difficult to get pictures in the enclosed area but managed a few!!

Blackbird

Long-tailed Tit

We walked across the last field and got back to the River near the footbridge, at this point Margie suggested that instead of following the path back along the river, we cross the footbridge and head back to the town as she is sure it would be quicker? Now this should have set alarm bells ringing Margie's sense of direction is by her own admission atrocious!! However still traumatised from the horse encounter I innocently followed, we crossed the river more blooming cows but again peaceful! the path started going up hill into a wooded area, I was distracted by a Buzzard sat on a post,which then relocated to a wire as we climbed ever higher.

I should of realised when I took this pic

Buzzard

By now, we were predictably lost, we spoke to a family for directions back to the car, their first words were "go up there walk around the moat"!!!! Moat!!! Moat!! tricked in to visiting a castle well played Margie!!! I quickly claimed it as one of the five castles I promised to take her to in my New Years Resolutions (see previous post!) 

The woodland around the Castle had a fair few birds in it, a very showy Robin , a few Long-tailed Tits and what I thought at the time were a couple of Goldcrests I struggled to even see them let alone get a pic but a lucky shot revealed the truth, armchair tick of a Firecrest!

Robin

Firecrest

A bit of Bramber Castle

Margie claims innocence in the finding of the castle, suggesting it was all an accident!! 

All in all a very nice walk a bit lacking in Birds, only saw one Heron and one Little Egret, no Yellowhammers or Corn Buntings the only Wildfowl we saw were the Mute Swans and 2 Mallards buried in undergrowth, the only waders seen were the flyover Lapwing. Numbers of everything except Skylarks were low as well Still the  2022 list is off to a reasonable start with 39 species on the board, I'm determined to get over 200 this year!!