14/07/2016 Out and About.

Thursday 14 July 2016


Groombridge with Sue, Anne and Chris

Unfortunately the site was much overgrown due to the wet, humid conditions of late and movement around the ponds was not easy.  

• Birds were at a premium and apart from a kestrel, a green woodpecker, 3 swifts, 2 house martins and a blackcap there was nothing of note.

Hopefully we can get some help from the working party to improve matters before our next visit.






Sisinghurst Castle

After Groombridge , Anne and Chris invited us to go round Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, made famous by Veta Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in the 1930's.   There were too many people present to allow the birds to show well. 

• Nevertheless I did manage to watch a lovely grey wagtail down by the stream, away from the crowds. We were entertained by the sparrows as we ate lunch outside the cafe.

• Also seen were a couple of sand martins and a blackcap.

Churlwood, Ashdown Forest


I spent the last couple of hours of the day on my patch at Churlwood.

• At 9.35 p.m. I heard a nightjar churring in the distance, down towards the MacMillan estate from my position in the car park.  After a 5 minute walk I got the briefest of views of it as it flew over the skyline above the trees.  Just like a few days ago it seemed to churr at the start only and then flew around almost in silence, in marked contrast to a few weeks ago when the action was much more overt.

Not much to shout about on the birding front but a lovely day out.