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A Good Day at Cuckmere Haven and More (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter joannec
- Start date
joannec
Well-known member
An Early Mornings Birding on My Farmland Patch
I woke up early to a bright sunny morning in Sussex and on glancing out of the window I saw the local rooks already flying around with sticks in their bills. I first noticed the nest building beginning a few days ago. There is a rookery about 30 yards from the house and it provides constant entertainment from now on. The preferred trees are Scots Pine but when they run out of these they overspill into the ash trees in a good year. Last year I counted about 20-25 nests. Some years I am lucky enough to actually see into a nest or two from my bedroom window.
On leaving the garden where a great spotted woodpecker was on the feeder along with the tits, I headed down the lane and saw a pair of greenfinch in the silver birch tree long with a pair of chaffinch.
It was to be pretty much of a "bread and butter" birding day as Matt would say but on a nice spring day like today most of the usual residents turned up. I was to see buzzards four or five times this morning but I think there were only 2 or 3 individuals, still nice to watch them soaring in the sunshine.
A walk up to the far side of the farm saw the first of about 6 pairs or should I say threesomes of dunnock, then a pair of bullfinch o
, the first seen on my patch this year. Also a striking male yellowhammer, another first for this patch this year. I think they flock elsewhere over the winter months so suspect he has come back to claim his territory. Then in the lower tree canopy a singing chiffchaff, another first for the year. :loveme: A green woodpecker put in a brief fly by appearance and I heard the drumming of gs woodpeckers.
A kestral flew over as I entered the woods where the first of two flocks of long tailed tits appeared, watched them for awhile before moving off deeper into the wood where I saw first a treecreeper and then a nuthatch :gh: By now it had started to rain so I stayed in the woods, it didn't last long fortunately. Signs of spring are everywhere in the woods, primroses flowering, pussy willows emerging, bluebells, ransoms and aconites pushing their way up through the leaf litter. The meadow fields were very wet after last weeks rain and the stream full to bursting. A cross wren didn't like me squelching in her muddy gateway.
More of the same on my return but one more highlight in wait. On crossing a grass field there was an ascending skylark in full song :loveme:, another first this year on my patch and a pair of song thrush.
Returning home the rooks were still purposely at work at their nest building.
I woke up early to a bright sunny morning in Sussex and on glancing out of the window I saw the local rooks already flying around with sticks in their bills. I first noticed the nest building beginning a few days ago. There is a rookery about 30 yards from the house and it provides constant entertainment from now on. The preferred trees are Scots Pine but when they run out of these they overspill into the ash trees in a good year. Last year I counted about 20-25 nests. Some years I am lucky enough to actually see into a nest or two from my bedroom window.
On leaving the garden where a great spotted woodpecker was on the feeder along with the tits, I headed down the lane and saw a pair of greenfinch in the silver birch tree long with a pair of chaffinch.
It was to be pretty much of a "bread and butter" birding day as Matt would say but on a nice spring day like today most of the usual residents turned up. I was to see buzzards four or five times this morning but I think there were only 2 or 3 individuals, still nice to watch them soaring in the sunshine.
A walk up to the far side of the farm saw the first of about 6 pairs or should I say threesomes of dunnock, then a pair of bullfinch o
, the first seen on my patch this year. Also a striking male yellowhammer, another first for this patch this year. I think they flock elsewhere over the winter months so suspect he has come back to claim his territory. Then in the lower tree canopy a singing chiffchaff, another first for the year. :loveme: A green woodpecker put in a brief fly by appearance and I heard the drumming of gs woodpeckers.A kestral flew over as I entered the woods where the first of two flocks of long tailed tits appeared, watched them for awhile before moving off deeper into the wood where I saw first a treecreeper and then a nuthatch :gh: By now it had started to rain so I stayed in the woods, it didn't last long fortunately. Signs of spring are everywhere in the woods, primroses flowering, pussy willows emerging, bluebells, ransoms and aconites pushing their way up through the leaf litter. The meadow fields were very wet after last weeks rain and the stream full to bursting. A cross wren didn't like me squelching in her muddy gateway.
