Window to Wildlife

We were leading an Sdos outing to Acres Down in the New Forest today, taking a group of fourteen members on a minibus. The birds were not at their most co-operative, but nevertheless we had an enjoyable day. in a beautiful, peaceful setting.  A couple of Redstarts were seen soon after we arrived, flitting between the trees and bracken, and flashing their red tail distinctively. Several Stonechat showed well throughout the morning, and we also had good views of Meadow Pipits carrying caterpillars, so presumably feeding young. We picnicked overlooking the trees on the ridge here, and a Wood Lark flew over, singing beautifully as it dropped down into the vegetation. A probable Tree Pipit was also seen. Sadly, there was no sign of any Goshawk or Honey Buzzard, but we had plenty of Common Buzzard and Tony had a Sparrowhawk in the scope.  After lunch we took a stroll through the wooded track, where Robins and Blackbirds were active, and a Song Thrush hopped along the lawn. Ian also ...

 Tim’s birthday today, and he wanted to explore a fairly new local nature reserve at Waterhall on the South Downs near Brighton. This is the site of a former golf course, that has been left to rewild, with a variety of footpaths traversing the area. There is much grassland with many wild flowers, and areas of scrub and hawthorn hedgerows. Cattle are used to graze the area and improve biodiversity. This wasn’t the greatest birding location I’ve visited, but was interesting as a ‘work in progress’. It certainly looks a hotspot for autumn migration later in the year. We encountered several species of Corvid, together with Song Thrush and most of the  regular bird species you might expect in this sort of habitat. We found plenty of Whitethroat and a couple of Blackcaps. Probably the best bird was a singing Yellowhammer which flew in to the top of a nearby bush and proceeded to loudly advertise his presence to the local ladies. Brilliant! Yellowhammer After our walk we headed to Mi...

 Another family bird trip, and the chosen venue of Ashdown Forest is always a high risk strategy, offering specialist heathland birds, but also the prospect of seeing very little. I shall never be allowed to live down the visit to see ‘dead cert’ Brambling which all scarpered the day we visited! Unfortunately, today was one of the less birdy visits. The highlight at Ashdown was a family of Common Redstarts active around the base of a substantial beech tree. We could hear a ‘hweet’ call and were discussing the options of Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler/Chaffinch as the likely source. John then called up the Merlin app on his phone, and it came up with Redstart. I had no idea they too made that sort of call. No wonder birdwatching is so difficult! Armed with this information we put a bit more effort into finding the calling bird, and this was rewarded when we found adults and ‘begging’ young flitting between the lower branches and the ground. Elsewhere we could hear Cuckoo calling but fail...

 We had planned a visit to Pagham with Sue, but reports of a Savi’s Warbler at Pulborough the evening before led to a slight adjustment to our itinerary! We searched the area where it had apparently been seen, but were unable to locate it, meeting others on the way who had also drawn a blank. We set off back towards the visitor centre to depart, when the phone pinged and a message indicated it had been relocated down by the river by the group we had just met! So we retraced our steps, and with some patience we eventually managed to hear the bird reeling and secure some brief, distant glimpses as it flitted amongst the tall grasses. Not the greatest of views, but a UK tick!  Reverting to plan A, we continued on our way towards Pagham, Ferry Pool, where our target bird was Wood Sandpiper. It didn’t take us long to identify this feeding out around a mud spit near the far end of the pool, looking smaller and slimmer than the nearby Redshanks and Avocets, and showing well in the sc...

 We took an afternoon stroll up the river towards the old cement works, in search of Common Sandpiper. We failed to find any at their favoured location, although possibly the tide was a bit too high still when we arrived. The river was generally quiet, with around a dozen Mute Swans noted drifting in a small flotilla. A couple of Little Egret were quite mobile around the muddy banks and a few Mallard dabbled in the river. In the hedgerows we found a Chiffchaff singing and briefly a Blackcap over the path. Approaching the road bridge, Chris ran past and stopped to point out a few Bee Orchids in the rough grass beside the path. By the toll bridge, there was a colourful display of wild flowers, making for a pleasant afternoon walk. Bee Orchid

 After a busy week, we had a leisurely start to the morning, but eventually decided it was worth a trip to Pagham to try to find the American Golden Plover being reported over the last few days. The main incentive, was Bernie’s comment that this was ‘a birder’s bird’. If w could find this, maybe we could call ourselves proper Birders!! On our arrival, we were told where the bird had been seen, but we were unable to locate it, and the heat haze made viewing difficult. We moved along the path and scanned again from the end of White’s Creek, but were still unable to locate the bird. However, there were plenty of other birds about, including a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits and groups of Oystercatcher, Curlew and Grey Plover. The tide was coming in fast, causing the birds to move around a lot. We decided to walk round past the lagoon to the beach and see if we could perhaps find the bird  on Tern Island. It was very windy here, and a struggle to hold the scope steady. On a shingle ban...

