Brooklands Park, Ashdown Forest, Adur Estuary

A visit to Brooklands Park this morning saw me notch up my 100th species within the Worthing 10km circle during Lockdown #2, the faithful drake Pochard who is back for another lonely winter on the otherwise Aythya-free zone that is the Brooklands lake. Two Chiffchaffs and eight Goldcrests were in the bushes. Two Little Grebes, five Teal and the family of Mute Swans were also present. I learned that the smallest cygnet, which I'd presumed to have perished, was actually taken into care and ended up being released in London.

I had business in Crowborough so stopped at Wren's Warren in the Ashdown Forest for a quick walk afterwards, though I had nothing of note besides 11 Lesser Redpolls.

On the way I popped in to the Adur Estuary toll bridge and was delighted to find that there is now a permanent coffee and cake stall in the parking area. I scanned through the gulls and waders - cappuccino and brownie in hand - and counted two Grey Plovers, two Oystercatchers, 105 Lapwings, 19 Dunlin, 11 Redshank, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, 20 Great Black-backed Gulls, two Little Egrets and a Grey Wagtail.

Ashdown Forest

I gave it an hour at Wrens Warren this morning, with no sign of the reported Little Bunting but this means given the short search in unfavourable conditions. I heard singing Woodlark and Mistle Thrush, and a couple of Stonechats were in the pony enclosure, but that was about it.

Canons Farm, Banstead Woods, Ashdown Forest and Litlington

Another day, another tour. It was harder work though. We located the Little Owl again distantly on the east side of Horse Pasture at Canons, and enjoyed small numbers of Swallows and Yellowhammers, while Banstead Woods added a Mallard on Piddly Pond, a couple of extra Buzzards and nice views of Nuthatch but little else.

I met up with Christian at the Long car park in Ashdown Forest for a quick catch up. Here we had nice views of singing Redstart, Dartford Warbler, Tree Pipit and Garden Warbler, while Stonechats were busily feeding young and a few Siskins and Willow Warblers were around.

Tree Pipit at Ashdown Forest

An evening twitch saw me join Dan and Mike at Litlington, where the Red-rumped Swallow showed nicely in the evening light amid a flurry of Swallows, Sand Martins, House Martins and Swifts. Reed Warbler and Cetti's Warbler sang.

Ashdown Forest

On the way back down to Worthing today I stopped to bird the Ashdown Forest for a couple of hours, calling in at Old Lodge and Gills Lap. It was a little breezy but a nice day nonetheless, and I reluctantly slapped on some factor 30 for the first time this year, having got away without it for about a month later than usual!

Highlights included a close - but backlit - encounter with the Great Grey Shrike at Wren's Warren, singing Woodlark, Crossbill and Dartford Warbler, a few Siskins and redpolls, five Buzzards, three Kestrels, a pair of Bullfinches, a Red Kite and a couple of Treecreepers.

Great Grey Shrike at Wren's Warren

Old Lodge

It was a far from ideal afternoon for a tour around this wonderful part of the Ashdown Forest but we did score singles of Woodlark and Crossbill.

Tilgate Forest, Tilgate Park, Cowdray Forest and Ashdown Forest

It was a bit breezy really but Phil and I met up for some birding at Tilgate Forest. The clear highlight came when Phil realised that he'd left his camera's memory card in his computer at home so went back to his car to drop off his gear. At this moment, an adult female Sparrowhawk touched down in a stream only about 15 yards away from me. I expected her to instantly notice me and spook but she went on to bathe for the next five minutes or so. With a small step or two every 30 seconds, I managed to get in a better position to photograph the bird. Once I'd lifted the camera to my eyes, I dared not switch to binoculars or shift sideways for better light but it was an encounter to cherish nonetheless. Also noted on site were two Crossbills, a redpoll, five Siskins, three Bullfinches, a singing Mistle Thrush (another was singing along the lane as we drove in), a Buzzard and two Treecreepers.

adult female Sparrowhawk

We ventured into Tilgate Park to give a nod to the adult drake Ferruginous Duck from the German reintroduction scheme. An adult drake Mandarin showed nicely on the bigger lake, where a pair of Mute Swans were courting in the sunshine and a Great Crested Grebe fished. A Treecreeper and a few Siskins were also logged in the park.

