Beachy Head 21/08/2018

This morning I visited Beachy Head, followed later by a trip to Holywell, Eastbourne. Beachy Head was quite windy, and therefore there were not many passerines around, but patience showed up a handful of species, the most exciting of which was clearly a MELODIOUS WARBLER which turned almost exactly where yesterday's bird appeared - in the row of bushes between the toilet block and the radio mast. It showed well for about five minutes actively feeding on the plentiful elderberries, defying all efforts of photography (well done to the 'Beachy Birder' who got some shots yesterday) before vanishing despite efforts to relocate the bird. Apart from that bit of excitement, there was not a lot around, although there seemed to be numerous Swallows, House and Sand Martins flying around the cliffs and buildings. A Kestrel and a Buzzard formed the raptor list, and, although another birder I met had seen a Peregrine, I failed to find one.

Belle Tout lighthouse from the visitor centre car park

Arlington Reservoir, 03/08/2018

Today, in the scorching heat, I visited Arlington Reservoir. There were the usual large numbers of Canada Geese, with a few Greylag Geese in their midst. Black-headed Gulls were also out in quantity, and these were milling around near the edge of the water. I counted at least 13 Great Crested Grebes of various ages, from the slope from the car park, but the one of the highlights was a flyby juvenile Black Tern, which quickly flitted past, before flying off amongst the much larger Black-headed Gulls. It remained in the area until at least 13:00. The woodland was very quiet, apart from the Woodpigeons and Blackbirds, but butterflies were plentiful, with individuals being identified as Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, and Common Blue. From the hide came another highlight of the day: Little Stint on the dam, later relocating to the shoreline further round to the farm opposite the hide.

Crowborough, 31/07/18

This morning, at around eight o'clock, I went up to the Pocket Park NR. It was very quiet, although there was still some bird life. The main highlight of the morning was a singing Whitethroat, and a pair of Blackcaps, not singing, but very visible. Apart from that, there were just a few Herring Gulls and a single Black-headed Gull flying around, a couple of Carrion Crows on the playing fields opposite, and about twenty Starlings in the vicinity, along with a male Blackbird feeding in their midst (picture below)

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Eastbourne and Splash Point, 28/07/2018

Today it was very windy. Around Princes Park, Eastbourne, there was nothing more than the usual House Sparrows, Mute Swans and Mallards, although a Tufted Duck was a little of a surprise. Also, saw a single Yellow-legged Gull flying over the adjacent grounds to the lake. On the sea, the conditions were so rough that if there was anything to see it was hidden in the troughs of the waves. On to Splash Point, and round Beachy Head the sea was much rougher, and sea watching therefore was near impossible. Still, there were several Kittiwakes still inhabiting their breeding ledges, and amongst the large gull flock on the beach I picked out 4 Yellow-legged Gulls, at least 10 Herring Gulls, and a Great Black-backed Gull, all juveniles.

Crowborough 19/07/2018

Over the last week I have made some notable observations: firstly, the local Jackdaws have started congregating before they fly in to roost in the woods nearby, and also the Grey Heron has been flying in to roost. Also, I have seen a lot more of the local Sparrowhawks recently, one on Sunday was soaring very high, and there was one on Monday, somewhat lower, and on and off during the rest of the week I have seen them flying through. This is because they are not breeding anymore. I went up to the Pocket Park NR on Wednesday and there was yet another Sparrowhawk there, but otherwise it was very quiet.

Crowborough 11/07/2018

Having been out birding at night recently, I have observed/heard at least one Tawny Owl on the Beeches Estate, and I know that it is more than likely that there are more elsewhere in the town. Indeed, many birders have recorded them on BirdTrack. Also, it appears that the first Black-headed Gull has arrived back in town (10/07/2018) for the winter. This species does not breed in Crowborough, but in winter numbers often reach hundreds. A final observation was of a male Kestrel, a first for my garden, which was first sighted over Jarvis Brook, before presumably the same species flew over the Beeches Estate, and then later on over the town centre.

