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.
                      .........................................................................................................
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
...............................................................................................................................................................

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?

Boxing Day rewards.

Looking towards Church Norton 

An early walk around Pagham Spit in the sunshine before the clouds returned brought its rewards.

Firstly the privilege of meeting  Tony Marr  on what he told me was his traditional annual Boxing Day visit to Pagham. At the time he was admiring the Mediterranean Gulls assembled at the end of the off shore spit. As many will know Tony was a founder member of the Sussex Ornithological Society 50 years ago and held posts in the early years of the Society of both Secretary and President. He now has special interests in both Norfolk and Harris in the Hebrides.

Secondly the sight of huge flocks of waders, wheeling over the harbour....a magnificent spectacle.

Wheeling flocks over Tern island 

Flocks of Grey Plovers and Knot moving on as the tide rises.