London Wetland Centre... and a seaside sunset

The weather threatened rain on the south coast today so, in a moment of rashness, I decided to head inland to old haunts.

I started off in Barnes... nothing very near to photograph..

My first siskin of the season... female

and for old times' sake :D

A crow sat aloft...

but not for long..

"Be afraid, be very afraid" ...!!

Green Woodie just wouldn't play ball for the camera..

and a Grey Heron decided it didn't want to be photographed either!

Cormorants preened..

The view as you enter the reserve..

and I always like this view as you cross over the first bridge..

The plan was to go into Kingston-upon-Thames to visit a particular shop... I headed up the ramp of the car park... several cars queueing so I turned round and gave that up!!

Where to now? I was getting hungry and wanted to visit Bushy Park.... I got nearly there and - STOPPED!! There had been an accident early morning on the M3 and this had caused a traffic back up for miles around... I couldn't get across the roundabout to Bushy so..... I headed back down south... still hungry.

Stopped at Warnham nature reserve for a quick bite and then headed back towards home. I took a detour around the Shoreham area looking at it as a potential area to buy a house... not that good for me.

But on the way back and travelling westwards I was heading into the setting sun. Managed to park the car before I lost all the light and took some pics of a still very turbulent sea around Worthing Pier.

Some impromptu birding...

Having had a good time over the last couple of days, I came back down south to home and had a detour via Warnham Nature Reserve. It's quite a small reserve with a very large pond and three hides.

From the first one, several geese were observed - Greylags and Canada and the usual Mallards, Coots etc.

Having left the first hide I walked through the wildflower meadow where six of these Hebridean sheep have a home. Their job description being to keep the brambles down to allow the regrowth of the wildflowers. I stood watching them and this is about as exciting as it got :D

Had a good day up in Norfolk and came back down home again this morning. On the way back a made a detour to Warnham Nature Reserve

Further around is a long hide where you can watch the birds on several well stocked feeders. Five female pheasants and 1 male were hoovering up underneath the feeders; a nuthatch visited regularly as did Chaffinches, Robins, Blue and Great Tits, a Goldfinch and....

......a Great Spotted Woodpecker

The sun was still shining and it was far too nice to end the day so I headed off to Pulborough Wildbrooks.

Just by the visitor centre, this is the view at the beginning of your walk around the reserve

Lots of ducks and geese; a Firecrest had been seen but despite standing and watching it didn't appear whilst I was there. I saw my first Redwing of the Autumn and amazingly, a Song Thrush was singing in full voice - wonderful!

And it was a great surprise to see a Red Admiral flutter past in the warm sun .... this time last year we had snow!!

Out in the fields and meadows many geese were kept company by large herds of Fallow Deer. They are getting quite numerous these days.

Cattle are being grazed.

A squirrel "If I can't see her, then she can't see me"!!

Norfolk Coastline.. a walk..

Today, Pete and I with Pete's colleague Trev, headed off at the crack of dawn for Norfolk. Pete had researched a new walking route and our first task on arrival was to have a very welcome breakfast in Burnham Deepdale. We'd visited this cafe before with friends... and today - well the Full English called ;)

We started out along the coastal path; the side was far out which meant - so were the birds.

Oystercatchers, Curlews, Grey Plovers, Brent Geese, Greylags, Canadian Geese, Redshank, Dunlin, Godwit, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Little Egret, Turnstone and Red Breasted Merganser (very pleased to see about 4 of them) seen today.

Whoever suggested English beaches were crowded??

The lads ;)

and the church at Brancaster

We had soup for lunch here..

.

and for those who remember these... an old AA (breakdown service) booth; many years ago if you broke down you hoped it was near one of these. You had been provided with a key by the AA (Automobile Association) which enabled you to unlock the door and ring for help - bit different these days.

A really good day with plenty of very welcome exercise in good company - and the breakfast I can thoroughly recommend :)