Monday 28 May 2007

The beginning of the blog, and of Fowlmead

It's amazing what a wet weekend will make you do - DIY, watching an F1 race, starting a blog.
Like a diary, we'll have to see how long this will last. Hopefully the technical ability will slowly improve.

Mostly it'll be pictures and reports of birds, so be warned.

Had an early trip out to visit Sandwich Bay reserve, and walked around the
Restharrow area - the usal Stonechats, Whitethroats, Mipits and Skylarks but nothing on the sea. By the yacht club was a loudly-singing Sedge Warbler, on the reed tops.
From the hide the initial impression was of chicks - 2 Lapwing broods and the teenage Greylags.
A couple of Corn Buntings scavenged in the grass under the hide, and a Blue-headed wagtail bathed for a while. A stream of house martins landed to collect mud for their nests.




Hmmmm, got to improve the picture processing on here!
After Sandwich Bay, I went over to Fowlmead Country Park, which was celebrating its opening day in the rain - shame. Plenty of different bird species were seen or heard, and with the elevated position, varied vegetaion and ponds it should develop well.

Sunday 27 May 2007

Visit to Rye Harbour

A visit to the Rye Harbour nature reserve coincided with bright sunshine, fortunately from behind the hide, allowing some great views.
The hide overlooks a shingle island on which Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns are nesting. Elsewhere there are Sandwich and Little Terns, Mediterranean Gulls, ducks and waders.
The noise is tremendous, as is the fishy smell if the wind is in the right direction.

Two Med Gulls swams past the island:
Common Terns were active - see them on the Rye Harbour web-cam:
http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/ryeharbour2.php



The gull chicks are very well camouflaged.