Chidham and Hambrook Village - everyday

Birds

Yellowhammer

The harbour now seems eerily quiet as the bulk of the winter visitors have departed for their breeding grounds. The background cronking of Brent Geese and whistling of Wigeon, has yet to be replaced by the shrill call of Terns feeding in the harbour.

Away from the water it is a different story, listen for male birds are singing to attract mates and defend territories. Yellowhammers - see photo (now sadly a much rarer sight) will be singing from hedgerows with their ‘little bit of bread and no cheese’ call.

Foxes will have given birth to their cubs (photo) and as the cubs grow so does their appetite. Vixens will have to hunt in the day to get enough food for their families.

Water Voles become increasingly active as they start their breeding cycle. Bats are also emerging from hibernation. This week I saw my first bats of the year, two Pipistrelles zooming around at roof height in the garden.

Despite the warm weather I haven't seen many butterflies, (other observers are having more luck!!). However, I have recorded Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Brimstone , all of which over-winter as adults. There have also been reports of Orange Tip , a species that over-winters as a pupa and emerges in the Spring. Moths recently sighted include Small Quaker, Clouded Drab (photo) and Hebrew Character.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Red Breasted Merganser

Winter has finally caught up with us, with the first consistent periods of sub zero temperatures. Birds should be fine as they will have taken advantage of the mild weather to build up fat reserves.
Despite the weather, signs of Spring are evident, especially amongst the duck species. Ducks tend to pair up on the wintering grounds where courtship rituals can be seen as they make or reinforce a relationship. Look out for Red-breasted Mergansers (photo), their courtship involves lots of rigorous head bobbing and drakes swimming in circles around females.

The Harbour Seals will be not be greatly affected by the drop in temperature, their thick layer of blubber insulates them from the cold. Wood Mice are making good use of the plentiful crop of acorns. Our Rangers found a huge stash hidden under a sheet of tin in Salterns Copse.

Some early butterflies such as Brimstone will appear towards the end of the month. Moths such as Spring Usher, Common Quaker (photo) and Satellite will be flying throughout February.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Red Breasted Merganser

Looking back to my notes from last year, the weather couldn't be more different. Last January we were gripped in some of the coldest conditions for decades. The current weather we are told by meteorologists is near to the average for the time of year, but it does seem incredibly mild.

The mild weather has possibly resulted in some species such as Red-breasted Merganser (left) and Shelduck arriving in smaller numbers. But it has meant that other species may stay on here rather than escape frozen conditions as they did last year.

The mild weather should also made life easier for our non-hibernating mammals such as Water Vole and Roe Deer. However, it could be problematic for hibernating species. Mild spells can cause bat species and hedgehogs (left) to emerge from hibernation. With limited food available they can quickly use up valuable fat reserves.

It is not a completely blank time of year for insects. Look for the Winter Moth (left) which can often be seen on night-time car journeys, attracted toward you car lights. The caterpillars of the Winter Moth are one of the key food sources for Blue Tits feeding chicks in the Spring.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Dunlin

Water voles are much less active in the winter months. They don't hibernate but do spend more time in their burrows feeding on grasses and other vegetation they have stored during the Autumn. You may however, see the small ‘lawns' of close cropped grass they create outside their river bank burrows.

A few hardy butterflies are still on the wing, including three Red Admirals in my garden at the weekend. Common Darter Dragonflies are also still around, but the first frosts will soon diminish most insect activity.
The exceptions are some species of moth. The variety and number of moths do decrease in the winter months, but a succession of species occur throughout most of the year. Species now appearing in my garden include the aptly named November and Autumnal Moths.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Dartford Warbler

Bats will only be active now on warmer evenings, and will be spending more time in torpor slowing their systems down to conserve energy. They will go into full hibernation by the end of the month at the latest.

A few hardy butterflies are still on the wing, including three Red Admirals in my garden at the weekend. Common Darter Dragonflies are also still around, but the first frosts will soon diminish most insect activity.
The exceptions are some species of moth. The variety and number of moths do decrease in the winter months, but a succession of species occur throughout most of the year. Species now appearing in my garden include the aptly named November and Autumnal Moths.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Spoonbill - a rarity

92 Ringed Plover and 103 Sanderling were colour ringed. These birds can now be individually indentified so we can increase our knowledge of their movements.

The un-seasonally warm weather has enabled many butterfly species to extend their flying season. A walk will generally result in sighting Speckled Wood, Small White, Red Admiral, Peacock and perhaps Small Copper. There were also a few migrant Clouded Yellow butterflies seen in the last week. The succession of moth species is continuing with Flounced Rustic, Lunar Underwing and Brindled Green all making an appearance in my garden over the last few days.
Dragonflies are still flying with Migrant Hawker, Common Darter and Emporer seen over the last week.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Cattle Egret

I walked through Salterns Copse first thing this morning and it was alive with birds. There was a mixed group of tits ( Great, Blue and Long-tailed ) and warblers ( Chiffchaff and Willow ) picking their way through and along a pile of brash. The warblers are probably migrants waiting for a break in the weather to move south. Other migrants such as Wheatears and Yellow Wagtails are also congregating in coastal areas, feeding up and awaiting the chance to continue their onward journey. 

