12/06/2016 Rainham Marshes with the East Grinstead RSPB Group

Sunday 12 June 2016
Rainham Marshes, Essex
East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

With showery weather forecast for most of the day we took a chance and went ahead with our visit to this excellent reserve by the Dartford Bridge.  10 of us enjoyed a good day out, often in the rain, and managed to get a species list of over 60

• Conditions were dry at the start and whilst we were waiting for the reserve to open we were directed to a yellow-legged gull on the waters edge on the far side of the River Thames.  Apparently it was a second year type.  The key ID features were the very white and well rounded head.  Surprisingly I had a year tick!

• We took the clockwise route, hoping to see and hear the grasshopper warbler that had been around for some days down by the turnstile exit.  Unfortunately we had no luck but we compensated for this with superb views of sedge warblers, reed buntings and reed warblers.

• At the shooting butts hide, Patrick alerted us to a ringed plover and soon after we spotted our first marsh harrier of the day. 

After stopping off at the Ken Barrett hide, the rain had really set in so we headed back to the centre to have our lunch.

• A quick visit to Coalhouse Fort in the afternoon added a couple of cuckoos to our list along with buzzard, stonechat and avocet.

Under the circumstances we had a quite productive day!

09/06/2016 Crossbills in the Ashdown Forest

Thursday 9 June 2016
Churlwood, Ashdown Forest

• Around 6 pm, just after I arrived at the Churlwood,  I was fortunate enough to come across a flock of crossbills feeding on the pine cones in the canopy of one of the trees in the car park.  Being directly under the tree meant I had superb views of them feeding.  This went on for almost 10 minutes before they moved on.

Right place at the right time!  Wonderful!

Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:

Common Crossbill   (221) 

08/06/2016 Knepp again

Wednesday 8 June 2016
Knepp Castle Estate


An early morning visit to Knepp with Kathy as a follow up to our East Grinstead visit last week when we did not find any turtle doves.

• This time we were more successful with a brilliant sighting, enabling us to enjoy scope views for 15 minutes or so.  We also heard another two earlier in the visit.

• Also seen this time was the little grebe and a couple of bullfinches.

That's better!

07/06/2016 East Grinstead RSPB Local Group Visit to Hindleap

Tuesday 7 June 2016
East Grinstead RSPB Local Group
Hindleap, Ashdown Forest

Our annual nightjar walk, this time around Hindleap, attracted a following of 14.  We co-opted Shaun’s dog Joel for the event to appease the superstitious members who didn’t like a group size of 13. 

Thankfully, we avoided the heavy thunderstorms that were around and managed to enjoy ourselves.

• Hindleap is Maureen and Alan’s patch and for the first part of the event they gave us an escorted tour of the area.  Among the species present were jay, linnet, blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush, stonechat, carrion crow and wren.

• Just after 9 pm, right on cue, we got the first of at least six woodcock sightings.  Each time the bird was seen flying over the tree tops as part of its characteristic roding action.  Shaun was one of the few able to pick up its call.  Patrick wanted to see one flying in an anticlockwise direction; happily we didn’t have to wait too long for this to happen.

• Around 9.20 pm the first nightjar appeared, down at the bottom of the hill where the group were watching from the area around Brian and June’s seat.  Alas, not everyone saw it as it flew up the hill.  It was a male with the white flashes showing well.

• Just as we ascended the hill we heard the churring of another male nightjar ahead of us and soon afterwards we saw him flying along with a female that had joined him.  The views were somewhat distant but they were very clearly nightjars.  After another bout of churring and distant sightings we decided to call time just on 10 pm.

Not the best of views of nightjar this year but considering the bad weather that was around we didn’t do too badly.

06/06/2016 Nightjars again!

Monday 6 June 2016
Churlwood, Ashdown Forest

I was absolutely delighted to find nightjars at Churlwood tonight. For the fourth year running they have graced my patch.  On such a clear night, the views were terrific.  

• The male started churring around 21.20 in the wooded car park area and soon after I got my first of several excellent views as he flew by me.   It was not too long before the female joined in and I witnessed wing clapping etc.  

• The female landed in the tree next to where I was and I enjoyed watching her at close quarters before she was lured away by the churring male. 

