20/04/2016 Sevenoaks Nature Reserve for the Garganey's

Wednesday 20 April 2016
Sevenoaks Nature Reserve

This afternoon, I decided to travel north into Kent to twitch the Garganey's at Sevenoaks Nature Reserve.  

• 50 minutes after leaving home I was sitting in the Tyler hide watching a drake and a female, less than 50 metres from me.

In truth there was little else to see.  The Little Ringed Plovers were not around for the short time I was on site.


Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:
Garganey   (183)

19/04/2016 Weir Wood Reservoir

Tuesday 19 April 2016
Weir Wood Reservoir

Heard, but did not see, my first Reed Warbler of the year at Willets as we made our way round to the north bank on my voluntary work day.

A singing Common Whitethroat was close by as we had our bonfire to clear away the trees cut down by the rangers last week.


Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:
Reed Warbler   (183)     (heard only.)

18/04/2016 Chichester Outing

Monday 18 April 2016
Chichester 

Spent 3 hours in Chichester today.

• Found the Green Sandpiper on a smaller subsidiary pool adjacent to the main Ferry Pool.

• I had no luck with the Cattle Egret near the north wall.

• No luck at Ivy Lake either with the Red-crested Pochard but I did manage to see my first Black Swan of the year. 

Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:

Green Sandpiper   (182)

17/04/2016 Pulborough Brooks in Sussex then Dungeness in Kent

Sunday 17 April 2016
Pulborough Brooks RSPB NR, West Sussex
East Grinstead RSPB Group

A cracking morning at Pulborough Brooks with a species count in excess of 60.  Weather conditions were ideal with sunshine and no wind. 14 of us made the trip and we were rewarded with some excellent birding.

• The star attraction was the american wigeon that has been around  for some time.  We met up with it at Hanger View where it showed really well, both in and out of the water. Everyone had time to pick out this rare bird.

• Bird of the morning, however, had to be the lesser whitethroat that we saw earlier, near the Winpenny Hide. Thanks to Elizabeth and Mark, who had seen the bird earlier, we targeted this area and, after some careful observation, Patrick called us back to the entrance to the hide where we enjoyed superb views.

•  Surprisingly, the nightingale took backstage with only fleeting views along "adder alley".

• A "kettle" of buzzards drew our attention. A peregrine, a kestrel and a sparrowhawk added to the interest. 

RSPB Dungeness NR 

After dropping Sue off at home and a brief interaction with the televised football I was off again down to Dungeness to look for the Tundra Bean Goose.  Sadly, I could not find it.  Nevertheless I compensated with some excellent birding moments:

• On the viewing ramp, I saw a couple of bearded tits including a stunning male, less than 10 metres from me.

• On the way to the viewing ramp, counterclockwise from the visitor's centre, I heard then saw a garden warbler in the scrub.

• On the return leg I saw a sedge warbler, my first of the year.

What a lovely day - birding with Sue and friends in the morning and a lovely evening at Dungeness -with virtually the whole reserve to myself!

Additions to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:
Lesser Whitethroat   (178)
Bearded Tit   (179)
Garden Warbler   (180)
Sedge Warbler   (181)

16/04/2016 My first Cuckoo of the Year at Old Lodge and my first Woodcock of the Year at Hindleap

Saturday 16 April 2016 

Old Lodge NR

• I managed to dodge the showers at Old Lodge this morning to see my first Cuckoo of the year.  Initially I heard it in the distance and eventually after several more soundings I managed to see it.  The bird was on a fence beside a Goldfinch and was facing away from me so I was able to get within 20 metres to enjoy superb views.

• I also managed to find another good Redstart area, close to the MOD boundary at Pippingford.  2 sightings including a smashing close up of a stunning male. 

Very satisfied with my 90 minute visit.

Hindleap:

• At sunset I saw my first Woodcock of the year at Hindleap 

Another very satisfactory short visit.

Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:

Cuckoo   (176)

Woodcock   (177)

14/04/2016 Abbots Wood for Nightingales

Thursday 14 April 2016
Abbots Wood, East Sussex

• My annual pilgrimage to Abbots Wood went exactly to plan with several Nightingales singing in their usual classical style.  I saw at least 3 and heard more.  One view was special with a singing male no more than 10 metres away and in full view.  It was akin to a night at the opera in the world of birds.

• I also managed to see my first Blackcaps of the year, both stunning males.

• The weather was ideal with lots of sunshine and no wind.  The Bluebells, Wild Anemones and the Wild Primroses provided an astonishing carpet for the visit. 

• I also saw a couple of butterflies, a Brimstone and a Peacock.

A bird species count of only 17 but with the main attraction showing up it was time well spent.

Additions to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:
Nightingale    (174)
Blackcap   (175)



Additions to Sussex Butterfly List:
Brimstone   (01)
Peacock   (02)

12/04/2016 Black-winged Stilt at Weir Wood Reservoir

Tuesday 12 April 2016
Weir Wood Reservoir

Just as I was finishing my usual Tuesday volunteering stint at Weir Wood Reservoir word came through of a sighting of a Black-winged Stilt at the dam end.  

Within 15 minutes I had packed up and was viewing the bird from the Sailing Club.  It as on the far side of the reservoir directly opposite.  The views were not great but sufficiently clear to make the ID.

Alas I could not stay to get better views.

Hope it's a female so I can dedicate it to Geraldine.

Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:
Black-winged Stilt   (173)

10/04/2016 Dungeness and Rye harbour

Sunday April 10 2016
Dungeness and Rye Harbour
Paul and Group  (9 of us)

We finally got to go on the long-awaited outing to Dungeness and Rye Harbour,  Paul's decision to go today instead of yesterday was fully vindicated with fine bright conditions and superb visibility.  

Seawatching at Dungeness
We started with a very productive seawatch from outside the hide overlooking the "patch".  The highlights are shown below:

• It wasn't long before we spotted a couple of Arctic Skuas heading east.

• Not long after we had superb views of a Black-throated Diver flying above the skyline in front of us.

• 4 Arctic Terns added to the interest as they flew by in front of us.

• We must have seen well over 100 Brent Geese as successive flocks flew east.

• Common Scoters were very much in evidence throughout our watch.

• A small group of Grebes drew our attention with 2 Great Crested ahead of 2 smaller grebes which we finally agreed were probably Slavonian Grebes.

• At least 2 Mediterranean Gulls were present among the more common varieties.

What a bright start - 90 minutes of top drawer birding!

Scotney Gravel Pits

Next stop was Scotney Gravel Pits where we walked to the area just beyond the farm.

• A couple of Egyptian Geese immediately caught our eyes before a Peregrine stole the show as it flew high above us.

• This event was then eclipsed by some stunning views of a Yellow Wagtail on the bank just 10 metres or so from us.  This was the bird we came to see and boy was it worth it!

• A single Pochard and several Avocets provided the main highlights on the water.

A lovely 60 minutes or so!

Rye Harbour

Our final stop was the nature reserve at Rye Harbour.  The site was flooded with families enjoying the last day of the Easter break. Thankfully the hides were either empty or only sparsely occupied and we enjoyed some rich pickings, as shown below:

• At last I managed to see my first Wheatear of the year, just outside the first hide.  It was the first of many we would see from then on.

• On the way to the Ternary Hide, Paul drew our attention to a couple of Common Terns flying by us to our right.  At the hide we sat back and enjoyed the experience of 100 or so noisy Sandwich Terns on several small islands in front of us.  The couple of Mediterranean Gulls swimming in the water, added to the interest.

• Andrew then led us to the area close by where he had seen a Little Ringed Plover earlier in the week.  After a short while we duly found one, alongside a Ringed Plover to allow us to draw a comparison. 

• Our day held one final, pleasant surprise when we stumbled across a Whitethroat as we made our way back to the car.

Despite the crowds we managed enjoy some excellent birding.

Additions to BUBO 2016 UK Year List
Arctic Skua   (165)
Arctic Tern   (166)
Black-throated Diver   (167)
Yellow Wagtail   (168)
Wheatear   (169)
Common Tern   (170)
Little Ringed Plover   (171)
Whitethroat   (172)

• A super outing with over 70 species seen. No real rarities but a glut of returning migrant birds.  

• My year list jumped by an astonishing 8 species after idling along for weeks.

• Amazingly, I did not see a single Hirundine all day.

09/04/2016 The 3 R's

Saturday 9 April 2016

With not so good weather today it was time to stay local.

• On the feeders at home we have been privileged to have Redpolls visit, with at least three this morning including a stonking male.  It is almost 3 years since they last graced our feeders.

• After watching the soccer on TV I spent the evening at Old Lodge where I spotted a pair of Ravens flying over.  The highlight however was the sight of Redstarts with 2 very handsome males showing well.

A late start but well worth the effort.

08/04/2016 Ashdown Forest

Friday 8 April 2016
Ashdown Forest

With no particular agenda, I started at the public footpath leading to the rear of the Llama Park on the east of the A22.  I then moved on to the Shrike territory to the west of Long CP before finishing on my patch at Churlwood.  Weather conditions were ideal with no wind, excellent visibility and no showers - yet!

• Highlight of the trip was the Red Kite, pointed out to me by an excellent couple of birding colleagues.  

• The Great Grey Shrike announced itself wonderfully by posturing at the end of a track to the east, in the usual place near Long CP.

• On my patch there were numerous Chiffchaffs singing,  as well as a couple of Willow Warblers.

• The Dartford Warbler was still in the position posted by Clive a couple of weeks ago.

• Three Lesser Redpolls were so pleasing to see.

No new birds but a super 3 hours of nature study!  

07/04/2016 Spring is on it's way at Groombridge Lagoons

Thursday 7 April
Groombridge Lagoons, Kent

Chris, Anne, Sue and I decided to risk getting caught in the showers to carry out our routine survey work at Groombridge Lagoons

There was plenty of evidence of spring activity:

• I heard then saw my first Willow Warbler of the year.

• Chiffchaffs were singing on several parts of the site.  

• 6+ Swallows flew across the lagoons at frequent intervals.

A promising start to the migration season.

Addition to BUBO UK 2016 Year List;

Willow Warbler   (164)

06/04/2016 Redstart and Tree Pipit at Old Lodge NR

Wednesday 6 April 2016
Old Lodge NR, East Sussex

Waited till late afternoon before going out today.  The weather was better after the earlier heavy showers.  I bumped into Alastair who had just finished his search.  He had seen several Redstarts, one of my target birds, the other being a Cuckoo that had been seen here recently.  

• Quite soon, Alastair spotted a Tree Pipit on the overhead lines - my first of the year.  

• Soon afterwards we had excellent views of a stunning male Redstart in a dead tree some 25 metres away from us.

• Also seen were several Stonechats, a Raven and a couple of Siskins.

A very productive short visit to a smashing site.

Additions to BUBO 2016 UK Bird List:
Tree Pipit   (162)
Redstart   (163)