So first the bad news, my dynamic weight loss programme has suffered a setback, in that I've gone back up from a triumphant 13st 13lb 2oz straight back into the 14st!! 14st0lb 2oz to be precise,😢😱 disaster!! There are several theories for this, firstly as part of my diet I am drinking at least 2 litres of water a day which may have been absorbed at a cellular level and therefore I have re-hydrated myself overweight!! (on a serious note since I have been drinking more water I have had loads more energy and now realise that I have actually been dehydrated for 20 years!! I heartily recommend upping your water consumption although prepare to spend more time in the toilet! This is a real told you so moment for Margie who has indeed been telling me to drink more water since forever!!!) Second theory is, as part of my program I have increased my exercise, so like any super-athlete, I have found that my fat may have turned into muscle which weighs more, my pod has shrunk a bit so I'm fairly happy with this theory, Margie actually used the word hunky the other day although she was muttering so could have said chunky😲. Third and most outlandish theory is a weight loss program that consists of 3 large meals a day and at least one cake may not be conducive to weight loss!! There is also some confusion over whether hot cross buns count as cakes, I think not, everyone else thinks they do😢The last theory is rather gross and evolves a reduction in output lately and all I need is a good 💩 to get things back on track!!!
So now to the Robin!! American Robin to be precise, lurking about a housing estate in Eastbourne, typically appearing on the news services on a work day, we are very busy at work, with staff shortages not helping matters so getting a day off (not had a day off since xmas😢) is very difficult, weather wise Friday looked the best day, so the holiday form went in, much begging, crying, emotional blackmail actual blackmail, mucho puppy eyes and the request was granted hurrah!!!!! Now the anxious wait, would the bird stay around? The news Thursday was positive so Friday I was up early and on my way (Margie graciously agreeing to walk to work) arriving on site just before 7 once again complete misjudging the difference between first light and sunrise, there were quite a few birders already present and the anxious wait began, pretty soon the cry went up "it's in the bare tree" hurrah!! However despite pinpoint directions I couldn't find it and the call "it's gone left" out of sight brought a horrible flashback to the Carlton Marshes American Bittern which flew about the reedbed where every other birder but me got on it, my worse dip ever😢 (still not on me list😢) would it happen again, short answer no😄Whoop the bird appeared again in the field bouncing about on the ground, hurrah number 370 on my life list!!! The light weren't good and angles were difficult but I got a couple of record shots!
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| American Robin |
Now these weren't the frame filling shots I'd seen on the internet!! The bird stayed in the field disappearing behind the bushes reappearing occasionally, birder numbers were up to about 50 by now, everyone behaving well, no one went down private paths while I was there, although a bloke standing behind me, was sniffing, coughing and wheezing like he had full on Covid, not good in a crowd although lucky for me the wind was in my face so little risk, though put a mask on mate!! This is my least favourite type of birding preferring to be on my own in the wilds not standing in a cul-de-sac with load of other nutters, in a moment of clarity I did wonder what we were all doing travelling miles at great expense to point expensive cameras and scopes at a small lost bird, mental! Then I remembered people pay £100s and travel hundreds of miles to stand in a freezing cold stadium to watch 22 people kick a ball around!! Each to their own!! At this point, a tap on my shoulder, my old mate, Gary from Suffolk had come down for the bird, he got a couple of views of the bird, when it suddenly flew straight towards us, up and over the houses on the other side of the road!! Damn!! But wait, a couple of mins later and it reappears sits on a bush full of berries in glorious sunlight giving awesome views!!!
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| American Robin |
What a fantastic sight it was, a stunner and it wasn't finished there relocating to a small tree giving even more fantastic views
An absolute stunner.
Figuring we weren't gonna get much better views, Gary and I decided to relocate to the seafront in an effort to see the Hume's Leaf Warbler, a lifer for Gary, on paper a simple 3 mile journey in reality a recreation of the film Death Race 2000 albeit it at 25mph with cars parked haphazardly along every street pedestrians, cyclists and crazy drivers appearing from every angle, culminating in a lady driver trying and failing to reverse around a corner, missing a parked car by millimetres, before driving straight at me, up onto the pavement and away, madness!! Still we arrived safely, parked up and headed off, this is where the saying a little knowledge is a dangerous thing becomes true, we knew the bird was in a Holm Oak Tree, I know what a Holm Oak Tree looks like, spotted a Holm Oak Tree, spent 15 minutes looking in the Holm Oak Tree, wrong Holm Oak Tree duh!! Eventually we found a small group of Birders looking up into the a different Holm Oak Tree (anyone one else thinking I've written Holm Oak Tree, far to much!!)
