Honey Buzzard in the Ashdown Forest

 31st May 2024

I invited Martin to join me for a morning trip to the newly announced raptor viewing point in the Ashdown Forest. 

• Despite some concerns about the deteriorating weather we were rewarded with a spectacular view of a honey buzzard, with the bird following a flight path from SE to NW and passing directly overhead.

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Just the Job !

2024 species count=183

Chichester Visit

Thursday 30th May 2024

RSPB Pagham Harbour

• A lovely red-necked phalarope visited the Ferry Pool today and I was fortunate enough to see it, despite an horrendous drive down to Chichester.  The bird was busily moving around the back end of the pool.

Courtesy of Dave Carlsson and X

Courtesy of Dave Carlsson and X

Church Norton

A short drive round to Church Norton where I added whimbrel to my 2024 list, with 2 birds showing well at low tide in the harbour.

Medmerry

A longer drive, this time round to Medmerry to twitch little ring plover, where I had great views of 2 of this lovely wader.

2024 species count=182

Yellowhammer in Uckfield

 Uckfield

Phil and Jem sent me a message about some yellowhammers they had seen on their local walk in Uckfield so I went there a few days later and saw them for myself.

2024 species count=179

Stodmarsh with the Ashdown Bird Group

 Saturday 18th May 2024

This was another excellent turn out.  For many of us it was the second visit in a month. When we arrived it was dry and overcast but the sun did come out – eventually!  We recorded a very impressive 70 bird species and today the headlines were made by a couple of familiar birds and some very noisy frogs.

• Bird of the day, for me, was a garden warbler.  As we were walking towards the Tower Hide, one was singing away just a few metres away and when it showed our superb photographers grasped the opportunity to get some memorable images of this most skittish of birds. 

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

It is only on rare occasions that we get good views of Cetti’s warbler.  Today we did, albeit for a very short time.  

Courtesy of Alison Playle

• We saw at least 6 hobbies, less than half of what we would normally expect here at Stodmarsh. Nevertheless we got some spectacular views of this gorgeous summer visitor.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• One very pleasant surprise was a distant view of a yellow wagtail.  We normally see this bird on return migration in the autumn.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• Earlier, at Feast’s Hide, we saw at least 6 marsh frogs on the lily pads on the surface of the water.  We had heard them several times previously but this was the best view by far.  They gradually submerged as we continued to watch them but not before we took some cracking pictures.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

Other news:

• Terns, mainly common, were abundant.  If you look at the ramp in the photograph below you will also see a common sandpiper – a first of the year for some of the group - as well as the common terns on the main platform.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

A very enjoyable trip with many memorable moments.

2024 species count=178

Minsmere 2024 with the East Grinstead RSPB Group

Sunday 12th May 2024

RSPB Minsmere

This was another good turnout from our members who braved the early start and the long coach trip to enjoy seven and a half hours bird watching at this flagship RSPB reserve on the east coast of Suffolk.  Their reward was a massive species count of 80 with some stunning birds.  The weather was fine throughout with sunshine and a gentle breeze.

Our first port of call was the artificial sand cliffs just outside the café to look at the breeding sand martins.

• We got a huge shock as there were no sand martins around at all – all we experienced was an eerie silence in an area which was previously always noisy with the frantic sound of birds toing and froing in the nesting area! 

Apparently, this year they had chosen to breed a few miles further north, on the cliffs at Dunwich Heath.  Let’s hope this was just a blip and that they return next year. 

• All was not lost however as we saw plenty of sand martins flying over the scrapes while we moved around the reserve and they were by far the most ubiquitous of the hirundines. 

 

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• Everyone enjoyed seeing a lesser whitethroat singing out from the top of a nearby bush. Alan Loweth managed to get this lovely picture using his mobile phone!

Courtesy of Alan Loweth

• Some waders of course change their appearance drastically in summer. like this  grey plover

Courtesy of Ian Hodgson

and this turnstone

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

and, better still, this red knot, my bird of the day!  What a contrast with the knot still in winter plumage!

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• The rarest waders we saw were 2 Temminck’s stints from the West Hide.  Alas, they were so far away from us it was difficult to make the ID with any degree of certainty.   Fortunately, a local birder/volunteer who had been following them all day and had seen them when they were closer, pointed them out to us.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• We saw 3 tern species,  2 distant little terns were seen on the scrape but not photographed

• As we walked along the western path our eyes were directed to the skies where the hobbies finally put in an appearance with at least 6 on show.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

By far the most popular areas of the reserve are the Bittern Hide and the Island Mere Hide and they were jammed full with visitors when we got there.

• We still had time to wait for the bitterns to appear.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

.

A small group of us decided to try and find the stone curlews at the north-west area of the reserve on the heath by the exit road towards Westleton. 

• Our luck was in again as Phil soon spotted 2 of them in the field adjacent to the track we were on.  What a great view we had of these pre-historic looking birds with their distinctive yellow eye-ring.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• As a final gesture, a nightingale sang for us from the bushes just a few metres form the coach as we assembled for the departure.

A superb trip!

2024 species count=175

Woodcocks and Nightjars at Old Lodge

Tuesday 7th May 2024

Old Lodge NR, Ashdown Forest.

