Spring flowers

Thursday sunset

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With the recent good weather I've been walking in local woods and parks this week. Still no sign of a brimstone yet, but that will come.

River Arun

Gorse, Ulex europaeus

Primrose, Primula vulgaris

Snowdrops, Galanthus species

Snowdrops, Galanthus species

Kingfisher in our local park

Kingfisher female, Alcedo atthis

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

Yesterday I saw the female kingfisher in our local park for the second time this week. Following a tip-off, on Monday I spotted it land on the grassy bank of the stream, then it flew off into the thick of the brambles over the ditch and dived for sticklebacks a couple of times, but I couldn't see if it had caught anything. It then flew towards me and banked around to give me a great sight of its blue and orange feathers. I have one photo which suggests it's a male (lower beak black).

The next two days were wet and dull but yesterday the sun came out after lunch so I headed to the park again and was quickly rewarded with the kingfisher landing on the grassy bank. It didn’t spot any sticklebacks so it flew to the bramble thicket and perched for many minutes in open view. It repeated this again after an hour, by which time I had been joined by two other birders. A couple of Long-tailed Tits appeared during this time.

Monday's kingfisher

on the grassy bank

checking out another part of the water

orange lower beak indicates a female

this shot and the next shows neck bobbing to change her view of the water

time to check out another part of the stream

Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus 

with lichen in beak - nest building?

House Sparrow, Passer domesticus from Monday