Iceland Gull

The 2nd Winter Iceland Gull at Goring Gap prefers to be "Billy no mates". Spending most of the time apart from the other gulls and thus being easy to spot. Though I have to say he goes missing quite a lot.

Nice to be out birding locally, the female Brambling at Pagham Visitor Centre and the Purple Sandpipers at Selsey providing some photographic opportunities.

Now back to sorting out some photographs from our Spanish trip.

Parrot Crossbills

Photographic opportunities have been pretty scarce of late, not for the want of trying I hasten to add. Several trips to our local haunts around Pagham Harbour have been less rewarding than usual, Cissbury Ring, normally a banker for a Ring Ouzel was almost devoid of birds on at least two visits. So, when the chance to record some really photogenic Parrot Crossbills arose it was a no brainer. The venue, Swinley Forest just north east of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst at a site with the quaint name of Wishmoor Bottom.


No apologies for the amount of photographs - I haven't managed to blog for some ten weeks so I have an itch to scratch.

Medmerry gave us some great views of a juvenile Glossy Ibis.

A Grey Plover and a rather shy Common Sandpiper in Pagham Harbour were recorded in desperation.

Finally not a bird but the aptly named Dog's Vomit Slime Mould found on the top of Cissbury

Migrant Hawker

Today was our first birding trip of the autumn, great hopes of getting to grips with some of the migrants that would of course be passing through the Pagham area. The only problem is that no one has told the birds that his should be happening. Breech Pool, White's Creek, Ferry Pool and Church Norton could almost be described as devoid of birds. Not a single wader on Breech or Ferry pools, where are they all? At least it was good to find some Whinchats at the back of the pool, albeit at a fair distance.

Out on the mud from the North Wall we found a colour ringed Black-tailed Godwit, Blue Lime + Orange. I nearly always report these and as this one had been ringed by Pete Potts I snapped a record. When I got home I was amazed to find that I had recorded the self same bird exactly six years ago, and again five years ago on Farlington Marsh. I sent off a report and would be interested to know if this bird has done any travelling since I last saw it.



Captured same place 12th September 2011

And again on Farlington Marsh/Langstone Harbour 13th September 2012

Photographically speaking it would have been a poor day save for the bramble patch at the top of Ferry Creek, several interesting dragonflies to be seen. The usual Common and Red Darters and a couple of obliging Migrant Hawkers. I couldn't leave without recording the Red Admirals which appeared to be half drunk having gorged on ripe blackberry juice.

 

Church Norton produced only a Spotted Flycatcher and a trip to Medmerry, where we normally find Clouded Yellow, produced nothing either. It looks as though the Fleabane , which is a favoured nectaring plant, is not so plentiful as in previous years

And three from the garden, a nice, but worn Painted Lady followed by a Southern Hawker and a Red-legged Shield Bug, Pentatoma rufipes, sometimes known as a Forest Bug, which had landed amongst the laundry.