Red-necked Phalarope at the Second Attempt

Monday 7th September 2026
West Rise Marsh, Eastbourne, Sussex

After Sue M reported on the Sussex WhatsApp group that the Red-necked Phalarope was still at West Rise Marsh this morning, I made the short drive down the A22 to have another go.

I had tried yesterday afternoon but arrived just too late. The bird had disappeared into the reeds and, despite waiting patiently, stubbornly refused to reappear. Clearly, a second attempt was called for!

Second Time Lucky

There were no such problems this morning. The phalarope was swimming happily at the far end of the lake, giving excellent telescope views to the seven or eight birders gathered to watch it.

Courtesy of Martin Freeman and X

What a delight to see such a lovely little wader so close to home. The Red-necked Phalarope has always been one of my favourite waders, so this was a particularly enjoyable encounter.

This particular bird has been present since 5th September, and it saved me the considerably longer journey into Kent to see the other individual at Jury's Gap near Camber, which had been there since 31st August.

So, after yesterday's disappointment, today was definitely second time lucky — and sometimes the local bird wins!

New species for the 2026 Year List:

190  Red-necked Phalarope

A Third Visit to West Rise Marsh

Tuesday 8th September 2026

I was delighted when Martin rang this afternoon to give the go-ahead for another visit.  It was certainly a welcome change of scene for me. Earlier in the day I’d been at Weir Wood Reservoir carrying out a snake survey in pouring rain, so the prospect of some sunshine and a second look at a rare wader was particularly appealing!

We headed back to West Rise, but initially there was no sign of the phalarope on the main lake. Just as we were beginning to wonder where it had disappeared to, two fellow birders alerted us to its whereabouts on the adjacent Lottbridge Pool.

We quickly made our way round and met up with David and his brother, who were already watching the bird. Thankfully, the phalarope was still there, giving us several enjoyable minutes of close views before it disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

Images courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Job done!

Best of all, Martin had finally managed to see it - and it was a lifer for him, which made the visit all the more worthwhile.