Nightjars

Thursday 24th June 2021

Hindleap, Ashdown Forest

East Grinstead RSPB Group

A brilliant turnout of 19 members for this event.   The conditions were perfect with very little breeze and clear skies.

• We managed to get 3 churring Nightjars but no sightings - amazing after my earlier successes a few weeks ago in much worse weather.  All were distant to the extent that the hard of hearing, myself included, missed out completely. 
• A single roding Woodcock and several calls from the resident Tawny Owl was scant consolation.

Surprising outcome!

We agreed to try again in a weeks time at another venue.

Saturday 26th June 2021

The Old Airstrip, Ashdown Forest

With Shaun and Kevin

Kevin, Shaun and I decided to do a recce at the Old Airstrip on the forest, starting at Long car park.  The weather was, once again, almost perfect.

• This time we got 2 superb views of the Nightjar as it flew close by us.
• At the same time we could hear other birds churring away from all corners of the airstrip.

This has to be the place to go next Thursday.

No Quail for me today!

Saturday 26th June 2021

Steep Down near Sompting, Sussex

Several reports of singing Quails on RBA drew me to Steep Down this afternoon. 

• Unfortunately I drew a blank!

• Thankfully I saw lots of Corn Buntings - my first of the year.  The corn field was alive with these birds as I was looking for the Quail.
• 
  

Disappointed not to hear the Quail but pleased to be out on the Downs in such lovely afternoon sunshine.  

Check out the view below from the trig point on the summit of Steep Down.  Looking east over Shoreham, Brighton,  Newhaven and Seaford Head.

 

Stone Curlews in Hampshire

 Thursday 24th June 2021

 Tidgrove Warren, near Overton, Hampshire

To get this years Stone Curlew "fix" I visited north Hampshire, on a Naturetrek half day tour led by Keith Betton.  The venue was Tidgrove Warren near Overton, a private estate with a royal pedigree going back to the time of Henry II.  It was only when I got there that I found out it was the same venue that Chris Packham used on the  most recent Springwatch series and also the same one that made the front page of the March edition of  Birdwatch magazine.

This was my first trip with Naturetrek and I have to say it was really good,  Keith Betton was superb, giving us all the background to the rewilding efforts on the estate and a history of Stone Curlews in particular.  Incredibly there are around 30 breeding pairs in Hampshire.

• We actually saw 3 Stone Curlews on 2 nests.  The first nest had just one Stone Curlew on eggs for the duration of our visit but the second nest gave us views of another 2 birds  We watched from about 250 metres away to respect the curlews privacy.   We needed the highest magnification on our scopes to view them but, thankfully there was no heat haze so the images were crisp and clear.  
• Both nests were just 30 metres apart - very, very unusual apparently.  We even witnessed the "changeover" where the male and female exchanged places with one on the nest while the other ventured off for a couple of hours.
• The image below will not win any prizes but it is rather special to me.  It was taken on my iPhone attached to my scope and represents a first for me - a digiscoped image obtained without an attachment to the lens, obtained simply by holding my phone close to the eyepiece on my scope.  The only down side to this is that it was Keith and not me who took the picture - my efforts being so feeble!

 

Really enjoyable visit to see one of my favourite species.

I will definitely embrace the Naturetrek 1-day tours in the south from now on to complement my Norfolk tours!

Norfolk with Marcus Nash for Marsh Warbler

Saturday 19th June 2021

Norfolk

With Marcus Nash

6 of us met up in Wells-next-the-Sea before starting out on our trip which took in Kelling and Cley in the morning and finished at Titchwell in the afternoon.  The heavy overnight rain had cleared and, thankfully we were dry all day, even enjoying some intermittent sunshine. 

We headed out to Kelling first thing, to look for the Marsh Warbler that had been around all week.  We joined an already assembled group who were listening to the bird singing away in the reedy dyke near the small copse between the water meadow and the beach.  

• This bird is a great mimic and the experienced birders picked out the song of the bee eater among others in its repertoire.
• It wasn't long before we got the first of several views of the bird as it flew to a new position and the started singing again.

courtesy of Simon Dennis and Twitter

This was only my second sighting of this species in the UK and, by far, a big improvement on my first encounter last year at Kings Mead in Bedfordshire.

• We continued out to the beach where we saw a flock of Gannets which soon increased in size to well over 20, a lovely sight as they flew majestically on their way.
• We were also lucky to see several Mediterranean Gulls at close range as they flew low over the water.

                                                                                   courtesy of Marcus Nash

• On the way back we saw a cracking Cuckoo on the hill to the east of us.

                                                                           courtesy of Marcus Nash

Next stop was Cley and the east side leading to Arnold's Marsh where we came across a number of interesting species.

• Pick of the bunch were the 2 Spoonbills that were at the far end.  Unfortunately they were asleep for most of the time only showing their bills occasionally.

                                                                          courtesy of Marcus Nash

• We managed to find at least 2 Bearded Tits in the reed bed.