At this point the fun or rather the frustration began, the bird was calling regularly, I had reasonable views through the Bins but getting a picture, well difficult is an understatement my attempts were a nightmare though Gary managed a reasonable effort!!
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| Hume's Leaf Warbler |
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| Gary's picture of the Humes caught mid scurry! |
Flushed with success, we decided to leave before I smashed my camera in frustration, we decided on a visit to Sovereign Harbour, I bigged it up how there were numerous Divers and Auks swimming around at your feet giving awesome photographic opportunities, not sure if it was the now lovely sunshine or the extremely low tide, but needless to say there was bugger all in the way of awesome seabirds in the harbour, although there were some Seals and a few Waders so not a complete waste of time and standing on the Beach we did have several Divers through, all that we could identify were Red-throats.
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| Turnstone |
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| Seals getting amorous, well it's nearly Valentines |
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| Dunlin |
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| Cormorant |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Dunlin flashing a Turnstone |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Red-throated Diver |
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| Divers |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Ringed Plover and Dunlin |
We were flagging a bit now, so decided to go to see the Hooded Crow at the Polegate Services, where coincidently there is a MacDonalds!! The Bird showed well, pretty much on arrival, so a brief effort to get some pics. Gary pointed out that as we had used their car park we morally obliged to buy something, I fought against this suggesting that using their carpark without buying something was a way of sticking it to the corporate "man" however using a combination of Vulcan mind control and physical force Gary convinced me, Big Mac meals it was!! In my defence I hadn't eaten all day so my will power was weakened!! 😢
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| Hooded Crow |
Gary had to head back oop north to Suffolk, had been great catching up!!!
With the gorgeous weather I decided to head up the A22 to Ashdown Forest, there had been a Little Bunting near the Poundgate Carpark, hadn't heard any news about it for a while but thought I would spend the afternoon looking, think needle in a haystack when the haystack is about 5 square miles. Arrived at the car park and crossed the road, some workers were clearing scrub to the left so I headed up the main path, At this point I realised I had made a rookie mistake in not changing into wellies, considering how little rain we've had it was surprising how wet it was, I picked my way through the swamp, think a cross between the Grimpen Mire and the everglades, It was very quiet, probably a cross between the time of day and time of year but I persevered and eventually found a tree with a few Reed Buntings in it unfortunately a guy walking down the hill with a large Alsatian, spooked the birds and they flew out in all directions, must have been 25 in all but I was to far away to examine them closely with the bins, denied!! to be fair to the guy the dog was on the lead!! I decided to carrying on up the hill in the dry, making a mental note where the flock had gone for the return rather than head back to the swamp!!
I wandered around, very quiet did eventually find a Stonechat and the old adage find a Stonechat and you'll find a Dartford came true, although a brief flight view was all I could manage and couldn't get any pics!! I wandered around found some Long-tailed Tits, a small flock of Redwing, a small flock of Chaffinch but it was very quiet!!
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Robin |
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| Reed Bunting |
At this point I notice a smaller bird at the back of the bush, clearly showing the features of Little Bunting including the chestnut crown stripe, it was clearly different to the Reed Buntings always good to have comparison birds in these situations, unfortunately the bird remained at the back of the bush so the pics below were taken on manual focus!
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| Little Bunting |
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| Showing the crown stripe |
I was well chuffed with refinding this bird, more satisfying than seeing the Robin to be honest!! Unfortunately at this point as the birds were showing well and I was hoping to get the Little Bunting more in the open, a lady with 5 dogs came out from behind the clump where I didn't even know there was a path and the birds spooked and deserted the clump, once again far more birds came out than I thought were there, it is interesting to see that the birds spooked long before the dogs got very close, although off the lead the dogs were only walking along just shows the effect them just being there has on birds!! Feel I was unlucky I only saw two dog walkers the whole afternoon and both of em spooked stuff at the crucial time!!!
It was getting on now so I decided to relocate to Weirwood in an effort to get Mandarin on my year list and hopefully spot some Redpolls and Siskins on the feeder!! Denied on all counts though some good views of Grebes, a Kingfisher through quick, Marsh Tit was the best the on the feeders, best bird though was a Treecreeper which was on a tree at eye level, I literally could have picked it off the tree and put it in my pocket!! I didn't obviously!!
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Great Crested Grebe |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Lapwing, this small flock flew around several times |
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| Black-headed Gull |
So that was about it, just had time to nip around the corner to Plawhatch Organic Farm Shop and fill me boots on their excellent Organic Cheese and Pies before heading off home!!!
An excellent days birding some great Birds seen and nice to catch up with me old mate!!
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