-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Sussex Birding (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ben Rackstraw
- Start date
Ben Rackstraw
Well-known member
Hi everybody,
Good to see that this thread is still just about going - I've been away in Madagascar for three weeks, so had to make do with Lemurs and Ground-Rollers instead of the Pagham Harbour gull roost; still, I managed to cope with that
Seems that main things I missed both in county and Nationally while away were from the Auk family - some nice accessible Little Auks along the coast here and that first for Britain in Devon.
Might be able to get some local birding in before Christmas, although this could be hampered by the bashing my optics took on holiday - one broken telescope and bits fallen off/lost from bins and tripod. Will be off down to see Kay Optical at Pagham on 17/12, in the hope that repaired kit will be available early in the New Year!
Good to see that this thread is still just about going - I've been away in Madagascar for three weeks, so had to make do with Lemurs and Ground-Rollers instead of the Pagham Harbour gull roost; still, I managed to cope with that
Seems that main things I missed both in county and Nationally while away were from the Auk family - some nice accessible Little Auks along the coast here and that first for Britain in Devon.
Might be able to get some local birding in before Christmas, although this could be hampered by the bashing my optics took on holiday - one broken telescope and bits fallen off/lost from bins and tripod. Will be off down to see Kay Optical at Pagham on 17/12, in the hope that repaired kit will be available early in the New Year!
Dunno if it's the calmer weather, dunno if it's cos half the students have buggered off home for the vacation already, but took a lunchtime potter round the university at Falmer and all of a sudden the place seems to be teeming with birds. Nothing that you'd waste any time writing about on the internet or anything -oh no- but along there by the carparks at the quiet end of campus you'd think to yourself, bloody hell, where did all these blackbirds come from, how come I've never noticed all these wrens before? All these sudden chaffinches ferreting around beneath the alders and maples. A real sense of life about everything, I guess everything is merrily clocking up some overtime before the wind and the rain start again. But white campions flowering in December - is that right? The kestrel gliding past at shoulder height, something birdy clutched in its talons, maybe one of the dunnocks from the dock patch, that was quite good. The grey wagtail waiting on the air-conditioning duct outside my office window -eh what!?- that was good too.
Still no lemurs round my neck of the woods though (sigh). C'mon guys - I got bananas! Anyone up to much this weekend?
Still no lemurs round my neck of the woods though (sigh). C'mon guys - I got bananas! Anyone up to much this weekend?
Mid-morning today we had what appeared to be a common whitethroat poking around on the trellis in the garden by the overgrown nasturtium. We've had the odd one or two here before in the summer, but surely by now they should have all packed their bags and fled the country for the winter? Was only a brief view through the fogged-up kitchen window of a slightly dumpy character with a pointyish head, a good white throat on it and gingery wing patches. 99% confident that it wasn't a blackcap, but this being December and all, I'm still a bit puzzled. Any thoughts?
deborah4
Well-known member
Hi Nick, it would be very late:
Most Sussex Whitethroats left the County at the end of August through to second week of September last year. After that, just a handful spotted, mostly at Pags, then a couple in October.
Latest late sighting for Whitethroat in Sussex last year was one individual seen at Arundel WWT on 19th November, which was a month later than the 10 year average. It's possible but more description would be needed for what would be a worthwhile recording.
Nuthatch might be a possibility
Most Sussex Whitethroats left the County at the end of August through to second week of September last year. After that, just a handful spotted, mostly at Pags, then a couple in October.
Latest late sighting for Whitethroat in Sussex last year was one individual seen at Arundel WWT on 19th November, which was a month later than the 10 year average. It's possible but more description would be needed for what would be a worthwhile recording.
Nuthatch might be a possibility
Thanks Deborah, that's all pretty much what I thought. Weird one. Definite warbler, flitted around a bit round dead flower heads and under foliage presumably looking for insects. Got the impression of sandy, ginger and grey colours and a decent-sized non-nuthatch tail on it. Not as mad active as some warbler species I've seen though. Oh noes, what to put on GardernBirdwatch form??
(Perversely I do half wish it were a nuthatch - major garden tick time!)
(Perversely I do half wish it were a nuthatch - major garden tick time!)