Sussex Ornithological Society Firecrest Survey Crowborough 27/06/2018

This morning I completed my final visit to TQ52## for the Firecrest survey.  The sun was shining brightly, even penetrating the dense canopy. Of all of my visits, this was the one on which I hoped to see if any young had been raised. For the first half an hour of my walk, I only noted three Goldcrest territories, and one Firecrest, which I determined to investigate further later on. I walked into the compartment that had held the most last time I visited. Walking quite deep in, I found a small family group of Firecrests, with at least two young amongst them. On the other side of the path there was another territory, and this I discovered had four young Firecrests, as well as the two parents. The rest of the hour was rather an anti-climax, but I found at least two more young, out of the nest. This means that this square has got at least three Firecrest territories, which have so far brought up at least eight young this year so far!

Eastbourne 16/06/2018

Not a lot to report, I watched the sea from 1000 until 1300. Absolutely no movement except for 2 Manx Shearwaters well out on the sea. Also, a group of Gannets were fishing, also very well offshore. Apart from these, only the normal Herring Gulls, as well as a few Black-headed Gulls.

Broadwater Warren RSPB 11&12/06/2018

Last night, I spent two hours with the RSPB surveying Nightjars and Woodcocks. We started out from the car park at around quarter to nine, and I patrolled the stretch of path between the small pond and the first crossroads on the path from the car park to the Decoy Pond. At first, it was very quiet, except for a Herring Gull that flew over, followed by a Grey Heron which went in to roost in the woods nearby. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling loudly from the car park direction, and a male Whitethroat was preening itself on a silver birch sapling close by. Only once it became reasonably dark did the Nightjars start churring, and after that they started up from all directions, some churring for long periods of time. Whilst checking the next compartment, at least two Pipistrelle Bats appeared from nowhere, flying so close to me, and almost hitting me. Returning to the main path again, a dark shadow of a bird suddenly flew up from the heather close by the track. It then disappeared into the gloom, but minutes later, presumably the same bird circled round the trees directly above me, before landing on a branch well out of sight, and starting to churr very loudly. I walked closer, in order to attempt to see the bird, and accidentally flushed it. Whereupon, it flew across to a tree with a bare branch exposed, and perched there, in full view, and churred for a short period. Sure enough, that was the best Nightjar I have ever seen, despite doing the same survey last year. I almost wished that I had brought my camera, but it probably would have been too dark. Other surveyors were not so fortunate, either not seeing one, or not seeing or hearing one. I did not have any Woodcock on the area I was surveying, but several other people did either see one or hear one.
Today, I went for a walk around the reserve. Highlights included a Spotted Flycatcher by the Decoy Pond, and a pair of Turtle Doves at Park Corner.

Crowborough 09/06/2018

A walk around Crowborough this morning gave all the usual suspects, including good numbers of Starlings, over half of which seemed to be juveniles. On one house's roof I saw a Pied Wagtail, possibly of the race alba, White Wagtail, with very grey plumage on the mantle, rump, and wings. The Rose-coloured Starling influx does not seem to have hit Crowborough yet, if it does, but this year seems to be the best chance of seeing one locally. I did check all the Starlings I saw, but alas to no avail. Other than these, there are now good numbers of Swifts screaming all over the town, despite very low numbers in May. This is apparently due to storms over France and Spain which held the birds up. Yesterday, I saw what looked very much like a Spotted Flycatcher in my garden. The bird itself was a silhouette, but the behaviour was convincing. It was sitting on the top of one of my trees, and flycatching. The bird was silent, but there were no pronounced colours. The Jackdaw pictured below was one of many on the rooftops around town.

Holiday 30/05 - 04/06/2018

Another visit to Shropshire was good. The birds were all in full song, and thus quite easy to find, or at least locate. I saw 49 different species of birds from the Wednesday of last week to Monday this week. My friend's cottage is in the countryside, and therefore there were several handsome male Yellowhammers, singing from the tops of the trees along the road. There was plenty of excellent habitat for this species, with thick hawthorn hedges lining many roads and fields in the area, and trees dotted about the landscape for the males to sing from.
Another nice bird was the Skylark, which seemed to sing from the minute the sun rose above the horizon to the moment when it sunk beneath the western sky. This species also appeared to be nesting, and there were at least two pair in the nearby vicinity.
Warblers abounded. Whitethroats delivered their rather scratchy songs from dense thickets, before displaying to a hidden female, whilst Garden Warblers, sang from the depths of the scrub, not revealing themselves at all, and Blackcaps sand from the more prominent perches. Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers were also heard, although more distantly in woodland not more than a mile or two away.
The best bird overall was a singing Quail, which was only possibly seen very distantly, but was distinctly heard singing almost every day I was there.

