The Bepton Diaries

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They start work early and finish late, make loads noise and leave a dreadful mess. They shout at people walking past – and last week a couple of them got into a nasty fight with each other.

They're building 31 new homes in an overcrowded plot within The South Downs National Park – and I'm certain they haven't applied for planning permission.

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The next question of course is to wonder where the birdies is?

Interested in Wildlife? Passionate about your local area? Help us to increase the records of protected plants and animal species within the district. These records are used directly to influence the planning process and to ensure that the presence of protected species is considered when planning decisions are made.

Working with the Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre, Chichester District Council has identified twenty parishes within the District where there are low levels of biological records and Bepton is one of them.

If you would like further information or training on how to record protected species or more information on the project please contact Stephanie Evans or Liz Rogers on 01243 534854 or environmentalstrategy@chichester.gov.uk

We had a very nice load of logs delivered today. Seasoned oak, beech and some ash nicely chopped up into fireplace sized pieces!

If you want logs or firewood delivered and you're in the Midhurst area I'd definitely recommend Gareth Anderson. Our full load (see the photo) was £85. Gareth is nice and friendly, and best of all he stacks the logs in your shed for you too!

Next day log delivery... 07787 601102

If you look closely at the photo you'll notice that this Red Kite has a green wing tag on her right wing and a yellow wing tag on her left wing (well you'll have to take my word for the yellow tag!) – both marked with a large letter 'D'. The wing tags identify this bird, where she was released and in what year.

She's known as Sussex 'D', and she was released from Phillis Wood behind West Dean in West Sussex during a release programme on 17th June 2006. How good is that for a success story!

And then, as luck would have it a Red Kite appeared. I know... bird life in and around Bepton is so boring sometimes...

It's –9°C in Bepton this morning and there are lots of chilly beaks outside!

The children have braved the frost to put out some peanuts and sunflower seeds so we can have our very own Garden Birdwatch. So far we've spotted Blue Tits, Great Tits, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, a couple of Greenfinch, a Chaffinch and some House Sparrows. Down on the ground we have a Robin, a Dunnock, a Blackbird and a Wren. And in the tree at the end of the garden there are Redwings and Fieldfares eating the last of the fruit. Rooks, Wood Pigeons and Gulls are flying around, and charm of Goldfinch have buzzed us too... 

I'm pretty pleased with our haul of birds but five minutes into our Garden Birdwatch and the kids have abandoned me beause it's "boring"... Can't say I blame them really – but at least the birdies have got some food!

My boys have recently become addicted to scootering. We seem to be quite lucky in West Sussex, there are plenty of good skateparks around for those who like a bit of tail-whipping and grinding at the weekend!

Midhurst's skatepark is in Carron Lane, Midhurst, West Sussex. It's not the coolest park in the universe but it's friendly and quiet, and the big ramp is quite high. Basically it's a couple of ramps and some rails... and it's named after a local lad called Steve McGill, who as a passenger was killed in a car crash back in 2001 aged just 18.

Where is Midhurst Skatepark? If you're looking for the postcode it's GU29 9LF... The address is Carron Lane, Midhurst.

Anyway, enough of the trendy shots... Let's not big it up. Here's what Midhurst skatepark really looks like...

It fell from the top of a tall oak tree and landed on the road – surviving the fall intact. Which is not bad going really – bearing in mind it's just a pile of twigs! It's nearly 2 feet wide and there are probably more than 300 sticks in the nest which is lined with moss. I doubt it's very cosy, but one has to admire the hard work involved!

Rooks are highly sociable and live in large groups called 'buildings'. Our local rookeries contain at least 100 nests – which equals a lot of noise and a lot of rook guano!

Rooks lay four or five eggs which are incubated by the female on her own for about two weeks. During this time the male bird brings her food, and because he's a great Dad he becomes the sole provider for the entire family when the chicks hatch! As is often the case, Mum starts work when the children get a bit bigger...

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I'm hoping that Santa will buy me a really long telephoto lens for Christmas... These photos are really grainy and blurred but at least you can see the birdies! And what a great Sunday morning walk over the Downs. The highlights were Crossbills, six Red Kites, Stonechats and a pair of Ravens. Gosh, very lucky.

I'm pleased to say that I'm a winner in the Sussex Seasons photography competition organised by the Sussex Wildlife Trust! The winning photos form part of the Trust's 2012 calendar which you can download from their website.

Two of my photos were selected for the calendar. One of them is a picture that I took of the Sussex village of Harting from the top of the South Downs last February. It was one of those photo opportunities that come along once in a blue moon. We live at the bottom of the Downs, and I could tell from the light above the fog that was swirling about us that if I could get to the top of the Downs I would be above the mist and there might be a chance of a decent picture. And here it is. Everything fell into place, and of course a few moments later and the opportunity was gone.

Here are more pictures by Simon Verrall on Flickr.