Sunny Sussex

Today I spent a day with Mum and I'm glad to say that she's looking, sounding and professing to be, almost back to normal and definitely so much better. I'm soooo pleased to see her looking really perky.

The sun shone, but Mum had a chiropody appointment. This was good for her and me! The chiropodist is located in Goring (by-Sea) and within a stone's throw of the beach. Sooooo - whilst Mum was being cosseted I headed off to the beach with my camera.

Appointment completed, it was far too nice just to head for home - especially as this was the first time Mum had been out for the last week. We drove just a few hundred yards along to Sea Lane Cafe (always know in our family as the "8 day cafe" - see link and scroll down a bit) where we had a cuppa- or to be more precise, Mum had apple juice and I had hot chocolate with cream and an apple danish - well this was breakfast for me!! This is somewhere I can really recommend - great food and drink and a sea view - 8 days a week :D.

Off to Goodwood we went, for the view. Apart from visiting the house for a craft fair I've yet to visit the house per se. - something I hope to rectify when it opens again this year.

We then stopped for lunch at a garden centre on the way back to Mum's. After filling up her bird feeders I then headed off for home. It was freezing all day but glorious sunshine - and we both enjoyed a really good day out.

I heard (on the radio) coming home that Surrey is likely to have temperatures that will not really get above freezing for the next 7 days! Sounds like fun!

On the beach (not far from Sea Lane Cafe) - and just by looking and with a bit of imagination, you can feel the hot sun on your back, the sound of gentle lapping waves and temperatures in the 20s c. Well - OK - a great deal of imagination





View from the top of the hill near Goodwood Racecourse

and a Rook (one of many) also enjoying the view!

Welcome to a new blogger

You may recall that I mentioned a bird walk that I attended at RHS Wisley recently? Well one of the leaders has now set up his own blog about his birding experiences and sighting so perhaps you would like to call in and visit The Early Birder?

Morning dilemma

I really have difficulty with mornings. Getting up before daylight is not a problem - I actually like getting up early. But at the moment, once I'm up, I have binocs glued to my eyes, camera at my side, pencil in hand poised to write on recording sheet. And I'm watching all the wildlife in the garden. I think I'm addicted - I can often be found in the same spot (having consumed several cups of coffee) still watching the birds at about 9.00 a.m.

And this morning was no exception. I awoke to this white glow and yes - it had snowed during the night; not much, but enough to cover the ground and turn everything white.

This seems to have brought out the birds again. For the second day running I had a visit from a Song Thrush (not a frequent visitor to my garden); also added Collared Dove to the garden year list, and - TA DA - I have a second Blackcap and this time a female. And Whoo hoo - my first Brambling - a female. My cup runneth over.

Now all I want is some decent light for pictures but, guess what? It's been snowing off and on all day but not settling.
Mr. Blackcap dropped in again

and the Dunnock paid a call.

2009 gets even better!

A while ago I'd been encouraged by a friend to submit a picture of mine to the photo gallery. I had an email this morning from Kevin of Birds of Britain website advising me that my picture had been chosen as "Photo of the Month" and consequently I'm to receive a prize of a book of the BBC Photographer of the Year. WOW - this is the first time I've ever had a picture of mine chosen for anything - let alone win a prize. I'm really chuffed :D

And twas the Grey Phalarope picture that qualified.

So now down to earth. I increased my garden list by 1 today, when I had a visit from a coal tit. I've had a huge number of garden visitors probably due to the cold weather. In excess of 25 Goldfinches, 8 Starlings, 10 Ring-necked Parakeets, 4 Blue Tits, the Black cap, 2 robins, other finches etc. etc. At one time, I had 40+ birds in the garden at the same time. I now need a sponsor for sunflower hearts!!

Some of today's garden visitors:
Male Blackcap

Starling

Goldfinch

"Levitating" Blackbird (female)

A cold Robin

even colder Robin as s/he's standing on frozen pond water!


I've had my grandson staying this weekend, so we trotted off to Bushey Park for the first visit of 2009. 90% of the water was covered in thick ice still. J (grandson) was given a camera for Christmas, so we were both taking pictures. Some of his are very good!
My sole contribution from Bushey Park today - a frozen Boating Lake.

and these are the results of some of J's pictures

Birds of 2009 - the story so far.....

I've had a pretty good start to my "year list" of birds and garden visitors.

On 1 January, in the garden the list numbered 14
then later on, following a visit to Kew Gardens, I added another 8

So the total for New Year's day was: 22

Then (as you know from the previous post) I had a birding day in Essex on 2nd and managed to add another 31

and today? I added 2 new birds. Delighted that the Nuthatch has paid a return visit and I had a very rare visit from a pied wagtail - I do hope 2009 continues to bring all these "seldom seen" visitors!

So this makes my year total 55 at the close of play on Saturday 3 January 2009.

I've also noticed a regular visitor is this Blue Tit with a deformed beak (not a very good pic)

Today's final new visitor - Pied Wagtail - whey hey!

A Waxwing Twitch

Pete had mentioned that there were reports of Waxwings up his way and was I interested? You bet!! So today saw me, prior to dawn breaking, motoring up "north" to meet Pete for (yes - I have to admit it!) a twitch.