Ashdown Forest, 26/05/2018

This afternoon I went for a quick stroll around the Hollies/Airman's Grave area of the Forest. There did not seem to be much life about, but lovely hot weather and some great views. The only birds of note were a male Redstart, a single Willow Warbler singing in the valley, and large numbers of Chiffchaffs, Chaffinches, Robins, and Blackbirds along the top. Also, at the bench, going along the top, a Jay flew very close by, followed by a Carrion Crow. On the way back, a Song Thrush was very obligingly sitting in a clump of gorse by the car park.

Sussex Ornithological Society Firecrest Survey Crowborough 25/05/2018

I am signed up to partake in the SOS's Firecrest survey. Thus, I was found from 10:00 until 11:00 in my designated 'square' - TQ52##. I spent an hour walking round. This was my second visit, and I identified six Firecrest territories and an equal number of Goldcrest territories. On my first visit, a few weeks ago, I found ten possible Goldcrest territories and five of Firecrest. On this later trip, one thought-to-be Goldcrest territory was re-identified as Firecrest, and three putative Goldcrest and one Firecrest territory appeared to be vacant. These birds may have been migrants, or just winter visitors. The weather was not great, so some of them may simply have taken to shelter, as it was cloudy and very dull, but hopefully my next and last trip will confirm whether they are territories or not. There were quite a few other birds around, including Chiffchaffs, at least three male Blackcaps, and a lone Garden Warbler around. Several Blackbirds were loudly proclaiming their territories, and a Song Thrush was quietly warbling still. A 3rd summer Herring Gull was floating overhead, and the fields held several families of Woodpigeons, complete with juveniles.

Rye Harbour NR, 21/05/2018

It was quite mild, with light southerly winds, and the odd occasional shower, at Rye Harbour. As soon as I arrived, I added Starling to the day list, as more than one of this species were pecking, presumably for insects under the eaves of the coastguard building. I first took a short walk to the information centre to see what birds were around. I knew that the Terek Sandpiper had not been seen since Saturday, but I was hoping that it might either reappear, or that something fresh would turn up. Returning from the centre, I found a Sedge Warbler singing from the reeds bordering the ditch, along with a Lesser Whitethroat that popped up from the undergrowth. I returned to the car park, and set off through the caravan park. At the crossroads I went straight over, admiring the elegant Avocets as I walked past them on the marshes on both sides. A single Spoonbill was easily seen on the pools to the west of Ternery Pool, and was actually awake, for once, feeding. From the hide overlooking Ternery Pool itself, there were hundreds of Black-headed Gulls at close range, and, on islands further out, many Sandwich Terns. I was also graced with a pair of Common Terns, which mated on the first island out. A pair of Ringed Plovers appeared briefly on the same island, and eventually a pair of Mediterranean Gulls reared up their heads. Crossing the path, I entered the hide overlooking the Flat Beach area. On this side, there were still plenty of Black-headed Gulls, but instead of Sandwich Terns, there were Common Terns, as well as one or two Little Terns. By far the most exciting bird in this area was a Curlew Sandpiper, which was feeding on the left edge of the pool, in all the breeding finery. After lunch, I made my way past the information centre to the hide on the tarmac path. From here, there were yet more Avocets, and, after closer examination, a pair of Turnstones, with the spring plumage. Also, a Whimbrel was well out on the pools, feeding by an Avocet, and a Black-tailed Godwit was further in. By far the most exciting bird was a Ruff, a male, no less, with the beginnings of the gorgeous plumage coming. What was more exciting was the fact that this was my 200th bird species this year! The day ended well after returning home, with Swifts screaming over the garden.

Sussex Ornithological Society Firecrest Survey Crowborough 18/04/2018

Today I completed the first of three Firecrest surveys for the SOS (Sussex Ornithological Society) in my selected square, TQ52##. It was a lovely day, with sunshine throughout. While I was there for an hour between 0900 and 1000, it was still cool. The birds were in full song, and I identified ten Goldcrest and five Firecrest territories, which made it quite a success. I do not expect all of them to produce young, as there is a good chance that some of the singing males will not be able to find a mate. All the same, I have hopes that at least one of them might produce something worth recording...

