25/02/2019 Woodlark at Old Lodge

Monday 25/02/2019
Old Lodge NR, Sussex

I was so disappointed to miss out on Woodlark yesterday that I arranged to go to Old Lodge with Shaun at lunchtime today to see one. 

• Within minutes we heard one and shortly afterwards we saw it as it flew in to the top of a nearby tree.
• No sign of Crossbills or the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker that was reported here earlier today.  

 

Closure on yesterday's missed Woodlarks!

24/02/2019 With the East Grinstead RSPB Group in Hampshire

Sunday 24 February 2019

Acres Down, Hampshire

Our primary reason for visiting Acres Down was to see Goshawks and we were rewarded big time, with some outstanding views.

• Within minutes of arriving, just before 10.00, we were on to 2 Goshawks, both perched in the distant high trees some couple of hundred metres apart.  Although there was some haze, the views were awesome.  The birds remained in place for a prolonged time, guaranteeing that everyone present got to see them in the scopes.
• We were also keen to see their flight display too but the birds kept us waiting for this.  The wait was well worth it though, as the birds put on a fabulous flight sequence.  By now there were 3 birds and all showing well in the glorious sunshine.
• Incredibly, there was little in the way of a support cast.  Buzzard numbers were lower than usual.  We neither heard nor saw any Woodlarks.  Crossbills and/or Hawfinches eluded us as well.  Stonechats were seen but not Dartford Warbler.  I also managed to add Mistle Thrush to my year list.

Blashford Lakes

 

We moved on to Blashford Lakes for lunch before visiting the hides in the afternoon.  The place looked like a building site on both sides of the road, with work at the information centre and on Ibsley Lake where the Tern hide had been demolished and work was being done prior to the new hide going up. 

• We had superb views of a Bittern from the north hide, as it crossed the channel away to our left.  A second bird was present but stayed put and was not so easy to see.
• The support cast didn't show up here as well.  There were no Redpolls, Siskins or Bramblings at the feeders by the Woodland hide the first two of these species were seen by some in the high trees on the way to the hide.
• Myself and Alastair were lucky to see the Firecrest in the tree by the hide before it was scared off by the gathering crowd.
• On Ibsley, water from the building site where the Tern hide was, we managed to see the normal water birds, including Goosander, Goldeneye, Pochard, Marsh Harrier etc.

• All 19 of us went home very happy with the days haul with sightings of Goshawk, Bittern and Firecrest justifying the time and effort of the 200 mile round trip.
• The awesome weather also played a huge part in guaranteeing a great day out

23/02/2019 With Paul and the group in the Chichester area.

Saturday 23 February 2019


I spent another great day out with Paul and the group, this time in the Chichester area.  After the early morning mist settled we enjoyed magnificent weather with glorious sunshine and little or no wind.  Altogether we saw 67 species including some rather special ones.

Fist stop was Selsey Bill for a spot of seawatching. 

• This turned out to be a non-event with no birds on the move.  I think I provided the highlight when I walked into a roadside pool, getting my feet very wet!

At Church Norton things improved rapidly.

• Perhaps the most strange sighting was the long-staying Hooded Crow, spotted by Gareth, on the east side of the harbour entrance.
• The Firecrest, spotted by Paul in the tree by the church in the car park, was our most attractive bird and we enjoyed some cracking close views. 
• Other birds of interest seen included my first Whimbrel of the year, a Peregrine, lots of Knot, good numbers of Grey Plover and hundreds of Brent Geese.

We finished the day at West Dean Woods where we enjoyed the scenery and the birds in the afternoon sunshine.

• I saw my first Hawfinch of 2019, a fleeting view as it flew away from us.  Hopefully I will get better views later on at Lynford arboretum in Norfolk but for now I was only too pleased to see one here in Sussex.
• Marsh Tit, Brambling and Red Kite were also great additions to our day list. 

14 very happy bunnies - thanks Paul and Gareth!

21/02/2019 First Goshawk of 2019

Thursday 21 February 2019

• I saw my first Goshawk of the year this afternoon.  The views were absolutely stunning in the superb lighting that was present.  The bird was gliding over the trees to the north of me in a display flight that lasted several minutes.
• The support cast was good too with a Red Kite and at least 3 Buzzards showing well.

The first of many I hope!

14/02/2019 London WWT for Bitterns and Jack Snipe

Thursday 14 February 2019
London WWT Centre

My second outing with Sara this year - this time we spent a few hours at the London WWT Centre, expecting to see Ring-necked Parakeets and hoping to see Bitterns and/or a Jack Snipe.  The weather was absolutely fabulous with bright sunshine, clear skies and no wind.

• We didn't even get out of the car park before seeing the Ring-necked Parakeets.  Sara took a lovely picture (using her phone) of a pair enjoying Valentines Day high in the trees above us just inside the entrance.

Valentines Day
courtesy of Sara Harris

 Within 5 minutes of arriving at the Peacock tower hide we saw a Jack Snipe and our first Bittern! 

• The Jack Snipe was showing really well on one of the islands ahead of us.  Thankfully it was bobbing up and down - just what we were hoping for.
• The Bittern was showing well in the distant reeds just east of the Wildside hide.
• By way of a bonus, there was also a Water Pipit on the same island as the Jack Snipe.

Although we were on a pretty tight schedule, things had gone so well that we had time to head round to the Wildside hide, hoping to get a photograph of the Bittern.

