Firecrest

A bit of a dilemma, with nothing planned I had an easy start to the day but it all changed when Martin rang and said that there was a Red-throated Diver on Arlington reservoir, did I want to go. I replied that if we were going out I would prefer another go at the Arundel Firecrests. After two hours of staring at a bramble patch at WWT Arundel we were both secretly thinking "should have gone to Arlington".  When a Goldcrest turned up spirits lifted then Martin spotted a Firecrest and finally we were in business. Catching a small bird like the Firecrest is fairly difficult and the reject rate from the large amount of shots that I took is too large to own up to.

 

Anyway, I finished up with some reasonable  shots and there is always the chance the RTD will hang around until tomorrow. Nice to meet Mick Jenner loitering in an undisclosed location.

A Day of Two Halves

First light found  me at the sluice on the North Wall at Pagham, Dave Shepherd had phoned me last night to say that he had found an "odd" diving duck in the creek and was seeking help in trying to identify it. Given Dave's track record I had no hesitation in going to have a look.  In the grey light I managed to locate two small diving birds in the channel, the first proved to be a Little Grebe, the other much more distant bird, was a small dark duck with the appearance of being "half submerged". However it beat a hasty retreat and I couldn't get any more identifying features, very frustrating. I hung around for four hours hoping for a return but unfortunately no more sightings, not helped by two inconsiderate "birders" walking out to the edge of the creek.

 I relieved the tedium of waiting by trying to get a shot of the very active Kingfisher which gave several flybys. In the rife there was a reclusive Water Rail which I tracked back into Breech Pool, quite a dark plumaged bird. On the pool itself there were the usual suspects plus two pairs of Shovelers and a single Snipe. The Wigeon that had relocated from the harbour went walkabout as if on cue.

One day I will get perfect light, distance and composition all at the same time!

Walkabout Wigeon

If you recognise yourself - thanks you inconsiderate *******

The second half of the day found me sat in the garden in pleasantly mild conditions with hazy sunshine. Just a few days of warmer weather has got the birds active. The Blue Tits are sparking and our nest box has been claimed but I am not sure of the tenants as there appear to be three at the moment - one will have to go. We have had a visiting pair of Coal Tits throughout the winter and as I sat on the patio they came to the feeders less than ten feet away. I have no idea of which is male or female but there appeared to be a pecking order, what I assumed to be the male visits the feeder first whilst the other bird perches a few feet away, moving in to feed when the other leaves.

The Goldcrests have reverted to their normal feeding behaviour, foraging for insects in the Christmas tree. The suet feeders definitely being a second preference, at least they have been sustained for almost four weeks since the snow came.

Goldcrests II

Just a quick trial to see if capturing Goldcrests would be easier using flash. The birds have been more amenable lately, visiting the feeders and the bird table. The same problems exist, obscuration by foliage and they are constantly moving. Most birds are not spooked by flash, Robins, Tits and Dunnocks may sometimes move away a few feet but soon return. Goldcrests appear to be totally oblivious of flash, continuing to feed even when multi flash mode is used, on the other hand Wood Pigeons are really disturbed by flash and disappear rapidly. Now there's a thought!

 I prefer not to have photographs of birds on feeders but in this shot that is the point - not a common occurrence.

 

  Perhaps a little more practice required.

Even a Dunnock looks good with flash

Goldcrest

During the recent cold spell 'our' resident Goldcrests have modified their behaviour considerably. Normally they remain in the large Christmas Tree feeding upon all manner of insects, during the cold weather the branches and needles of the tree became filled with snow which subsequently froze, cutting the birds off  from their source of food. I noticed some days ago that they were visiting the feeding station in the garden and picking up fragments of suet pellets that had fallen to the ground. Then they actually visited the feeders but I imagine they found it difficult to extract anything, today I noticed that the female has now taken to visiting the bird table, because of her small size she is at the bottom of the pecking order but is obtaining sufficient food to ensure survival. The video below was recorded on my HD trail cam, unfortunately transferring to the blog causes a massive loss of definition.

Where all the food goes!

Blackcaps do not stay for long.

Wilf the wood mouse is surviving too

Fieldfares, Blackcaps and Goldcrest

Having just joined the Shoreham and District Ornithological Society I thought that it was fitting to commence my first Garden Bird Watch. So, taking advantage of the bad weather,  I sat down by the patio windows with pencil and paper. Of course the camera was also mounted, just to record anything unusual.

Blackcaps have reached their highest count with two females and one male, they are very territorial but not as bad as the 9 Fieldfares that turned up. One dominant bird hogging the apples that I had placed on the frozen bird bath. One Redwing turned up, looked at the Fieldfares and left immediately.

Blackbirds peaked at five but it was pleasing to see a Song Thrush drinking from the pond where I had cleared the ice. Oh, one Greenfinch quietly munching its way through the white millet.

A very annoyed Blackbird

Whilst not actually in the garden - a 2nd winter Common Gull

Then long after sunset I noticed a small bird foraging under one of the suet feeders. picking up the crumbs that had dropped to the ground, a Goldcrest,  obviously times are hard but at least this lady is getting some sustenance. In fact when every other bird had gone to roost she moved onto the feeder itself and stayed until 1645, the only bird to outstay that time was a single Fieldfare that remained until it was almost dark.