More of the same on my return but one more highlight in wait. On crossing a grass field there was an ascending skylark in full song :loveme:, another first this year on my patch and a pair of song thrush.
Returning home the rooks were still purposely at work at their nest building.
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matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
A bit envious of all those buzzards Joanne
Nice to hear they're doing well,they do occasionally grace themselves with
an appearance in my part of the world but they're still considered a lucky sight in norfolk.
Regarding your pics, I do actually have a softspot for yellow hammers but as
Deborah says..that robin is a fantastic shot.
Matt
Nice to hear they're doing well,they do occasionally grace themselves with
an appearance in my part of the world but they're still considered a lucky sight in norfolk.
Regarding your pics, I do actually have a softspot for yellow hammers but as
Deborah says..that robin is a fantastic shot.
Matt
paulwfromtheden
Well-known member
matt green said:A bit envious of all those buzzards Joanne
Nice to hear they're doing well,they do occasionally grace themselves with
an appearance in my part of the world but they're still considered a lucky sight in norfolk.
Regarding your pics, I do actually have a softspot for yellow hammers but as
Deborah says..that robin is a fantastic shot.
Matt
Agree with the Buzzards, they seem to be doing well. I saw a pair at Chobham Common on Saturday and about five over Reigate a couple of weeks ago.
joannec
Well-known member
Ashdown Forest and Weir Wood Reservoir
I think I'll have to change the name of this thread, it is getting less and less about Cuckmere Haven and more and more about other places in Sussex....hummm.
Ashdown Forest is not very far from where I live, in fact I know it quite well as a place to walk in, and my husband grew up on Ashdown Forest and over the years he has shown me quite alot of places but that was before I became a birder. Over the past few months I have gone several times birding there but haven't seen too much of interest, I think I haven't known the good places to go so today there was an SOS walk on Ashdown Forest so I took the opportunity to tag along. Arriving at the said time and place to meet about 15 other birders but guess what, no leader. :stuck: While waiting we see a flock of long tailed tits, a pair of marsh tits and a coal tit. A few phone calls later and it transpires that said leader is still in bed somewhere in Surrey, having forgot about the walk he was due to lead! :egghead:
We begin without him and he promises to be there in an hour. Starting off at the Old Lodge we hear but don't see wood larks, then a jay puts in a brief appearance. It is a bright sunny day but with a chilly wind. We soon see mipits and a skylark in full song. As we approach the woods I spot a pair of goldcrest obligingly flitting about in the fir trees. Then a pair of stonechat and a green woodpecker calls. The birds are really not showing too well today, leader turns up and on we go to a denser more forested with scots pines part of the forest. I'm on the lookout for crossbills as is everyone else. We spend alot of time looking in the treetops but without luck. More stonechat and several great spotted woodpeckers and a treecreeper are seen but little else. We arrive back at the starting point ane decide to seach for the wood larks but to no avail. We hear a chiffchaff. It's a bit disappointing really, dipping both crossbills and woodlarks. :C
It's now lunchtime and we head off to the forest visitors centre and while having lunch a buzzard flies over and a nuthatch happily entertains us overhead.
Lunch eaten we decide to go to Weir Wood Reservoir, the group is now down to about 10, and immediately the female ring neck duck is spotted. :loveme: She's been here all winter. She is a long way off but we all have good views, she is easy to spot as there aren't many ducks about. I was here about 6 weeks ago and it was amass with tufties and pochard but very few left now. I wondered if the warm winter has meant they left earlier than they would normally do. The reservoir is long and thin and on the far side is a heronry, I count 14 nests. Mostly the herons are resting in the tree tops with a few in a far field and a few near the waters edge but there is one who sits tight for the three hours I am there, think she's sitting on eggs.:loveme: I know herons nest early but think shes ahead of the game.