• By the time we got there, the Bittern had disappeared, a fellow birder had seen it fly to the opposite side of the water and out of our sight.
• There was a second Bittern around however but it was not showing when we arrived.  A short time later it re-appeared - still too far away to get a good picture.



courtesy of Sara Harris


While we were waiting for the Bittern to re-appear Sara took the opportunity to try my digiscoping attachment and came up with these pictures.

Black-headed Gulls
courtesy of Sara Harris

Grey Heron
courtesy of Sara Harris

 

 

 

A smashing day out, birding with my daughter!

11/02/2019 Mercers Lake in Surrey for the Black-throated Diver

Monday 11 February 2019
Mercers Lake
Surrey

Spent the late afternoon at Mercers Lake in Surrey looking for the Black-throated Diver that has been there since 3 February.

• I eventually found it, as per RBA, where it was moving around majestically in the early evening sunshine.

courtesy of Barry Clough and Twitter

A great bird - well worth the effort on only my second visit to this site.

10/02/2019 A short visit to Rye Harbour

Sunday 10 February 2019
Rye Harbour NR

I spent a lovely 2 hours or so at Rye Harbour this afternoon.  My main interest was to see the 2 Black-necked Grebes that had been there for some time now.

• It didn't take too long to find the Black-necked Grebes; they were on Long Pits just west of the coastguard cottages.  They were together and swimming with a group of over 20 Pochard.
• I used the remaining time to brush up on my seawatching, seeing Red-throated Divers, Great-crested Grebes, Auks and Gannets as well as the usual shorebirds.

150 up for the year! 

06/02/2019. Great Grey Shrike in Ashdown Forest

Wednesday 6 February 2019
Wrens Warren, Ashdown Forest, Sussex

• I finally caught up with the Great Grey Shrike around 2.30 pm this afternoon.  It was in its favourite dead tree (TQ.472.314).  
• This was my fourth attempt and even then I had to wait for almost an hour for the bird to show.
• Recent reports have placed the bird at TQ.474.319 which is further north and east and down the valley by the bridge.  Try as I may,  I could not find the shrike there.
• My advice would be to focus on the dead tree and simply wait at a convenient viewing point.  You can even watch from your car in the lay-by on the B2026 just east of the Gills Lap car park.

03/02/2019 With Paul and the group at Pett Level then Dungeness

Sunday 03 February 2019

With Paul James and Group

It was nice to go out with Paul and the group again.  On a glorious February day, 8 of us started at Pett Level before moving on to the area around Dungeness.

Pett Level

• When I arrived, just after 08.30, the group were already looking at 3 Great White Egrets in the field at the far end of the level.
• On the sea at least 3 Velvet Scoters were seen within the flock of Common Scoters
• As we headed east we also picked up the small group of 7 White-fronted Geese in the fields with the other geese.

 Although the birds were quite distant the views were excellent in the superb lighting conditions that prevailed.

RSPB Dungeness

 

One of the must-see birds at Dungeness is the drake Smew.  This year, it was beginning to look like a no-show scenario but thankfully one was reported yesterday.  A clear case of better late than never as far as I am concerned!

• We headed out to the New Excavations area where we met up with other birders who were  looking at the bird from the path.  Scope views were not possible because of a high shingle bank in the foreground so we took the advice of the RSPB volunteer and walked round to the opposite side of the water where we enjoyed uninterrupted views.

courtesy of Gareth James

• We moved smartly round the rest of the reserve seeing 3 Goosanders, several female Goldeneye, at least one Marsh Harrier, a Raven and a fleeting view of a Cetti's Warbler but no Bearded Tits or Bitterns.

Scotney Gravel Pits

• Reports came in of a Tundra Bean Goose at Scotney Gravel Pits so we headed out there and we were soon on to the bird.



courtesy of Gareth James

Lydd Camp

 

• We were so close to Lydd Camp  we used the opportunity to look for the resident Little Owl and, thankfully, it was there and, after a while, it gave super views. 




courtesy of Gareth James

 An interesting comment from another birder - not from our group;  "There are not many countries in the world where you can safely aim your telescope/camera at the interior of a military establishment"

Cockles Bridge
 

• It was back to the reserve to catch up with 2 Whooper Swans at Cockles Bridge.



courtesy of Gareth James

Seawatching
 

We had a late lunch on the beach by the fishing boats while we did a spot of seawatching.

• Pick of the sightings was the Bonxie which Paul spotted moving west.  While following this a second one was seen..
• Several close Kittiwakes were a delight to watch.
• Red-throated Divers and auks, predominately Guillemots were also seen.

ARC Hanson Hide
 

• Back on the reserve at the ARC Hanson Hide there were several Goldeneye, including at least one cracking drake.
• There was no sign of any Bitterns or Water Rails but an overwintering Chiffchaff was seen directly in front of the hide.
• Just as we were leaving the hide, a magnificent Cetti's Warbler showed in the reeds right in front of us.  This has to be one of my best views ever of this elusive species

Walland Marsh

• It was getting late by now so we relocated to Walland Marsh to twitch the 34 Bewick Swans.  They were quite distant but, as before, the lighting was so good that the views were excellent.

Jury's Gap

 

Another must-see bird for me is the Black Redstart.  Andrew and I were keen to call in at Jury's Gap on the way home to have a look for it.

• After a short search Andrew spotted it on the MOD land adjacent to the cottages and we enjoyed magnificent close views of this  really beautiful bird. 



courtesy of Gareth James


 

 

 



 What a fitting finale to today's superb bird trip.