Ditchling Common

Hi there,

Have to say this blog was almost completed by Friday, but I still wanted to have a final proof read before posting. So while I am late, it isn't as bad as it first looks......................

We are all probably getting a bit tired of the gloomy days and looking forward to when we will be seeing a bit more sun. On a Monday I check the weather forecast to see when the best day will be so I can go out and get some pictures, it nearly always seems to be at times when I have other commitments. How does it know I wonder?

This week the forecast indicated that Tuesday and Thursday would be best [same forecast] so out I went on Tuesday putting on my walking boots in anticipation. As soon as I got out the car at the common I realised wellies would have been much more sensible [don't think I claimed to have common sense though]. There I was tip toeing about in ankle deep mug, [the dog walkers I met were all sensibly attired of course] trying not to get myself or particularly the camera too muddy. Then in the middle of trying to take shots of some swans, it started to rain. What happened to the sunny breaks I ask? Particularly as Thursday turned out to be glorious. Weak sun [or otherwise] coming through the mist would have made a really good photo. Ah well. they say that photographers are always complaining about the weather!!

Despite having seen me at several spots round the big pond on the common [more like a lake to me] one of the swans decided to get out of the water and come straight towards me. Nobody believes how big it looked. I can't move very fast at the best of times, so trying to move swiftly backwards with a tripod, 2 cameras and bag, through the mud, could not have been an elegant sight. Have to say the swan was not so elegant out of the water either, but definitely a faster mover than me.

Back to the subject matter. Ditchling Common is famous for its bluebells however we won't see them until later in the year. [The common was also in the national news in an unsavoury murder case a few years ago] .  So hopefully I will take a trip back there at a relevant time and bring you pictures of  the common covered in bluebells. It is spectacular and previous photos I have did not [in my eyes] do it justice, but if at first you don't succeed.......

At present however, it is covered in the warm brown of dead ferns. The common consists of a walk round the 'big pond' [still think its more a lake] complete with swans, ducks, moorhens, fisher persons, a huge variety of dogs and owners and in the summer there are various birds, butterflies and insects [who are probably still there now - just not so visible]. I had to pick some photo's that were typical of the common, so on this occasion you will not so a close up of my chasing swan, however if there is ever a week I can't get out for a photo and have to resort to previous weeks outings, I will consider adding it to the blog. I promise.

Not many people out enjoying the view apart from a fisherman and dog walkers.

and to prove there were swans!!

Now I have a bonus track - so to speak.

You may remember in a pervious blog that I mentioned the RSPB big bird watch. I did dutifully carry this out. We had blue tits, great tits, coal tit, nuthatch, moor hens, pheasant, jay, crows, long tailed tits, chaffinches, robins, blackbirds and a hedge sparrow [I think that was all of them]. Missing that day were our green finches, gold finches and an unwanted visitor the Sparrow Hawk [or rather a pair of them]. The Sparrow Hawk is regretfully a frequent visitor. In any other arena I would want to see it and think about how wonderful it is as it swoops down [sounds like a glider passing over head.]. They are very fast and don't seem to think much about danger from branches etc in pursuit of their meal. However, having enticed all the above wonderful little garden birds to my feeders, I feel a bit guilty about supplying a lunch buffet for the Hawk. Fortunately he/she seems to miss a lot [not for them obviously but for my little friends]. Sometimes I will be passing the window and see it sitting on top of the feeder or the bird bath. Before I can stop myself I bang on the window or yell at it to chase it off and then think, that would have made a great photo.................

Finally, [though regretfully I don't yet have a longer range zoom lens needed to get the close ups,] I did get some pictures. Hope you are impressed. He/she wasn't!!

And where will we be next week [or this week now]?

You'll have to read it to find out,

TTFN