Three kestrals fly across the far side of the reservoir and a little later a male sparrowhawk. There are great crested grebe , all in their summer plumage now, didn't see any displaying though. After an hour or so the group disperses and I am the only one left. I stay for another 2 hours and add gadwall and reed bunting to the days list.
Access is not great at Weir Wood and really there is only 1 hide and no access around the reservoir but the Friends of Weir Wood keep feeders well stocked so there is an abundance of birds here. Particularly notable today was a flock of about 40 chaffinches. It was nice to see so many at such close quarters and instructive to see the many first winters, both male and female in their brighter than their parents livery. Goldfinch, greenfinch, nuthatch, long tailed tit and marsh tit are present. Another birder tries to tell me they are willow tits but I'm not convinced. A female gs woodpecker feeds on the peanuts and a buzzard flies over.
It turned out to be a good day, no lifers for me today but over 40 species.
I think I'll have to change the name of this thread, it is getting less and less about Cuckmere Haven and more and more about other places in Sussex....hummm.
Ashdown Forest is not very far from where I live, in fact I know it quite well as a place to walk in, and my husband grew up on Ashdown Forest and over the years he has shown me quite alot of places but that was before I became a birder. Over the past few months I have gone several times birding there but haven't seen too much of interest, I think I haven't known the good places to go so today there was an SOS walk on Ashdown Forest so I took the opportunity to tag along. Arriving at the said time and place to meet about 15 other birders but guess what, no leader. :stuck: While waiting we see a flock of long tailed tits, a pair of marsh tits and a coal tit. A few phone calls later and it transpires that said leader is still in bed somewhere in Surrey, having forgot about the walk he was due to lead! :egghead:
We begin without him and he promises to be there in an hour. Starting off at the Old Lodge we hear but don't see wood larks, then a jay puts in a brief appearance. It is a bright sunny day but with a chilly wind. We soon see mipits and a skylark in full song. As we approach the woods I spot a pair of goldcrest obligingly flitting about in the fir trees. Then a pair of stonechat and a green woodpecker calls. The birds are really not showing too well today, leader turns up and on we go to a denser more forested with scots pines part of the forest. I'm on the lookout for crossbills as is everyone else. We spend alot of time looking in the treetops but without luck. More stonechat and several great spotted woodpeckers and a treecreeper are seen but little else. We arrive back at the starting point ane decide to seach for the wood larks but to no avail. We hear a chiffchaff. It's a bit disappointing really, dipping both crossbills and woodlarks. :C
It's now lunchtime and we head off to the forest visitors centre and while having lunch a buzzard flies over and a nuthatch happily entertains us overhead.
Lunch eaten we decide to go to Weir Wood Reservoir, the group is now down to about 10, and immediately the female ring neck duck is spotted. :loveme: She's been here all winter. She is a long way off but we all have good views, she is easy to spot as there aren't many ducks about. I was here about 6 weeks ago and it was amass with tufties and pochard but very few left now. I wondered if the warm winter has meant they left earlier than they would normally do. The reservoir is long and thin and on the far side is a heronry, I count 14 nests. Mostly the herons are resting in the tree tops with a few in a far field and a few near the waters edge but there is one who sits tight for the three hours I am there, think she's sitting on eggs.:loveme: I know herons nest early but think shes ahead of the game.
Three kestrals fly across the far side of the reservoir and a little later a male sparrowhawk. There are great crested grebe , all in their summer plumage now, didn't see any displaying though. After an hour or so the group disperses and I am the only one left. I stay for another 2 hours and add gadwall and reed bunting to the days list.
Access is not great at Weir Wood and really there is only 1 hide and no access around the reservoir but the Friends of Weir Wood keep feeders well stocked so there is an abundance of birds here. Particularly notable today was a flock of about 40 chaffinches. It was nice to see so many at such close quarters and instructive to see the many first winters, both male and female in their brighter than their parents livery. Goldfinch, greenfinch, nuthatch, long tailed tit and marsh tit are present. Another birder tries to tell me they are willow tits but I'm not convinced. A female gs woodpecker feeds on the peanuts and a buzzard flies over.
