Sussex Birding (10 Viewers)

[joannec]

Hi everyone


I could hear Cetti's Warblers singing close by (what a wonderful and distinctive song), and hung around for ages but to no avail. I was also rather optimistically hoping for Bearded Tits, but they were not to show themselves all morning.

I continued up the waterway towards the water meadows, when another Cetti's burst into song about 10 feet away from me. My patience paid off, and I was rewarded with a good view of a notoriously (for me at least!) difficult bird to see.

I saw my first cettis today too! Not far from you I think, in a private wood between Lewes and Polegate. Flitting in the undergrowth, very elusive but unmistakable with it's song and cocked up tail, even got 2 glimpses of it! Wood also full of chiffchaffs and saw one each of kestral, sparrowhawk and buzzard.

Then when I got home, there was a female blackcap in my garden! A good spring day.

Joanne

 

[Last Year's Man]

I saw my first cettis today too! Not far from you I think, in a private wood between Lewes and Polegate. Flitting in the undergrowth, very elusive but unmistakable with it's song and cocked up tail, even got 2 glimpses of it! Wood also full of chiffchaffs and saw one each of kestral, sparrowhawk and buzzard.

Then when I got home, there was a female blackcap in my garden! A good spring day.

Joanne

Hi Joanne

That's interesting...when you say 'private' do you mean one with no public access? A nice woodland that close to me would be wonderful with spring coming for those 'stolen moments' of birding! Are you allowed to tell me where it is?

Well done on the Cettis...they are really difficult to pin down. I was chuffed with mine (a first too). They are very attractive for an LBJ, I thought.

By the way...has anyone else been to see the Yellow Browed Warbler in Southwick? Or should I say is there anyone who hasn't! If not, it is worth the trip. Lovely little bird, and you are almost guaranteed to see it. Actually, although its great to add a vagrant to the list, it doesn't feel quite as rewarding as finding something interesting yourself, by chance.

 

[Last Year's Man]

Peregrines

Sorry, should have added to my last post...

Has anyone seen the Peregrines at Lewes this year?

 

[joannec]

Hi Joanne

That's interesting...when you say 'private' do you mean one with no public access? A nice woodland that close to me would be wonderful with spring coming for those 'stolen moments' of birding! Are you allowed to tell me where it is?

I'll PM you.

 

[deborah4]

Hi LYM

Seen Cettis at Ivy Lake and Pagham Harbour this year, also heard at Siddlesham SE Water, also seen Perrys at Pagham, Shoreham, Arundel and Chichester this year too. (oh and the YBW but agree with you, no birding involved there really!! More fun to find your own birds )

 

[joannec]

Sorry, should have added to my last post...

Has anyone seen the Peregrines at Lewes this year?

Peregrine Webcam in Brighton

This looks good, anyone else seen it? Right on your doorstep, Deborah.

http://www.regencybrighton.com/birds/webcam/

 

[deborah4]

Peregrine Webcam in Brighton

This looks good, anyone else seen it? Right on your doorstep, Deborah.

http://www.regencybrighton.com/birds/webcam/

Yes there is a breeding pair that have been here for years (as long as I can remember anyway!) - they're often seen over Brighton - particularly over the 'Station and Churchill Square where theres a nice juicy pigeon population. Bizarrely enough, 10 minutes ago, hundreds of Gull went up over towards central Brighton, the noise was phenominal - checked out back window but didn't see anything but was thinking it was one of the Perry's that had sent them up although Heron fly over occasionally too.

 

[joannec]

Yes there is a breeding pair that have been here for years (as long as I can remember anyway!) - they're often seen over Brighton - particularly over the 'Station and Churchill Square where theres a nice juicy pigeon population. Bizarrely enough, 10 minutes ago, hundreds of Gull went up over towards central Brighton, the noise was phenominal - checked out back window but didn't see anything but was thinking it was one of the Perry's that had sent them up although Heron fly over occasionally too.

Nice to have them so close!! Lucky you. :t:

 

[Mark43]

By the way...has anyone else been to see the Yellow Browed Warbler in Southwick? Or should I say is there anyone who hasn't! If not, it is worth the trip. Lovely little bird, and you are almost guaranteed to see it. Actually, although its great to add a vagrant to the list, it doesn't feel quite as rewarding as finding something interesting yourself, by chance.

No i can't bring myself to go down there even though i have never seen one.
Somehow peering over someone's back garden wall doesn't feel right as opposed to finding/seeing one in the countryside.
Well..........maybe this weekend if i'm free.

 

[Ben Rackstraw]

Caught up with the 1st winter Iceland Gull on the Adur between the tollbridge and the railway bridge at Shoreham today, viewed from the airport side, on the falling tide between 2.30pm and 2.45pm, at which time it took off, circled a few times and headed off high to the E, on its own.

Not much else of note to report from today's outing, rather too blustery to spend too much time out looking.

 

[Mark43]

Common Crane on North Brooks,Pulborough this morning. :t: :t:

 

[JohnnyH]

Not anymore there isn't, Birdguides reports it flying off SE at 10:00 & then NE near the Washington roundabout on the A24 at 10:45.

John.

 

[Mark43]

Not anymore there isn't, Birdguides reports it flying off SE at 10:00 & then NE near the Washington roundabout on the A24 at 10:45.

John.

Thats unfortunate.........was going to pop in after dropping my son off in Chichester.

 

[joannec]

Not anymore there isn't, Birdguides reports it flying off SE at 10:00 & then NE near the Washington roundabout on the A24 at 10:45.

John.

And I was thinking of going tomorrow.....

Joanne

 

[Ben Rackstraw]

Missed the Crane at Pulborough by 10 min this morning. Didn't have time to hang around to check if it came back, or to investigate whether it had moved over to Coldwaltham or Amberley, as had some emergency tree surgery to do in the garden. So, headed back to Haywards Heath...

...Quite pleased then, when I looked up from the gardening at 12.55 pm to see the Crane making its way N directly over the garden!!! Had time to run into the house and get bins to watch it disappear in the Ardingly direction.

 

[Mark43]

...Quite pleased then, when I looked up from the gardening at 12.55 pm to see the Crane making its way N directly over the garden!!! Had time to run into the house and get bins to watch it disappear in the Ardingly direction.

Some people have all the luck

 

[joannec]

...Quite pleased then, when I looked up from the gardening at 12.55 pm to see the Crane making its way N directly over the garden!!! Had time to run into the house and get bins to watch it disappear in the Ardingly direction.

Brilliant!!! :t:

 

[hollis_f]

Not anymore there isn't, Birdguides reports it flying off SE at 10:00 & then NE near the Washington roundabout on the A24 at 10:45.

John.

Didi and I were so lucky. We were planning on going over to West Dean Woods and decided to stop off at Pulburough on the way. We arrived at Nettley's Hide at around 09:40 and had some great views of the Crane before leaving at around 10:15 - and the Crane was still there. Then we watched a threesome of Nuthatches indulge in some springtime behaviour - fantastic views of them perching on twigs and in flight.

 

[Moonshake]

That's a hell of a garden tick to have Ben if you include fly-overs! (it was in your airspace after all)

 

[Ben Rackstraw]

Doesn't quite make it on to the 'seen from' garden list, as I was standing in my next door neighbour's garden holding a tree trunk when I first saw it! Then watched it with bins from the street.

Just seen that it seems to have turned round and returned to Pulborough - reported by Birdguides as being present at 11.49. Presume it was the same bird that I saw, but that's a big loop to fly just because you got annoyed by a few gulls!