Jon Turner
Well-known member
Cheers Mark, will post back here if I see it this morning!
Jon
Jon
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Sussex Birding (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ben Rackstraw
- Start date
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Right, been there, and after a short wait, it returned at about 10.15 and gave a virtuoso performance of excellent, sustained and often close-up views for the next hour or so. Thanks to all for the directions - beautiful place.
Jon
Jon
Jon Turner
Well-known member
Pretty sure I saw one over the southern end A3(M) last week.
Jon
Jon
Had a few days off work and came down to Sussex and got a lot of birding in:
Thursday morning - got up early and walked along the beach between Littlehampton and Middleton, seeing eight common terns - my first terns I could ID myself. Previous terns seen had been at reserves where they had been IDed for me by the wardens. It helped this time that some of them were sitting on a groyne and I was able to get quite close to them.
Loads of gulls there, mostly herring gulls (still find it hard to believe they are on the red list now), and away from the beach a good number of whitethroats.
Also saw a flock of about 18 dunlins towards Middleton - a lifer for me.
And Alan Titchmarsh was down on the beach filming. He seemed to be talking about something lying on the beach. And they also filmed the terns on the groyne I was looking at.
Friday daytime - I was in walking mode more than birding mode, but walked along the Chichester Canal from the city down to the marina, and saw my first kingfisher of the year. Near the marina, saw a raptor which I was not able to ID, but think it was a harrier of some sort. I think there's a nest in the area as I think I heard young.
Friday evening - over West Beach at Littlehampton where I got first a fantastic view of a reed warbler in the bush in front of me, then 20yds down the path I had a sedge warbler hopping about the bushes no more than five yards in front of me for best part of two minutes - got a fantastic view of him. Also saw the usual loads of meadow pipits and herring gulls and black headed gulls.
Sunday - walked with the girlfriend in the Burton Mill Pond, again mostly walking but while sitting in a beautiful meadow having a picnic a buzzard flew over us and we got great views of it. Great to see them in my home county - when I was a kid you had to go to the West Country or Wales or Scotland to see them.
Also heard a couple of willow warblers - still to see one myself, so a bit frustrating!
Thursday morning - got up early and walked along the beach between Littlehampton and Middleton, seeing eight common terns - my first terns I could ID myself. Previous terns seen had been at reserves where they had been IDed for me by the wardens. It helped this time that some of them were sitting on a groyne and I was able to get quite close to them.
Loads of gulls there, mostly herring gulls (still find it hard to believe they are on the red list now), and away from the beach a good number of whitethroats.
Also saw a flock of about 18 dunlins towards Middleton - a lifer for me.
And Alan Titchmarsh was down on the beach filming. He seemed to be talking about something lying on the beach. And they also filmed the terns on the groyne I was looking at.
Friday daytime - I was in walking mode more than birding mode, but walked along the Chichester Canal from the city down to the marina, and saw my first kingfisher of the year. Near the marina, saw a raptor which I was not able to ID, but think it was a harrier of some sort. I think there's a nest in the area as I think I heard young.
Friday evening - over West Beach at Littlehampton where I got first a fantastic view of a reed warbler in the bush in front of me, then 20yds down the path I had a sedge warbler hopping about the bushes no more than five yards in front of me for best part of two minutes - got a fantastic view of him. Also saw the usual loads of meadow pipits and herring gulls and black headed gulls.
Sunday - walked with the girlfriend in the Burton Mill Pond, again mostly walking but while sitting in a beautiful meadow having a picnic a buzzard flew over us and we got great views of it. Great to see them in my home county - when I was a kid you had to go to the West Country or Wales or Scotland to see them.
Also heard a couple of willow warblers - still to see one myself, so a bit frustrating!
Liam:
Well-known member
Looks like you had a good weekend! Harrier? Are you sure as they don't breed this south especially not near water?
Unfortunately I'm not sure Liam. Raptors aren't my strong point and I only got a glimpse of it.
Simon Jeffs
Member
Sunday at Rye Harbour
Hi Folks,
Spent a few hours at Rye Harbour last Sunday (21st) watching the mayhem at Ternery Pool with harassed Black-headed Gulls trying to feed very large offspring, a moorhern family with five young, a constant flow of sandwich and common terns with sand eels for their young, and, a highlight, a nesting pair of ringed plovers. All while struggling with more attempts at digiscoping. Few whimbrel, pair of wheatears and a curlew plus usual oystercatchers, redshanks, med gulls, cormorants and tufty ducks. A favourite, peaceful place to recharge my batteries before another working week!
