Biking Birder Rides Again 2015

Wednesday 28th January From a comfortable night at Fishbourne, near Chichester, in a room called Tiberius, the cycling was tough as there was now a strong westerly wind hitting my face. Please let me have the wind behind me one day. To Thorney Island and the checkpoint for the Ministry of Defence. I was given instructions from the officer on charge on where to go and found the west seawall that would lead me to Pilsey Island RSPB reserve. A lovely lady allowed me to hide my bike and belongings at her house and despite torrential rain and a strong gale, I set off. Getting through the security fence, I found it difficult to stay upright as the wind battered me and the mud on the path was deep and slippery. Great fun! At West Thorney I found a greenshank, Bird number 124 for the year, and as the weather was improving I took a few photographs.   Further along the path were a dozen or so red-breasted mergansers, bird number 125.   Finding the sign eventually ...

3 days away from the internet! So.... Saturday 24th January 2015 ... Cycled to Shoreham and explored the south edge of the Adur estuary RSPB reserve, viewing the houseboats. Hamish's were still there and as creative as ever. His house boats include a coach on one with washing machine windows, a fire engine on another and a Robin reliant on another!  A long cycle from here to Horsham included a stop at a Triumph motorcycle shop to look at Bonnevilles. A fabulous evening with my cousin Honor and her husband Ian with a visit to my over 90 year old Uncle Harold, ended the day. Lots of WW1 memorabilia from my Dad's dad, my grandfather to look at and marvel at the fact he survived, just.  Sunday 25th January 2015. Eventually cycled to Pulborough Brooks RSPB reserve, after pulling myself away from the wonderful company of Honor and Ian. Met the famous birder, Garry Bagnall and enjoyed his company and chat.  No sign of the tundra bean goose seen here the day...

A portion of last night's chicken something left over from my Chines meal sufficed for breakfast and I was soon off to Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve a couple of miles north of Pembury. I was off un-encumbered by three of the heavy panniers as well as I left them at the B & B, knowing it would not be to much of a detour to return that way. The A21 was as unpleasant as yesterday but at least now it was light. I actually overshot the right turn into the lane that goes to the reserve car park and it didn't take too long before a kind lorry driver, noticing my plight, stopped the mass of traffic for me to cross safely. Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve, I remembered being there back in 2010. Now the car park is sadly closed but it was good to see all of the notices still up. The ones at Cliffe having been vandalised. I took photographs of them and craftily closed in on an excellent photograph of a marsh tit. Looks good but I have yet to see one this year. The big cycle push through a v...

I am a megastar! Why the self glorification? I reached Pembury, just outside Tunbridge Wells today despite the constant rain and the terror of the A21 in the dark with rush hour traffic. Tomorrow I can get to Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve easi ... ly and then cycle onto Broadwater warren RSPB reserve the other side of Tunbridge Wells. Today was about going the distance and saying thank you to three special people who helped me when I cycled this way back in 2010. First port of call was a roadside cabin with 'Arnold'. This was what one of her customers called her. This lovely lady gave me a free cup of coffee last time and so I stopped to remind her of her kindness. She offered me another one but I refused. Next, after getting lost (twit) I called in on Jim and Kate Lawrence. In 2010 the bike's gear system failed me as I cycled towards Forewood RSPB reserve and I arrived there when it was almost dark and like today, it was raining. This lovely old couple took me in when ...

Day 20. If every day of this year's Biking Birder tour is going to be this good, and so many days have been fabulous, then the tales at the end will keep me goinbg to my dotage. Snow, around an inch or two, made everything picture postcard beautiful this morning and finding daffodils in full flower was a surprise. Close by jays under an oak and sheep in a snowy field adjacent to an avenue of Limes, that was the scene as I went in Winchelsea on the way to Rye Harbour nature reserve to look for the Lesser yellowlegs. Now the Yankie bird wasn't recorded yesterday but undeterred I was going to give it one day before saying 'oh well; and heading off to try and get back on track with the itinerary. Down at the seawall three birders pointed out three common scoter, bird number 119 and said the LYL had been seen. On arriving at where they stated it was there was no sign. I waited. A ruff, bird number 120 but not the yellowlegs. The phone rang, with my sister giving news on the cond...

OK it's the 19th of January 2015 and I have seen 118 different species of bird on my cycling tour so far. The Biking Birder 2015 blog is inaccessible by me so here's where the news and updates will be, as well as on my Facebook community page called --- Biking Birder 2015. I am now in Winchelsea, just into East Sussex after 2 very successful days birding around Dungeness. In fact three days when I consider that I had a '54' bird on Saturday, a night heron.  A '54' bird is one that I didn't see when I did the tour of all the RSPB reserves back in 2010. Please google Biking Birder 2010 for details of the wonderful time I had that year. the worst weather in Britain on record at both ends of the year and I still cycled every mile. I ran out of money and was sleeping in bus shelters, church porches and bird hides for the last three months but I had to finish and finish I did. Now the reason for the number 54. Well in 2010 I saw 252 bird species, a new ...