It turned out to be a good day, no lifers for me today but over 40 species.
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matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
A nice read joanne,
...and yet more buzzards arrrgh
Love the pics, the forest and reservoir look fantastic for birding - and I can't help (maybe it's just me!) notice how trim and shiny those chaffinches look?
Definately that time of year!
Matt
...and yet more buzzards arrrgh
Love the pics, the forest and reservoir look fantastic for birding - and I can't help (maybe it's just me!) notice how trim and shiny those chaffinches look?
Definately that time of year!
Matt
Upland Birder
Birding On The Edge
Hi joanne,
Nice to hear from you again and sounds like you had a good leaderless birding walk!! Did the leader turn up ? A good read and nice photo's.
One of these days I will make my way south to that place you call Cuckmere haven.
I'm off to Gower for the week for some coastal walking and birding at the beginning of May and the Farne Islands for a weekend at the end of May.
Dean
Cheadle Birder
Nice to hear from you again and sounds like you had a good leaderless birding walk!! Did the leader turn up ? A good read and nice photo's.
One of these days I will make my way south to that place you call Cuckmere haven.
I'm off to Gower for the week for some coastal walking and birding at the beginning of May and the Farne Islands for a weekend at the end of May.
Dean
Cheadle Birder
joannec
Well-known member
Thanks guys, yes the leader did turn up eventually, he was very apologetic and did impart some good information about where certain birds are to be found.
Hi Nick, said leader did tell me where the nightjars are to be found. Perhaps we should plan an evening there in June.
Joanne
Moonshake said:
Hi Nick, said leader did tell me where the nightjars are to be found. Perhaps we should plan an evening there in June.
Joanne
joannec
Well-known member
hollis_f said:
I'll PM you Frank, don't know that I should say on a public forum.
Unexpected Drama in the Skies
Yesterday, while at work; I work in the South Downs near the village of Selmeston. It's a most beautiful place with far reaching views to the north and a wood behind. The coast is only a few miles away as the crow flies. Anyway, yesterday morning, when I least expected it, I looked up to see 2 skylarks, a peregrine and a crow, altogether. The peregrine was after a skylark and the crow was mobbing the peregrine!!! I had close views and it was really exciting but they disappeared over a building and I unfortunately didn't see the outcome but think the skylarks live another day. It was great and came so unexpectedly out of the blue, it made my day, really is as good as it gets!!! Woooh!! :-O
Joanne
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Fantastic sighting..
Peregrines seem to have been quite plentifull this winter, even I've been seeing them!!
Matt
Peregrines seem to have been quite plentifull this winter, even I've been seeing them!!
Matt
paulwfromtheden
Well-known member
Moonshake said:
Joanne/Nick,
I'd love to come along as well, perhaps we could arrange down at Cuckmere?
Paul
joannec
Well-known member
All in a Flap in the Rookery
I haven't been able to get out birding this week, too much work and parental responsibilities. And the fierce northerly wind wasn't very welcoming anyway but I have been watching the rooks at work. There is a rookery on my patch of Sussex farmland and watching them this time of year is educational and fun.:t: They are so busy. I can even see a few nests from my bedroom window. :bounce:
I first noticed them flying around with sticks in their bills on 20 Feb so they are well into it now. They begin with large sticks, small branches in some cases, it's a wonder they can fly, some are so big and heavy. As nest building progresses, the stick size alters. There is a silver birch tree in my garden and early in the mornings some come and actually break off large bushy twigs and fly off with them. I think the softness of the pre emergent buds is attractive at a particular stage in the nest building. This goes on for a few weeks, with lots of raucous behaviour and plenty of stick stealing, pity those pairs who leave their growing nests for long because they can and do come back to a vandalised nest. :eek!: They finish off with leaves, dry grass and moss; almost sounds cosy, doesn't it?