Migrating waders such as Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Redshank and small numbers of Spotted Redshank , are also present in the harbour. Some will over-winter in the harbour, but many more will continue further south. The first of the returning Brent Geese are expected towards the end of the month.  
Osprey have been regularly sighted around the harbour and a Cattle Egret has been feeding alongside cattle at Eames Farm (a first for the site).

Fox and Badger cubs, will be fending for themselves, while Roe kids will remain at their mothers side sometimes right until the following Spring. Female Hedgehogs will still have their family in tow. Later in the Autumn, the mother will find an area with plenty of food and then essentially abandon the young to feed up and find a suitable hibernation site on their own.
This is one of the most active months for bats. They are busily feeding to build up fat reserves for a long winter of hibernation and also attempting to attract mates.

The stormy conditions that we have seen at the start of September, have significantly affected our efforts at insect watching. In sheltered spots you can still find Common Blue, Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies. But on a walk around a nice woodland site, I only saw a single, rather battered looking Speckled Wood. On a less windy day I spotted a single Clouded Yellow, my first of the year. This species is a migrant, originating in North Africa and Southern Europe.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

It is a quiet time of year for birds. A few migrant birds are passing through. Other species have finished breeding and keep their heads down while they moult. Juvenile birds of many species can be seen around the harbour, including Lapwing (photo ), Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher . Some species such as the terns; Common, Sandwich and Little seem to still be sitting on eggs. Terns usually only attempt to produce one brood per year. However, if a nest is lost early in the season they may try again. Other species such as Robin and Skylark raise multiple broods.

The short spells of rain have freshened up the grassy vegetation. This benefits grassland butterflies such as Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Marbled White and Large, Small and Essex Skippers (photo), all of which are on the wing now. With the warmer nights most of us are leaving windows open and you may find moths attracted to your lights. Contrary to their reputation of being drab and brown some are so colourful they put our butterflies to shame.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds

Roe deer are now in there rust red summer pelage (coat). The doe will usually give birth to two spotty kids which they leave laying separately in grass (photo) and other vegetation, and return regularly to suckle them. If you happen to find an ‘abandoned' kid leave it be, the doe will not be far away and will return once you have gone.
Young animals including Fox and Badger cubs will start to venture away from their birth place and if you are very lucky you may see a family group of weasels being taught how to hunt by their mother.

It has been a good Spring so far for our butterfly species. Recently I have sighted Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Speckled Wood (photo), Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Small White . I haven't seen a great deal of dragon or damsel flies yet this year, just the odd Large Red and Emperor dragonflies.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds
This month look out for Blue Tits (photo) busily collecting materials such as feather and wool to line their nests. House Sparrows can be seen carrying grass and straw whereas House Martins will have beakfuls of mud for constructing nests.

Ponds are now full of masses of tadpoles. As they get bigger you can distinguish the frog tadpoles which are speckled, while toads are uniformly black (or dark brown).

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds
The harbour now seems somewhat empty as the bulk of the winter visitors have departed to their breeding areas. Brent geese colour-ringed on Hayling Island this winter, were recorded doing the jump from Chichester Harbour to Holland overnight.

Water Voles will be becoming more active as they also start their breeding cycle.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds
Most of the resident garden birds like Blue and Great Tits, Robins and Wrens are busy looking for places to nest. Many of them will use nest boxes if you have installed one in your garden. If you are quick there is still a chance to put one up, but don’t be disappointed if they don’t use it in the first year. I have recently seen Rooks carrying nesting material back to nests and a Black Swan (a pair of these introduced Australasian species reside around the harbour) has reportedly already started laying eggs.

The Conservancy Rangers spotted some mad march Hares boxing on farmland at Bosham. Brown Hare boxing is actually females fending off unwanted males, rather than the males fighting as had been previously thought.

Water vole activity is stepping up with some sightings at Brook Meadow and ample signs of their presence located at Fishbourne Meadows.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds
With the warming weather, spells of sunshine and lengthening days, we are all thinking ahead to the Spring. For our bird life this is especially true, with evidence of birds getting on with the breeding cycle everywhere you look.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

Birds
The cold weather marking the end of 2010 had an effect on the bird life around the harbour. The frozen conditions make life hard for most bird species particularly those that feed on soft mud or in shallow water. This results in birds either staying put and relying on depleting fat reserves (which if the weather continues may lead to death) or attempting to move to an area where they can feed, typically further south. This movement resulted in some species such as the Lttle Egret all but abandoning the harbour, but also in some interesting new arrivals in the area. With the milder weather that we are now experiencing we can now enjoy them with a clearer conscience.