Hi Folks,
Spent a few hours at Rye Harbour last Sunday (21st) watching the mayhem at Ternery Pool with harassed Black-headed Gulls trying to feed very large offspring, a moorhern family with five young, a constant flow of sandwich and common terns with sand eels for their young, and, a highlight, a nesting pair of ringed plovers. All while struggling with more attempts at digiscoping. Few whimbrel, pair of wheatears and a curlew plus usual oystercatchers, redshanks, med gulls, cormorants and tufty ducks. A favourite, peaceful place to recharge my batteries before another working week!
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Simon Jeffs
Member
Hi Joanne,
Be aware that the car park gates are closing at 8pm. If you want to stay into the evening, park on the main road.
Have a good day!
Simon
Be aware that the car park gates are closing at 8pm. If you want to stay into the evening, park on the main road.
Have a good day!
Simon
Loos close overnight also (probably just as well). Does mean that they have to be opened the following morning, so no surprise that this doesn't happen 'til ~8.30am. Not real handy if you're birding around 6am :>)
Al
joannec
Well-known member
Well I did go to Rye yesterday, stopping at Pett Pools on the way where we found a spotted redshank :-O in summer plumage, two green sandpipers and a single avocet. We then went on to Rye Harbour NR where Ternery Pool more than lived up to its name! This is a great place this time of year with all the nesting birds. Common and Sandwiches galore, with the Sandwiches making constant forays to the sea and back each time with a small silvery fish in their bills. The commons protecting their tiny chicks from the numerous BH gulls; we watched one chick get eaten, swallowed in flight by a BH gull. Couldn't really ID the chick but the gull was chassed by another BH gull. Could it have been a BH gull chick it was eating?!:eek!: Also at least one pair of Med gulls nesting on one of the islands and a single greenshank.
Returning home and having tea in the garden a raven flew over. Then watched a buzzard eating a large rabbit in the field, with a patiently waiting pair of magpies only a foot or so away. He tried to fly off with it several times but it was too big.....eventually after having his fill he abandoned it to the magpies!
A few pictures, poor quality spotted redshank but it was rather distant.
Returning home and having tea in the garden a raven flew over. Then watched a buzzard eating a large rabbit in the field, with a patiently waiting pair of magpies only a foot or so away. He tried to fly off with it several times but it was too big.....eventually after having his fill he abandoned it to the magpies!
A few pictures, poor quality spotted redshank but it was rather distant.
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Simon Jeffs
Member
Hi Joanne,
Nice tern pictures! None got that close while we were there. I'll have to stop at Pett Pools at some point as we often call at Winchelsea en route for coffee or a pint.
Is it me, or are there less little egrets around this year? On my daily commute to London I often saw one in the water meadows at Beddingham or the banks of the Ouse at Lewes, but i've only seen one (at Lewes, today), so far this year.
Plenty of Buzzards, though. I know most of their regular perching spots and there are huge numbers of rabbits in the railway embankments for them.
Perhaps I will go Nightjar spotting this week....
Oh, and Stoggler, Ternery Pool is very aptly-named!
Cheers
Simon
Nice tern pictures! None got that close while we were there. I'll have to stop at Pett Pools at some point as we often call at Winchelsea en route for coffee or a pint.
Is it me, or are there less little egrets around this year? On my daily commute to London I often saw one in the water meadows at Beddingham or the banks of the Ouse at Lewes, but i've only seen one (at Lewes, today), so far this year.
Plenty of Buzzards, though. I know most of their regular perching spots and there are huge numbers of rabbits in the railway embankments for them.
Perhaps I will go Nightjar spotting this week....
Oh, and Stoggler, Ternery Pool is very aptly-named!
Cheers
Simon
Nice bit of birding on Saturday morning down on West Beach by Littlehampton. After walking inland a bit and finding very few woodland birds (apart from the usual linnets, tits, thrushes, gulls and corvids), I went down to the beach and counted 31 sanderlings as the tide was coming in (so lifer for me), plus 10 oystercatchers flying along the shoreline followed by two more. And then just as I was leaving, another lifer for me when two sandwich terns flew overhead! Excellent!!
Also, while looking at the sanderlings through my bins, something zoomed across my field of view and looked up and noticed that I was surrounded by loads of swallows. Guessing that they may have been on their return migration.
Friday evening was very very quiet from a bird point of view, but did see four ringed plovers down on the beach. Earlier in the spring/summer I'd only ever seen two so I wonder if the additional two are juveniles.
