Firecrest

Yes definitely!  Thought it was a Goldcrest at first until I got a really good view of the white stripe. Devilish hard to photograph though (from behind glass too) - didn't keep still for a moment.

.......and as I write this, two Jays appear in the garden on this very frosty day, just 2 days after an inch of snow fell.

2012 List

The 2012 garden list (19):

Wren
Goldcrest
Hedge Sparrow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long Tailed Tit
Blackbird
Robin
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Magpie
Jay
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sparrowhawk
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Crow

Fly-bys (4):

Cormorant
Swift
Swallow
Mallard

Arundel

A dry day after such a long spell of wet weather.  Took a walk around Arundel to have a look at the flooding. Amongst the more usual birds, we saw two Mistle Thrushes by the Hiorne Tower, as well as Pochard and Tufted Ducks on Swanbourne Lake.

November garden visitors

Time pressures means being restricted to garden visitors - a pair of Hedge Sparrows continue to be the most active permanent residents, often joined by a pair of Blackbirds, a Robin, a pair of Greenfinches and up to three Woodpigeons at a time. Occasional visitors this month include a Wren, Magpie, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Jay and a Great-Spotted Woodpecker over the wall. Regular fly-bys include Crows, Cormorants and Common Gulls.

Last week a family of Long-Tailed Tits passed through as they do once a month or so. Yesterday a Goldcrest dropped in briefly.

The last butterfly was a Red Admiral on November 2nd.

Pagham in May

Lunchtime at Pagham - fine views of a Muntjac Deer, but no sign of the recently sighted Glossy Ibis.  Birds on view on this lovely sunny spring day: Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Mallard, Peewit, Stonechat, House Sparrow, Hedge Sparrow, Starling, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Kestrel, Reed Bunting, Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Swallow, Swift, Woodpigeon.  Butterflies - Orange Tip, Cabbage White.

Tangmere - balmy March, Petersfield - wet April

March - summer comes early! Quick walk round Tangmere airfield and nursery complex failed to conjure up many sightings with most birds subdued in the midday heat! Saw Kestrel, Buzzard (heard), Blue Tit, Great Tit, Yellowhammer, Robin, Blackbird, Crow, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Coot, Moorhen, Little Grebe, House Sparrow, Hedge Sparrow, Chaffinch, Lapwing, Common Gull, Woodpigeon. Was interesting to find plenty of birds around the nursery site which has a couple of mini-reservoirs.

April - summer's over. Hosepipe ban is announced and almost immediately followed by constant rain. Great sighting of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flying over the A27 on the approach to Bognor. A trip to the White Rose garage in Hill Brow, Petersfield led to a short walk in Durford Wood and a sighting of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  On the drive up, along the B2141 towards Chilgrove, great sightings of a hare and pheasants and partridges. Narrowly avoided flattening a slow Red Legged Partridge crossing the road. First swallow of the year (April 21st).

Greylags

Fine sight of two Greylag Geese flying over the A259 in the morning rush hour.

Paddyfield Warbler Pulls the Crowds

Ventured to Pagham to see the Twitchers who have been assembling to see the Paddyfield Warbler. About 20 present looking into the reeds towards the first bend of the north harbour walk. The warbler failed to show while we were there though.

However, we did see 3 deer, Teal, Shelduck, Wigeon, Pintail, Spotted Redshank, Great Crested Grebes starting their courting, a Curlew, Yellowhammers, a huge flock (1,000+ of Brent Geese), Mute Swans, a group of orange-billed white geese, a Green Woodpecker and heard other woodpeckers drumming. A fine start to Spring.

Grey Halnaker

In a very warm winter so far, the temperatures went below freezing last night. A very grey and still day and a quick wander around Halnaker in the early afternoon. Birds seen included Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Magpie, Jay, Great Tit, Crow, Pheasant, Long-tailed Tits (lots of them), Green Woodpecker, Fieldfares, Yellowhammer.

Indian Summer

October begins with temperatures hovering around 30C - perhaps the best few days of the year so far - very warm and sunny cloudless skies.

Saw a Wheatear on front of the yacht club on Bognor seafront and a Hummingbird Hawk Moth feeding on Verbena in Rose Green.

Summer Round-UP

.....

Supper

Sparrowhawk takes supper - taken through the upstairs window at about 7.30pm.

Sleepy Boxgrove

Very few birds around the Priory or the Church, small birds especially, keeping out of the bitter wind. Temperatures still hovering just above zero and the ground in a state of permafrost. Magpie, Woodpigeons, Common Gulls, Starlings, Crows, Blackbird and a Wren in the car park.

Freezing Halnaker

Pagham in the Snow

A quick midday trip to snowbound Pagham Harbour with temperatures just under zero.

First winter snow

While the north-east and Scotland have been getting over a foot, we've had to wait until today for our first snow.....only about 1cm.

Couple of Wrens visited the front garden this morning. Great Tits, Blue Tits and Robin all active in the back garden.

Jay 2 O

Two Jays in the front garden last week, saw another two up on Halnaker Hill today: plus numerous Pheasants sitting around waiting to be shot, a Green Woodpecker, Yellowhammer and a hawk having an aerial duel with a Rook. Suddenly got much colder, Indian summer over?

Pond Life

Harting Down

A first ever venture onto Harting Down was rewarded with another first - a Marbled White. It was too frisky to get a picture though.

Halnaker in the Heat

Temperatures well up in the 80s.