robinm
Registered User
As the weather was awful on Sunday I decided to take a day out yesterday and go down to Rye. The forecast was good and the wind had dropped.
The day started well when I took my son the the station at 6:30 in the morning. A tawny owl crossed the road in front my car (a first for the year).
After sorting out a few work e mails and packing our passports we set out for East Sussex. Our first port of call was Pett Levels where Shore Lark and Snow Bunting had been seen recently. No luck there unfortunately, but a couple of Marsh Harriers spreading panic among the large flocks of lapwing made up for that. There are good numbers of Curlew in the fields and a large number of Great Crested Grebe offshore.
We moved on to Rye Harbour and started our walk at about high tide. It was unusually quiet, but a singing skylark is alaways a joy. There were a small number of waders on the shore - redshank, grey plover and turnstone and a large roost of oystercatchers. A dozen Brent Geese silently pass over. One of the main pools is quiet as one of the wardens is working on a fence around the new hide.
Things start to pick up as we move inland. The Long Pit has a good selection of ducks. There are a large number of pochard and the males are looking very smart. How often do we really look at this common bird? Ahead of us something is obviously disturbing the large flock of Stock Doves and as we reach the Watch Cottages a Short-eared Owl flies low over the field shortly followed by another. For the next half an hour we watch these birds quarter over the fields as we make our way along the path. As we pass the farm buildings a Barn Owl appears in front of us, closely followed by one of the SEOs. Obviously two's company ... We carry on along the path and 30 feet to our left in a bush sits a Long-eared Owl - a very handsome bird. We had been told there were two, but we cannot locate the other. As we make our make our way back into the village, a dozen+ Tree Sparrows are darting in and out of the bushes. I can't remember the last time I saw this number.
To finish off the day we go to the Bittern Viewpoint. Not a lot of bittern activity, but one (possibly 2) makes a couple of brief appearances flying from one reed bed to the next. As the sun sets a kingfisher whizzes low over the water, a merlin darts through spreading momentary panic and twenty little egrets come in to roost in the trees. A Cettis Warbler bursts into song nearby and a Bearded Tit "pings" unseen in the reeds. A Water Rail squeals nearby and as I look it darts from one patch of reeds to the next. A good end to a fine day.
Hopefully some of you will recognise the places I describe and I apologise that my literary style is not up to many contributors, but a "four owl" day is not an everyday occurence that I wanted to share.
Here is a combined list for the entire day.
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Great Bittern
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Brent Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Teal
Mallard
Shoveler
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Ruddy Duck
Marsh Harrier
Common Kestrel
Merlin
Pheasant
Water Rail
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Common Snipe
Curlew
Common Redshank
Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Barn Owl
Tawny Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Common Kingfisher
Skylark
Pied Wagtail
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Stonechat
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Cetti's Warbler
Bearded Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Reed Bunting
The day started well when I took my son the the station at 6:30 in the morning. A tawny owl crossed the road in front my car (a first for the year).
After sorting out a few work e mails and packing our passports we set out for East Sussex. Our first port of call was Pett Levels where Shore Lark and Snow Bunting had been seen recently. No luck there unfortunately, but a couple of Marsh Harriers spreading panic among the large flocks of lapwing made up for that. There are good numbers of Curlew in the fields and a large number of Great Crested Grebe offshore.
We moved on to Rye Harbour and started our walk at about high tide. It was unusually quiet, but a singing skylark is alaways a joy. There were a small number of waders on the shore - redshank, grey plover and turnstone and a large roost of oystercatchers. A dozen Brent Geese silently pass over. One of the main pools is quiet as one of the wardens is working on a fence around the new hide.
Things start to pick up as we move inland. The Long Pit has a good selection of ducks. There are a large number of pochard and the males are looking very smart. How often do we really look at this common bird? Ahead of us something is obviously disturbing the large flock of Stock Doves and as we reach the Watch Cottages a Short-eared Owl flies low over the field shortly followed by another. For the next half an hour we watch these birds quarter over the fields as we make our way along the path. As we pass the farm buildings a Barn Owl appears in front of us, closely followed by one of the SEOs. Obviously two's company ... We carry on along the path and 30 feet to our left in a bush sits a Long-eared Owl - a very handsome bird. We had been told there were two, but we cannot locate the other. As we make our make our way back into the village, a dozen+ Tree Sparrows are darting in and out of the bushes. I can't remember the last time I saw this number.
To finish off the day we go to the Bittern Viewpoint. Not a lot of bittern activity, but one (possibly 2) makes a couple of brief appearances flying from one reed bed to the next. As the sun sets a kingfisher whizzes low over the water, a merlin darts through spreading momentary panic and twenty little egrets come in to roost in the trees. A Cettis Warbler bursts into song nearby and a Bearded Tit "pings" unseen in the reeds. A Water Rail squeals nearby and as I look it darts from one patch of reeds to the next. A good end to a fine day.
Hopefully some of you will recognise the places I describe and I apologise that my literary style is not up to many contributors, but a "four owl" day is not an everyday occurence that I wanted to share.
Here is a combined list for the entire day.
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Great Bittern
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Brent Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Teal
Mallard
Shoveler
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Ruddy Duck
Marsh Harrier
Common Kestrel
Merlin
Pheasant
Water Rail
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Common Snipe
Curlew
Common Redshank
Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Barn Owl
Tawny Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Common Kingfisher
Skylark
Pied Wagtail
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Stonechat
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Cetti's Warbler
Bearded Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Reed Bunting
