RSPB Dungeness with the East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

Sunday 25th February 2024

RSPB Dungeness

What a turnout from our members!  Despite a "dodgy" weather forecast 20 members made the long journey down to the south coast at Dungeness in Kent.  Things worked out well in the end - the rain didn't arrive till mid afternoon by which time we had finished our visit and were heading home.  The rewards were good, a species count of 57 including some rarities. 

 The highlights included the following:-

• There were 2 Great Northern Divers on the site and we eventually located both - a great northern diver on Burrowes, seen from Dennis's hide, and the other one plus a Black-throated Diver from the ARC Hanson hide.

Great Northern Diver and Black-throated Diver - courtesy of Alison Playle

• However the stars of the show were the Goldeneye - with at least 3 drakes and 2 ducks.

Courtesy of Andrew Burns

• We heard the Cetti’s warbler calling many times and today we were afforded a rare glimpse of the bird as it flitted around the reeds in front of us.  Unfortunately it was too quick for our cameras.

• That wasn't the case for the single bearded reedling that we saw briefly on the grit tray opposite the viewing ramp; this time Alison, with her lightning-quick reflexes got a record shot of the bird.

Courtesy of Alison Playle

We got some spectacular flight photographs of birds we would normally see mainly on or in the water

Great White Egret - courtesy of Phil Aylen

Shoveler - courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

Gadwall - courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

• These birds you would expect to get flight views in the main.

Marsh Harrier - courtesy of Patrick Sullivan

Raven - courtesy of Phil Aylen

Aborted Seawatch

By mid-afternoon the weather was closing in on us and most people decided to head home.  4 of us decided to continue birding and drove round to the power station for a short seawatch from the side of the hide.  However our plans were scuppered completely as soon as we arrived at the hide.

Steve and Andrew spotted a beached dolphin that was being attacked by gulls and they immediately ran to the rescue whilst Suzanne and I tried, unsuccessfully, to ring the staff at the bird observatory for help.  The dolphin was barely alive but between them Steve and Andrew managed to scare off the gulls and roll the dolphin into the water.  Unfortunately the tide washed the dolphin ashore again and again.  In the end we were able to get the dolphin to float 15-20 metres into deep water and it was still alive.  At that point we could do no more.  The prognosis for the dolphin was not good but at least it now had a chance to live.

Back at the hide we had little appetite for further birding and we decided to leave.

 

A dramatic end to the visit!

I managed to add 2 more birds to my year list - Stock Doves were feeding in the fields on Denge Marsh and we saw several Gannets flying low over the waves on the sea.

2024 species count=128

Updates

Monday 12th February 2024

• Around 9 pm, from my back garden, I could hear a tawny owl moving around from tree to tree.  Alas I was not able to see it.

Oh for a thermal imaging camera!

Friday 16tth February 2024

I made a quick afternoon visit to Splash Point, Seaford, to look at the damage caused by the recent collapse of some of the chalk cliffs.  Recent TV coverage had intimated that it was quite substantial but it did not mention any threat to wildlife.  

• Unfortunately I saw that the fall had removed over 50% of the nesting sites for our beloved kittiwake colony, so long a feature of the area.  The remaining nest sites were fully occupied by kittiwakes getting ready for the breeding season.  Scores of displaced kittiwakes were flying around frantically near the cliffs.  

Courtesy of Tim Holter and WhatsApp

What a tragedy!

• By way of consolation I saw my first black redstart of the year.  It was flitting around the area close to the viewing ramp, sometimes on the boulders and sometimes cling to the chalk cliffs.

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• Before heading back home, I called in at Newhaven West Pier to see my first fulmars of the year.  I didn't have to get out of the car as 3 of them gave me a wonderful flying display as they glided over the deserted car park area.

Saturday 17th February 2024

I was just setting down getting ready to watch the football on TV when I got a phone call from my friend David who invited me to join him on a hawfinch search at Penhurst Lane near Battle.

• We arrived just before 3 pm to find another birder there and quite soon we were seeing hawfinches in the canopy of the distant trees.  The most we saw in any one telescope view was 5 but estimates put the total at 20 - 30.  We saw several small flocks at regular intervals of our 60 minute stay.
• An obliging brambling showed well with one of the hawfinches - almost 30 minutes in all.

