Off to Brighton…. (1 Viewer)

[Julie50]

All packed, including “Best Birdwatching Sites in Sussex”, Beaconsfield Services look best for lunch - will post reports. I am assuming Wi-Fi will be better than Dartmoor lol.

 

[delia todd]

Have a lovely time Julie.

Would love to hear where you went and what you saw!!

 

[Original PaulE]

I am assuming Wi-Fi will be better than Dartmoor lol.

Don't bank on it! If you are on O2!! Good luck, looking forward to seeing what you find, I'm gonna try Beachy Head Tomorrow been a bit there today!!

 

[Julie50]

Looks like PaulE is right about the wi-fi. May have to report when I get back. Unless I see something amazing and use the phone !!!

 

[Julie50]

Right back to the West Midlands and reliable wi-if 😍

 

[Julie50]

Day 1: Arrives after a good journey, always expect to crawl round the M25! Interesting campsite by East Brighton Park on the edge of the city.

Evening walk along the sea front prompted the conversation; Look at that huge hotel type building! Why do you think it has a church? That’s odd! Maybe it’s a spiritual health spa? Ohh it’s Roedean!!! Doooh.

Crow
Blackbird
House sparrow
Starling
kestrel
BH gull
LBB gull
Herring Gull
Oystercatchers
Grey heron

 

[delia todd]

Hope you enjoyed your Sussex break Julie!

 

[Julie50]

Day 2: Touristy day in Brighton, along with a large number of Mods, as it was August Bank Holiday!

(No Rockers though!)

 

[Julie50]

Day 3: Beachy Head. As it was bank holiday, a few too many people for rarities I think, but a great day never the less. As the book suggested I kept mostly to the scrubby bush, where I had a close flyby
by a sparrow hawk

LBB gull
Herring gull
BH gull
Shag (I think rather than cormorant?)
Pipet (rock?)
Wheatear
Gold finch
Winchat
Stonechat
Kestrel
Crow
Jackdaw
Sparrow hawk

 

[Julie50]

Day 4: RSPB Pullborough Brooks. So very dry, half of the reserve had no pools at all (Win Perry and West Mead). Jupp’s View and Nettley’s Hide yielded great views. Reserve was quite and that suits me lol. Great walks with many flocks of small twitterers. (Just a quick amendment to the book - the cafe is described as the best RSPB one. It just sells pasties etc now although I was assured the cake was excellent!)

C geese
Black tailed godwit
Snipe
Lapwing
Crow
BH gull
Moorhen
Swallow
Housemartin
Grey heron
LBB gull
Long-tailed tits
Goldfinch
Great tit
Starling
Gold crest
Wren
Magpie
Ruff x2
Kestrel
Hobby
Buzzard

 

[Julie50]

Day 5: Another Tourist in Brighton Day.
Day 6: Severn Sisters County Park and Cuckmere. ( In the book it is called Splash Point and Seaford Head and the walk is along the sea front as the area is noted for a kittiwake colony and sea watching - not the right time of the year!). Had not been here before and would highly recommend it. Parking was only £4 for the day At the Country Park with a Cafe (did not visit) and excellent toilets! My other half loved the mountain bike trails in the wooded area and I felt the scenery was very impressive. There is a wide river and sizeable salt marsh going down to a lovely beach, with high white cliffs to one side and walkable scrub to the other. Had one of those, “you just missed a wrynck” moments from a small group of friendly locals, labelled as Hope Gap in the book. I walked along both sides of the river, the direct from the car park”right hand“ path, was busy with many children and dogs, however if you want quiet, go along the other side of the river. I walked the A road for a short distance, there is a pavement, across the small bridge and down the side of the Cuckmore Inn. Superb views and rather surprisingly for me a large roost of little egrets!

Gold finch
Stone chat
Kestrel
BH gull
Little egret x30+ over the reserve
Little grebe x7
Winchat
Pipet (rock?)
Crow
Mute swan
Wren
Grey heron
Common sandpiper
Pied wagtail
Dunlin (juvenile I think not curlew sand?)
Collared dove
Whitethroat (common?)
Magpie

 

[Julie50]

Day 7: Pagham Harbour. Beautiful weather assisted with another great birding day. I walked from the Ferry Pool Hide along to the sea front, via a quick detour at the church, the tide was out so the whole path was accessible. The hide is probably not worth visiting by the tideline, as the birds are better seen via the shingle paths. There are still naturists at the Spit, so I would avoid the sea ward side if you don’t want to see a few totally bronzed bodies! Highlight for me was great sightings of a passage osprey, which stayed on site for a good few hours. And of course some great birding chat!