Barmouth 21/03-28/03/2018

A week's holiday in North Wales produced plenty of birds. I went to Holyhead, and was planning to go to South Stack RSPB, but on the day there were 80mph gusts, so I decided not to go. Still, I toured the harbour at Holyhead, and found both Red and Black-throated Divers, the latter only seen in flight taking off and heading out of the harbour. Also, there was a single Shag and at least three Oystercatchers. From there, I visited Beddmanarch Bay. The one really exciting bird there was a Marsh Harrier that suddenly came from nowhere and went to nowhere, flying just over the water in front of the car park. Other birds included Curlew, Redshanks, and at least two Purple Sandpipers on the rocks. I was staying quite close to the Farchynys National Trust site, so I visited that several times, finding a very early Pied Flycatcher, and a Little Gull, plus a pair of Goldeneye on the estuary. On another day of the holiday I went down to Ynys-hir RSPB, where I got good views of hundreds of Teal and Pintail.

Broadwater Warren RSPB 06/02/2018

My year list has been boosted recently by a couple of trips to Broadwater Warren. An early singing Woodlark was hard to locate when it was singing high up. Also, on the boggy heath near the old shooting butts, I flushed three Snipe as I walked behind the butts on the footpath. There were plenty of Siskin in the coniferous woodland, and a Grey Heron came in to roost when I was there quite late one day, and when I passed through the wet woodland, I found, to my great delight, one Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, which did not stay long, admittedly, but long enough to be identified. On the same footpath, I found two Marsh Tits. On the second occasion, I met the warden, and as we were talking together, a flock of Brent Geese flew over, a first for the reserve.

Rye Harbour NR 01/01/2018

Today I intended to see as many bird species as I could, in order to get as many on my year list as soon as possible. I started off early, and before I left for Rye. In the garden, I got all the usual suspects, the first bird of the year being a Song Thrush that was calling loudly from a nearby aerial. Of course, as with any other New Year's Day, the weather was awful, and in drizzle, heavy mist, and high winds I battled through the nature reserve. Because the weather was so awful, I simply visited Ternery Pool and the Quarry. On these parts, there were numerous Lapwing, Golden Plover, and Oystercatcher, as well as the long staying but very distant Red-breasted Merganser, and three grebes - Little, Great Crested, and Black-necked, the latter of which was a life tick. As you can see from the pictures below, the weather was atrocious.  All the same, as the night closed in I managed a respectable total of 60 species, the best I have ever done in one day.

North Wales Holiday, March 2017

I have just got back from a birding holiday in North Wales. The cottage was within half a mile of an estuary, and a stream ran literally past the front door. The stream had some very nice birds, including Dipper and Grey Wagtail, and occasionally the odd Grey Heron flew up stream. Lower down, near the estuary, the stream held a pair of Goosander. I went for a day trip to Lake Vyrynwy RSPB, and found a Great Tit's nest in a sand bank. Also, out of the Capel Coed hide, on the feeders, I saw large numbers of Siskins, as well as a handful of Chaffinches, and a male Pheasant, plus numerous squirrels feeding on the ground. Back on the estuary, I saw Little Egret, Oystercatchers aplenty, and at least five Red-breasted Mergansers, many Mallards, and similar numbers of Canada Geese, without anything of interest among them. Also in the way of ducks, there were several Shelduck, and even a surprise Pintail. Whilst on holiday, I saw my 100th bird of 2017 - Treecreeper in the trees near the cottage. It was a little surprising to have such a common species as my 100th, but all the same a nice little bird, and later on I found three plus in the same area.

Cuckmere Haven 01/03/2017

Awful weather today, to visibility was poor. Despite all this, there were plenty of birds to be seen, although mainly on the water, as the passerines appeared to be (sensibly) taking to  the shelter of the sparse bushes and trees. The only birds that were not sheltering the storm were a couple of Meadow Pipits, which kept us amused when there was nothing else to be seen. The best birds of the windswept area were a single adult Mediterranean Gull, and a Glaucous Gull on the meanders, and there were at least two Snipe on the lagoons, along with the best bird of the day, which was a single GREAT WHITE EGRET, which was braving the rain on the lagoon.