20/06/2020 East Guldeford Yellow Wagtails

Saturday 20 June 2020
East Guldeford near Rye, Sussex

Enjoyed a splendid day out on Romney Marshes with David, a fellow local birder.  Thanks to the farmer who gave us permission to park our cars on his land at Moneypenny Farm. We followed the anticlockwise loop down towards Camber before turning for the return leg.  The weather was almost ideal - warm and sunny with only a light breeze.

• Highlight of the trip were the 6+ yellow wagtails we saw on the eastern edges of the farm.  They were by the field bean crop and not associating with any of the cows close by.

courtesy of David Williams

• We also got a cracking view of a corn bunting at the start.
• Reed buntings, skylarks and reed warblers were ubiquitous as you would expect.
• Larger birds included kestrel, sparrowhawk and buzzard.
• No sign of any tree sparrows today I'm afraid!

Great to be out and about in this lovely area.  

Got back to the car to catch the end of the Albion game against the Arsenal - well done boys!

10/06/2020 A Red-footed Falcon on the South Downs

Wednesday 10 June 2010
near Beeding Hill on the South Downs

This afternoon I made the short trip by car to Beeding Hill to check out the red-legged falcon that had been reported on Rare Bird Alert.  After a 15 minute walk SE along Monarchs Way I joined other Sussex birders, at the bottom of the hill, who were already watching this lovely bird.

• Initially it was perched on a fence, 50 metres or so from us with its back to us - irritatingly!  It dropped to the ground, giving better views, before jumping back on to the fence.

courtesy of Ian Barnard and Twitter

• Soon it took flight and we were able to enjoy excellent flight views.

courtesy of Ian Barnard and Twitter

• It then landed on a fence, actually on Monarchs Way, on the opposite side of the hill to us.  The views were still very good.
• Things really got better when it was disturbed by a couple of walkers who were coming down the hill towards us.  The bird took flight and headed towards us, landing on a  fence post just 25 metres away.  We really were spoiled by the stunning close views.
• It then took flight again, this time flying up the hill on our side before landing on a fence post once again.

With clouds gathering and looking ominous, I headed back to the car park, arriving just in time as the heavens opened.

What a terrific birding experience - 45 minutes of pure bliss!

09/06/2020 My First Marsh Warbler!

Tuesday 9 June 2020
Kings Mead, Ware, Bedfordshire

Last Saturday, a marsh warbler was reported at King's Mead on the outskirts of Ware in Bedfordshire.  Since then successive accounts have told of the bird singing well and showing on and off.  When it was seen again early this morning, day 4, I decided to go for it.

• I arrived just before 13.00 and the bird was singing away in its favoured bush 50 metres away; it was not showing however.   
• After 20 minutes or so I got my first, very brief, view as the warbler emerged from the dense centre portion of the bush, before disappearing again.  
• Not long after I got another view, this time much clearer - but once more all too brief.  

I was feeling really confident at this point and couldn't wait to get a good scope view.

• Alas, all went quiet from there on and over the next 2 hours we hardly saw it again and, worst of all - it stopped singing!
• I left just after 16.00 hours and went home.  

• Looking at the news there were no later sightings.

Word has it the best sightings and singing occurred early morning, although the  outstanding event  seems to have been just after a thunderstorm over the weekend, as the sun came out.

courtesy of Stuart Fox and Twitter

• A  disappointing finale to what had been a promising start!  
• Still it's great to hear a marsh warbler singing on English soil and the sightings, albeit short, were very sweet.

24 hours on and I feel much better about my experience.  I must have been one of the last people to see this bird as there have been no further sightings since my visit.

Range and Habitat

Marsh Warbler: Former resident breeder, now rare summer breeder in England. Grounds are likely restricted to south-eastern England near Kent. Arrives at breeding grounds in late spring or early summer. Winters in east Africa. Prefers scrub areas of dense vegetation with tall bushes.

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Marsh Warbler likely has a secure population within Europe, however the UK population has fallen and is of serious conservation concern.
• Vagrants of this species have been recorded as far away from each other as Iceland and Madeira.
• This warbler is an excellent mimic and on average incorporates the songs of 31 European and 45 African species into its repertoire.

06/06/2020 Black-winged Stilt at Rye Harbour, Sussex

Saturday 6 June 2020
Rye Harbour NNR

Went for a late afternoon/early evening twitch down to Castlewater on the Rye Harbour NNR.  Worryingly, as I made the long trek to the hide, some returning birders reported that they had not seen the black-winged stilt that had been reported there earlier.

• Thankfully the bird was there and showing very well from the hide.  It was on the far side of the water feeding on one of the small islands and looking majestic in the evening sunshine.
• On the way to the hide I was accompanied by scores and scores of low flying swifts - you don't see one for ages then over the next week or so you get hundreds!
• House martins also provided a welcome backdrop as I was watching the stilt - flying low over the water.

Terrific experience - plenty of exercise and a rather special bird to boot!

03/06/2020 Week 3 of Easing of Lockdown Restrictions

Nothing much to report this week!  Despite the extra freedom Boris is allowing, we stayed in lockdown going out only to walk the dogs, exercise and do a minimum amount of birding.

Knepp 28/05/2020

After the wonderful experiences at Knepp last week, I felt a desperate need to see a turtle dove.  Remember I had heard them frequently but a sighting proved elusive.  With this in mind, last Thursday I decided to go back once more but this time with a specific brief to see one.

• I was on site just after 7am and by 7.15 am I had succeeded when a delightful turtle dove was showing near the top of a dead tree - a couple of hundred metres away but giving great scope views.
• By way of a bonus and prior to seeing the turtle dove, I also saw another cracking cuckoo - also in a dead tree.

By 8 am I was on my way home to surprise Sue and the dogs - job done!

Exercising

• More swifts this week.  The best show was tonight on my way home from the town centre after my long walk.  There were scores of them flying low over the roof tops and making a hell of a racket - much to my delight.

Dog Walking

• Nice to see the mallards with their new chicks on the pond near my home.
• Even more pleasing was the sight of our local moorhens with at least 5 new chicks in tow as they swam around the pond.
• Several really good sightings of green woodpeckers in the play area adjacent to the pond and another, of a pair, at the Millennium Green on one of our longer walks.

Quiet week but delightful still!