Hill Road

Term has finally finished and the clocks have moved forwards. Easter has arrived and I am desperate for Spring to start again, but the Winter seems reluctant to move on. I am delighted to see that our 18 month old garden pond has received its first ever batch of frog spawn.

 Grey Squirrel having a go at the bird feeders

Sunrise over Eastbourne

Birling Gap

Still very cold and wintery. Some signs of spring at Birling gap with active House Sparrows and some visible migration on the sea.

 Birling Gap House Sparrows

 Fishing boat and gulls off Birling Gap

 Five Great Crested Grebes (plus a Herring Gull) swimming west from Birling Gap

 Corn Bunting at Birling Gap

 The sea and sky at Birling Gap

Brent Geese flying east over rough seas, from Birling Gap.

Hunting Peregrine at Birling Gap

Tiny weevil at Birling Gap

Early March

Walked at Rodmell Brooks on a cold day.

Sky over Rodmell Brooks

Male Reed Bunting at Rodmell Brooks.

Another brief visit, this time to Pagham Harbour.

Long-tailed Tit

Roe Deer, in evening light

Shooters Bottom

Wintery sky as the cold spell continues.

The sea from Shooters Bottom

Chaffinch at Shooters Bottom


A brief visit to Belle Tout wood.

Kestrel

Chaffinch

Hunting Kestrel.

Horseshoe Plantation or Belle Tout Wood.

Sovereign Harbour

I went to Sovereign Harbour to see how the over-wintering Black Guillemot's plumage was developing.

Greater Black-backed Gull

Black Guillemot. Pale winter coat turning nicely dark with the characteristic white patches developing.

Black-headed Gull

Hill Road

My time outdoors has been severely limited recently by work pressure, weather and an unfortunate car crash.

Blackbirds in the garden eating the apple we put out for them during the recent cold weather.

End of February

Some quite clear and chilly mornings at the end of February.

View over Eastbourne.

Morning sky after Eastbourne's rather meagre snowfall.

Winter Thrushes on the Levels

Cold weather on the levels and the winter thrushes are present in good numbers.

Tree full of Redwings and Fieldfares, Pevensey Levels.

Massed Fieldfares and Redwings, Pevensey Levels.

Red-throated Diver

A Winter plumaged visitor

Red-throated Diver at West Rise Marsh.

Grey Heron also at West Rise Marsh.

Brownsea Island Peacocks

There is a group of captive Indian Peafowl on Brownsea Island. They seem to spend most of their time menacing picnicers, but fortunately some of the males decided it was time to start trying to impress the females with their iconic displays.

Witnessing these displays, and managing some photographs, represented the fulfillment of a long held ambition.

Brownsea Island Red Squirrels

There are about 200 Red Squirrels on Brownsea Island. I was lucky, and manged to see three on my visit at half term. This one was determinedly raiding the bird feeder in the Dorset Wildlife Trust nature reserve.

 Sharing the feeder with a Great Tit.

 Frightening away a Chaffinch.

 Woodpigeon

 Chaffinch

Robin