Sussex
Scrapbook ~ Wildlife walks throughout the year
Saturday 28th January 2012
Amberley - Wepham - Burpham - North Stoke
- Amberley. 10 miles
We can't help it! With
the short winter days and limited opportunities to get out due to
Scouting commitments, we're just drawn to our favourite spot time and time
again. Why wouldn't we be, with the amount of species on offer, the beautiful
views and quite frankly the strenuous steep hills that we love so much? So no
apologies here for another write-up about the Amberley/Burgh area.
In actual fact we didn't spot as many raptor species as of late: lots of
buzzards of course and kestrels too, plus a beautiful low-flying
Red Kite hunting just SE of the Burgh but we also had many other smaller
species, including; Goldcrest, Wren, Dunnock, Great Spotted Woodpecker and
Fieldfare. At Burpham we saw some winter visitors all the way from Siberia - 32
Bewick's Swans feeding on the brooks with some Greylag and Canada Geese for
company.
While we were passing the Burgh we were having a short discussion about why we
never seem to see any deer up there - would you believe it, suddenly there's 2
Fallow stags and five females sitting there, including 2 white females! Pretty
soon they were joined by another 5, which, despite the many signs telling you to
keep rover on a lead, were pursued by a Staffordshire Terrier. Don't you just
love dog walkers!
I'm in the process of giving Gill some intensive navigation lessons and today
she took over the navigating herself. She used numerous compass bearings and
even did a back-bearing to find our position. She's coming on leaps and bounds
now and the map is starting to become her friend instead of a puzzling mass of
squiggles.
Amberley Castle view from High Tittens.
Prior to being chased!
.JPG)
Gill takes a bearing on Wepham Down.
Typical raptor dinner remains with just the breastbone and wings left. Sometimes
you can find the beak!
In a particularly marshy part of the route even the ferns have had enough of
having wet feet!
Sheep on a south-facing slope enjoy the light of golden hour.
The beautiful River Arun just before sunset and just before we arrive back at
Amberley.
Back at the bike for tea & cake. MY TEA & CAKE! Grrrrr!
Take the time to read
the
countryside code for yourself and please stick to it at all times.