Tuesday 20th February 2024

I was back at Weir Wood Reservoir for the first time since before Christmas.  My sprained knee was now a thing of the past.  A group of us were assigned the task of floating a tern raft into the water after a recent repair.  By way of an aside we did some bird watching and I was able to add 3 birds to my 2024 list:-

• On the way to the work area I saw my first tree creeper of the year,
• At the waterside I saw 2 of the 3 kingfishers that flew by us.
• On the return leg to the car park, I saw a couple of Egyptian geese on the water.

Later on, after lunch, I took Martin down to see the kittiwakes and the black redstart at Splash Point.  The black redstart was there, as was a rock pipit but there wasn't a single kittiwake to be seen!  The remaining nesting areas were deserted and there were no kittiwakes flying around the cliffs or on the sea.  On the WhatsApp group our post gave us some encouraging answers - it is not unusual for kittiwakes to visit their nesting sites before flying out to sea again.  Let's hope that is the case here.  We cannot afford to lose the whole colony.

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Friday 23rd February 2024 

I went with martin to Old Lodge NNR in the Ashdown Forest this afternoon.  Despite the showers we had a good time.

• We heard at least 3 woodlarks singing away in the distance but we were unable to get a sighting.
• We were more fortunate with the redpolls, seeing several flocks of 20 or more as we went round the reserve.
• Martin spotted a Dartford warbler but it disappeared before I could join him.
• Also seen were coal tit, goldfinch, great spotted woodpecker as well as the basic birds of the forest.

2024 species count=126

Pagham Harbour and The Burgh with the Ashdown Bird Group

 Sunday 11th February 2024

Pagham Harbour

8 of us visited Pagham Harbour this morning where we we managed a very respectable 59 species. Conditions were really good with dry, overcast and mild weather throughout.

• Star of the show was the Long-tailed Duck that we saw right at the start on the Ferry Pool.  It was stationary in the water for most of the time as the other regular species went about their business.

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

At Church Norton we saw a good selection of waders in the distance.

• Knot, Ringed Plover and Dunlin, all of which were new to me this year, were showing well.

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• We also saw about 10 Bar-tailed Godwits, a difficult bird to see in Sussex.

We moved round to the mouth of the harbour

•  Here we saw 2 Eider Ducks - a male and a female swimming in the channel opposite us - with the mother and child completely oblivious to the events unfolding in front of them .........

Courtesy of Alison Playle

•  ..... and a lovely Mediterranean Gull on the sea; this bird was ringed in Belgium. 

Courtesy of Phillip Aylen

• It was nice to hear the Skylarks singing. 
• We were unable to see any of the 5 Long-tailed Ducks that had been reported on the sea earlier but we did see several Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour.

The Burgh

After a well-earned lunch back at the Visitor Centre we relocated to the Arundel area and the high ground of The Burgh where we saw 26 species during a very enjoyable couple of hours.

• Red Kites were everywhere, of course.  We must have seen at least 20, some distant and a few very close.

Courtesy of Alison Playle

• We were fortunate to see several Grey Partridge along the edges of the fields.

Courtesy of Alison Playle

• Also seen were 3 Red-legged Partridges.
• We witnessed an altercation, high in the sky, between a couple of Peregrines and a Buzzard - needless to say the Peregrines triumphed. 
• The only new addition to my year list was a Mistle Thrush that we saw in the middle of a tree at the side of the track we were on.
• The day ended spectacularly when we saw a ringtail Hen Harrier flying in the valley below us.

71 species seen today - a fair reflection of our great day out.

2024 species count=115

Further additions to my 2024 list

9th February 2024

Driving home today Sue and I saw a Red Kite flying overhead.  Earlier I had seen several Feral Pigeons.

10th February 2024

At the third time of asking, I managed to see my first Purple Sandpiper of the year at Shoreham Fort.  Just before high tide I spotted a single bird sheltering from the wind on the inner wooden pier at the harbour.

2024 species count=108