Yesterday, by far the best, sunniest, most windless day this year, looked to be signalling an eventual weather change after such a long and dismal run. At Titchfield, fifteen or so Eiders were preening and washing offshore from the tearoom plus a couple of very active Pied Wagtails chasing inumerable flies over the beach but sadly no Wheatears, despite many being seen at pretty much every other south coast location!! Around the reserve a few Chiffchaffs were singing rather more forcefully in the sunshine and a good few Brimstones and Peacocks were on the wing. This photo of Wryneck, courtesy of and coprighted to Stuart Topps, harks back to last October. With a currently 'useless' left hand and arm its impossible to take my own pictures with SLR and 100-400; hopefully one-handed use of the m4/3 macro system will generate a few insect and plant shots as the weather warms up. An unidentified Nomada bee was first of the year; presumably some of the Andrenas it might be a cleptoparasite upon would also be emerging. Plenty of hovers but all appeared to be E. pertinax and only males noted.
The last week has been pretty sparse and depressing with the effects of COVID19 starting to become all too real. Locally, no changes yet in Tufted Duck and Shoveler numbers and the arrival of a/the single male Gadwall; the calling Chiffchaff of the last few weeks seems to have departed the gardens and not, as yet, been replaced by a singing summer bird. Yet another appearance of the female Peregrine in from the east and stirring up the gulls whilst lazily circling before powering off westwards.
Last Wednesday's Pulborough visit saw a first-of-year catch-up with singing Woodlark over Upperton's field much to the delight of a visiting couple from Shropshire and later the male Garganey was not too hard to find out on the flooded south brooks. Once again the Hen Harrier eluded me.
