Saturday 14th September 2024: Osprey on the River Adur

 I was away in Shropshire when news of an Osprey on the River Adur came through, and I was desperately hoping it would hang on until I returned to Sussex. Fortunately, it was suitably accommodating and today I managed to escape out to the river, and what a great afternoon we had!

As we arrived at the old tollbridge, we thought we could make out a potential bird around the old cement works chimney. The jizz wasn’t right for Buzzard and I thought I could make out white underparts as it turned in the sky. The bird gradually moved closer, and morphed into a definite Osprey! I knew lots of people along the river were looking for this magnificent bird, so quickly got a message out on social media…and in the process missed the bird fly beyond us to fish upriver!

Fortunately a cloud of noisy gulls taking to the air helped us relocate it, fishing near the railway bridge, and we were able to watch it for several minutes before it drifted off towards Mill Hill. A fellow Sdos member arrived by bike in response to my social media message, and was thrilled to bag her first ever Osprey sighting. I shared her joy. Several other fellow members appeared on the bridge, and amid all the excitement and chatter, we were delighted when it reappeared, and this time I simply focused on enjoying this incredible bird. It was great to have the time to really observe the way it flies and hovers, with feet down before lunging for its lunch. It had several unsuccessful attempts at catching a fish, before it was mobbed by crows and harried away towards the cement works once more. We continued chatting, and it soon reappeared, again passing right over our heads to fish again near the Waterfront apartments and railway bridge.

I’ve never before had such great views of an Osprey, and it was an exhilarating afternoon, shared with fellow bird enthusiasts. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, many passers by were interested to see the bird, and so many locals were aware of the bird and thrilled to have it visiting our local river, as it paused on its long, migration journey. There was a real sense of community, and I loved sharing the experience with Sdos friends and colleagues, other birders and enthused locals. It was magical… and I’m still buzzing now! 

Fingers crossed it’s back again tomorrow.

Osprey by Richard Allan