Top Paragraph

Pagham Birder: The Blog

A regular account of the birds seen mainly on and around Pagham Spit, the Lagoon and the North Wall plus other birding exploits from time to time.
Any news of interest regarding the ongoing erosion problems on Pagham Beach will, from now on, be shown on my other blog together with general beach photos.. Click on the link... Pagham Beach Blog on this page.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

A week of dipping out!

Looking back at the week it has not been a successful one for finding the 'searched for ' birds.

On Wednesday, the day of the national strike, I took my grandaughter to Pulborough Brooks to see some specials to add to her list. We arrived just as the heavens opened so parked the car and watched for a while and saw Bullfinches, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Blue and Great Tits bathing in a puddle that increased in size as we waited for the rain to ease.  Best of all for her was the Song Thrush.........


Once the weather cleared, we searched in vain for the reported  Firecrest, White Fronted Geese and the Peregrine in the 'usual' tree...not today though! No Firecrest but we made 'do' with a Goldcrest!


On returning home I got a message that local birder Bob Coyne had seen a Laysan Duck a couple of hundred metres away on Pagham Lagoon. Not your usual duck and unlikely to have flown from a Hawaii  but nevertheless interesting to see. I circumnavigated the Lagoon a couple of times during the next few days but drew a blank. A number of Pochards (15) and 4 Goldeneye plus all the usual but no Laysan Duck!

Oh well, Friday dawned sunny and bright so a second visit to  Burpham was a 'must' to get the Rough Legged Buzzard (my grandson refers to it as a 3 Legged Buzzard! ). After a 4.5 mile tramp up to The Burgh, the 'dew pond' and beyond with all the heavy camera equipment  there was no sign! Of interest was the fact that both Corn Buntings and Song Thrushes  were heard singing...and its December!

My only photos.... a Reed Bunting


and a departing Kestrel in a hurry!


Hey ho...thats birding for you!

No comments: