Wednesday 5th March: Monks Park revisited

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 This newly opened reserve is becoming a great local hotspot, with the resident Barn Owls a star attraction. We wandered across for our daily exercise this afternoon, and as we approached immediately spotted an owl sat on a post overlooking the ditch. Before long we encountered several familiar faces, with two of them thrilled at encountering these magnificent birds for the very first time. It was a privilege to share in their enthusiasm.

Barn Owl (photo by Paul Loader)

Paul, an excellent local photographer, managed to capture the rings on both birds, one a metal ring, with number unreadable, the other a red colour ring, of the type the Sussex Barn Owl Study Group have been using since 2024. This enabled them to identify this as a female,  ringed as a chick in July 2024 at a site 7km away. 

Recently, a further bird has been spotted just across the river near the flyover. This also has a colour ring, so it is hoped we will be able to find out more about the origins of that bird too.

As we chatted, I noticed a wader fly into view - the bins went up and we confirmed a Snipe, the first sighting of this species at the reserve. The site tally is now 74 species, not bad since the reserve only opened to the public last summer. And a real bonus to be able to get there on foot! Happy Days!

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