The sudden change from torrential rain squalls on Tuesday and Wednesday to silent morning mists giving way to warm sunshine on Friday 11th March 2016 was dramatic on the riverside.
The ground was littered with small twigs and branches from the old trees - just self-pruning - and after a very quiet start in dense mist, the morning turned into a fine day. Birds on the riverside woke up and burst into song, crowding into the sun-lit branches from their sheltered roosts.
Green shoots appearing amongst the bare branches on the river bank
In the background, high volume singing - and a high level of activity too - there was no wind to
carry unwanted noise across. Under the trees, cow parsley was showing its brilliant green leaves.The first signs of spring were suddenly appearing - from a bridge over the Arun a chiffchaff could be seen silently foraging for insects in the bank side trees, then a grey wagtail appeared flying rapidly upstream, calling as it came out from under the bridge, low over the surface of the water. It turned and returned to fly under the bridge then emerged again, this time followed closely by another grey wagtail.
Viewed form above, they are unmistakable, with very long tails. They both turned again and as
they did so a fine kingfisher flew up from the bank into a low tree. Perhaps their loud calls had disturbed it from its perch on a branch overlooking the river. Higher up, three long-tailed tits were chasing each other through the branches, whilst the grey wagtails continued skimming the river. This was all happening within a few minutes - less that five.
More long-tailed tits (total 16) were seen elsewhere along the river, in ones and twos, then activity in the dense brambles revealed concerted nest-building. Three birds were contributing to the building of a very well-camouflaged nest, coming and going continuously at times all converging with nest material
with three tails visible as they added interior nest lining materials. The extra 'helper' will leave and may possibly return later to help the parents feed the young. I haven't seen 'helpers' helping with the building of a nest before, but this would speed up the long laborious work which can take two weeks to complete. Further along the river, more nesting was well underway, with good views of a long-tailed with it's beak full of soft feathers, provided by a preening wood pigeon in the same tree.
Blue tits (47) were very active but are in no hurry to start nesting, although some time is spent prospecting for suitable locations. One was seen bathing in the river under some tree roots, almost swimming in the moving water. A minute later it was seen again, soaking wet flying up onto a sunlit branch to preen and dry out. Very smart great tits (21) were making thorough inspections of nest holes in old tree trunks or calling loudly from any perch where they could be seen and heard. Soft calls were heard in an old hedgerow where it joined the river bank then a female bullfinch emerged from the twigs and ivy, intent on foraging on the leaf buds, then a few minutes later a smart male bullfinch appeared in the same area, it's colours gleaming when it moved out of the shade.
Blackbirds were very numerous again today (34), foraging on the grass and chasing into the brambles, some alarm calls were hear and short bursts of song but no long songs yet, they seem to be preoccupied with feeding in damp shady areas. House sparrows prefer dry, warm sunny locations and today there were at least 120 in various groups along the river, some in hedges and ivy, others in the Blackthorn, 12 feeding on insects low on the river bank, about 15 sharing a hedge with starlings, all singing loudly, others in a dense bramble patch and lastly, as I was leaving, about 8 sitting, sunbathing with wings spread out, on branches of a tree in a hedge which was in full sun. Starlings were seen in good numbers (at least 70), some sharing the sunny sides of thickets with the house sparrows, all singing, whilst others shared trees with singing goldfinches (at least 35). High up in a tree about 12 linnets were singing too which formed quite a varied chorus with all the songs combined. They definitely don't fall silent in the presence of other bird species singing but join with them regardless. Calling chaffinches were heard and seen in small numbers (6), not yet singing full songs when they will make themselves more visible and 3 greenfinches, one calling, were seen.
Robins today were obviously prospecting for suitable nest sites whilst taking time off to make sure they were heard and seen by every bird on the riverside (30), perching on mossy branches in the shade and bare willows in the sun.
Wrens (23), far more secretive than the robins were however still easily visible and singing loudly from the undergrowth, tree roots and low branches over the river.
Slow-moving clouds crossed the sky from the north but there was no wind to move the branches down on the river or send birds to shelter and hide. Carrion crows (18) called, sat preening or collected moss and twigs for nest-building whilst black-headed gulls (27) were wheeling in the air and landing on the grass, in various stages of assuming their summer plumage - soon they'll be off to breed nearer the coast and will only return in the autumn. Nine noisy jackdaws appeared from the treetops in the distance and three rooks flew over, not landing. Only four herring gulls were seen in the air, more were probably foraging on the bare ground out of sight. Magpies (4) were quiet with nests to build.
Song thrushes (8) were singing loudly in their territories along the river course, quite spread out with voices carrying far in the still air. Over the river bank and out low over the grass - a Red Admiral - the first butterfly seen this year - it had probably over-wintered in a warm spot. Nearby a dunnock flew up form the river and perched close to me whilst two more chased each other on the opposite bank and several others were heard singing well, visible in the bare branches (7) and a single treecreeper was seen moving higher up then disappeared, dropping down into the roots. A great spotted woodpecker flew over from the north into its roost/nest tree, silent, unlike the nuthatches (6) most calling loudly, each defending its territory and a pair close together in the same tree. With successful breeding
over last summer their numbers are increasing and suitable local territories are hard won.
The sun was still shining when, following the fox path in the grass along the margin of the bramble patch, I heard the yaffle of a green woodpecker (but no rain in the offing) then further along, where the banks were steep I heard a mallard murmuring softly and glimpsed a pair paddling upstream then a few minutes later heard a very loud disturbance of splashing water and flapping wings - three more mallard and another two in the air (total 7).
Lastly the smallest and the largest birds on the riverside today - in the conifers, two coal tits were foraging and 7 goldcrests at least. No distracting movement from branches swaying in the wind meant that the rapid movements of the tiny birds amongst the dark evergreen foliage were more easily
detected.
Later a kestrel dropped down onto the wild field where it must have caught a small mammal as it stayed down, only just visible for a second in the long grasses, then remained hidden.
Listening to a song thrush, I heard buzzards calling and looked up - there were two buzzards displaying, approaching and circling each other, touching in vertical flight gradually drifting beyond the tree line together with a third buzzard which was gliding at a higher altitude.
Ground-ivy, a plant of the mint family, comes into flower:
