I've noticed recently on the SOS site that there have been an increased number of red kite sightings in the county, especially further into the county from the Surrey-border areas. Excellent news if you ask me! :t:
-
BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!
Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Sussex Birding (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ben Rackstraw
- Start date
I've noticed recently on the SOS site that there have been an increased number of red kite sightings in the county, especially further into the county from the Surrey-border areas. Excellent news if you ask me! :t:
A superb 1st-summer male Pied Fly in Selsey village this morning at 'Flycatcher Corner'. Don't think I've knowingly seen this plumage before - the uppers were a dark grey-brown, the wings very brown, a contrasting black 'mask' and off-white unders but gleaming white throat - nice!!
At Church Norton, an equally stunning male Redstart gleaming against the flowering blackthorn bushes on the entance track to the harbour was well worth it. Been nice to have a good fall of migrants over the past several days! As I stood behind the hide, I heard a little noise and looked down and a Stoat was about 4ft away from me, sniffed a bit and came slightly closer then thought better of it and disappeared - excellent...forgat the damn camera though!!
The 4 Long-tails and at least one male Redstart still at Climping this morning too, per the old man!
At Church Norton, an equally stunning male Redstart gleaming against the flowering blackthorn bushes on the entance track to the harbour was well worth it. Been nice to have a good fall of migrants over the past several days! As I stood behind the hide, I heard a little noise and looked down and a Stoat was about 4ft away from me, sniffed a bit and came slightly closer then thought better of it and disappeared - excellent...forgat the damn camera though!!
The 4 Long-tails and at least one male Redstart still at Climping this morning too, per the old man!
House Martins must be invisible to me this year...don't think I've ever had Pied Fly before seeing one....
joannec
Well-known member
Down the Bill from 0600-1040 today in a wind that was alot more northerly than easterly! Had 2 Bonxies and a single light-phase Arctic Skua, 5 Artcic Terns, 11 Littles, 1 lovely ad Little Gull, bizarrely 1 Avocet, 2 GNDs on the sea, 1 BTD, 1 Yellow Wag in, plenty of Swallows and finally a dozen House Martins and a couple of Swifts. Peace was then disturbed by news of a Hoopoe at the North Wall and I've never seen the Bill empty so quickly!! Unfortunately the news was old-hand and referred to a bird seen at 0730 flying off towards Halsey's Farm....grrrrr! Still an enjoyable morning with the regulars and the weather looking better for the weekend, with the wind sliding more SE and some rain for Monday....
PS Joanne, I'll keep my Pied Fly now ta....
PS Joanne, I'll keep my Pied Fly now ta....
gropperwinch
Well-known member
a Spoonbill reported this morning in the Cuckmere
joannec
Well-known member
You did much better than I did in that NE wind; was at Splash Point from 7-9.30. Disappointingly, no skuas but we had 3 avocets in, 7 whimbrels, commic and sandwich terns, 2 distant divers and a shag were the best of the bunch.
Later we went to Arlington where the Bonapartes still is, a lifer for me. Seen really well both on the water and in flight and we saw the pink legs again and again. It was a really delightful afternoon sitting in the sun watching a rare bird for a couple of hours, one of the occasions that makes birding so great.|=)|
Last edited:
It sure is...if Arlington wasn't such an a**e to get to from here I'd go see it - but luckily I've seen one in the proper Sussex and not the satellite state :-O
Can't believe Selsey got more skuas than Splash....now that's a real rarity!!
Can't believe Selsey got more skuas than Splash....now that's a real rarity!!
gropperwinch
Well-known member
what makes you think you westerners are better than us easterlies! next time there is a River Warbler at Beachy, or a Sooty Tern on Ternery Pool, you aren't to be allowed into our county Ads! And don't even think about coming over for the Spectacled Eider and Harlequin Duck together on the scrape at Cuckmere Haven next winter! However, the news that Dad and I drew an absolute blank on the Spoonbill this afternoon will I'm sure reinforce your appalling discrimination of East Sussex!
P.S you think arlington is difficult to get too, try navigating through Selsey Peninsula to get to the Bill when you have heard the White-billed Diver has been refound 10 minutes ago and you have never set foot there before and your dad hasn't ventured there since befre you were born! That, my friend, is difficult!
P.S you think arlington is difficult to get too, try navigating through Selsey Peninsula to get to the Bill when you have heard the White-billed Diver has been refound 10 minutes ago and you have never set foot there before and your dad hasn't ventured there since befre you were born! That, my friend, is difficult!
Nah, Selsey's easy - it's only got one street!!
And I'd probably come over to the other side more if only more news was released...and not 2 days after the bird's gone....:-O
And I'd probably come over to the other side more if only more news was released...and not 2 days after the bird's gone....:-O
joannec
Well-known member
You will have seen the SOS posting for Splash Point this morning...............loads of birds splashing about at the point!! Why can't I ever choose the right morning to get up early and get down there??!!!
Anyone joining the SOS at SP next Sunday? If the wind direction looks good and it's not raining I'll be there, be nice to meet some of you.
gropperwinch
Well-known member
if its a SE I'll be down again, I was there this morning and it was just brilliant! Hopefully we'll be kicking Poms off the groyne by this time next weekend!
gropperwinch
Well-known member
Nah, Selsey's easy - it's only got one street!!
And I'd probably come over to the other side more if only more news was released...and not 2 days after the bird's gone....:-O
the whole fun of it is that you can find the bird again two days after it's gone and chastise all the locals who were too lasy-a**ed to look onced they had seen it once! anyway half a ton's worth of Little Gulls were flying directly overhead inland towards Arlington today at Splash along with a fair number of terns, would a nice forster's perhaps drag you over the boundary (I'm starting to think east sussex has had a gigantic barbed wire fence put up around it without me realising, I can probably count the number of times I've seen west sussex/kent/anywhere else in the bliddy country birders in here!
Anyway, back to my original post, in a nice secluded bit of the downs a few miles from my house this evening a female Marsh Harrier quartering the rape fields and a Turtle Dove, plus five species of singing warbler
while I'm here, I'll swap anyone anything they damn well want for Pied Fly, its about time I saw one! And I've managed to see Collared Fly in Cyprus!
Last edited:
I wish!!
Great day at Selsey today: 3 Black Terns, 2 Roseates, 1247 Commics, 5 definite Arctics, 60 Littles, 14 Arctic Skuas, 2 Bonxies, 103 Little Gulls (I missed another 13), 3 diver sp, Velvet Scoter, 1 Hobby and Yellow Wag in, 1 Pale-bellied Brent in with a Brent flock and a great Common Seal loafing about literally just offshore. No Poms anywhere in the Channel today it seems with none reported east or west....back again tomorrow I guess!
DunnoKev
Guest
I wish!!
I'm on it! One field at a time though..
(I'm reading this :-O out loud at the perfect timing, having just finished loading up the landy with fencing material and pucker 'keep out signs' to go help a neighbour make repairs where locals have recently decided they're entitled access over his land :C )
Patrick_L
Counting Down
Will be taking my Dad down there as his first trip to to the coast since a hip operation, then moving onto Beachy to catch up with the old regulars as well. Hoping for something other than the familiar cold northerlies in the first week of May.
Went up to Pulborough yesterday evening and had Nightingale and Garden Warbler near the church, the Peregrine on her normal perch at the Hanger and then went to nearby Greatham bridge and walked out onto the brooks towards the sewage works and had 2 reeling Groppers and a calling Cuckoo. A great couple of hours
joannec
Well-known member
Liam, I think I will recognise as being the youngest person there
but not sure about you, Patrick. I'll probably be wearing a blue coat and I have a Nikon scope.Had a cracking time on Saturday at Pagham, Pulborough, and WWT Arundel.
Pagham (North Wall and Lagoon areas) in the morning - loads of birds about, including plenty of Common Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers showing themselves, as well as catching sight of Reed Warblers too. Few Whimbrel about, and a single Cuckoo flew over the North Wall (and a pair of Sparrowhawks at the same time!).
Afternoon went to Pagham - again plenty of passerines about. Interestingly a couple of Snow Geese on the north fields, and four Blackcaps were showing beautifully just outside the Hangar hide. Plenty of Chiffchaff and a few Willow Warblers about too.
Quick visit to Arundel on the way back to the house. Its usual quiet self generally, but got the best uninterrupted view of a Cetti's Warbler for about four or five minutes in the reed walk. Was in the area of the reed camera obsura, heard him sing and think I saw him disappear as the people in front of me walked past. I popped into the camera obscura allowing people to disappear, and slowly came out a few minutes later and peered round the corner. There he was, perched about five yards from me totally unaware of my presence: preening and singing a couple of times whilst I watched him through the bins - a lovely sight to end my day.
Cracking day - saw as many species in the one day that I see in an average month.
Pagham (North Wall and Lagoon areas) in the morning - loads of birds about, including plenty of Common Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers showing themselves, as well as catching sight of Reed Warblers too. Few Whimbrel about, and a single Cuckoo flew over the North Wall (and a pair of Sparrowhawks at the same time!).
Afternoon went to Pagham - again plenty of passerines about. Interestingly a couple of Snow Geese on the north fields, and four Blackcaps were showing beautifully just outside the Hangar hide. Plenty of Chiffchaff and a few Willow Warblers about too.
Quick visit to Arundel on the way back to the house. Its usual quiet self generally, but got the best uninterrupted view of a Cetti's Warbler for about four or five minutes in the reed walk. Was in the area of the reed camera obsura, heard him sing and think I saw him disappear as the people in front of me walked past. I popped into the camera obscura allowing people to disappear, and slowly came out a few minutes later and peered round the corner. There he was, perched about five yards from me totally unaware of my presence: preening and singing a couple of times whilst I watched him through the bins - a lovely sight to end my day.
Cracking day - saw as many species in the one day that I see in an average month.
