Birds in Railway Land

Though you might like to see a few of the birds I've been watching in Lewes Railway Land Nature reserve lately?

The Green and Great spotted woodpeckers are visible almost every day but tend to stay dry in their chosen holes if it's raining. These two both have mates are the holes they are planning to nest in are both in the same willow tree just a few feet away from each other and their arguing about it distracts them from noticing me below. There are several pairs of Nuthatches in the reserve and they too like to nest in wood peckers holes if they are disused but also use natural holes in trees and always make a very hard dry entrance with a particular type of mud the allows them in but keeps out larger birds and predators.

There were 5 Herons in the ditches on Monday but they left before the walkers arrived about 7am. but a nice sight was a slightly bedraggled male Reed Bunting singing al morning from a bush in the middle of the heart of reeds.

Finally, who can resist to photograph a Robin? This one knows me well and when I get to his or her patch it waits very closely for me to clear the leaves with my foot to expose a worm or two for a snack. This is one of the tricks I teach beginners in my walks & talks so that they might get a better photo than normal.

Thanks for looking, more in the coming days, Steve