German-released adult drake Ferruginous Duck

adult drake Mandarin

A very quick look in the Cowdray Forest off the end of Parish Lane produced a pair of Marsh Tits and another singing Mistle Thrush.

We'd planned on getting to Gills Lap in the Ashdown Forest while still sunny and warm but we arrived much later than planned, by which time the day was meeting a rather dull conclusion. Aside from three Crossbills, 55 Meadow Pipits gathering to roost, three Yellowhammers and three redpolls, there wasn't much to see.

Meadow Pipit

Ashdown Forest and The Burgh

This morning I parked up at the Gills Lap car park in the Ashdown Forest and set out to find the wintering 'butcherbird' which I'd had wonderful views of with Dick Filby back in November. As before, I pointed the scope in the direction of the bird's favoured area and scanned repeatedly till, after about 45 minutes, I picked up the Great Grey Shrike over half a mile away. Bingo! Happily, an interested dog-walker and a birder passed while I had it in view and managed a look through my scope. Walking round to nearer where the bird was hunting failed to produce any further views. A couple of Dartford Warblers and Bullfinches, 16 Crossbills, a Lesser Redpoll, nine Reed Buntings, two Stonechats and a Fieldfare were among the other birds logged. A quick look around the corner at Old Lodge produced another Lesser Redpoll, a Siskin and seven more Crossbills but little else.

Great Grey Shrike at Wren's Warren

Crossbill near Gill's Lap car park

I got to The Burgh for late afternoon, where for the first time I ventured beyond 'The Triangle' and actually walked around the site, all the way to the dew pond, where I enjoyed upgraded views of a juvenile Hen Harrier and a Short-eared Owl. 150 Lapwings were joined by a Golden Plover in the bare fields, a Yellowhammer and three Reed Buntings called and other stuff included four of both Red Kite and Buzzard, two Kestrels and six Meadow Pipits. As dusk fell, the cacophony of Grey Partridges and Ravens made for a most evocative soundscape.

Goring Gap and Ashdown Forest

It was a fairly lively morning for movement though I had to leave at 09:00. Waders moving included eight Lapwings in-off the sea (a group of six and two singles), a Golden Plover east and a Snipe west. Wildfowl were represented by 11 Wigeon, four Teal, six Common Scoters, three Red-breasted Mergansers and 38 Dark-bellied Brent Geese. Passerines moving overhead were mainly finches, with two Bramblings, six redpolls, a few Chaffinches, 78 Siskins, 343 Goldfinches and 84 Linnets. Others included two Reed Buntings, 20 Meadow Pipits and five Pied Wagtails. 60 Cormorants included a flock of around 45 and singles of Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and Little Egret were logged.

A visit to the Gill's Lap area of the Ashdown Forest made for a pleasant few hours between mid-morning and early afternoon, distant views of the Great Grey Shrike eventually being upgraded to unforgettable close-range views of the hunting bird after a game of patience. Two Bramblings and four Crossbills flew over, while a Dartford Warbler, a Raven, 12 Fieldfares, two redpolls, three Siskins and two Reed Buntings provided further interest.

Great Grey Shrike in the Ashdown Forest

Old Lodge, Gills Lap, Splash Point, Swanbourne Lake, The Burgh and Church Norton

Bob from the States was back and it was a full on day of birding! First up was Old Lodge, with highlights of two Ravens, five Siskins, six Lesser Redpolls and a Bullfinch. A walk around the Old Airstrip produced an early Tree Pipit, two Stonechats and a flock of 20 Siskins. We then drove to Splash Point and marvelled at the hundreds of Kittiwakes, a couple of Fulmars and enjoyed fabulous views of a hunting adult male Peregrine, as well as a Raven on the clifftop. Swanbourne Lake was our next stop, offering up a singing Marsh Tit but little else so we pressed on to The Burgh. Here we instantly connected with four Grey Partridges and a Red Kite. Mid-afternoon we spent an hour or so at Church Norton, rewarded with highlights including a Whimbrel, a Goosander, a Dark-bellied Brent Goose, two Bar-tailed Godwits and small numbers of Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls. Checking in to Ferry Pool on the way out, two Green Sandpipers and seven Wigeon formed last minute additions to the day list.

