Window to Wildlife

 Ever creatures of habit, we started our Northumberland holiday at Cresswell. I was disappointed to find no sign of the House Martin colony at an outbuilding near the toilet block. Normally this is buzzing with activity, but today there was silence and emptiness, although nest cups remained beneath the eaves. There were plenty of Swallows swooping across the skies as some small compensation. We had arrived just after high tide, with few rocks exposed,  but a few Eiders loafed with the Herring Gulls offshore. Tim spotted a flock of 22 Whimbrel which flew past, curved bills clearly visible. We took a walk along the shore, scrambling across the rocks, then balancing slightly precariously on a sea wall, before reaching an area where a sandy beach and rocky ridge were exposed as the tide receded. A colony of Sand Martins were nesting in the cliff banks here, and we enjoyed watching their antics for some time. A Skylark fluttered its wings rapidly as it soared skywards behind them. ...

 We drove to Beachy Head this afternoon in search of a UK rarity first reported several days ago, but with today our earliest opportunity to try to find it. On the local WhatsApp group were horror stories of the steep incline up from Cow Gap where the bird was sighted to the Beachy Head road, so we opted to take the longer but gentler walk in from Eastbourne. Along the way, amongst the melee of bird song, we picked out a Lesser Whitethroat, which despite sounding very close failed to reveal itself.  After about 20 minutes we arrived at the target area, where a couple of other birders were already looking for the ‘Subalp’. Before too long one of them heard the bird sing, and we soon had several brief but clear views of the bird as it moved through the foliage at the top of a bush. A pleasing result, and one we may not have achieved without others watching. The area of scrub was quite wide, and a pair of Stonechats were distracting, moving very close to where the bird was being ...

 We drove over to Southease this morning. And walked along the river in search of this reported rarity. A cluster of birders helped us locate the bird, initially quite distant on the far bank, and blending rather too well into the background seaweed, rocks and mud! However, once found, it was quite active, and it was easier to track the movement of its white spotted breast as it pottered about the rocks. Before long it was flushed to our side of the river by some dog walkers, and now it was much easier to see with the pinkish bill and supercilium now visible, as well as the obvious spotted breast, a summer plumage feature. It was indeed a cracking bird, the first in Sussex since 2011. Spotted Sandpiper (Richard Allan) Spotted Sandpiper The ditches alongside the river bank were also alive with birds, with many Reed and Cetti’s Warblers heard, plenty of showy Reed Buntings and just one Sedge Warbler singing from a swaying reed. Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks added to the mix,...

 This was our first visit to Knepp this year, a recce visit for a minibus tour there in a few weeks. It didn’t take us long to spot our first White Storks, our first of the year.  White Stork The hedges were buzzing with warbler song, and we had great views of a Lesser Whitethroat. Another highlight was a stunning male Bullfinch, whilst on the hammer pond, a family of Great-crested Grebes included three humbug grebelings with their parent were an interesting addition.  We also heard Nightingales, Turtle Doves and Cuckoo, all teasing us with their tantalising song but frustratingly failing to reveal themselves. Maybe next time?!

 Another SDOS walk, although this time we were off duty participants, with others leading the walk. It was a lovely sunny morning and the route took us through varied scenery, ensuring a good mix of birds. As on so many of our recent walks, Common Whitethroats were everywhere, but the highlight today was the Lesser Whitethroat, with several birds seen and heard across the walk, and one particularly obliging bird giving some cracking views. Lesser Whitethroat (Lance Bellers) Several Barn Swallows were seen feeding low over the meadow, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker posed in a nearby tree. Several Goldcrests also showed surprisingly well, and Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch were all seen. A pair of Reed Buntings chased each other around the bushes too. Goldcrest (Lance Bellers) Chaffinch Red Kite, Buzzard and Kestrel all were seen soaring or hovering over head. Near the Downslink heronry, alongside a few geese and herons, a Lapwing was spotted, with a few more displaying further ...

 After a morning working on the computer, it was good to get out for a walk in the afternoon sunshine, taking a leisurely stroll along the river towards Cuckoo Corner, then continuing across the field beside one of the reeded ditches. Along the river on a rising tide, looking wonderful with the blue sky reflected in the water, we were surprised to find a number of Oystercatcher upstream form Cuckoo Corner, with three disappearing around the corner towards the iron bridge, and two found sat in a fallow field. Near the old tollbridge we found a group of five around the muddy island, but we did not know if these were the same birds seen earlier. Elsewhere, several Little Egrets pottered around the muddy edges, with one revealing its striking yellow feet as it flew past. And Tim did well to pick out a single Common Sandpiper meandering on the mud. In the scrubby vegetation beside the ditches we were pleased to see and hear a pair of Sedge Warbler on the bramble, together with a Common ...