Awe and wonder time! 

05/06/2016 American Golden Plover at Rye Harbour NNR Nightjars, Woodcock and Cuckoo in Ashdown Forest

Sunday 5 June 2016
Rye Harbour NNR, East Sussex

Just had time to pop down to Rye Harbour NNR to twitch the american golden plover, a lifer for me and one I missed last year in Scotland.

Additionsto BUBO 2016 UK Year List
American Golden Plover   (220)

Additionsto BUBO UK Life List
American Golden Plover   (314)






Old Airstrip, Ashdown Forest
Nightjars and woodcock seen again on the forest again last night at the Old Airstrip.  This time I targeted the area SE of the car park.

• I was in place when a superb male nightjar started churring and then flew close by me (less than 10 m) - awesome!

• Contrary to what I said yesterday, I made 5 woodcock sightings here tonight.

• I heard, then saw, a cuckoo again at this site - my second time.  It is unusual to witness this so late at night.

04/06/2016 Nightjars at the Old Airstrip, Ashdown Forest

Saturday 4 June 2016
Old Airstrip, Ashdown Forest

In very overcast conditions, things started slowly at the old airstrip and it was well past 9.30 pm before we heard a nightjar churring and even then it was very brief.  

• From previous visits we knew there was a pair at the far end of the airstrip (from Long CP) and we had brief glimpses again tonight.  

• On the way back to the car we heard churring from the Vachery area but it was too dark by then to get a sighting.  So it looks like there are at least 2 territories again, at opposite ends of the airstrip which augers well for the summer here.

• Woodcock sightings at this site are few and far between and tonight we didn't see any.  That is why my own preference is to view from Hindleap where woodcock sightings are almost guaranteed.

03/06/2016 Nightjars on Ashdown Forest

Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd July 2016  
Hindleap, Ashdown Forest
8.45 pm to 10.00pm

Two contrasting experiences on successive nights at Hindleap.  On Thursday, with cold northerly winds, we only had a fleeting view of a male nightjar, near Brian and June's seat, whereas on Friday, in much milder, wind-free conditions  we also saw a pair in the usual area at the top of the hill and the views were superb.

On both occasions roding woodcock were seen at regular intervals after 9 p.m.

01/06/2016 Knepp Visit with the East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

Wednesday 1 June 2016
Knepp Castle Estate
East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

Our second mid-week outing of 2016 took us to the Knepp Castle Estate, a 3,500 acre site just off the A24 south of Horsham.   As this was a new venue nobody really knew what to expect and excitement levels were high among the 9 members who turned up. The weather was not ideal, with a niggling northerly wind and overcast conditions. Nevertheless it was dry and provided us with the chance of a couple of hours birding before the expected rain. 

Knepp has a growing reputation for its rewilding project which has turned a loss making, post WW2, intensively farmed land into a profitable and diverse landscape comprising a mosaic of habitats from grassland and scrub to open-grown trees and wood pasture. 

Nightingales returned to Knepp in 2010 – the first time they’d been heard here for 50 years.  2% of the UK’s population is now found on the estate. It’s also a breeding hotspot for turtle doves – the bird species most likely to go extinct in Britain in the next few years.

• Unfortunately the turtle doves did not show, despite the fact that 4 males were known to be present with more expected soon.  In the windy conditions, it was nigh on impossible to pick up their characteristic song. 

• We had similar bad luck with the nightingales although there was one occasion when we thought we heard one.  To be fair we did not really expect to hear them as, by now, they should have stopped singing and be well into the process of producing offspring.

• On the plus side we had a species count in excess of 40, 10 more than the arbitrary target I set for the group. 

• Bird of the day was a close run thing between red kite and cuckoo.  We had good views of 2 red kites on the return leg of our journey.  The cuckoo was singing regularly as we moved around the site but it was quite some time before it was seen flying and even then only 2 or 3 of us who were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

• Of the other species seen blackcap, grey wagtail, buzzard and a bullfinch were perhaps the pick of the bunch.

• Nice to see roe deer, fallow deer and longhorn cattle roaming around the estate.

Despite the star species staying out of sight this was a worthwhile visit – surely the first of many.