No further sign of my mystery bird since the first sighting, but have read that there was a whitethroat in Bedfordshire slightly earlier this month. Not totally beyond the bounds of possibility then, I guess (though still a bit suspect!). Have also had buff-tailed bumblebees visiting flowering rosemary too, so maybe it's just Mother Nature who has gone bonkers, not me.
joannec
Well-known member
Isn't it really dull birding weather this Christmas in Sussex?
Very little showing in this dull gloomy weather except yesterday, from my garden, I heard one of the resident kestrals going bezerk, "keewing " madly and loudly. Catching my attention I followed him, no bins, and soon a tawny owl flew out of the woods chased by the freaked kestral. A rook soon joined in and all three noisily disappeared over and behind the woods. Just thought I would relate this Christmas day drama.
Very little showing in this dull gloomy weather except yesterday, from my garden, I heard one of the resident kestrals going bezerk, "keewing " madly and loudly. Catching my attention I followed him, no bins, and soon a tawny owl flew out of the woods chased by the freaked kestral. A rook soon joined in and all three noisily disappeared over and behind the woods. Just thought I would relate this Christmas day drama.
A family jaunt round Arundel WWT today. And it was a lot quieter than I thought it might be too, everyone must have been up the shops instead, mugs the lot of them. There wasn't really all that much wild wildfowl around either, at least to my eyes, but I'm never really sure what's in the collection and what's just jumped in over the fence. Anyhow, top moment of the day was standing outside the long-tailed duck and scoter enclosure and catching a burst of motion out of the corner of my eye coming from over the carpark. Whacked my binoculars up to my eyes and see this shape hurtling low across reserve, really bloody fast and accelerating all the time. No way was my finger fast enough on the poxy focus wheel - when I do finally get a decent view, the only damn thing I can see is a streaked coppery brown breast filling up the entire bloomin' view and I realise the bird is only about a dozen yards away from my face. Drop the bins and watch a juvenile peregrine slam low and hard into a flock of feral pigeons that rise too slowly from feeding on the spilt grain by the red-breasted geese. Dunno if the raid was successful - every other bird that could fly was going up all over the place and the whole flock of pigeons, peregrine and all, just went barrelling over the top of the hedge like a sprinter clipping a hurdle at full tilt. Amazing stuff.
Aside from that and all of the gorgeous, pouting beauties in the collection, we had an easy grey wagtail from the cafe at lunch and a kingfisher hanging around by the queue for the vole patrol (apparently it had been fishing off the restaurant roof the day before, right in front of the big window). Also what appeared to be a firecrest by itself in the trees on the boardwalk, just by the bench near the reedbed installation. You do sort of doubt your own eyes when you've been willing a tiny twittering shape in the trees to be something dead good and then after struggling to pin it down you get a definite white streak above an eye smeared with eyeliner. Would love to make a definite ID on this one but my excuse was the blighter wouldn't stop flippin' moving and, more pressingly, I had a tetchy toddler repeatedly trying to headbutt me in the nuts. And I wasn't allowed back for a good look afterwards, harumph! So if anyone's over that way soon eyes peeled because I'd love to know for sure.
Other nice bit - a very trusting robin eating raisins from my hand, also along the boardwalk.
Aside from that and all of the gorgeous, pouting beauties in the collection, we had an easy grey wagtail from the cafe at lunch and a kingfisher hanging around by the queue for the vole patrol (apparently it had been fishing off the restaurant roof the day before, right in front of the big window). Also what appeared to be a firecrest by itself in the trees on the boardwalk, just by the bench near the reedbed installation. You do sort of doubt your own eyes when you've been willing a tiny twittering shape in the trees to be something dead good and then after struggling to pin it down you get a definite white streak above an eye smeared with eyeliner. Would love to make a definite ID on this one but my excuse was the blighter wouldn't stop flippin' moving and, more pressingly, I had a tetchy toddler repeatedly trying to headbutt me in the nuts. And I wasn't allowed back for a good look afterwards, harumph! So if anyone's over that way soon eyes peeled because I'd love to know for sure.
Other nice bit - a very trusting robin eating raisins from my hand, also along the boardwalk.