                                                                                 courtesy of Marcus Nash

• A single Yellow Wagtail was showing well.
• Not far away from the wagtail was a lovely Little  Ringed Plover.
• There was also a distant Ringed Plover and a couple of Little Gulls on the ground nearby.
• On the beech we were thrilled to see 20+ Little Terns flying over the water and diving spectacularly to grab some food. 

Lunch was at the Visitor Centre at Cley which allowed me time to leave the group and head up to Cley Spy to pick up my Swarovski binoculars which had been returned from Austria after a repair to clear "fogging".  It was great to be reunited with them after nearly 5 weeks.  I must say Cley Spy had dealt with the transfer superbly. 

Swarovski had done a brilliant job to replace the seals to stop the fogging on the inside of the chamber.  They also carried out a complementary,  full service to bring them back to almost as-new condition.  And all this for free!

After lunch we all made our way to RSPB Titchwell for the final session.  Thankfully all the hides were now open.

• Perhaps the most interesting find were the 7 Spotted Redshanks in full summer plumage.
• There were a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits showing alongside considerably more Black-tailed Godwits.
• The usual Titchwell regulars were there of course including Avocets, Redshanks, Turnstones and Marsh Harriers. 

Another splendid visit and a rare chance to catch up with a Marsh Warbler.

Nightjars at Hindleap

Thursday 17th June 2021

Hindleap

Ashdown Forest

I took a chance and beat the incoming thunderstorms to get a good view of 2 Nightjars flying near Brian and Jane's seat at Hindleap.  Churring started at 9.40 pm followed by the  'coo-ick' flight sound as they came close by me.  At this point I was looking down the hill and could not see the birds but they soon moved uphill and I could easily see their silhouettes against the trees and skyline.

The rain arrived just as I got back to Uckfield some 30 minutes later!

A round-up of the weeks birding so far, including a Collared Pratincole at Dungeness

 Week beginning 6th June 2021

Sunday 6th June 2021    Pulborough Brooks with the East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

13 of us met up for this visit to Pulborough - just inside the limit set by the Covid rules and a very good turn out all things considered.

It was great to see everyone after such a long while and we took the opportunity to catch up on each others news.

• On the birding front, expectations were not high -  at this time of year migration has finished and many birds have stopped singing.  Nevertheless, most members managed to hear the Nightingale.  
• We managed a good selection of birds without seeing anything special.

Good to meet up - birding took second place today with the emphasis on getting reacquainted!

Monday 7th June   Dungeness Twitch - Collared Pratincole and Glossy Ibis

I just had to go down to Dungeness after hearing that the Collared Pratincoles were still there.

• My faith was rewarded when, after a short wait, the birds came out to play from the nearby reeds and flew around us.  In total there were 3 Collared Pratincoles and they flew overhead several times, affording us brilliant views.  The last and only time I saw this species was in 2016 at a twitch in Ham Wall in Somerset when there was only 1 bird.

                       

                                                                      courtesy of Plodding Birder and Twitter

• Prior to this, a Hobby flew overhead with superb views.
• On the way back to the car on Denge Road, I heard a Dartford Warbler in the scrubs 
• At the ARC I was lucky to see the long-staying Glossy Ibis.  It wasn't there when I arrived but, obligingly flew in a few minutes later and landed close by.

courtesy of Plodding Birder

Tuesday 8th June 2021   Weir Wood Reservoir

My luck was still in at Weir Wood today and resulted in me seeing an Osprey, my first of the year and one of the best views ever of this superb bird.  With Open Day coming up I arrived early to pick up the snake survey sheets so that the rangers could cut the grass and make good some of the paths in the meadows.  Had I arrived at my normal time I would have just missed the Osprey.  If I had arrived much earlier I would have joined Clive who had started the snake survey early and again I would have missed the sighting.

• The Osprey flew down towards us at the west end and was being challenged by the terns and then the corvids, resulting in it making a quick exit.  Nevertheless, I had enough time to get good views before it left.
• The snake survey was good too with 11 grass snakes and a lizard showing- better than last weeks showing of 8 grass snakes.

So lucky!  .... and so grateful!

175 species seen so far this year - less than last year but way beyond my wildest dreams considering the circumstances.

Pagham Harbour with the Ashdown Bird Group

Saturday 5th June 2021

Pagham Harbour,  Sussex

Ashdown Bird Group

For our second outing of the year we visited the RSPB reserve at Pagham Harbour near Chichester.  We were rewarded with some excellent birding with over 60 species seen, including most of our target birds.  The weather was fabulous with bright sunshine and a very light breeze.  During the long walks everyone took the chance to get reacquainted after what has been a very long and hard pandemic. 

Our starting point was the Visitor Centre where we took in the Ferry Pool before making the long walk to Church Norton.  After lunch we retraced our steps back to the cars and then relocated to the North Wall for our final session.  

The target species were Little Terns, Cattle Egrets and, toughest of all, Roseate Terns, all of which had been seen recently on the reserve.

Visitor Centre and Ferry Pool

• From the outset things looked very promising with Mediterranean Gulls flying overhead and  background music provided by the Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Greenfinches as we assembled in the car park.  

