WWT in fine weather

 Birdtrack total of 57.

A brighter week on the cards

Locally, the pond was very empty with no Tufted Ducks nor Cormorants and only a couple  of dozen gulls - maybe due to earlier presence of water quality engineers out in an inflatable. 

A number of these Lassioglossums were doing their best on the warm but rather rough ground in front of a bench. Unsurprisingly, Andrena flavipes outnumbered all other insects by a factor of 10+!! This female Hairy-foot was first of the year but there were plenty of males and a few Bee Flies.

Eristalis pertinax (not photographed) and this Platycheirus albimanus were it for hovers and this Anthomyiidae was the only fly I bothered to photograph.

Rather surprised to not hear any Blackcaps today in nice sunny conditions. A single Buzzard was dodging crows. This swan's nest has at least one egg in this very exposed site; not sure they'll succeed here especially this early in the year but time will tell.

And finally, Peacock was the only butterfly.

Zilch

The tail end of the week, mostly cold, cloudy and damp has produced virtually nothing. A short walk around the bottom of a very windy QECP produced just a temporarily confiding Bank Vole under the usual refugium. The pond work, below, looks to be complete and some replanting has been done. Time will tell!

Another cold and cloudy visit to Sainsburys again produced numerous west-bound, calling Med Gulls and the Cettis in the south hedge was still audible over the traffic.

A better Adder...

A horrible journey to PB with the A27 closed between Havant and Chichester in both directions - and still closed on the return. The coast road was overwhelmed and made worse by ongoing roadworks and a couple of broken down vehicles.

So, a catch up over coffee with Pete before walking down to Westmead - the Woodcock wasn't present unless it had relocated to some denser cover.

The water was much lower on the South Brooks than in recent weeks and some Lapwings were scraping nests and a few Redshank were noisy. Five Avocets were best-of-the-rest.

This Adder was on Adder Alley and showed better and longer than any others this year so far and was well enjoyed by a number of visitors.

Last week's White-fronted Geese were present on the North Brooks but much further away. Single adult Mediterranean Gull and Ruff but no sign of Little-ringed Plovers or an unusual (for this site) Turnstone seen by others. About 30 Black'wits were disturbed amongst many wildfowl by a helicopter and later two marauding Red Kites.

P.S. Sad to find that today's traffic trials and tribulations were the result of a single vehicle RTA with a gentleman losing his life. RIP.

Today and last Tuesday

Last Tuesday (3rd) was a nice day weather-wise and a few insects were about including Peacock, plenty of Yellow-legged Mining Bees, Hairy-footed Flower Bees and a  Cheilosia spp hoverfly.

Jays have never been common around here and usually pop up in the Autumn but recently birds have been more frequent with this one of two at the end of the 'butterfly walk'.

Today, in chillier weather, much the same with the addition of some new-for-years namely Common Carder, Andrena spp presumably of minutula group, Eristalinus aeneus and the first singing Blackcap of the year near the lone gorse bush. A single Jay in that same area - maybe breeding locally this year - and a single Brent Goose in the refuge presumed to be the same as last week and, I assumed, poorly. But, distracted by gull noise above, the goose had vanished, presumably flying back out into the harbour so maybe OK health-wise.

Two, possibly three, Cettis but no Chiffchaffs yet and a single noisy Kestrel in the furthest conifers.

WWT and Pulborough

About thirty Snipe in the usual spot being disturbed by a Greylag Goose which sadly appeared to be in the last throes of HPAI.

Singles of Cattle Egret, Great White Egret (with a darkening bill) and Peregrine on usual perch.

Below, one of two or three Grey Wagtails on site and Buff-tailed Bees warming up.

Later, at Pulborough, Michael mentioned the eleven White- fronted Geese were present and were in fact visible from reception but rather better from Westmead.

And amazingly last week's Woodcock was in the same spot and still being enjoyed by many. A poor photo of mine today was back dated to last week.

Nice to catch and chat with SL on the tea terrace and later Ian and GT and wife.

Below photo of the confiding Woodcock, rather better than mine, courtesy of GT.

Breakfast/brunch and a few birds

 

Out to Stansted for a fry-up - all nice and hot and, being early, mostly freshly cooked. And mostly old and quiet clientele!!

A birdtrack list for the morning was a meagre 31 species with many heard-only - Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Firecrest and Tree Creeper. Six or more Buzzards, three Red Kites and a pair of Kestrels were enjoying the fine soaring conditions. Curiously, not a peep out of any Song Thrushes.

Once it warmed up Brimstones and a single Peacock were on the wing and above, one of a few Andrena flavipes and plenty of similarly sized Nursery Web Spiders. 

On the way back a side-trip to Warblington produced twenty or so Cattle Egrets amongst the cows. Passing through the gate and heading down to the exit gate on the south-west corner there was a lot of gull cacophony - I assumed that a usual Buzzard would be the cause but, lo and behold, an eagle. I wonder if this was a recent release or one of last year's home-grown youngsters?? The picture might have been better if I'd carried something other than a macro lens!!

Plenty of Lesser Celandines around the gravestones.