19.00 - 21.30 hr

I invited Alastair C and Martin to join me at Old Lodge tonight, targeting woodcock.  At this time of year they should be well into their "roding" routines where they fly over the treetops making their characteristic calls.  Last year this was my best site for seeing these strange but lovely birds.

• Martin and I started early, looking/listening for our first tree pipits of 2024.  Unfortunately we didn't have any success.

Around 20.00 hr we made our way to the bench by the pine trees to get in position for our main event.

• Surprisingly, down in the valley below us were the 2 cuckoo's that had so eluded me the previous Saturday morning when everyone except me seemed to see them at close range.  They put on a brilliant show, flying around the valley before settling on the low trees and then repeating their routine.  

By this time Alastair had joined us for the woodcock watch.

• Just after sunset we got the first of 6 woodcock flyovers including one where 2 birds were flying side by side.

Just as we were congratulating ourselves on a good nights work we got our second delightful surprise.

• Just before 21.00 hr what we thought we saw as yet  another woodcock turned out to be a nightjar -  a real surprise as it was surely too early for them to be in the country.  Sure enough it was a nightjar and we enjoyed watching and hearing it as it moved around the valley.  Quite soon a second one was heard.

A brilliant night out!

2024 species count=172

A Tale of Two Knepps Visits!

 Knepp Estate 

Sunday 5th May 2024

Ashdown Bird Group

9 members present

A strange visit to the Knepp Estate with some spectacular birding but a poor show from some of the usual stars. 

The white storks took centre stage today as they put on a magnificent display for us.

• They could be seen flying around us, virtually everywhere we went .

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

• We also got splendid views of them on the nest at various places on the reserve.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

These birds have really transformed the Knepp Estate providing a superb backdrop to what was already a magnificent habitat.  

Today they showed up in fabulous numbers and stole the show. 

• The Tamworth pigs provided the most amusing moments of the day as the mother and piglets enjoyed the sunshine - smack bang in the middle of one of the most popular nightingale territories!

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

Courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• I finally managed to see my first cuckoo of the year.  It was a the top of a distant bare tree.  Phew!  Despite at least 10 encounters with cuckoos this year a sighting had eluded me till now.

Courtesy of Phil Aylen

Now for the down side of the visit.

• There was very little happening with the turtle doves apart from one time when we heard one purring.   Jem and I questioned whether or not we had seen the bird fly away when others in the group called it as a woodpigeon. 
• Incredibly we didn't see any nightingales and we had to settle for one singing male near where the pigs were sunbathing.  On a normal year we would expect to hear/see them in at least 6 territories.
• It was nearly as bad with lesser whitethroats.  I missed out on the only sighting and we only heard them a couple of times when, normally, we would expect to hear/see them all over the reserve.

Martin and I returned to Knepp a few days later, on Friday 10th May 2024, to take part in a turtle dove/nightingale/ lesser whitethroat survey along with about 20 other volunteers.  This time our results were much more like the normal situation. with at least 6 sightings of turtle dove, 7 or 8 nightingale territories were found including a very clear but brief sighting of a singing nightingale in one of them and the usual high number of lesser whitethroats were seen and/or heard.  All of this was on our patch so the final survey numbers for the whole group would have been much higher.  

Why the difference you might ask? Well we did start much earlier - 05.30 rather than 09.30 and there were hardly any visitors today, unlike on Sunday when the reserve was so busy.

A very good trip on Sunday where the white storks were able to grab the headlines - deservedly!  Normal service was restored on Friday!

2024 species count=170

Birding update

24th April 2024

RSPB Pulborough Brooks, Sussex

A late afternoon/early evening jaunt:

• A great view from Jupp's of 1 of the 3 garganeys known to be present today.  It was swimming in the centre of one of the pools on the brooks.  
• I saw a second by the edges of the water from Little Hanger.
• There were scores of hirundines around - among them my first sand martins of 2024.
• There was no sign of the spotted redshank.

Sunday 28th April 2024.

Splash Point, Seaford, Sussex

8 of us from the Ashdown Bird Group joined over 20 of the SOS group for the annual, early morning seawatch.  This proved to be one of the worst ever with little passage of birds and some very unseasonal cold weather.  I was so out of touch that I missed out on some of the scraps that were on offer. 

• Pick of the bunch of my sightings was a dark phase Arctic skua passing through around 06.40.
• I managed to see my first common scoters of the year.

Thaank goodness we had Simon Linington with us from the SOS!

Monday 29th April 2024

Angmering, Sussex

My first "lifer" of the year!  A woodchat shrike was reported at Angmering this morning so I took the first opportunity to drive down there to see it.

• It had a favourite bush where it returned to every so often.  The rest of the time it could be seen on the fence near this tree.

Courtesy of Alastair Gray

• The shrike only stayed one day and drew lots of birders, being the first in Sussex since 2007.

The woodchat shrike is a scarce visitor to Britain & Ireland.  It is a migrant bird that has a predominantly European distribution - though extending through Turkey and on into Iran - and winters in a belt across central Africa. 

Weir Wood Reservoir

30th April 2024

Whilst doing my usual duties with the working party, I managed to add common tern and garden warbler to my 2024 year list.

2024 species count=167