Adur Valley

Before setting off up the riverbank this afternoon we spotted three kestrels 'interacting' between the Beech tree in our garden and the large Ash tree along the back path.  It was all too quick and confusing to make out what was going on, but it reminded us that a pair had made a failed attempt to nest in the Ash tree last year.  We do not know if it was the wet weather, or persecution by our aggressive local crows that caused them to abandon the nest, but they had gone when we returned from our holiday in Pembrokeshire.
The floods have subsided to a great extent in the meadows, but there was enough water to encourage about 40 Canada Geese to hang out over towards King's Barn.  Although the weather is now much calmer than it was before Christmas the Cormorants have stuck to their new regime of roosting in the lower levels of the most southerly pylon and have not returned to their more usual location on the tops of the other pylons. There were about 30 of them. Also over by King's Barn were five Little Egrets, and there were seven more over on the Beeding side of the river.  I have not seen one in the area this winter until today.  We have not seen any owls lately, either, but caught a tantalising glimpse of a what was possibly a Short-eared Owl over the other side of the river flitting past hedgerows.