The tide was low, and there was a lot of mud exposed that was covered with Redshank close in, and further out flocks of lapwing and Grey Plover. The difficulty was looking into the sun, which turned the mud along side White's Creek a silvery grey colour.
As always when the sun is out on a winter's afternoon here at the North Wall the light is wonderful. As the sun moved behind the billowing clouds away on the horizon, the whole scene changes, and Helen captured this lovely picture.
Looking north across the reed bed the golden light accentuated the colours in the reeds, and the water in the rife running through the reed bed reflected the golden colours.
Duck were distant, and only silhouettes against the bright sunshine. A small group of Wigeon circled around overhead, their whistling calls adding to the atmosphere, finally they came in lower and flew down to join a few that were already on the water.
As well as the calls of the wigeon, there were the peeps of male Teal as they pursued an unattached female. The males launching themselves out of the water and flicking their necks in display. These two were in stiff competition.
There was a steady stream of Herring Gulls coming from the direction of the Honer Reservoir, and these were followed by Curlew that headed out onto the mud, their calls echoing across the expanse of the mud.
The main reason we had come here was to try and get close to the Kingfisher that is regularly seen by the sluice. There were several people about, but this usually does not bother the Kingfisher, but today a couple were right down by the edge of the water, and there was no sign of the Kingfisher. Instead we had to make do with a Black-headed Gull close in and with its reflection in the still water.
I had seen a large herd of Mute Swans in the fields beyond the reed bed to the north, and then suddenly they flew off and headed out into the harbour.
While the majority of the waders feeding on the mud were Redshank, in amongst them with smaller bills, and a more stocky build were three Ruff. The light unfortunately only allowed for silhouettes, but it shows the key identification features.
Behind us a Yellowhammer called from the bushes, and was then joined by another.
The sun was falling fast, and the parade of birds overhead changed direction, groups of Cormorants heading towards the reservoir.
Even the Wigeon were getting a little restless, raising their heads to see what was going on.
It was clear that the Kingfisher was not going to return, and that there was little else moving, so we decided to head back around the peninsula to Sidlesham. As we drove along Mill Lane past the old quay, hundreds of Brent Geese streamed past overhead. An incredible sight not very well depicted by my photograph.
We arrived at he Crab and Lobster to find that there was a partial power outage, fortunately our room was alright, so we settled in after a drink for yet another relaxing stay.
The last few weekends since the new year have been rather dire weather wise, and the forecast for this Saturday was not much better. But as we awoke we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise over the harbour, but would this be a case of "red sky in morning, shepherd's warning"?
As we changed into our boots in the car park, after another wonderful breakfast a huge flock of lapwing and Golden Plover flew up over the harbour. No doubt the resident Peregrine Falcons were terrorizing the waders on the marsh.
Our concerns about the footpaths last night was borne out by the condition of the path as we headed towards the Ferry visitor centre. In the fields alongside the path there were large flocks of Linnets and Goldfinches feeding on thistles, and on the ground were Woodpigeons and Stock Doves, clearly there was a lot of seed about that was attracting the birds.
We walked through to the visitor centre, but the path through the discovery zone and the new hide was still closed so we had to walk along the road. Even though we were on the path this was quite a scary experience as one car decided to overtake another despite the speed limit and double white lines!
In the fields around the pool there were good numbers of Lapwing, Wigeon and Teal. We disturbed a Heron that was close to the path and it flew a little way off. An adult bird it was looking quite smart in breeding plumage.
The Ferry Pool itself had a few birds on it, mostly Lapwing and Black-headed Gulls
We crossed the road and set off along the bank towards Church Norton. The path was OK at first as we passed the Long Pool, and here there were seven drake Tufted Ducks who were interested in two ducks.
A metal drum at the back of the field on the other side of the bank from a distance looked like the white rump of a Roe Deer, but on investigation with the binoculars turned out to be an old drum, but on the ground were two actual Roe Deer.
Coming out of the cover of the bushes, the path became very muddy and with puddles of water. We spent a lot of the timing looking down to ensure we didn't slip, but when the ground was firmer we could scan the harbour. Out on the mud, was a group of 52 Avocet, just visible above the salt marsh.
The path dropped down out of the gorse, then back up once again through the oak trees. Scanning across the channels there was a single Great-crested Grebe, and two Little Grebes. There was no sign of the Peregrines on the islands, but on Tern Island there was a strange shape that moved, and turned out to be a Common Seal.
Our usual walk was from Church Norton down to Selsey. We had every intention of doing this, but the weather was changing, and the light drizzle was becoming heavier so I had to cover up the camera. The tide was well out, and on the shingle shelves, Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls could be seen dropping shellfish in an effort to crack them.
A single adult Mediterranean Gull flew along the edge of the water, and a little further on a male Red-breasted Merganser was fishing a little way off the beach. We walked on in the rain and finally reached the Lifeboat pub where we stooped for a drink.
Our return walk was against the clock as heavier rain was coming our way. We set off though in drizzle. At Church Norton there were huge flocks of waders wheeling over the harbour. Flocks of lapwing and Golden Plover were joined by Knot, and Dunlin. As we watched the waders I picked up a Peregrine zipping about above the waders, but not necessarily actively hunting.
As we reached the path to the visitor centre the rain stated to get heavier, and we just about made it back to the Pub without getting very wet. The rest of the afternoon though was very wet with persistent rain through out.
Once again a Saturday was a wash out, but it didn't ruin the weekend, as always the hospitality and food was excellent
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