It is also worth walking the path, marked as “dog friendly” which goes across the head of the harbour, especially when I did with a full tide and fading sun. It has interesting plaques with local history including the tram and a failed attempt to block the harbour altogether and reclaim the land for farming!

Lapwing
Shelduck
Black tailed godwit
Coot
Brent goose
Dunlin (again do not think they were curlew sands?)
Starling
BH gull
Redshank
Little egret
Magpie
Curlew
Osprey
Cormorant
Oystercatcher
GC grebe
Green finch
Golden plover
Grey heron
House sparrow
Chaffinch
Dunnock
Goldfinch

 

[Julie50]

In summary I would highly recommend the area, especially if like me, you like a good birding walk

 

[Original PaulE]

Some excellent reports I think your Shag is a Cormorant though I'm on my phone so maybe wrong!! Also Minsmere cafe is superior, especially when they have bread pudding, to Pulborough which is good though!

 

[Stonefaction]

Agree with Paul that your Shag is a Cormorant, first Pipit is a Rock, second is Meadow, third is a Rock, Whitethroat is a Common, Dunlin are indeed Dunlin, and what I suspect is your Common Sandpiper is a Greenshank. I think your Golden Plover are actually Grey Plover.

 

[Julie50]

Thank you - still learning!

 

[Stonefaction]

Thank you - still learning!

No worries....we're really ALL still learning....

 

[THE_FERN]

Day 3: Beachy Head. As it was bank holiday, a few too many people for rarities I think, but a great day never the less. As the book suggested I kept mostly to the scrubby bush, where I had a close flyby
by a sparrow hawk

LBB gull
Herring gull
BH gull
Shag (I think rather than cormorant?)
Pipet (rock?)
Wheatear
Gold finch
Winchat
Stonechat
Kestrel
Crow
Jackdaw
Sparrow hawk

(The photo's a cormorant: you can see the white around the gape)

 

[THE_FERN]

Day 4: RSPB Pullborough Brooks. So very dry, half of the reserve had no pools at all (Win Perry and West Mead). Jupp’s View and Nettley’s Hide yielded great views. Reserve was quite and that suits me lol. Great walks with many flocks of small twitterers. (Just a quick amendment to the book - the cafe is described as the best RSPB one. It just sells pasties etc now although I was assured the cake was excellent!)

C geese
Black tailed godwit
Snipe
Lapwing
Crow
BH gull
Moorhen
Swallow
Housemartin
Grey heron
LBB gull
Long-tailed tits
Goldfinch
Great tit
Starling
Gold crest
Wren
Magpie
Ruff x2
Kestrel
Hobby
Buzzard

Butterfly's a green-veined white: nice pic!

 

[THE_FERN]

Day 7: Pagham Harbour. Beautiful weather assisted with another great birding day. I walked from the Ferry Pool Hide along to the sea front, via a quick detour at the church, the tide was out so the whole path was accessible. The hide is probably not worth visiting by the tideline, as the birds are better seen via the shingle paths. There are still naturists at the Spit, so I would avoid the sea ward side if you don’t want to see a few totally bronzed bodies! Highlight for me was great sightings of a passage osprey, which stayed on site for a good few hours. And of course some great birding chat!

It is also worth walking the path, marked as “dog friendly” which goes across the head of the harbour, especially when I did with a full tide and fading sun. It has interesting plaques with local history including the tram and a failed attempt to block the harbour altogether and reclaim the land for farming!

Lapwing
Shelduck
Black tailed godwit
Coot
Brent goose
Dunlin (again do not think they were curlew sands?)
Starling
BH gull
Redshank
Little egret
Magpie
Curlew
Osprey
Cormorant
Oystercatcher
GC grebe
Green finch
Golden plover
Grey heron
House sparrow
Chaffinch
Dunnock
Goldfinch

Nice yellow-horned poppy pic.