Arundel and the River Arun, West Sussex; wrens, warblers & a windy walk!

Join us on a walk from Arundel along part of the River Arun, and back, in West Sussex. A slightly hazy spring morning provides some amazing light and colour, accompanied by the sights and sounds of countless birds. Arundel is located at the foot of the South Downs and is approximately 10 miles east of Chichester.
Due to its cinematic nature, this video is best watched on a large screen, such as a TV, to fully appreciate the visual detail and immersive aural experience we try to convey.
00:00 Intro
00:16 Intro drone flight
00:57 Coming up...
01:20 Mill Road
02:50 The Mill Stream
05:07 The river bank
07:24 Views of the town
08:17 A little more wildlife
09:27 Closing drone flight
09:57 Outro
==Our filming equipment==
Camera: Sony A7S M3
Lens: Sony FE 16-35mm F4 G PZ
Gimbal: DJI Ronin SC2
Microphone: Sony ECM-XYST1M stereo
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Camera: Sony A7 M4
Lens: Sony FE 100-400 F4.5 GM
Teleconverter: Sony 1.4x TC E
Monopod: 3LT Legends Alana
Microphone: Sony ECM-XYST1M stereo
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Camera: Sony RX10 M4
Tripod: Manfrotto MT190GOC4 190 Go!
Tripod head: Manfrotto 500 Fluid Head With Flat Base
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Drone: DJI Mini 3 Pro
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As is often the case in Arundel, we started our walk in Mill Road, which lies in the shadow of the castle. This walk is all about the birds. From the outset, whilst sunrise was beautiful, the aural assault was amazing!
We have tried to capture both the visual beauty of these wonderful creatures and their glorious songs. Among those captured were wren, long-tailed tit, grey wagtail, mandarin duck, mute swan with cygnets, song thrush, sedge warbler and reed warbler. Even the sound, but sadly no image, of a cuckoo.
The walk took us from Mill Road, along the Mill Stream, and followed the bank of the River Arun in a loop that returned us to Arundel Bridge in the centre of the town.
All background and natural sounds were recorded during our time filming.
We hope you enjoyed watching as much as we enjoyed walking. If you did, please remember to click the thumbs up (like) button, and leave a comment.
For more videos like this, subscribe to our channel (it's free): / @walkingwithjohnanddiana
John & Diana
Music: bensound.com and pixabay.com/music

[@richardjohnson5529]

Thank You.

[@dianarolph1770]

Very enjoyable de-stressing video! It is so nice to hear the different species of birds that flourish in Sussex! We have lost so many here. The thrushes were constantly attacked by blackbirds. The chaffinches,greenfinches & bullfinches just disappeared! The other night the front garden and path were covered in snails( a lot of baby snails) - we’ve never seen anything quite like that! The harlequin ladybirds apparently are cannibals & eat our native 7 spot & other varieties. We are still having rain showers here & it is very wet underfoot hence the abundance of snails! Hope it is drier there! Thanks so much!

[@walkingwithjohnanddiana]

Thank you for your kind comments. Sadly, the problem is most likely loss of habitat due to development. The area immediately around Arundel is pretty well protected, but where we are just a few miles away, there is massive over-development with the inevitable loss of habitat and species. Lots of slugs and snails here, too! And still plenty of rain! The harlequins are definitely an invasive species, but it is too late now, as I believe they have populated the entire UK.

[@JimNicholls]

Another lovely walk - thank you! When I worked in Arundel in the 1960s, it was impossible to walk along Mill Road without seeing numbers of water voles all along the stream. Sadly, they seem to have vanished now, but you certainly managed to capture a lot of other wildlife, all beautifully filmed as usual.

[@walkingwithjohnanddiana]

Thank you for your kind comments; we are pleased you enjoyed it. We are always on the lookout for water voles as, on the face of it, Mill Road would appear to be the perfect habitat for them. A number of factors may have impacted them; environmental change, increased number of predators, increased number of people - with dogs that they allow to interfere with the wildlife. On a positive note, you are right, lots of other wildlife and it was so great to be able to enjoy it.

[@JimNicholls]

@@walkingwithjohnanddiana Dogs are a big problem here, too. It used to be that dog owners were almost all responsible people who considered others (and the wildlife), but now many of them have no idea of correct behaviour and just think their pets are entitled to go anywhere and do anything. I did read somewhere that water voles are returning in some areas of the UK, perhaps where dogs are banned, and I hope they come back to Mill Road. I used to see them in other places like Patching Pond, but Mill Road was a real centre for them.

[@walkingwithjohnanddiana]

Totally agree regarding dogs, another symptom is "don't worry, he/she is friendly". Not everyone likes your dog as much as you do! Our dog is quite old and has dementia, and fails to respond to other dogs normally. Consequently she is at risk of being attacked. Quite often we have to pick her up in the presence of other dogs. What people fail to realise is that the beaches and countryside are recreational spaces for humans (and dogs), but for all the creatures that live there, their very existence is at stake.