Thanks
Wurzel, but it was complete luck with the Med Gull. I was just taking a few shots illustrating the local flooding. It was only when I put them on my laptop that the jet black head popped out at me! I’ve been having similar issues with the weather, more often than not, only sunny when I’m at work…except on my lunch break!!!
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March 2024
Thursday 7th. The best chance of sun today looked like it was at the other end of the southern rail service. Being a weekday, most lines were actually running so I had the opportunity to sample the new improved (read extortionate) fares. After having to change trains on what was meant to be a direct route due to a late running one, I made it to Shoreham with the intention of wandering up to Lancing ring and environs. It did initially look promising, thin hazy cloud did seem to be allowing enough warmth through. With the tide on the way out, a few birds were breakfasting along the estuary, this Oystercatcher seemed very good at locating marine worms in the silt.
A bold Wren wasn’t bothered by my close approach. He’d probably already had breakfast and was now simultaneously telling all other local male Wrens to politely vacate the premises whilst informing all local females they should come and take a look at his particular brand of supreme maleness!
Unfortunately, by the time I’d reached Lancing Ring the cloud had thickened, the temperature had cooled and there was little chance of a butterfly sighting. Birds it was then! I found a pair of Great-spotted Woodpeckers drumming to each other. The female showed well, it looked like she was looking for a place to dig a nest site in between flying back to a dead branch to ‘chat’ to her mate.
Further on The Skylarks were in good voice overhead, and sometimes on the path in front of me.
Joining them in the stubble were a flock of Reed Buntings.
Birds of Prey were out in force too, yet another Peregrine sighting for me as one drifted over towards Mill Hill.
I’d decided to walk along to Cissbury Ring and down in one of the valleys to one side of the path a Pair of Kites were playing in the wind and showing off to each other, all part of pair bonding. It made a change to be able to look down on them rather than up, although the background did confuse my auto focus a fair bit and getting some action shot as they dive bombed each other proved impossible.
The rest of the walk up to Cissbury Ring was rather uneventful, if anything it just grew colder, so I turned and made my way back. Two hours after passing them the first time the two Kites were still playing in the same valley, I managed to capture a less than flattering moment this time.
As you can see from the background the cloud had all but vanished and I was going to hightail back to Lancing Ring when out the corner of my eye I saw a couple more birds appear over the rise. My initial thought of ‘oooh they look big’ was immediately followed by an utterance of “bloody hell, Eagles”… or words to that effect! They were much closer than my last encounter and I manged to capture some nice action shots as they, like the Kites, played in the wind. Based on the plumage (the black edging on the tail feathers and the slightly jagged edge of the secondaries) these look like sub adults, at least 4 years old. The adults have completely white tail feathers and an almost ruler straight trailing edge of the wing.
Anyway, they eventually drifted off westwards and with the sun now fully out I made my way back to Lancing Ring to find some sunny spots sheltered from the stiff breeze. It was certainly warm enough here but not even a sniff of a butterfly. Too little, too late perhaps but one thing I did notice was an almost complete lack of nectar sources, just a few Dandelions and a couple of Prunus sapling were in flower, so I suspect anything that had already awoken from hibernation had already dispersed to find something to feed on.
On the way back to Shoreham a Buzzard flew overhead, I didn’t realise it had a Vole until looking at the pictures later.
And down at the Estuary some Greater Black-backed Gulls towered over the Herring Gulls.
I had a half day the next day and the forecast suggested sun all day, fingers crossed the local butterflies had started to wake up!
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Sterling work with the Comma too, I've yet to find one of those this year, mind you the weather hasn't been too conducive of late 
