On arrival the female Peregrine was on the east face. EDIT. 24 hours later she laid the first egg.
A Raven flew into the usual tree and a couple of Grey Wagtails, one singing, were over the cross. Kestrel and Buzzards were en route.
The Wildlife Garden seems less wildlife-friendly than before although there are lots of old logs for Stag Beetles.
Buzzards, three Red Kites, two high calling and soaring Sparrowhawks
A few heards - Firecrest, Green Woodpecker and common birds.
Plenty of newts in the very clear pond, not sure whether Palmate or Smooth.
Few insects and no butterflies.
(Snake's head Fritillary - Fritillaria meleagris- Anemone blanda also called Windflower)
Birdtrack total of 57.
(Eupeodes luniger female, Andrena nitida, Brimstone, Coot with young, Cuckooflower)
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.
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 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.
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'.
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.
Wednesday's journey into PB was considerably less painful than last week and was in glorious blue, warm weather.
A coffee on arrival whilst waiting for PW and a brief catch up with SDOS members before setting off down the zig-zag (or at least the straight path) as contractors were on site re-laying it.
A gaggle of people were watching a day-roosting Woodcock on the left side of the path found by a volunteer with a thermal aid following up a couple of other sightings in previous days. It barely moved other than looking up once in a while and was still present at leaving time. This was a real pleasure not having seen Woodcock at Pulborough nor anywhere else for a dozen years!! And, being slightly concealed, the ATB came into it's own again; being , let's say, vertically challenged(!) I doubt I could have seen it with a conventional scope and tripod.
The floodwaters hadn't noticeably changed since last week and the only extra birds of note were a single Great White Egret and two Ruff until one of the adult eagles arrived, frightened everything and then departed off towards Rook Wood where crows saw it off and a little later when seven or eight Egyptian Geese were keen to help it on it's way.
Further around, Libby was pointing out one of the 'Winpenny' Adders to everyone; it had crossed the path into a sunnier, warmer area. A little later a second one, curled up tight, was spotted nearer the hide before slithering away.
Maybe half a dozen Pochard were the only duck of interest on both the North and South Brooks.
Three each of Cettis and Chiffchaff were noisy.
Plenty of Brimstones on the wing all round the reserve and a single Peacock.
Lunch (pasty) on the tea terrace in t-shirt for the first time this year and some welcome vitamin D followed by the first Magnum icecream of the year!
Before leaving a quick check of the bee slope produced lots of Early Colletes - I'm sure these were probably my earliest ever.
(Woodcock below from 04/03/26)
The previous day, in similarly welcome bright conditions and just a local walk, produced a birdtrack list of 35 species in half an hour, the best being calling Firecrest in a back garden, a day-roosting Little Egret in the company of five terrapins and three noisy Cettis.
Some Andrena flavipes and a Hairy-footed Flower Bee were NfY and there were plenty of Honeybees on the gorse; curiously no early butterflies.
And the forecast for the next few days is back to wind and rain **sigh**.
Last week, Tuesday, a short visit to Pulborough produced zilch; the water had receded a little but nothing on offer and, despite Adders having been seen days before, the weather was noticeably cooler and I couldn't find any.
The following day at Stansted, another brief visit, and just Raven, again in tall ornamental conifers.
This morning, soon after first light, a very healthy looking Red Fox casually strolled passed the bedroom window - almost within touching distance! - across the conservatory, along the top of the gate and off across the gardens.
Today, the first trip this year to Southsea Castle produced two Shag, one Great Crested Grebe and a Great Northern Diver but, sadly, no first-for-year Purple Sandpipers - my last here being thirteen months ago.
Hopefully this week's Pulborough visit (an SDOS walk) might produce more.
PS It's a shame that the Newlyn's Ross's Gull is so far as it would be a lifer!
Two Buzzards in a blue sky over the SHGC car park and later a Raven into one of the very tall ornamental conifers (Sequoiadendron giganteum); ten minutes later it headed off - looked good for a nest site.
At Warblington St Thomas's car park was basically one big pond and exit from the south west gate was impassable without wellies.
All the fields seemed to be empty of cattle and hence the only Cattle Egret was a singleton from the east heading towards the mill pond.
Locally, the pond has overtopped, mostly into the fishing bays. Shovelers at exactly twenty are probably as high as they'll get this winter. In the sunnier, warmer spells three terrapins have been taking advantage of the rising temperatures.
Today the Brent numbered 650 ish.
And as usual none of days have been dry; the day after tomorrow looks the best bet.
With so much flooding and only a few hours available it was off to Arundel again rather than PB. Both Peregrines perched up on arrival at 10:30 were still sat there at 13:30 when I left. Much the same as last week in terms of numbers although the usual geese were joined by three partially white 'farmyard' types creatures which apparently arrived Monday.
Still about twenty or so Snipe in the usual spot, two Cattle Egrets, male and female Marsh Harriers getting frisky and chasing each other around out over the river and a brief Kingfisher flyby.
Passerine-wise pretty thin pickings with just male Stonechat, single calling Reed Bunting and three Skylarks.
Brief chat with Alex.
Today was the first time in months I'd taken a camera out so a few pictures below.
