Friday 28 November 2014

Black Redstart at Worthing

male Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros
to view a gallery with more photos, click here
Leigh reported his sighting of a male Black Redstart on the SOS site on Thursday and Neil alerted me on Friday so I joined him for views of  this unusual visitor in the Coast CafĂ© area. Unfortunately the dull conditions made photography difficult so I returned this afternoon in sunny conditions. Paul and others joined us to photograph this lovely bird. It was a challenge as it was very skittish and walkers constantly disturbed it. It flew up in the air frequently chasing insects. The female of the species is commonly seen along the south coast in winter, but males are rarer.
I caught yesterday's glorious sunset on the way home and in the evening found a Wood Mouse and bracket fungus in a woodland area.
Thursday:









Pied Wagtail, Motacilla alba


Wood Mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus
Turkeytail, Trametes versicolor
Friday:


male Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros











Grey Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Cormorant fishing

Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
I spent the last two days at Arundel WWT and saw Kingfishers flashing past the Sand Martin and Scrape hides many times, sometimes in pairs. One perched on the SM post for 2 seconds and I managed a 1.2 second video of it. Yesterday I watched a Cormorant fishing very successfully from the Scrape hide lake where it caught six fish. A Black-headed Gull attempted to steal one of its fish. A Little Grebe landed, displayed by flapping its wings and attracted another who swam fast over to it. A pair of Water Rails fed in front of the reed beds and the tree island and one appeared in front of the Scrape hide.
Littlehampton sunrise Sat 22 Nov
Monday 24 November:

short Kingfisher video: click here
Blackbird, female, Turdus merula
Canada Geese, Branta canadensis
Canada Geese, Branta canadensis
Canada Goose landing


Canada Geese
Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo from Lapwing hide
Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo



Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea
Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea
Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis
Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna
Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna
female and male Shelduck

female Shelduck
male Shelduck
Shelduck dabbling
Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula
Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus
sunset at scrape hide
Littlehampton sunset
Tuesday 25 November:
Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago
Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
Cormorant with fish
Black-headed Gull attempts to steal fish from Cormorant
Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis
Little Grebe taking off
Little Grebe taking off
male Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
female Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
male Mallard
Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus
Shelduck with Water Rail