Please report any interesting sightings to the Harbour Office, particularly of breeding birds and water voles. Tel: 01243 512301
harbourmaster@conservancy.co.uk

COBNER BUZZARDS TAKING FLIGHT.

LONGMERE September 2008

Up above, the majestic parents leading by example [Oh, that is an example for many earth-bound folk], showing where, finding the way through streams of air, higher and higher, were followed by the two brave young devoted children, never wavering on and up, exulting maybe in the newly found glory of freedom, before away, away to new life. Bred, reared and fledged - another success.

This force of nature lifted me too, my spirit soared after days of dismal drip and howling windy rain. I smiled, laughed and had to share the precious moment,

“ Penny! Come and see!”,
“I am seeing, there are three.”
“ No four.”
“ Oh yes, four!”

Four spirits ascending - is this an illusion? If so does that matter?

The great poet wrote of the ‘Blythe Spirit' singing with joy; in reality territorial rage and outcry. So this is just internal impressionistic folly, but from such a misperception, such an outcome! Words immortal, and illusions that inspire us on through our imperfect knowledge - through a glass darkly- maybe to heroic deeds, protected from grim reality.

Do avian creatures have special effect upon us earthbound humans? Yes, I think they do.
Has this always been so? Well, there is not much evidence in the cave paintings, but then those artefacts were, we think, all about essential hunting for food, for life and life was desperate, on the edge. Maybe our ancestors had no time for indulgences and luxuries of leisure or contemplation, much like the majority of society through the ages. Did they stop to think about the Why of existence? Evidence indicates they were no less intelligent than modern man, but just lacked the accumulated experience from whence some of us derive wisdom. Sometime, somewhere they found their Gods and they probably had customs, superstitions and beliefs. Maybe today's spectacle would have had great significance. It certainly stirred atavistic feelings in me which energised and made me feel restless.

What should I do? Have another drink - having opened a particularly good bottle of red wine. Better, probably, than going out to hunt and kill something, or be killed. Was this then a siren call? Are such calls bad or just a challenge for us to make a decision?

Is that not what we are here for - to make decisions?

The View From Upon High

Somewhat predictably, the first thing most people comment upon in my presence is my height. I am, especially to those of mature years, considered a “tall” fellow, standing at approximately six feet and four inches high. But, this is midget-esque when compared to the real giants of our environment, the majestic beauties of coniferous and deciduous varieties, the leafed wonders of monstrous fortitude and charisma, the Trees.

Some of these titans scar the sky at heights of 370 or so feet, though these are not to be seen in West Sussex for fear of being converted into a magnificent carved hull. Instead, I had to make do with local varieties of notable height. Standing at somewhere around the 60-80 foot mark (I couldn't be entirely sure without a theodylite), I was confident I could climb the mightiest trees without fear of Instant Death Syndrome affecting me on my journey down. Climbing barefoot with only a pair of shorts and a tee shirt with no safety equipment or helmets, my safety was less than assured. My biggest worry was that the past two years of partial muscle atrophy had not had too significant an impact on my previous rugby physique, otherwise the task would have been nigh-on impossible. Luckily (if luck had anything to do with it), I had enough reserve in my fibres to scale the trees with relative ease, my elongated limbs proving more than sufficient to grapple, shimmy, leap and grasp at passing branches as I progressed up the trees.

The first tree climbed was a colossal oak at the edge of the caravan fields adjacent to Cobnor House – an ideal starting point as it provided many challenges and beautiful vistas. Rather like Italy , I suppose. The beginning was easy, the next bit ridiculously bloody difficult and rest of it, like a jungle gym at a playground: far too easy. But the views at the top were simply magnificent; the undulating downs in the far distance, the young sailors out on the water in their distinct yellow sails and a view of the entire peninsula only obscured by other, also beautiful, trees. A view of the House never before seen was presented to me. The smells of fresh, pure oak was rich in the air, undimmed by the usual air of decaying leaves we encounter at the base of such a tree. My hair, arms and even my pockets were catchment areas for the debris of climbing. My shorts, a dull khaki, were stained a deep, forest green from the gnarled bark I rubbed against on my journey up. Several small birds circled nearby, flittering with themselves between my tree and the one opposite, their territory marked with their black and white omelettes on the trees branches. As I sat in a three-pronged fork near the very peak, I muttered to myself, “…Et In Arcadia Ego,” for this was, to us Great Apes, a most natural and desirable habitat, and one of true serenity.

Unlike most things in wildlife, it is the dead who truly provide the worst enemy. Relying on them at the wrong moment, or even at all, could put one up against the Forces of Gravity for a very quick, one sided battle with a clear winner at the end. Agility and stability are one's greatest allies as even the strongest of people could fail miserably if they cannot balance themselves on the higher branches, with one hand trying to take photos and the other holding on to a flimsy branch. Vertigo and other natural mechanisms to prevent such potentially fatal acts as tree-climbing must be suppressed in favour of ballsy acts of reckless courage to reach the tree's zenith. All of these things only helped to make the experience more enjoyable.

The shorefront oaks were the next targets in my Dicotyledon Crusade.

At the intersection of Sea Wall and Wood, these may not be very tall, in fact they are positively miniature, but they have true character. Resembling craggy old men wizened and battered by the coarse, salty sea breeze and hunched against the elements in their perennial struggle, they do say a considerable amount about the nobility of trees. Exposed and assaulted from a multitude of directions, only helped out by their bigger, muscled brothers in the rear, they stand resolute and dignified as they make a powerful case for their right to exist. Where human efforts to plant around them have more often failed, these fellows have twisted and grotesque shapes as they dare to defy their merciless enemies. The Kingdom they hold is a just one, and with no shortage of exceptional vistas, they shade and comfort many who pass and pause to absorb the sights from beneath their boughs. As one views the world from their tops, a panorama taking in all from Ichenor to the Isle of Wight to Hayling Island is framed by their dense, opaque leaves. The climb is an easy one: they are tightly packed, mostly horizontal limbs and have been nudged to the east by years of opposing forces so as to provide a rough, tentacle-like incline in the trunk and its extensions. Recently, little saplings have sprung up in the grass behind them. Whether they'll do as well as their forebears lies with whoever governs the merciless elements who will surely start their campaign soon.

In real terms, the horizon (or visible distance available) and one's height from the ground are intricately and quantifiably linked. At the average human eye level, roughly 5ft 7in, the horizon appears at about 2.9 miles on flat ground. This puts me at a slight advantage over other people in general and was one of the reasons I undertook this endeavour. At over 6ft 4inches, I could see, theoretically, to a distance of around three miles and bit. However, this is usually not the case as I am hindered by mild myopia and thus cannot utilise this trait to its full potential. By climbing the tallest structures of Cobnor, I can. I can peek above the canopy and stretch to limbs beyond the reach of the average human and attempt to squint at objects in the distance and try to compute just what those blurry blobs really are. How I love being short-sighted. But, at 100ft, a height I was close to on occasion but didn't quite reach on my quest, one's horizon travels a full eight miles to around 12.25 miles, opening up the majesty of the surroundings and slapping one with a sense of the intricacies of nature and its complex, wild and fascinating flora and fauna. Nature truly is the magnum opus of evolution.

The final tree of my brief journey was a towering Monterey Pine, the tallest of the trees I climbed and also the most physically demanding. Not because of its height, or its girth or even its nexus of needles and short, sharp failed branches poking into my pink flesh. No, this was the most the most challenging because of the swirling tempest the Gods had thrown my way. In the early stages, its effects were negligible to the climb (but wonderfully audible through the rustling leaves), but in the latter parts of the climb, the true benevolent fury of the wind become very clear. With each gust, as I was literally and figuratively out on a limb, the tree would sway with considerable distance, causing me to obey those exhortations within and hold on to the trunk screaming for divine intervention. Fearing for my own mortality in a most basic sense, I bravely ploughed on up the Pine, managing to pause and inhale enough intoxicating fresh pine scents and catch my breath at the same time. The exhilarating climb getting my pulse up, the loud wailing of the wind and ominous creaking of the branches playing into all my primal instincts of “this is a bad idea, me, what in the name of all that is rational are you doing?” thoughts of which were quickly suppressed by the thrill-seeking part of my mind. It paid itself in visual profits at the very end as I could gander and peruse the distant lands, thanking air for its transparency as I shook off ideas of it being visible (it was quite at the forefront of mind, you see). Here, in the midst of three of the four elements as it began to drizzle (Earth being the element I was second most worried about, as I hoped I would get to see it later at my chosen velocity), I was being annexed on all sides by the elements and felt fundamentally elemental myself – earth, bark and green stained my arms, legs, feet and shorts; the wind moved me and my host tree like we were hairs on a head; droplets of water plummeting thousands of feet just to dampen my temperament in this awesome moment.

I have always had a great affinity for trees. Our house in Ireland is named “Na Fuinseoga,” Irish for “The Ash Trees,” due to the many of them that surround our dwelling. Climbing and playing in trees formed a large chunk of my childhood, making me nostalgic for those halcyon days of yesteryear. To top it all off, due to a combination of my height, long limbs, trunk-like legs and fresh crop of unkempt facial hair in my late teens, my team-mates, in good sporting nicknaming tradition, often referred to me as “Treebeard,” or simply, “Tree.”

A moniker I was actually quite proud to hold.