Brighton to Worthing 3 - 2 - 10 Eco Children and House Boats.

Well, another RSPB reserve seen and photographed - Adur Estuary, Shoreham and another bird for the year list, sanderling, a few along the beach before reaching Worthing. [123 year list]

The day though has been memorable for 2 things. Firstly meeting a school party of wonderfully enthusiastic children and satff from Shoreham College. A year 5 class of around 30 children, together with 5 staff were cleaning up the beach in the harbour area. I had to stop and share their experience. Thrilled to see them doing such a good task for their local environment. sadly they had been able to fill 5 bin liners with rubbish! They met Barnaby Bear and Sidney frog and were all given stickers for their efforts.

Next it was onto the RSPB reserve at Shoreham on the west side of the River Adur. No signs for the reserve but circumnavigated the area counting the birds as the tide rose. [ 1 little egret, 27 redshank, onver 60 teal, 2 mallard, 1 little grebe, 1 curlew, 7 grey plover, 8 snipe, 3 dunlin, 5 bar-tailed godwits and gulls.]

Met Hamish, a brilliantly creative owner of a few house boats overlooking the reserve. Creative - well one house boat was a mixture of an old fire engine and a wooden boat. Another was a converted coach atop a barge, with wonder Nautilus - type windows and a squircle roof - looks like a square one way, a circle the other. This had a rover car sticking out of one side and a porthole on the other side was an old washing machine! Another boat had a Robin reliant and an old caravan side amongst the conglomeration of pieces. Inside Hamish had a collection of skulls and mummified reamains, including a cat and a fox. Mummified pigeons were everywhere. Fabulous man and great to talk too. One of the highlights of the trip so far.

Cycled on, after fish and chips in a small cafe, and stopped to count waders roosting on the shingle about 1 mile before Worthing. 7 sanderling were new for the year list, as already stated but there were c.300 dunlin, c.50 ringed plover and c.30 turnstone. Sorry about the approximations but they were very active with the surf coming in.

Now in the library, another £2.50 paid and on my way to Arundel.

Now please sponsor me for . . .


RSPB - www.justgiving.com/bikingbirder2010

ASTHMA UK - www.justgiving.com/bikingbirder2010asthmauk

WWT www.justgiving.com/bikingbirderwwt

All the very best to everyone.

Gary