joannec
Well-known member
The Hen Harriers’ Bird Race
Every year the Sussex OS have a January birdrace to raise money for a specific birding cause; this year proceeds go to providing more swift boxes in Sussex. I'm a member of a team, the all female Hen Harriers with two other BFers, SueP and Zaroc. The aim is to see as many bird species as possible in a day. We assemble before dawn at the harrier roost on Ashdown Forest; we want to get our namesake bird! :gh: It’s a risky strategy as it means spending valuable daylight hours in the car later travelling to the coast. A tawny owl hoots while we’re still in the carpark, an excellent omen! :t: We watch a gorgeous sunrise on this frosty morning as two hen harriers oarise from the heather; we also notch up redpoll, reed bunting, yellowhammer and mipit.
Onwards to Darwell Woods picking up green woodpecker, song thrush, the first of the greylags and a few others en route. The woods are full to bursting with marsh tits.:king: A flock of redwing fly over, long tailed tits pass through, we glimpse a bullfinch but dip on siskin and goldcrest. Next stop: the village hall in Pett village adding green and goldfinch. Fieldfare, mistle thrush and common gull are in the ponies field next door and we feel we’ve got most of the vital woodlanders; we won’t get them later in the day.
Cliff End sees fulmar on the cliffs but the turbulent swell makes IDing birds on the sea very difficult but we do find a number or red-throated divers, a flock of scoter and hundreds of great-crested grebe. The still frozen Pett Pools is next where we begin to gather duck and geese species. Lots of people on the sea wall looking for the king eider (which we don’t see). We don't linger; after all it's bird race day! A buzzard and marsh harrier are over the levels; a pair of raven complete the corvid tally. Time to stop for some soup and we’re up to 65 species. On to Scotney Pit, careful to stay at the Sussex end only, as per race rules of the SOS, that we have to remain in Sussex. A few more ducks and something puts up the geese and Zarac spots barnacle geese :t: in the flock but SueP and I miss them so we sneak into a derelict farmyard:eek!: where we’re able to see the flock of barnacles and even better, four bean geese (tundra):t::t:. Wooo, bird of the day! Happy at that, we’re on a roll now, eat the rest of our lunch on the trot and head to Rye Harbour. No, ladies, we can’t count the ostriches, which are in a field on the way. I know they’re big but they’re not allowed.
Target birds for Rye are bittern, cettis, water rail and goldeneye but even with our secret bicycle weapons we dip them all….in fact Rye is disappointingly bereft of birds today. :-C We spend an hour and a half here and only add seven more species. We’re beginning to feel despondent when towards the end, near Lime Kiln Cottage SueP suddenly calls ‘kingfisher’, looks to the left and points, forgets to look where she’s going……the inevitable happens….she unseats herself but we all glimpse the flash of blue. It lightens the mood and she says it was worth it. I do hope you’re not too bruised today Sue.o
No time to stop at the observation point as light is fading fast and we need to be back at Pett. We stop at Winchelsea Beach, low tide now, and add ringed plover and sanderling. Back to the pools to wait in the now bitter wind for the barn owl who probably finds it too windy too tonight and doesn’t show. On to The British Oak pub in Pett village for some warming and restorative soup which the nice lady, seeing how cold we are, provides us with even though it’s outside food serving times. Eighty-six species in total for The Hen Harriers. Although the list is notable for it’s absences we’re pleased as it’s three higher than our last years total. We won't win; we're up against some VERY experienced competition but we had as much fun as any of the teams I'm sure, and we raised some money for swifts in Sussex.
Joanne
Every year the Sussex OS have a January birdrace to raise money for a specific birding cause; this year proceeds go to providing more swift boxes in Sussex. I'm a member of a team, the all female Hen Harriers with two other BFers, SueP and Zaroc. The aim is to see as many bird species as possible in a day. We assemble before dawn at the harrier roost on Ashdown Forest; we want to get our namesake bird! :gh: It’s a risky strategy as it means spending valuable daylight hours in the car later travelling to the coast. A tawny owl hoots while we’re still in the carpark, an excellent omen! :t: We watch a gorgeous sunrise on this frosty morning as two hen harriers oarise from the heather; we also notch up redpoll, reed bunting, yellowhammer and mipit.
Onwards to Darwell Woods picking up green woodpecker, song thrush, the first of the greylags and a few others en route. The woods are full to bursting with marsh tits.:king: A flock of redwing fly over, long tailed tits pass through, we glimpse a bullfinch but dip on siskin and goldcrest. Next stop: the village hall in Pett village adding green and goldfinch. Fieldfare, mistle thrush and common gull are in the ponies field next door and we feel we’ve got most of the vital woodlanders; we won’t get them later in the day.
Cliff End sees fulmar on the cliffs but the turbulent swell makes IDing birds on the sea very difficult but we do find a number or red-throated divers, a flock of scoter and hundreds of great-crested grebe. The still frozen Pett Pools is next where we begin to gather duck and geese species. Lots of people on the sea wall looking for the king eider (which we don’t see). We don't linger; after all it's bird race day! A buzzard and marsh harrier are over the levels; a pair of raven complete the corvid tally. Time to stop for some soup and we’re up to 65 species. On to Scotney Pit, careful to stay at the Sussex end only, as per race rules of the SOS, that we have to remain in Sussex. A few more ducks and something puts up the geese and Zarac spots barnacle geese :t: in the flock but SueP and I miss them so we sneak into a derelict farmyard:eek!: where we’re able to see the flock of barnacles and even better, four bean geese (tundra):t::t:. Wooo, bird of the day! Happy at that, we’re on a roll now, eat the rest of our lunch on the trot and head to Rye Harbour. No, ladies, we can’t count the ostriches, which are in a field on the way. I know they’re big but they’re not allowed.
Target birds for Rye are bittern, cettis, water rail and goldeneye but even with our secret bicycle weapons we dip them all….in fact Rye is disappointingly bereft of birds today. :-C We spend an hour and a half here and only add seven more species. We’re beginning to feel despondent when towards the end, near Lime Kiln Cottage SueP suddenly calls ‘kingfisher’, looks to the left and points, forgets to look where she’s going……the inevitable happens….she unseats herself but we all glimpse the flash of blue. It lightens the mood and she says it was worth it. I do hope you’re not too bruised today Sue.o
No time to stop at the observation point as light is fading fast and we need to be back at Pett. We stop at Winchelsea Beach, low tide now, and add ringed plover and sanderling. Back to the pools to wait in the now bitter wind for the barn owl who probably finds it too windy too tonight and doesn’t show. On to The British Oak pub in Pett village for some warming and restorative soup which the nice lady, seeing how cold we are, provides us with even though it’s outside food serving times. Eighty-six species in total for The Hen Harriers. Although the list is notable for it’s absences we’re pleased as it’s three higher than our last years total. We won't win; we're up against some VERY experienced competition but we had as much fun as any of the teams I'm sure, and we raised some money for swifts in Sussex.
Joanne
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