Mediterranean Gull 

courtesy of Alison Playle

• The Avocets were the pick of the species seen at the Ferry Pool, closely followed by Gadwall and Redshank. 
• Along the Ferry Channel we heard and occasionally saw the Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers, caught a glimpse of a Cetti's Warbler as it changed position in the reeds and had really good views of several Reed Buntings.  
• On the water we had great views of a Little Grebe in full summer plumage and, best of all, a family of Shelducks floating along just ahead of us. 

Little Grebe

courtesy of Alison Playle

• We expected to see Common Whitethroats in the hedges as we moved along but we had a real bonus when, after some hesitation, we identified the sound of a Lesser Whitethroat just before we caught sight of it in the nearby bushes.
• There was one mystery bird.  It made  a very loud screech that no-one recognised as it flew past us and landed in the low bushes near the water.  It caught us completely by surprise and, try as we may, we didn't hear or see it again. 

What could have been a very long slog had turned out to be so eventful and very interesting, fully justifying our decision not to use the cars and cause further chaos with parking at Church Norton.

Church Norton

We settled down to enjoy a well-earned lunch by the bench seating at Church Norton with our attention fully focussed on Tern Island ahead of us in the distance.

• It was fairly easy to pick out the Sandwich Terns but the heat haze made it more difficult to ID the less numerous Common Terns.  
• After a while we were able to spot the first of our target species when 3-4 Little Terns were seen.  Not the best of views but definitely present.
• We zoomed in on one tern as the most likely candidate for a Roseate Tern but rejected the idea after further investigation.  We were unable to locate this species although several were reported here a few hours later.
• Swallows and Sand Martins were around as was the occasional Swift.
• The Mediterranean Gulls looked splendid in their summer uniform.  We also saw a few Common Gulls among the many gulls present in the area. 

North Wall and Honer Reservoir

After returning to our vehicles at the Visitor Centre we made the 20 minute drive to Church Lane in Pagham village and walked to the North Wall area of the harbour where we were hoping to see Cattle Egrets in the fields nearby.  

• As we walked along the footpath we could see cattle in the distance but no egrets.  
• However we did see a pair of Great-crested Grebes, in the channel in front of us, with 2 chicks riding on the back of the female - such a wonderful sight!

Great-crested Grebe 

courtesy of Alison Playle

• We decided to head north in search of the cattle and then, hopefully, find the Cattle Egrets.  As it turned out we got it back to front, finding the Cattle Egrets first and then the cattle.  The egrets - 2 of them - were in the long grass of a field near the main footpath so we were able to get close up. 

Cattle Egret

courtesy of Alison Playle

• Behind the high trees in an adjacent field, we saw a 3rd Cattle Egret fly down and land among the 20+ cows.  

We were now feeling really good after finding our second target species, even if our strategy had proved somewhat fortuitous.  A quick look at Honer Reservoir proved fruitless so we made the long journey back to the car to conclude our visit.

• Other species of note that we saw included Buzzard, Red Kite, Kestrel, Little Egret.

As well as the birds, we saw a good selection of butterflies, dragonflies, heard the noisy frogs and even found a Slow worm on the return leg from Church Norton.

Painted Lady

courtesy of Alison Playle

Slow worm

courtesy of Alison Playle

A cracking day out, seeing lots of interesting things and finding 2 of our 3 target species!

 

Staying Local for Tree Pipits, Dartford Warblers, Redstarts, Nightjars and Woodcock

 Week beginning Sunday 30th May 2021

Nightjars

I made 4 night visits to the Ashdown Forest this week to follow up my successful trip on 19th May.

• On Sunday 30th May I heard a Nightjar churring on my patch at Churlwood but did not see the bird.
• The following day I was with Martin and Ian at the Old Airstrip to hear at least 3 churring Nightjars but again no sightings.
• Our luck changed at Hindleap the next day where we saw 3 Nightjars and the views were superb.  Incredibly, this time, there was no churring!
• Sadly, not a single Woodcock showed up on any of these visits.

Tree Pipits

• I heard this bird at the Old Airstrip  on Monday evening but I was facing the strong evening sun so couldn't see it.
• Yesterday, whilst walking around Poundgate, I came across another, singing away merrily at the top of a large bush.  I even had time to observe it flying, doing its characteristic parachuting action to land on the same bush.  Most entertaining!

Dartford Warblers, Redstarts and Yellowhammers

• It's been a good year for me for Dartford Warbler, probably because I have spent more time locally in the Ashdown Forest.  This week there was one at the Old Airstrip and another at Poundgate.  What a pity there were none on my patch at Churlwood where I have been doing a survey!

• Redstarts were much in evidence at Old Lodge with some stunning sightings.

• Yesterday was a particularly good day for Yellowhammers with at least 4 singing males showing well as I moved around the site.

Snakes at Weir Wood

Finally the snakes have appeared in decent numbers at Weir Wood with 8 seen on Tuesday morning.

Lots of birding time this week - so enjoyable!