Friday 30 January 2015

Long-tailed Tits, Nut Hatches, a Water Rail and a Great Spotted Woodpecker

Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus
I took advantage of the 8am early opening at Arundel WWT today. A Water Rail strutted by the pond next to the Sand Martin hide then preened itself among the reeds. It then foraged and returned to the open area by the path. At the woodland bird feeders Long-tailed Tits and Nut Hatches gorged themselves. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flitted between both feeding areas. A juvenile rat kept popping his head out of a hole by the feeders. A Woodpigeon fed on ivy berries above the feeders. Along the reed bed walk a Moorhen was perched on a tussock of grass and kept grabbing twigs and stems, perhaps feeling the urge to nest?
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Common Pochard, Aythya ferina
Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus
Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea
Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus

shadow of Blue Tit
female Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs
Nuthatch, Sitta europaea
Nuthatch


Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus



Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major

juvenile Brown Rat, Rattus norvegicus
Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus


Nuthatch, Sitta europaea
Robin, Erithacus rubecula

Thursday 29 January 2015

A Song Thrush and a Water Rail

Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos
I went to Arundel WWT this morning when the sun was shining and left in the afternoon when showers became frequent. Sue said snow had landed briefly in Littlehampton during the afternoon. Highlights at Arundel were a Water Rail walking in front of the Scrape hide as soon as I walked in and a Song Thrush eating ivy berries outside the Ramsar hide. At the same hide a Little Grebe caught fish and a Grey Wagtail walked along the lakeside at the Sand Martin hide.
Blackbird, female, Turdus merula
Chaffinch, female, Fringilla coelebs
Common Pochard, Aythya ferina
Great Tit, Parus major

Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis
Little Grebe with fish, Tachybaptus ruficollis

Nuthatch, Sitta europaea
Robin, Erithacus rubecula
Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus
Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus

Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos
afternoon clouds

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Cross-ridge dykes, a Goldcrest and a Water Vole

Goldcrest, Regulus regulus
On Tuesday I joined a tour of Beacon Hill led by archaeologist Dr Stuart Needham as part of The People of the Heath project based at Petersfield Museum. The Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age hilltop enclosure on Beacon Hill is one of the prehistoric remains on the Downs above Harting and Elsted. We saw cross-ridge dykes, barrows and wonderful views and heard about previous excavations.
Afterwards I visited Arundel WWT where I met Terry and we watched a Goldcrest performing an amazing display near the Sand Martin hide. It pranced around the trees in the garden area and kept flying out and hovering above and ahead of me. It did this about six times. A female Bullfinch fed on the tree buds.

This afternoon I visited Arundel WWT again and watched a Water Vole swimming.
cross-ridge dykes

ancient path up to Beacon Hill hill-fort
start of path at bottom of hill
the troops
more cross-ridge dykes
Tour leader, Dr Stuart Needham
Arundel WWT:

female Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula 
Greylag Geese, Anser anser
Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus

Wednesday:
female Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Magpie Geese, Anseranas semipalmata
Robin, Erithacus rubecula
Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius