December started with mostly overcast but dry days, sometimes feeing very cold in the north wind. Towards the middle of the month the weather changed, becoming warmer and very wet.
On Boxing Day, Thursday 26th December, a cool misty start with no wind and an uncommon sight - blue skies - after floods on Christmas Eve and hail on Christmas Day. The river was still fast and muddy - but down to the level it was before the storm, about 1.5 meters below the top of the banks along Boldings Brook.
Robins were singing loudly, bringing the riverside to life (26) each in charge of its own territory. House sparrows too were active inside their hedgerows and bramble patches (30) and woodpigeons (34) could be seen in most trees, with some cooing in the ivy - they could well be nest-building even at this time of the year. Blue tits (48) and great tits (20) were all busy foraging for insects emerging in the sun or on seeds. The sun lit up the colours of our winter visitors, the redwing (19) making their way gradually along the riverside Blackthorn thickets; there were certainly more than could be seen, hiding amongst the tangled twigs and branches, swallowing sloes......but seldom posing, unlike this blackbird:
Robins were singing loudly, bringing the riverside to life (26) each in charge of its own territory. House sparrows too were active inside their hedgerows and bramble patches (30) and woodpigeons (34) could be seen in most trees, with some cooing in the ivy - they could well be nest-building even at this time of the year. Blue tits (48) and great tits (20) were all busy foraging for insects emerging in the sun or on seeds. The sun lit up the colours of our winter visitors, the redwing (19) making their way gradually along the riverside Blackthorn thickets; there were certainly more than could be seen, hiding amongst the tangled twigs and branches, swallowing sloes......but seldom posing, unlike this blackbird:
A Blackbird enjoying a few of the sloes in a Blackthorn thicket
on the river bank.
Many more birds were in the same thicket feeding, some on the fruits and others collecting insects on the floating islands of debris on the river surface - all manner of good things, seeds too from the riverbank grasses and flower heads. Birds delight in floating debris made up of twigs, branches, grasses leaves, fruits, berries and stalks from riverbank plants - as these islands are usually rich sources of food and provide platforms for bathing and preening, sheltered by the high banks.
These islands are shared by blue and great tits, house sparrows, blackbirds, goldfinches, chaffinches (8) today - and a moorhen.
Eleven song thrushes were seen, foraging under hedges, on the river debris, some chasing each other and some just singing from prominent branches - all were much easier to see than the shy redwings. Blackbirds (20) too were easily seen and sometimes heard uttering alarm calls but none heard singing yet. A loose party of long-tailed tits (23) flew into an Ash tree, foraging for a few seconds then moving on to an old oak, leaving some of the group behind. Quiet contact calls kept the large party together, all following in the same direction.
The other winter visitors, the fieldfares (13) were mostly keeping to the trees with one or two foraging on the saturated ground around the pond. A fine large mistle thrush was lit up by the low sun on a high branch in an oak, where a crow, starling and group of fieldfare were also perched. It was good to see large numbers of starlings - a close-knit group of about 50 flying across over the trees and splitting up to circle around, choosing their trees. Others were already perched together, whistling as if roosting (76). The soggy conditions had attracted numbers of carrion crows (22), with jackdaws (3) and rooks (2), 4 magpies, 8 black-headed gulls and 6 herring gulls. A small group of goldfinches (5) flew across to join others, invisible in their thicket.
Looking south, droplets of water, melted frost, on the dog rose and blackthorn glistened in the low sun, shining with all the colours of the rainbow - and a great-spotted woodpecker flew from a riverside oak across into another oak where it clung to a branch, a fine sight in the sun, then a second one flew across too, from tree to tree (2).
At last! a loud yaffle from a green woodpecker from the long grasses and another yaffle further down the river revealed a second green woodpecker flying low over grass (2). Amongst the trees - a good view of a nuthatch quietly foraging, then in another tree, a glimpse of a redwing and an angry call from another nuthatch. In a thicket occupied by elusive redwing, a third nuthatch was seen together with the roaming party of long-tailed tits and a very active squirrels (3). Under the trees and brambles, wrens (5) were too busy foraging to sing. A treecreeper was seen upside down rapidly moving along a branch and 3 dunnocks were seen, one perched high in a tree, starting to sing as if it was fooled into thinking it was spring....
Facing into the sun, looking amongst the dense branches of a conifer, some tiny birds were moving fast. These were 3 goldcrests, choosing the sunlit side to forage. Another small bird, probably a summer visitor which has decided to stay put - a silent chiffchaff - a fine view in the sunshine in a blackthorn thicket.
It is worth noting that both the floating islands of debris and the tangled blackthorn thickets today were full of birds all sharing the available food, with no bickering, attacking or chasing!
These islands are shared by blue and great tits, house sparrows, blackbirds, goldfinches, chaffinches (8) today - and a moorhen.
Eleven song thrushes were seen, foraging under hedges, on the river debris, some chasing each other and some just singing from prominent branches - all were much easier to see than the shy redwings. Blackbirds (20) too were easily seen and sometimes heard uttering alarm calls but none heard singing yet. A loose party of long-tailed tits (23) flew into an Ash tree, foraging for a few seconds then moving on to an old oak, leaving some of the group behind. Quiet contact calls kept the large party together, all following in the same direction.
The other winter visitors, the fieldfares (13) were mostly keeping to the trees with one or two foraging on the saturated ground around the pond. A fine large mistle thrush was lit up by the low sun on a high branch in an oak, where a crow, starling and group of fieldfare were also perched. It was good to see large numbers of starlings - a close-knit group of about 50 flying across over the trees and splitting up to circle around, choosing their trees. Others were already perched together, whistling as if roosting (76). The soggy conditions had attracted numbers of carrion crows (22), with jackdaws (3) and rooks (2), 4 magpies, 8 black-headed gulls and 6 herring gulls. A small group of goldfinches (5) flew across to join others, invisible in their thicket.
Looking south, droplets of water, melted frost, on the dog rose and blackthorn glistened in the low sun, shining with all the colours of the rainbow - and a great-spotted woodpecker flew from a riverside oak across into another oak where it clung to a branch, a fine sight in the sun, then a second one flew across too, from tree to tree (2).
At last! a loud yaffle from a green woodpecker from the long grasses and another yaffle further down the river revealed a second green woodpecker flying low over grass (2). Amongst the trees - a good view of a nuthatch quietly foraging, then in another tree, a glimpse of a redwing and an angry call from another nuthatch. In a thicket occupied by elusive redwing, a third nuthatch was seen together with the roaming party of long-tailed tits and a very active squirrels (3). Under the trees and brambles, wrens (5) were too busy foraging to sing. A treecreeper was seen upside down rapidly moving along a branch and 3 dunnocks were seen, one perched high in a tree, starting to sing as if it was fooled into thinking it was spring....
Facing into the sun, looking amongst the dense branches of a conifer, some tiny birds were moving fast. These were 3 goldcrests, choosing the sunlit side to forage. Another small bird, probably a summer visitor which has decided to stay put - a silent chiffchaff - a fine view in the sunshine in a blackthorn thicket.
It is worth noting that both the floating islands of debris and the tangled blackthorn thickets today were full of birds all sharing the available food, with no bickering, attacking or chasing!
The Arun under blue skies 2 days after the storm when it burst
its banks
After a stormy sleepless night with very strong winds and torrential rain, Christmas Eve dawned with the rivers in flood. The wind and rain abated and eventually the flood waters receded, the muddy waters of the Arun flowing out into the sea at low tide at Littlehampton.
The view from 'the seat on the hill' on 24th December 2013.
The Arun is flowing from the left and Boldings Brook from
the right, forming a vast lake all the way to the A24 and beyond.
On the grass a group of Fieldfare had moved in to take advantage of the fine feeding to be enjoyed on the waterlogged ground. A pair of Mallard were also quite unconcerned.
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