Medmerry RSPB Reserve near Chichester
Paul and I made a late afternoon visit to see the breeding pair of Black-winged Stilts that had caused all the excitement in Sussex since they arrived on 17th May. The female was on the nest which was only a few inches above the water line. Because there was a 24 hour RSPB watch some water had been pumped out to avoid a disaster. The male was busy feeding on an adjacent pond on the other side of the road. This was not a "lifer" for me as I had seen them in Australia last year.
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| Black-winged Stilt Library picture |
Previously there were only 7 known breeding pairs in the last quarter of a century with only 2 of these successful - little wonder they had caused so much excitement!
Also seen were Avocets including one with a chick in tow. A lovely Yellowhammer greeted us after the half hour walk from the car. Corn Buntings and Ringed Plovers were other interesting finds. To cap it all a Little Owl was seen on the roof of one of the buildings as we headed back to the car.
This is Sussex's newest site with the sea defences being allowed to be breached only a few months ago and the early indications are that it will be right up there with the best in a short time.
Addition to UK 2014 Bird List
Black-winged Stilt (261)
RSPB Report June 2014
"The stilts breeding at Medmerry is a tribute to the wetland conditions on the reserve. It is the largest open-coast managed-realignment scheme in Europe, and the RSPB’s newest reserve.
It was created between 2011 and 2013 by Environment Agency and consists of mudflats, tidal lagoons, saltmarsh, wildlife-friendly farmland and dragonfly-rich ditches."
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