This week’s adventure with the camera.

For these 2 visits, I had my 24 megapixel full-frame Sony a9ii camera with the Sony 200-600mm G OSS f5.6-6.3 lens attached and all photos were taken handheld without the use of a tripod/monopod at the full 600mm focal length.

March is an interesting time of the year for these places as we start to see the handover period where the winter migratory birds have all but gone and then there is a short lull whilst we wait for the inbound summer migratory birds.

I got lucky and was able to still catch sight of the beautiful female Brambling, which is around a similar size to the Chaffinch, from a fairly close 30, or so, feet (10m) distant in the trees.. I also was treated to beginnings of the Sandmartin arrival to their annual nesting sites at Arundel, where I was able to observe both the Male and the Females looking at the nest hole offerings as they decided where to set up home for the summer!

Native “garden” species such as the Dunnock (also referred to as the Hedge Sparrow) and the Robin dazzled with their stunning colours in the spring sunshine as well as plumped up female Chaffinches, heavy with eggs, blending in well against the soils on the ground.