Whimbrel at Church Norton

Green Sandpipers at Ferry Pool

North Kent, 4th August 2017

I picked Bob, visiting from the States, up from London in the early hours and we headed to our first site, the Ashdown Forest. None of the heathland specialists I was hoping to show Bob were on offer within easy reach of the car park but he was delighted to be able to spend time watching some characterful common birds such as Bullfinch, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Goldcrest. The highlight for me was a family group of Lesser Redpolls. Next up was Oare Marshes, the natural choice for introducing a non-Brit to easy birding within reach of the city. We enjoyed fantastic views of the usual common waders, including several Golden Plovers and Ruff, while two Spotted Redshanks were tucked among the hordes of Black-tailed Godwits. A couple of Yellow Wagtails flicked around the margins and Bearded Reedlings called unseen from the island in front of the hide. Keeping an eye on the Black-headed Gulls eventually paid off with the resident adult Bonaparte's Gull loafing on the main spit, not to mention the scattering of Mediterranean Gulls.

We just about had time to whizz around a couple of sites on the Isle of Sheppey before getting Bob back to town. We drove up and down the entrance track at Elmley, using the car as a hide to photograph Yellow Wagtails, Marsh Harriers and Buzzards. Bob was still hoping to tick off Oystercatcher and Red-legged Partridge and a drive to Harty Ferry sorted that out.

we eventually picked out the adult Bonaparte's Gull on the East Flood at Oare

several Yellow Wagtails showed well along the entrance track at Elmley

Nightjars

On Saturday I finally succeeded in seeing my annual Nightjars, I met Richard and Peter in the Ashdown Forest and we had at least four churring males, one of which showed quite well in silhouette on a singing post. Also a couple of Woodcocks calling but not seen. This follows a largely disappointing evening (thanks to the weather) at Chobham with Jamie and Josh on the June 23rd where we heard one Nightjar and saw a couple of Woodcocks.

Record shot of one of the Nightjars in the Ashdown Forest

Rye Harbour and Ashdown Forest outings

Grasshopper Warbler at Rye Harbour

On Saturday evening I went to Old Lodge with Polo, Lord Holmesdale and their friend Colin. Our primary aim was to see Nightjars. We went walkabouts while we waited for dusk, this producing five calling Crossbills, a Spotted Flycatcher, several calling Common Redstarts (including two that showed themselves) and a couple of Stonechats. The light slipped away and the first Nightjar started churring in the distance, in an area impossible to view. This was closely followed by a fly-by Woodcock. At least one further Nightjar was heard (at very close range at one point) but, disappointingly and rather surprisingly, none were seen. I don't remember hearing Nightjars before and failing to see them.

Willow Warbler

Yesterday, Canons provided a bit of surprise in the form of an adult Willow Warbler feeding three flesh fledglings a good kilometre, at least, from the nearest breeding site. A Hobby and a Kestrel were seen hunting around Lunch Wood. Eagle picked me up just after 2.00pm and we made tracks for Rye Harbour. He was after Wood Sandpiper and Roseate Tern.

The highlight at Rye was a showy Grasshopper Warbler that even allowed itself to be photographed. At least ten Little Terns put on a good show for us amongst the hundreds of Sandwich Terns and Common Terns. Waders included a single Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, three or so Green Sandpipers, two Dunlin, around five Ringed Plovers, two Little Ringed Plovers and many Redshanks (including juveniles), Oystercatchers and
Lapwings. The only raptors seen were a female Kestrel and a male Marsh Harrier.

Alas, no Roseate Tern or Wood Sand for Ian but he did get a compensation lifer - the Grasshopper Warbler. Castle Water (where the Sandpiper was meant to be) was a lot further off than we thought it was, plus we got lost on the way so we only actually ended up leaving the site at 10.00pm!!! Our presence at this time of day did have its perks as we found when we were enjoying good views of a couple of Badgers!