A January Day....the last one this year!

As soon as the rain cleared I checked the Lagoon and the harbour. Much the same variety of birdlife that is usually present but that doesn't mean its boring! A few images of some of the birds around and I was left wondering just where else I would prefer to be! 

A superb drake Goldeneye

...and the female not far behind 

Curlew

Greater black backed Gulls squabling

Black Tailed Godwits

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On my previous blog I showed the diggers on the beach  as they started shifting 20000cubic metres of shingle to replace the previous 10000 cubic metres washed away after the high tide. They worked long days even continuing after dark and at the end of the week many of the residents were pleased with the action taken. The following two photos shows the result 

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However ...a couple of high tides this week and its all gone! The whole lot, and more!

What a waste!

What next?

...from a slightly different angle 

A hopeful metal detector searching for treasure this morning

The diggers are back!

This was the scene on the beach first thing this morning and they are still there now at at 5.10pm....having been working in the pouring rain all day!

A quick walk round the spit revealed no birds on the beach (understandably) but a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers had arrived on the Lagoon.  A few small flocks of Redwings flew East and a couple of Fieldfares together with half a dozen Redwings with two Snipe were feeding along the tide line along the inner harbour.

Apart from the early part of the  morning the weather has made it a day for indoors!

Waxwings ....at last!

A request to  'baby sit' in Worthing for a morning gave me the opportunity to check the berry bushes  near  Sainsburys for the Waxwings that I'd dipped out on, on four previous occasions!

After a wander along the A259 suddenly, there they were ....eleven waxwings sitting in a tree high above the footpath. I waited and sure enough they all descended into a clump of bushes laden with red berries. They didn't stop long and soon returned to the tall trees. I had managed to get a few shots ....the light was awful, the background confusing and the twiggy nature of the bushes made a clear shot of the birds extremely difficult. I had a couple of opportunities as the birds returned on several occasions but it was tricky to say the least....here's a few of the better ones!

Wow....they really are spectacular birds!

Cold weather movement.

Another very cold morning and a Wood Pigeon was just outside the patio door on the frozen beach begging for a photograph in the snow!

A walk in mid afternoon to the harbour and I was pleasantly surprised to note 3 Snipe foraging along the high tide line in the company of Redwings, Fieldfares,Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Blackbirds. A flock of about 60 Linnets flew along the beach and then a skein of White Fronted Geese flew high overhead southeastwards out to sea...fantastic!

Just for the record, here are couple of poor images of the thrushes

Redwing

Fieldfare

Several small flocks of Fiedfares and Redwings flew west over the harbour and I suspect that the forecast for more snow might be correct!

No more Snow....but is Spring in the air?

No snow and no Snow Bunting...a few Skylarks and a single Rock Pipit on the shore line. The Gadwall have also moved on  but the Goldeneye remain both on the Lagoon and at the (old) harbour entrance.

The walkway at the eastern end of the Lagoon was lively...with gulls!

At least one of them thinks that Spring is on the way!

Snow Bunting reward.

I ventured out to the Spit early afternoon well wrapped up.

....and although very cold it was very pretty!

The teasles on the approach to the hide were particularly so

Curlews and Redshanks  were feeding on the mudflats and Wigeon were the predominant species of duck but then as I wandered back along the shore a flash of white flew up in front of me....a Snow Bunting!
How appropriate on a day like today!
Apart from that  a few Skylarks were feeding along the high tide line.
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Returning back home to the log fire and a cup of tea I felt the effort had been richly rewarded!

Quiet on the Spit

Pagham Spit remains quiet but the Lagoon has some visitors...8 Gadwall have arrived and the 3 Goldeneye remain as usual ( 1 Drake...head jerking today) plus the usual Tuftys
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I have tried unsuccessfully, three times, to locate the Waxwings on the A259 near Sainsburys, Rustington so after another abortive visit yesterday made my way to The Local Nature Reserve at Warnham. The staff there do a remarkably good job maintaining the feeders every day ensuring that visitors can enjoy a fantastic variety of birds at very close range!
The sun shone and the light was superb and after using a few Gbs of flashcards I returned home via Sainsburys but yet again dipped out on Waxwings!

Here is a selection of photos.....and a surprise tactic!

Redpoll

Great Tit

Nuthatch

Redpoll

Moorhen

Siskin

Long tailed tit

Perhaps the most interesting observation of the visit was watching a Long Tailed Tit use its foot to grab some fat and then fly to a branch, hang from  one leg and then use its other foot to feed itself !

What a clever bird!

That's a first for me!

A quiet morning.

As the clouds dispersed this morning I felt it was time to take Big Bertha for her first outing of the year. A quick visit to the North wall produced very little so I opted to visit Church Norton. A Song Thrush was singing its heart out in the churchyard but apart from that, a stroll along the path to the Long Pool produced absolutely nothing...apart from a flock of Wood Pigeon. As I returned to the car park for a coffee I bumped into the Bald Eagles on their New Years Bird Race  as they were returning from a brief sea watch, unimpressed that they had dipped out on a Ringed Plover in the harbour  but delighted they had caught up with a Water Pipit earlier in Fishbourne Creek!

I returned to the harbour and photographed a few Teal

 some blowing bubbles!
 
...and then made my way to the beach, but apart from a few Turnstones and two very distant Slavonian Grebes and a Med Gull there was very little to get excited about.

Turnstone on the beach 

Nevertheless it was good to see the sun again and on returning via the feeding station (which I hadn't seen before) I was slightly disappointed that I had not been able to take greater  advantage of the good lighting conditions.

Female Chaffinch attracted by the seed hoppers

Great Tit

Hopeful sign?

Yet another dull day but.................

A roadside daffodil in Harbour Road, Pagham today.

                                                         Spring can't be far away...can it?