My World Of Wildlife

On Sunday morning I arrived at Cissbury, Findon at 6:45 to do some bird ringing. I ringed a male Blackbird, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Male Bullfinch, Long-Tailed Tit, Dunnock and Robin. Quite a few were retraps (birds that have been caught and ringed before) but I managed to ringed around 5 or 6. So overall it was quite good for a variety of species.                                                                                           Throughout the morning I saw Red-Legged Patridge (a first for me!), 3 Linnet, Wren, Great Tit, Buzzard and 4 Swallow flying around in the field below where we were. I also heard a Rook calling.

Yesterday I went on a 2 and a half hour walk around Ashdown Forest. Although it was raining when we arrived we were lucky because as we started walking it stopped! I was looking for a Great Grey Shrike which had been reported to be there, but unfortunately we never saw it. Ashdown Forest Walking out onto Ashdown Forest the joyful sound of Chiffchaffs continuously calling was what I heard through out my time there with the occasional burst of song from a Blackbird or Wren. As we walked through some conifers out into a clearing I could see a bird bobbing along in the grass. Looking through my binoculars I could see it was a brown streaked bird, it was a Tree Pipit... Record shot- Tree Pipit We then headed down onto the main path. I could hear many birds singing in among the bright yellow gorse and Ashdown Forests renowned habitat, heathland. This is the best place to see Stonechats as they normally fly and then land on the top of grass. This is what I saw, a male and femal...

This morning I went ringing at Cissbury Ring in Findon. We arrived earlier than usual at 7 and as we did the sun was rising. It turned out to be a beautiful, mild day. Sunrise at Cissbury Ring  I started off by putting up a couple of mist nets for the first time. Throughout the day I ringed 2 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, Blue Tit, Dunnock, 2 Greenfinch and a male Bullfinch. In the photos below you can see the clear differences between the Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. The Willow Warbler as you can see here is much sleaker and has a much more visible eye stripe. Chiffchaff Willow Warbler Ringing 4 Greenfinches, 2 males and 2 females was quite nice as we could compare the two. Female Greenfinch Male Greenfinch We heard a Red-Legged Patridge, Raven, Blackbird, Skylark and Blackcap whilst we were ringing.

1. Take a walk in the woods and see if you can spot any signs of spring. Spring flowers such as Daffodils, Snowdrops and Bluebells are always a treat to see. Or see if you can hear the 'Chiff Chaff' of a Chiffchaff. I went for a walk today I saw these: Rubbish photo as its taken with my phone of some Daffodils.                           2. Visit a Nature Reserve- you never know what will turn up! I visited RSPB Pagham Habour  a few weeks ago and saw some brilliant Curlew, Golden Plover and Redshank. 3. Have a go at drawing wildlife. When its horrible outside this is one of my favourite things to do. Try drawing your favourite bird or animal. In 2014 I posted some of my wildlife art which you can see here: www.myathebirder.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/my-wildlife-art.html  I have drew many other drawings since then I am planning to upload them soon. 4. Wash your bird feeders. Although not the most int...

Yesterday I went bird ringing at Cissbury and met my new trainer, Val. What struck me first when we finally arrived was the view.                             There wasn't much in the way of birds but I did ring a nice male Bullfinch, Robin, Dunnock and Song Thrush. I also took down one of the Nets on my own for the first time (It was harder than I thought!) I am looking forward to going ringing there again in the next few weeks. 

Sorry for the lack of blog posts over the last few weeks, unfortunately I have been busy with school once again, although I hope to do some birding in the Easter holidays. At the weekend I visited Millers Wood in Handcross for a bird photography workshop with John Stanton. John Stanton is a fantastic wildlife photographer who has recently purchased a piece of woodland and is starting to create a wildlife haven as well as offer bird hides that are available to rent and photography workshops. I was pretty impressed with the workshop itself as the set-up is adaptable meaning I can get different shots. It was also relaxed and not at all pressured so I could get the best shots of my ability. John was very helpful and knowledgeable and advised me on my settings and how I can get the best shots with my camera and the light available. I would highly recommend having a look on his website where you can find all the details on how to book a workshop and how to rent a hide: www.johnstanto...

Yesterday I visited Warnham Nature Reserve, the weather was looking promising so I thought it would be quite good for some photography. When I got into the visitor centre they told me that there were 2 Red kites hanging around the lake. I was lucky as when I got into the first hide one of the first birds I saw was indeed a Red Kite. It was circling around on the far side of the lake. As I got it focused in my binoculars the bright red and orange really showed well when the sun hit it. On the lake there were the usual pair of Mute Swans, 2 Great Crested Grebes displaying in the distance and a Grey Wagtail also appeared in front of the hide. It was quite nice to see 2 Little Egrets, a new species for Warnham. On the feeders there were quite a few species including Redpoll, Siskin, Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Long-Tailed Tit, Reed Bunting and Blackbird. Robin Redpoll Redpoll Male Reed Bunting Female Reed Bunting ...