Sunday, went for a walk up the Downs with the other half above Lancing, and saw (and heard) quite a few corn buntings, which was nice (and the third lifer for me this weekend).
So in terms of lifers, the best weekend's birding for me since the end of May.
Also, while looking at the sanderlings through my bins, something zoomed across my field of view and looked up and noticed that I was surrounded by loads of swallows. Guessing that they may have been on their return migration.
Friday evening was very very quiet from a bird point of view, but did see four ringed plovers down on the beach. Earlier in the spring/summer I'd only ever seen two so I wonder if the additional two are juveniles.
Sunday, went for a walk up the Downs with the other half above Lancing, and saw (and heard) quite a few corn buntings, which was nice (and the third lifer for me this weekend).
So in terms of lifers, the best weekend's birding for me since the end of May.
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Another weekend down in Sussex, and don't think I've ever seen so many buzzards before! Friday afternoon saw one coming into land among some trees next to a farm near Atherington (on the coast just to the west of Littlehampton); Saturday morning I first heard a buzzard then saw three soaring over Arundel Park while I was walking round the WWT Centre, and then one later on roosting on a tree which I saw from the train by the Ford/Littlehampton junction; Sunday on the Downs to the north of Lancing I saw four together, and later on one flew just ahead of us while driving along the A27 between Lancing and Worthing.
So ten buzzards in total over the weekend. Considering that I'd never seen any in my home county until just a few weeks ago, the place seems to be swarming with them!!
Back to Arundel's WWT, was rather disappointed with what was there, but might just be the time of the year. Mallards (in eclipse), BH Gulls, and the ubiquotus coots and moorhens were about the only aquatic birds I saw, apart from a single grey heron. The little hide overlooking bird feeders however did give me my first nuthatches and coal tit, just a few feet from me. At one point, something spooked all the tits and finches away but the nuthatch just froze on the nut feeder for a good four or five minutes. Was wondering if this is their usual defence mechanism or not.
One bit of news from Arundel - the WWT have a planning notice up on their main hide (the Peter Scott hide) to knock it down and build a new hide with sand martin burrows on the flanks, including the ability to see in some of the burrows from within the new hide. They hope to have the new hide completed by the spring in time for the returning sand martins.
So ten buzzards in total over the weekend. Considering that I'd never seen any in my home county until just a few weeks ago, the place seems to be swarming with them!!
Back to Arundel's WWT, was rather disappointed with what was there, but might just be the time of the year. Mallards (in eclipse), BH Gulls, and the ubiquotus coots and moorhens were about the only aquatic birds I saw, apart from a single grey heron. The little hide overlooking bird feeders however did give me my first nuthatches and coal tit, just a few feet from me. At one point, something spooked all the tits and finches away but the nuthatch just froze on the nut feeder for a good four or five minutes. Was wondering if this is their usual defence mechanism or not.
One bit of news from Arundel - the WWT have a planning notice up on their main hide (the Peter Scott hide) to knock it down and build a new hide with sand martin burrows on the flanks, including the ability to see in some of the burrows from within the new hide. They hope to have the new hide completed by the spring in time for the returning sand martins.
hollis_f
Well-known member
Sheepcote Valley - Rarityville Arizona?
Jusr seen on Birdguides that there's a reported Barred Warbler, Common Rosefinch and a Wryneck, all in Sheepcote Valley. It looks like the Wryneck, at least, is for real. Anybody know just where this is likely to be? Reports say 'at the north end' - is this on the golf course? I really don't know that bit of the area at all.
Jusr seen on Birdguides that there's a reported Barred Warbler, Common Rosefinch and a Wryneck, all in Sheepcote Valley. It looks like the Wryneck, at least, is for real. Anybody know just where this is likely to be? Reports say 'at the north end' - is this on the golf course? I really don't know that bit of the area at all.
Clive Watson
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit ampheta
Don't forget the Icterine Warbler too (according to the Birforum map)
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
I was on the train from Gatwick to Eastbourne on Tuesday and between Polegate and Hampden Park (I think) there's a large pool. To the south of the pool there was a large (ie Grey Heron sized), all white, long legged bird - either a Great Egret or a Spoonbill, it was too distant for me to get much more. Did any locals know about this bird? On the way back yesterday I didn't see it.
Cheers
David
Cheers
David
joannec
Well-known member
Hi David
That will be Shinewater Lakes, a very underwatched area. It's not been reported as far as I know. It's not local to me, hopefully someone from Eastbourne will see your post.
