Window to Wildlife

 Another day, another walk! This time we were leading an outing for Shoreham District Ornithological Society. The sun was shining once again as we set off along the shrub lined path and down into Hope Gap, where we were sheltered form the inevitable cold wind. We meandered slowly down the valley, listening and watching and were able to find Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff as well as some rather lovely Small Copper butterflies. Small Copper, photo by Cyndy Downie Common Whitethroat, Kevin Midgley As the bushes flattened out to an open grassy area we noted both Meadow and Rock Pipits foraging, and several Linnets looked magnificent in the bright sunshine. Stonechats posed helpfully in the open, offering easy viewing, but we were disappointed not to find any Wheatears.  Rock Pipit, Kevin Midgley Linnet, Kevin Midgley  Stonechat, Kevin Midgley As we headed up the track towards the Coastguard cottages, the cold forceful wind took our breath away, but there was good compensat...

 Social media reports led us to a different part of Pagham today which we had never visited before. Parking in Newtimber we took the footpath to Horner reservoir, where a Ring-Necked Duck was present alongside some Tufties and a few Coot and Mallard. Ring-necked Duck These are essentially North American diving ducks, not generally native to the UK, but in recent years a few have been present around the country. We have previously seen one at Dungeness and in Devon on the coast path, but this was our first Sussex sighting.  It was another lovely, sunny day and from here we followed a picturesque rife towards North Wall, renowned for its bitter wind! Warblers were in full voice and we observed a Whitethroat pirouetting from the top of a shrub and eventually managed to pinpoint a Sedge Warbler singing from halfway up a precariously thin reed as it swayed in the breeze. An explosive sound from deep in the hedgerow had me pondering, but eventually I was able to identify this as a G...

 This morning we were accompanied by Bernie as we completed an ongoing survey at New Salts Farm in Shoreham. At the end of an enjoyable walk, Bernie spotted a single Cattle Egret in a nearby field. Although this species has become increasingly common over the last few years, it is not a usual sightings for Shoreham, so we were very pleased to get good views of this local tick, in its smart, peach tinged breeding plumage. An unexpected bonus to round off our morning’s work!

 Something of a specialist art, our birdwatching group Shoreham District Ornithological Society had organised a group seawatching event, with a couple of experienced leaders to elucidate and guide us with their expertise gleaned over many years of gazing out to sea. These events are notoriously difficult to plan, as tide and prevailing winds play a part in what may be seen. In the event the day was sunny but with a cold northerly wind. The sea was fairly quiet, but there were sufficient birds around to keep us all interested. One aspect of seawatching is that early is best, so most members convened on the beach at 8am, this in itself being quite late in seawatch terms. Needless to say we were late...! Members lined a stretch of beach in a socially distanced way, conveniently  sheltered by a row of tamarisk bushes, making conditions quite pleasant despite the cold offshore wind. Most of the movement of birds was in an easterly direction. The largest species count was Whimbrel, ...

 Continuing our celebration of life post-lockdown, we made our first visit of the year to RSPB Pulborough Brooks. Although the hides remain closed, the trails are open and obviously the birds continue to use the habitat regardless of their lack of audience! We arrived around 8am and the reserve was pleasantly quiet. Within minutes we had notched up a good tally of regular birds around the visitor centre gardens. On Upparks Field, planted with seed bearing crops, many Song Thrush were hopping hungrily, and a couple of Linnets also foraged across the seed strewn ground. Scanning the distant Brooks with our scopes Canada and Egyptian Geese were evident, and a few Lapwings were displaying , evocatively calling  “peewit” as they twirled in the sky, the sun highlighting their purplish, green hues before they cascaded gracefully to the ground. A distant perched, raptor, with pale breast gleaming in the bright morning sun, had Tim tricked into considering Osprey, before it languidly t...

 Following the disappointment of missing the Northern Mockingbird, we had an early start in search of another American rarity, a White-throated Sparrow, which has been at Barcombe in E. Sussex since February. However, news about the location has only recently being widely shared as lockdown restrictions have eased. It is unclear how the bird arrived in the country, possibly blown off course by a storm, which is often the case for birds which arrive in the west of the UK, or possibly hitching a ride on a ship. We were joined by Sue M and Andy and were fortunate to have several sustained,close views of this glorious bird and to hear its distinctive, slow, melodic song. The striking humbug head was bright and cheery, and  it showed two prominent wing bars. Someone had placed a supply of seed on the table, so it regularly returned to this reliable food supply, but notably was reluctant to share with Great Tits, frequently chasing them aggressively through the trees. It was far mor...

 We are planning a trip to Dartmoor in May and I have been monitoring the sightings of a Northern Mockingbird which has been present at Exmouth since late January, optimistically hoping it might hang around till our visit. This is only the third British record of the species, with previous individuals seen in the 1980s, over 30 years ago.  This is a common American species that frequents gardens, parks and areas with open ground and shrubs. It feeds mainly on berries in winter and insects in summer and will often pose helpfully on top of bushes or fences. This week I have been in Derbyshire bubbling with Kate and the children, and the bird decided to leave... and relocate in Pulborough, back in Sussex around 30 minutes from home!!!!!!  Tim was not with me, so dropped everything to go and view the bird, a first for Sussex. These pictures show the white wing markings and long tail. Clearly I am gutted to have missed this one! There is a possibility that is still somewhere i...

 We met with Nicola at Woods Mill for a socially distanced walk along the mill stream to the downs link path. We were pleased to find a small group of Swallows swooping over the marshy pool and to note three Lapwings displaying over the field where they nested last year. Fingers crossed for another successful brood. At Stretham Bridge we turned onto a path we have not walked before, where we were delighted to encounter a small flock of four newly arrived Garganey which had been reported the previous day. They were foraging in the vegetation at the back of the pool and could easily have been overlooked. The habitat is not really suitable for breeding, so it was good to see them replenishing their energy as they pass through on their journey. On our return, we had a fleeting glimpse of our first Great Egret of the year, with golden bill,  before it frustratingly disappeared from view behind the local Heronry.

 Today we travelled to Pagham Harbour for the first time this year, to investigate the possibility of creating a roosting raft on the Adur RSPB reserve for which we are volunteer wardens. A team were building a raft for another site and the idea was to observe and ask questions, but it was also a great opportunity to catch up on a bit of birdwatching at a prime Sussex site. Coincidentally, we got off to a flying start by being in the right place at the right time. We had wandered round to Ferry Pool, hoping for some Little Ringed Plovers which failed to appear, although we did manage to add some beautiful brick-red summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwits to our annual list. However, whilst scanning the water someone nearby noted a bird of interest in the adjacent field. Initially this was believed to be a Yellow Wagtail, but this was soon dismissed and the bird was identified as a large pipit. There then followed a lengthy debate as to whether this was a Richard’s or Tawny Pipit. Havi...

For the first time this year I was able to meet up with Jenny, Tim and Sue and our chosen location was the Old Lodge reserve at  Ashdown Forest.  We normally go to Ashdown Forest a little later in the year when tree pipits and redstarts have arrived but it is always a nice place to visit. As I have not been out much this year, my year list had only reached 65 species and 59 of those were seen at my local country park so I was hopeful of increasing my total. The first bird of note we saw was a woodlark which was singing from the top of a conifer before flying down onto the path about 30 metres ahead of us.  We walked a little further and a coal tit was seen high up in a tree and then we soon spotted a crossbill at the top of a conifer but it quickly disappeared into the foliage.  After a while it became visible again and I managed to take a quick photo as it took off and dived into cover. In the same vicinity we saw a small bird on the top of another conifer but altho...