Little Gulls and Heyshott

Little Gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

Yesterday morning the conservation work party at Heyshott escarpment was conducted in good weather and a considerable amount of clearance was achieved with volunteers from the Murray Downland Trust and BC members Garry, Katrina and Neil.

Later I visited Brooklands Park, east Worthing, to see the two Little Gulls which everyone has been photographing. A handful of photographers on the east side of the lake made it easy to find the gulls. Its habit of spending much of its time on the wing, performing acrobatics while picking up insects and food from the water surface, made it a challenging gull to photograph. I tried several techniques to focus it and the jury is still out on which is best.

Heyshott escarpment

views from Heyshott escarpment

Brooklands Park:

Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus

This Black-headed Gull dived into the shallows and captured a leaf!

Little Gull:

Little Gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus

The were two Little Gulls, one had a pink breast.

Moorhens, one is fleeing from a battle

Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus

Teal, Anas crecca

Red-legged Partridges and a bird feeder

Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

As I drove slowly along a lane near Amberley two Red-legged Partridges ran ahead of me. The camera was in the boot, so no photos, but a lovely sight as they ran up an embankment. An hour at Arundel WWT found me in front of the woodland bird feeder for some time.

Black-headed Gulls, Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus

Great Tit, Parus major

Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus

Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos

Robin, Erithacus rubecula

Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna

Peregrine, Mergansers, Red Admiral and an Adder

Little Egret, Egretta garzetta

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

On Saturday a trip to Arundel WWT gave me a Peregrine perched in a tree at the top of the ridge and a Water Vole in the pond near the woodland bird feeders. 
Yesterday I visited Southwick Lock where I saw four Red-breasted Mergansers. Widewater Lagoon had a pair of them plus a Little Egret fishing by the islands. I then checked out Mill Hill for adders and saw a Red Admiral flitting round the bottom of the hill. I  found my first Violet of the year, then climbed the path and looked in a place where I usually see adders.  Bingo! - a juvenile black Adder was coiled up by the path. The sun had disappeared by this time, and the adder eventually slithered off, estimated length 50 cms.

Spring has arrived early

Greylag Goose, Anser anser

Magpie Goose, Anseranas semipalmata

Magpie Goose

Magpie Geese

Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos

Peregrine, Falco peregrinus

Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius

Crocuses in Hove

Widewater:

Black-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Little Egret, Egretta garzetta

Little Egret with food

swallowing a fish

female Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator

male Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator

male and female Red-breasted Mergansers

Runner duck

Violet - not sure which species

juvenile Adder, Vipera berus