I counted 21 nests this morning. The preferred tree is mature Scots Pine and one tree has 7 nests in it, all pretty cramped together. Not surprising that they like the Scots Pine, provides a bit more shelter and stability although still pretty exposed by any standards. When these desirable sites run out they spill over into the more numerous ash trees. It is the younger less experienced birds who get stuck with these less preferential sites. I can tell this because some are so poorly built, small and not strong. There is one poor pair whose nest is less than half the size of all the others, they were late to start building and are still at the stick stage whereas all their relatives are pretty much finished. I think they might be first years. I don't have high hopes for the success of this nest. |=(| Most years I watch helplessly as a few of these nests get blown apart by strong winds.
In the network of bare branches a rookery is easy to watch. As I said there are about 21 nests but there are some 60 or so rooks in this colony. I believe not all the young birds nest in their first year. But these youngsters, or should I say bolshy teenagers, as that's what they seem like to me, alternate between being helpful with their parents' nest building and also being the prime movers of the stick stealing brigade! Not much different from our own specie in this respect , sometimes delightful and helpful, other times a pain in the ****. (Young BFers excepted,of course.)
Something else I've noticed about the rooks is that their plumage at this time of year is very bedraggled with gaps and missing feathers, some are even missing several primaries. Unlike other passarines they don't seem to moult pre breeding. Is their early nesting the reason for this I wonder?
I know rooks are very common and some people won't have found this very account very interesting. But in my opinion, common yes, but boring? No, much too much going on in their complicated society.
Hope the north winds drop next week. Then I'll get down to the coast and hope to see some nice migrants!
Joanne
I haven't been able to get out birding this week, too much work and parental responsibilities. And the fierce northerly wind wasn't very welcoming anyway but I have been watching the rooks at work. There is a rookery on my patch of Sussex farmland and watching them this time of year is educational and fun.:t: They are so busy. I can even see a few nests from my bedroom window. :bounce:
I first noticed them flying around with sticks in their bills on 20 Feb so they are well into it now. They begin with large sticks, small branches in some cases, it's a wonder they can fly, some are so big and heavy. As nest building progresses, the stick size alters. There is a silver birch tree in my garden and early in the mornings some come and actually break off large bushy twigs and fly off with them. I think the softness of the pre emergent buds is attractive at a particular stage in the nest building. This goes on for a few weeks, with lots of raucous behaviour and plenty of stick stealing, pity those pairs who leave their growing nests for long because they can and do come back to a vandalised nest. :eek!: They finish off with leaves, dry grass and moss; almost sounds cosy, doesn't it?
I counted 21 nests this morning. The preferred tree is mature Scots Pine and one tree has 7 nests in it, all pretty cramped together. Not surprising that they like the Scots Pine, provides a bit more shelter and stability although still pretty exposed by any standards. When these desirable sites run out they spill over into the more numerous ash trees. It is the younger less experienced birds who get stuck with these less preferential sites. I can tell this because some are so poorly built, small and not strong. There is one poor pair whose nest is less than half the size of all the others, they were late to start building and are still at the stick stage whereas all their relatives are pretty much finished. I think they might be first years. I don't have high hopes for the success of this nest. |=(| Most years I watch helplessly as a few of these nests get blown apart by strong winds.
In the network of bare branches a rookery is easy to watch. As I said there are about 21 nests but there are some 60 or so rooks in this colony. I believe not all the young birds nest in their first year. But these youngsters, or should I say bolshy teenagers, as that's what they seem like to me, alternate between being helpful with their parents' nest building and also being the prime movers of the stick stealing brigade! Not much different from our own specie in this respect
, sometimes delightful and helpful, other times a pain in the ****. (Young BFers excepted,of course.)Something else I've noticed about the rooks is that their plumage at this time of year is very bedraggled with gaps and missing feathers, some are even missing several primaries. Unlike other passarines they don't seem to moult pre breeding. Is their early nesting the reason for this I wonder?
I know rooks are very common and some people won't have found this very account very interesting. But in my opinion, common yes, but boring? No, much too much going on in their complicated society.
Hope the north winds drop next week. Then I'll get down to the coast and hope to see some nice migrants!
Joanne
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