 Another Sdos outing, this time an evening visit to Heyshott and Amersham Commons in search of Nighjars. Tim and I began with some late afternoon birding at Lavington Common, where with patience, we managed several decent views of Dartford Warbler, looking splendid with its rich, wine red breast and red eye as it perched up on the bush.  Dartford Warbler After a pub meal, we joined other members at the car park, and walked across to Ambersham Common, for a short stroll while we waited for the light to fade. Plenty of young Coal Tits and Great Tits were active in the trees, and several Stonechats showed well as they moved around the common. A Yellowhammer was found amongst the gorse, and a couple of Mistle Thrush flew over. Then a Tree Pipit flew in and paused awhile atop a birch tree.  A pair of Chiffchaff were disturbed from the scrub next to the path, and could be seen foraging in the bushes. As we crossed the road, a singing Woodlark hovered overhead before dropping do...

 We started our day at Tide Mills, with a lovely walk in warm sunshine alongside the creek, producing some enjoyable bird sightings. Whitethroat were everywhere, pirouetting into the skies in their characteristic manner, and singing cheerfully from the tops of bushes. Dunnock were also plentiful, and several Wrens sang boldly from prominent branches. A Kestrel perched on a ruined wall, and nearby a stunning male Stonechat posed on top of a tall bush. A beautiful moth resting on a rock caught our attention, and on our return we identified this as a Cream-spot Tiger, a new moth species for me.  Kestrel Cream-Spotted Tiger Moth In the damp grassland adjacent to the river, several pristine male Reed Buntings looked magnificent in their breeding plumage and a noisy Sedge Warbler returned frequently to a shrub beside the path and poured forth its jaunty song. A Cetti’s Warbler, with wide fanned tale, ducked into a bush, but failed to sing or call, possibly not wishing to give away a...

 We joined an Sdos walk led by Bernie this morning at Blackdown, near Midhurst. It was overcast, but generally fairly mild. Alongside the birds,  this site has some fantastic views, making for a lovely walk. Initially the birds were keeping low, although there was plenty of birdsong to keep us entertained. A pair of Stock Dove flew over, and there were lots of Stonechats across the common, often perching quite high on the scattered trees. Linnets and Whitethroats were also plentiful, and Coal Tit and Siskin were present in the conifers. Dartford Warblers were heard but we didn’t manage to spot one.  The fluty, descending song of the Willow Warbler caught our attention, and it was soon found singing from a low branch by the path. We also enjoyed watching a family of Marsh Tits, with adults feeding young with wide yellow gapes and fluttering ‘feed me’ wings. Nearby a Garden Warbler flitted at the top of a willow tree. Next we found a couple of silhouetted birds in a dead tr...

 We were thrilled to discover today news of a Cirl Bunting at Mile Oak, Portslade,  just a few miles from home. Although we had seen one earlier in the year, at Labrador Bay, this was the first in Sussex since 1996, and the first in the Shoreham district since 1981, so a source of great local excitement. Historically they were regular breeders on the downs, until farming practices changed. When we arrived the bird had just flown, but after a 20 minute wait it returned to its favourite tree, close to the gate where we were standing, and sat on the top singing its  heart out. A great local bird, and also nice to catch up with some local birders and other Sdos members. Also, conveniently situated next to the local farm shop and cafe, so we celebrated this brilliant bird with a slap up breakfast in mid-afternoon and some delicious cherries to bring home! Cirl Bunting

 Departing around seven with Andy, we arrived at the reserve before the gates were open, so returned for a short walk by some pools where a  colony of Sand Martins were nesting, their burrows clearly visible in the sandstone embankment. A Litte Grebe, Great- crested Grebe and a few Black-headed Gulls loafed on the bank, and a pair of Lapwings displayed over the water. A backdrop of Ox-eye Daisies and sunshine made for a pleasant, relaxing stroll. By now the reserve was open, so we continued on our way, observing a stunning, glossy Swallow on a post in the car park. We strolled through the scrub lined paths, finding plenty of Whitethroats and a female Blackcap. It wasn’t long till we heard our first Nightingale in full song, but they were elusive, and it wasn’t until the end of our walk that we finally managed to sight a pair as they flew across the path ahead, and were seen flitting in the bushes, before disappearing from view. On a shady path, I heard a Turtle Dove purring, a...