Well, thanks to a passing "Birder on a Bike" (is this a new birding cult?) we found them and, as we arrived, they flew off! I managed nothing more than a record shot - in fact I nearly committed the cardinal sin of deleting them before I got them up on the PC; glad I didn't.


That 30 seconds of excitement over, we then headed off for Amwell and, for me, a first visit. I was very impressed at the size of the reserve and also the number and variety of birds. Good stuff!

I managed a few pictures, but the light was dreadful as it seems to be these days (you'll get fed up with my saying this soon).

"After Amwell" (that sounds like a film title!) we headed off for lunch, and to get warm again. We had a great meal at the Rainbow and Dove - nice one Pete :D

Here we go:
Great Tit

Long-tailed Tits


female Chaffinch

Male Reed Bunting

Female Reed Buntin

Male Wigeon

Great Crested Grebe

Cormorant
(I hadn't noticed that it had been ringed until I got the picture up on the PC)

Canada Geese


An excellent day
(and one that also brought my year list up quite respectably.)

First outing of the new year

So today starts my year list of birds and beasties. It started in the garden as dawn broke this morning.
Goldfinch
Jay
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Dunnock
Blackbird
Blackcap (male)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (female)
Starling
Wood Pigeon
Crow (from the garden)
Ring-necked Parakeet
Feral Pigeon
(also had a Fox visit the garden)
and for the first time ever, in all the time I've had RN Parakeets in the garden, I saw one down on the grass - it was with three starlings. So that's an all-time first!!

then later (and additionally) at Kew Gardens
Goldcrest (saw one three times in completely different places)
Grey Heron
Coot
Mute Swan
Mallard
Moorhen
Jackdaw
Song Thrush

23 on the bird year list in total so far..... not a bad start.

Jackie had given the heads up that Kew Gardens, to mark it's 250th anniversary was letting visitors in for free today. Given they now charge £13 per visit I thought this a good opportunity. Grey, grey skies again and not much light for pictures, but I wanted to experience the tree top walk. Equally, as Jackie and her husband Phil with a couple of friends were also going to visit, it provided a great opportunity for us to meet up - in the flesh as it were! It was lovely to meet you and many thanks for the coffee Jackie :D

I'd planned to park in the road but needless to say, there weren't any spaces so I headed off for the car park. I was expecting to pay £3.50 but this had now increased to £5.00 OK, thought I, it's still cheaper than the entrance price. It became even cheaper as, just as I was getting into my car, I offered my parking ticket to a new arrival - the driver insisted we went halves so I ended up paying £2.50 - sorted!

A few pictures -
The 118 stairs up to the top. About half way around the walk, I (and others) were aware that the whole structure was swaying. This became even more noticeable as I lined up the camera to take the picture of the Temperate House! Not a pleasant sensation, so I didn't linger, which rather spoilt the occasion!




A view of the Temperate house - not seen it from this angle before!

Near the main entrance



Another visitor

Around the lake





Song Thrush (wrong lens!)
(I've cropped this from a very much larger picture)

Around the Rock Gardens on my way out



And a very colourful resident having a dust bath (but I can't claim this one for my year list - BR please note :D)



The gardens were packed with people by the time I left, which was hardly surprising, and I was glad I'd arrived in the morning. Not sure, given that I know the gardens so well, that I'd want to spend £13 visiting them again in the near future though. But I'm glad to have met Jackie and Phil, experienced the tree walk - and, the highlight of the day, - the Goldcrest(s)!

Happy 2009

Well where did the last 12 months go? I'm not sure but wherever it went, it went far too quickly.

On a personal level, I've really enjoyed most of 2008. I've had the pleasure and privilege of looking after my grandson and seeing him develop into quite a charmer as he now starts on the secondary element of his education!

I've been proud to stand quietly in the wings whilst my daughter has qualified as a Midwife - not easy with all her other responsibilities!

My son and daughter-in-law have celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary and I've seen my son grow as a family man.

My young nephew reached his 18th birthday and remains, as ever, a charming, caring, personable and intelligent young man. And my brother can feel very proud, as his father, in doing such a great job of bringing him up from babyhood.

My Mum - still a great mum and my role model.

I continue to enjoy the close friendships of long-term and newer friends - thanks for being there :D

I've thoroughly enjoyed my passion for wildlife and photography (and look forward to improving) and learned a lot from close friends - thanks guys!

And away from family - generally it's been a year of ups and downs but I've made a number of new friends through blogging - there's a great community of like-minded people from all four corners of the world (can you have corners on a globe?) And I thank you for presenting such good and interesting blogs of your own; blogs from which I get great enjoyment.

I would like to believe that there's is more global awareness of wildlife and the conservation and preservation of our planet and its occupants. I always hope that more can be done.

So what will 2009 bring?

Most significantly, my mother will be 90 early on in the new year, and we will be celebrating that event. As part of a great surprise for her, she will have a secret visitor from Australia and someone she's been wanting to see for a while, whilst never dreaming that he would be coming "up and over"! Her visitor is my step-father's cousin's son (Mum's nephew); so for sake of conversation - he's my cousin! And I'm really looking forward to being reunited with him after a gap of about 38ish years! Can't wait!!

And that's where I will leave it for 2008 and as we start 2009
I hope all your dreams are fulfilled

(Please turn up the volume, and click on the greeting below)
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU