Back in the Saddle

I have been slightly out of love with the whole birding/photography thing for a while now. That happens to me from time to time for no good reason that I can think of. Today however, the glory of the whole business came back following (during really) a morning at Titchfield Haven on the south coast followed by an afternoon at one of my favourite Surrey spots, Thursley Common.
Having waited around until 9.30 for the reserve to open, one of my first encounters was this starling. Apparently, they are black; not today however as this one lit up in true shimmering fashion with the benefit of a little sunshine. In different images, this guy is seemingly headless, and perhaps in need of a good scratch - just magnificent colours.

Another common bird (and one that I have struggled to capture on camera), is the humble pheasant, this one putting its magnificent head above the vegetation with which it contrasts so vividly and beautifully.

Sticking with common birds, the reserve teems with black headed gulls; noisy, argumentative and not always that popular but still capable of looking almost elegant at this time of year. The reserve also boasts good numbers of Mediterranean gull (no photo) and lesser black backed gull (photo, enjoying a relatively rare bit of sun).

There are a good many nest boxes around the place, this blue tit was prospecting one very near the pathway on the east side of the reserve.

Close to the same spot, was this green veined white butterfly, as gorgeous looking at the underwing as from the traditional angle.

There are no warblers in these images but I saw some five different species in my short stay; willow warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap, sedge warbler and Titchfield absolutely drips cettis warblers. I seem to have travelled quite a distance without mentioning waders but Titchfield is inevitably good for them, notably the west side with its scrapes and wader islands. Avocet abound, busily sweeping those iconic bills from side to side but also being mobbed by any lapwing or gull that feels an urge to bully them. Lapwings are however almost as beautiful so I guess I can forgive them that. The oystercatcher in the last wader image seems to have grown a second bill, as if the first one isn't ridiculous enough!

Can't leave out wildfowl and in amongst the mallards and teal, was this shelduck, apparently looking straight at me as if I had done something reprehensible at his expense. Not guilty.

I rounded off my day at the beautiful Thursley National Nature Reserve, a stunning area of wet and dry heathland, conifer and deciduous woodland topped by wide open skies to go with the big landscape. Photography a bit trickier here and with that in mind, you will find an image of a confiding chiffchaff (confiding by chiffchaff standards anyway) and a shot of dartford warbler which in truth, is more a shot a gorse with a dartford warbler in it, it is however, the only image I have until I go back for another try. On that second try, I will also be be looking to capture images of a number of heathland specialists I saw today albeit at some distance, namely woodlark, tree pipit, stonechat, redstart and Surrey's only breeding curlew (and what a haunting, beautiful call that is to hear across the wilds of Thursley!).