Pallid harrier

Spent three hours yesterday on the downs above Burpham near Arundel,watching the stunning PALLID HARRIER.
Pallid harriers usually breed on the Russian steppes and overwinter in India or Africa, only about one a year is seen in the UK. This bird is an immature one with a chestnut red breast,and bold face markings.
Other birds of prey seen in the area were a male hen harrier,red kite,2 hobbies sparrowhawks,kestrels and at least a dozen buzzards.

Summer in the Tarn, France

Hot and sunny in the South west of France in early july,fields of warm yellow sunflowers standout against the backdrop of a bright blue sky.
Small groups of black kites follow the harvesters, picking off small mammals and insects caught out in the open, while a short-toed eagle circles overhead.
We took a drive into the hills above Salvagnac and soon found a few pair of bee eaters hawking for insects from the power lines,and a honey buzzard soaring on the thermals.
Glad to see the hoopoes are back in the area,but are still very wary,one landed 40ft from me but was soon gone again.Lot of pairs of black redstarts feeding their young, some having already fledged.

                                    scarce swallowtail

                            humming-bird hawk moth

                                           bee eaters

Always plenty of interesting insects around including some very bright red dragonflies I've not seen before.
Butterflies of interest were the cleopatra brimstone,southern white admiral and the graceful scarce swallowtail.
A few warm evenings  spent drinking wine and watching the humming-bird hawk moths.

Pagham sunset

Another glorious sunset over Pagham harbour late friday evening,with just the reed warblers singing and a cuckoo calling.Still some black-tailed godwits on the breach pool, now in full summer plumage,lots of swifts and swallows hunting insects over the water.

Somerset levels

Spent a few hours walking and birdwatching at Shapwick heath on the Somerset levels this afternoon with M.
Highlights included a fine male marsh harrier hunting over the reed beds,two bitterns seen and three booming males heard,three cuckoos seen close together, and over a dozen hobbies catching newly emerged four-spotted and broad-bodied chaser dragonflies above the reeds.
The whole area was alive with the birdsongs of willow warbler,chiff chaff, whitethroat,blackcap and reed warbler.

Back at Pagham Harbour

Took a walk along the North wall at Pagham harbour this evening, for the first time in nearly three weeks. Spring is well under way now, and the first swallows and house martins were hawking insects over the Breach pool, and both reed and sedge warblers had joined the cetti's and were all singing in the reedbeds.

A few black-tailed godwits remain on the breach pool,and look stunning in their summer plumage. A pair of little ring plovers have also returned to the breach pool and hopefully will breed again this year.

The first few little egrets are back in Owl copse again ,displaying and making their strange courtship calls, hopefully another good breeding season for them as well!

Hooded Merganser

Got a call yesterday from Rob at Pagham harbour V.centre to tell me that there was a hooded merganser on the ferry pool.This could be the bird that was rescued in dorset and has been around lodmoor for a few years. Also alot of chiffchaffs moving through now and the first few wheatears.

Early spring at Pagham harbour

Despite the cold east wind, there were definite signs of spring in the air today down at Pagham harbour. Many of the winter ducks have already left for their northern breeding grounds and the brent geese will soon be on their way back to Arctic Russia. Some of the wadeing birds like the oystercatchers and lapwings are already starting to display and pair up.