Last edited:
An early morning amble round the fields south of Ditchling Beacon brought in the usual slew of festive farmland favourites with corvids galore in Hogtrough Bottom. Lots of yellowhammer spread all around too. Things were a bit more interesting around the area of standing cereal crop to the north of Highpark Corner - the hawthorns here were loaded with assorted finches and buntings, mostly yellowhammer and chaffinch, but also good numbers of linnet, greenfinch and corn bunting, plus at least one each of brambling and reed bunting. A couple of dozen pheasant were wandering about and a kestrel paid a rather brief visit. Return leg flushed a small group of skylark and three partridge - guessing they were red-leggeds.
Another buff-tailed bumblebee in the garden yesterday too, along with a rather sinister harlequin ladybird. Don't they know it's Christmas??
Another buff-tailed bumblebee in the garden yesterday too, along with a rather sinister harlequin ladybird. Don't they know it's Christmas??
Mark43
Well-known member
Thought i would go out to Houghton this afternoon to find the Tundra Bean Geese there and perhaps pop into Amberley etc for the Bewicks.
Started out well weather wise until i got to my destination then the heavens opened,the wind blew and the light vanished.
Spent 20 minutes sitting in the car then came home.
Oh well there's always tomorrow i suppose.
Started out well weather wise until i got to my destination then the heavens opened,the wind blew and the light vanished.
Spent 20 minutes sitting in the car then came home.
Oh well there's always tomorrow i suppose.
Spent the day traipsing around Castle Water and Rye Harbour. Started off okay, but yes, the wind picked up during the second half and the rain really started chucking it down, so it finished up as quite a cold wet trudge against the elements. Seemed fairly quiet birdwise, came away with bang on 50 species, all the bog standard usual stuff, but sadly none of the specialities - smew had done a bunk, bitterns got rained off, little owl was tucked up out of sight all cosy in his roost, too wet and wild for barn owls etc. Intriguing glimpse of a buzzardy bird out of the train window at Brede Level though. As we shot past a gap in the hedge, the bird flopped down to the ground in the meadow beyond and sort of went into a crouch, showing off a rusty sand coloured rump and tail. Red kite perhaps? Any suggestions?
joannec
Well-known member
The new year has got off to a terriffically auspicious start with raptors putting in a big appearance. The sun really does bring the birds out and God knows we've had little of that in the past few weeks. I saw about 15 species before breakfast. About mid day I had to retreive the teenage children from their various new years parties in different parts of the county. (Don't ask, I didn't.) On my travels I saw my first Sussex hen harrier, a female, I'm pretty sure but possibly a juvenile on the Lewes levels. Great stuff, I was driving but it was slowly and it was conveniently just alongside the road. Then comming back I saw a female merlin near Glyndebourne. When I got home, gazing out of the window a male sparrowhawk missed a house sparrow but obligingly perched on the hedge only about 10 yards away from me giving glorious views.. Then two buzzards found a thermal and put on a show.
By now I was feeling excited by all these raptors so I thought I'd go out on my farmland patch, spent a happy hour in the sunshine and another getting cold. No more raptors but did clock up 25 species on the first day of 2007.
Joanne
By now I was feeling excited by all these raptors so I thought I'd go out on my farmland patch, spent a happy hour in the sunshine and another getting cold. No more raptors but did clock up 25 species on the first day of 2007.
Joanne
Last edited:
Mark43
Well-known member
Popped over to East Head today (along with most of the inhabitants of Sussex by the looks of it) to see if i could find the Black Brant but after searching through the 2 flocks of Brent for half an hour i could not find it.Nothing much else around bar the usual suspects.
Traffic was queuing right up Beach road when i left.
Moved on to Pagham.........again nothing much around but had a nice Kestrel hovering right above me by the Ferry Pool hide.
Tried to get by car to Church Norton but again everyone was out and about........i have never seen the car park there so full up.
A nice field full of about 40 feeding Curlew though just before you get there on the right hand side.Couldn't see the Black Brant reported there either.
30 species for the morning though so it's a start.
Traffic was queuing right up Beach road when i left.
Moved on to Pagham.........again nothing much around but had a nice Kestrel hovering right above me by the Ferry Pool hide.
Tried to get by car to Church Norton but again everyone was out and about........i have never seen the car park there so full up.
A nice field full of about 40 feeding Curlew though just before you get there on the right hand side.Couldn't see the Black Brant reported there either.
30 species for the morning though so it's a start.
