Spring into summer.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this Shelduck on Friday with a total of eleven youngsters in Whites Creek near the sluice.

Irresistible photographic subjects!

Breech Pool was very quiet with a pair of Black Tailed Godwits....

They were very wary of my approach and made off.

...and the usual Tufted Ducks

Male and female (below)

Other subjects were scarce so the Swan, up the rife, caught my attention !

She was obviously watching me as well!

During the week I have been practising my Tern photography attempting to capture the moment of entry into the water...with limited success!

Sandwich Terns are the most obvious choice as they are the largest but it is still incredibly difficult to judge the correct moment

Missed it again!

                          ....but this bird was also  unsuccessful in capturing its prey!

 Off to try again....and so shall I on another day!

I gave up on the Common Terns




---and the little Terns

Oystercatchers are always present in the harbour and are fantastic subjects to photograph.

Just look at the orange eye ring and the long bright orange beak...fantastic birds!

Here are few Skylark photos to finish off the week

...and finally a bumble bee on thrift.

Another couple of days on Pagham Spit.

On Friday morning there was a single Wheatear flitting from post to post as I approached the harbour mouth....

Keeping me under surveillance!

 

Apart from this overnight newcomer there was little else apart from two pairs of Skylarks singing and repeatedly dropping onto one of the posts...

With crest raised.

The Cuckoo has been 'cuckooing' for hours on end and continues to feed on the caterpillars of the Brown Tailed Moth which have become a real menace. Having stripped all the foliage off all the blackberry bushes they have  moved into the gardens and are now exploring anything and everything, even crawling up the walls, window panes and sometimes coming indoors!

We need a lot more Cuckoos to control these beasts!

This evening in quite a stiff breeze all three Tern species were patrolling the main inlet to the harbour...

Common Tern with fish.

The smallest and rarest...the Little Tern

The largest and most plentiful....the Sandwich Tern.

...and that's it for this week.

Nightingale pilgrimage...a disappointment.

This is the time of year that Pulborough Brooks is THE place to go to listen AND see Nightingales at their best. Arriving at just before 8.00am I made my way down the zig zag to Fattengates and waited and listened. After a while of silence, suddenly a Nightingale struck up....for a very brief phrase or two. Then, there it was...a couple of shots ...

.....and then it disappeared never to be seen again during my visit!

I made my way to adder alley where I was pretty certain I would enjoy more success but on my way  met a couple of photographer acquaintances neither of whom had had much success.

However,  I waited a while and heard a few snatches of song and then a bird flew onto an exposed branch...snap,snap,snap...

..it was a dunnock!

So that was it....no more Nightingales today!

However I did record some other species and I was particularly pleased with a couple of Long Tailed Tits feeding near West Meads hide.

Pretty little birds.

Now for the 'not so pretty birds'!

Rook

A flyover Raven....with its diagnostic wedge shaped tail and long fingers.

Apart from that a Shelduck at West Meads

...and a lone Canada Goose

...and two bunnies

A bit desparate...yeah!