A new month

After one of the wettest Januarys, February has started with more of the same until today when a much quieter, brighter forecast was on offer.

The west side footpath from the castle northwards was so flooded you'd need wellies to reach the park benches and inside WWT the pumps were working full time.

The silt removal from the front pond seems complete and all the entrance reeds have been cut down so no Reed Warblers here in the summer!

Rather busier than usual with this weeks free entry due to World Wetlands Day.

The two Peregrines were soaring above the restaurant when I sat down disturbing a handful of Lapwing - over 100 were present later. Geese totalled 130+ mostly Greylags but including the regular four Cackling/Barnacle hybrids.

The scrape was birdless due to cutting and burning but the main pool held plenty of Teal and Shoveler, three Pochards and a single Pintail. Snipe were about 25 in the usual place and about 15 Cattle Egrets were flying over the river.

A brief fly past of one Kingfisher into the sun was just a tiny  black shape zipping past just inches off the water and it or another heard a couple of more times later.

Nice to meet up with GK and wife for the first time since well before Covid and also Lizzie although very sad to hear that Sam had left for pastures new a while back; it'll take them a long time to replace her expertise and enthusiasm.

Small birds were pretty absent although I think I could hear one or two Firecrests but drowned out by either people noise or the pump.

At least eight Buzzards were overhead intent on playing on the wind on such a nice almost spring-like day.

Snowdrops were just flowering.

A very brief visit two days ago in the rain to QECP prior to  bank visit saw the pond, leaking since it was installed a couple of years back, now being redone, hopefully better than last time. It will be interesting to see what might have survived this work come the summer.

Pulborough

Today, a drive over to PB was in fine weather conditions with glorious blue sky until Houghton when, like last visit, the river valley mist thickened enough for front and rear fog lights. On arrival PW was 'booting up' and with none of the reserve visible we killed half an hour over coffee. Luckily the mist lifted remarkably quickly.

Out on the south brooks lots of wildfowl but nothing more interesting than two distant Marsh Harriers, both cream-crowns. Talking to others its seems most likely that last weekend's five Water Pipits were Meadows!!

At lunch one of the eagles was soaring out of view but went high and well behind us out of sight.

Nothing else of note although the usual Adder site had been well mown; only a few weeks until they reappear unless we have a cold snap.

What looked like another day of chaos on the A27 saw a police car running a rolling roadblock from Chichester until just after the four-miles-from-Havant sign due to a broken down vehicle.

Below a view of the floooding with at least four sections of the riverbank overtopping.

First of the year

Still trying to throw off the cough/cold I picked up in Portugal saw my first outing of the year today - a visit to collect outstanding post, return/swap the duplicate jigsaw and catch up with Kate over a coffee at Liss. A Buzzard on a lamppost, a couple of Red Kites soaring west of the A3 and a Little Egret flying up into a bare tree on the bend in to the cafe carpark were it for birds.

Later locally, the frozen pond held zero Shovelers and only a handful of Tufties; presumably most birds relocated to less frozen water. The refuge field was empty apart from a single Curlew and a Kestrel flew in from the east. Although a little chilly the lack of wind made it bearable. Still no sight nor sound of any Water Rails.

Hopefully it might still be possible to catch up with the remains of the grey goose influx which started prior to Xmas. Maybe try Titchfield tomorrow.

Day 8 And home

A pre-dawn start with minibuses loaded and off back to Faro with just a brief comfort stop en route. Sadly, the poshly bagged picnic breakfast from the hotel was mostly binned.

I must have been bone tired because I've no recollection of the baggage drop, passport control and security!! After some confusion about which gate the flight was from we eventually boarded the Easyjet flight back to Gatwick which, like the in bound flight, was smooth, fault-free and slightly early.

It was nice to look out and see the coastline of home, Southampton Water, Hayling, Thorney and West Wittering below and, just a little later, a well-flooded Pulborough Brooks.

Apart from the usual hike back to baggage reclaim the journey through Gatwick was very swift. A shuttle bus was waiting so it was a reasonably quick trip back to the car.

Headed home via M23, Pulborough village and then the A29/A27 just like a normal day at PB.

Day 2 - Christmas Eve

 

Day 1 Gatwick to Faro, meet-up and first birds.

(All bird photos in this post and and up to Day 7 courtesy and copyright Neil McMahon).

Up early and onto the shuttle to north Terminal then through baggage drop with helpful Easyjet staff. Zipped through security and was sat down in Weatherspoons soon after 4am!! Used the app to order scrambled eggs on toast plus free-refill tea/coffee. By the time I'd finished it was filling up with the first drinkers of the day - beer at 4:30am!!

Then it was just the tedious delay in waiting for a departure gate at 06:25.

The boarding was efficient using front and rear steps and we were soon on our way.

Had a brief chat with one of last Xmases Naturetrekers who was heading to Portugal on a walking tour.

Journey to Faro flew past as I chatted to MG   - luckily we had an empty seat between his window and my aisle.

Landed slightly early but passport control was tedious (not just UK but all passengers).

Eventually got through and met up with other members of the group plus NM. We got to introduce ourselves whilst he and RM went to get the vans. 

Once loaded we visited our first birding site not far from the airport. First birds were Caspian Terns, Osprey, Spoonbills, some zip-through Waxbills and the first Zitting Cisticola. 

Lunch was a very pleasant affair at Mar y Sol restaurant; just a light prawn omelette for me plus some wine. 

Then on to Quinta do Lago where the birding was easy with Littie Bittern and Western Swamphen the best but lots of ducks, Chiffchaffs, White Wagtails and Crag Martin's plus the first of many Iberian Magpies and Sardinian Warblers.

Finally, off to Quinta do Marco hotel for check in, quick wash and an evening meal before retiring after a long day. 

My 'bird of the day' was Little Bittern.

And off to Portugal...Day 0

The journey to Gatwick was hindered greatly by a gentleman who clearly didn't understand the role petrol plays in the combustion engine as he had run out of fuel in a trade-plated Peugeot right on the Farlington traffic lights. A police car and cones were out and so by the time everyone had crawled by I'd already been on the road half an hour. I headed across country and was passing Pulborough after nearly 85 minutes of travelling and so popped in to use the facilities and have a pasty for a late lunch.

The rest of the journey into South Terminal Long Stay was uneventful apart from numerous middle-lane hoggers on the A24 pootling along at under 60mph!

The shuttle bus was ready to go once I'd unpacked and locked the car and its wasn't long into the terminal and the Bloc Hotel- check in was swift. 

Poor lighting, no tea and coffee making facilities, no chair and, my pet hate, a wet-room ensured I wont be staying there again!!

A coffee at Cafe Nero and later a M&S meal deal saw out the day.