| 02 Jul 2009 |
Re: Eagle
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I received this e-mail about another eagle sighting which may be of interest: My husband and I are not ornithologists but perhaps you could spread this experience in the appropriate quarters. We were driving between South Harting and Lavant along the country road through the Downs last Saturday evening (28 June). We looked ahead and could see there was a huge bird on the road eating it's newly caught prey - either a partridge or a pheasant. As we approached it ignored us and continued enjoying its supper. We had to drive round it. It was certainly an eagle. It was literally by the car as we passed. We were somewhat in shock I can tell you at this wonderful sight. From what I can figure out this bird may have been lost early last year, possibly from France as there are no accounts of one being lost here. What I find incredible is that there are so few sightings, this bird is huge!
Posted on 30 Jun 2008 by Michael Watson |
| 06 Sep 2008 |
SOS Publicity Boards
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Our SOS publicity Boards are being taken to the Langney Fun Day at Shinewater Country Park (Eastbourne) this Saturday 6th September The event takes place near Shinewater School, so if you are in the area please go along and say hello to Phil Luffingham and Neil Greenaway who have kindly agreed to man the stand. I know they would be grateful for a short time off if you could also spare an hour to look after the table. We've even made an interactive game you can try your hand at!
Posted on 01 Sep 2008 by Audrey Wende |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Pulborough Brooks RSPB nature reserve
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Brief look in poor weather for the Wryneck this morning - no sign. Plenty of Yellow Wagtails around the site still, and Ruff, Green Sandpiper and Redshank on North Brooks.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Pete Hughes |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Wryneck at the CG Cottages, Cuckmere Haven
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When I opened the curtains at 05.45 this morning it looked just as unpromising as yesterday when I had trudged round my normal daily circuit of Hope Gap and the Cuckmere with Chris Brown between 06.30 and 09.00 to be rewarded with only a handful of migrants sheltering from the strong winds and rain. But like many birders with a local patch, the fear of missing something on the one day they don't go out is sufficient incentive to climb out of bed and make the effort - even in the most unlikely weather conditions. From 06.20 until 08.10 it looked like my gloomy forebodings were going to be realised. The extremely strong wind kept everything down and I had seen little more than two Common and one Lesser Whitethroat and a single Common Sandpiper. Walking the narrow path from the river channel back up towards the Coastguard Cottages (to the right of the beach lagoon), however, I flushed a WRYNECK from the low blackthorn bushes along the path. The bird then flew into a large hawthorn only a few metres away and showed well (but briefly) on a branch before dropping into the dense and largely inaccessible hawthorn forming the beginning of the hedge line. After an unsuccesful search for 25 minutes, I was forced to give up due to driving rain and extremely strong gusting winds. All in all, a triumph for hope over good sense and a very welcome return for the effort in such adverse weather conditions - particularly after two previously unsuccssful attempts at this species this week!
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Bob Self |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
SOS Publicity Boards
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Due to the bad weather conditions the event at Shinewater Country Park (Eastbourne) this Saturday has been cancelled. Therefore our Publicity Boards will not be taken out of their cases.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Audrey Wende |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Pulborough Brooks RSPB nature reserve
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Black Tern on North Brooks (per Jon Winder), Spotted Flycatcher and Wheatear around trail.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Peter Hughes |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Pulborough Brooks RSPB - Black Tern
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A juvenile Black Tern flew around the North Brooks between 13.15 and 13.25 and then was lost to view heading north high over Pulborough village.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Jon Winder |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Arlington Reservoir
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At Arlington Reservoir 2 juvenile Black Terns and 4 Common Terns (juvs and adults) late afternoon.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by paul stevens |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Not a bad day's birding
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Our first port of call this morning was Sidlesham Ferry. Although blowing a near gale and lashing down with rain, the GREY PHALAROPE was pottering around the northern edge of the pool affording close views at times near the road. In the stubble fields south of the Ferry was a grazing flock of Canada Geese with a Bar-headed and a Barnacle Goose plus a few Wheatears. At Selsey Bill, sea-watching was somewhat problematic with a strong southerly wind. Sheltering on the east side of the Bill tip we had a couple of Shags lurking amongst the anchored fishing boats near the lifeboat station. At 10.45 a GREY PHALAROPE flew west close inshore giving great views. At Church Norton a Pied Flycatcher seen by another two birders remained elusive to us. We spent two hours sheltering from the storm in the hide, although were well compensated by a magnificent adult female Pomarine Skua which appeared over Tern Island in the harbour, causing panic amongst resting waders, terns and gulls. It flew north up the main channel and then back over the Norton spit and along the beach towards The Severals. Also in the harbour 100+ Sandwich, 80+ Common, 2 Black and 2 Arctic Terns. Out on the mud a winter plumage Sanderling tried its best to turn itself into another grey phal, also 10 Knot, a single Whimbrel and couple of Greenshank. Seven Pintail were our first for the autumn. At Thorney Island we managed to glimpse the WRYNECK as it shot over the track and vaporized in to thick cover. Six Wheatears on the seawall. On the Great Deep an Osprey was posing nicely on a fence post with Hobby and Sparrowhawk nearby. On the way home near Patching Pond a Merlin flew along the A24. (Bernie Forbes, Dave Smith & Dorian Mason).
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Bernie Forbes |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Cuckmere Haven
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An Osprey hunting over the lower reaches of the river this afternoon, with a Raven flying east and 2 Whimbrel on the river bank. Over 50 Oystercatchers were on the beach (and then mobbing the Osprey) and 20 Little Egrets were roosting in the trees. No sign of the Wryneck in very blustery conditions. Geoff Gowlett reported a GREY PHALAROPE flying east along the tideline at Splash Point, Seaford early afternoon.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Bob Edgar |
| 05 Sep 2008 |
Birding Ferry Pool, Church Norton & Thorney Island
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Had a wet but great day's birding at Sidlesham Ferry pool: GREY PHALAROPE, Church Norton: Pied and Spotted Flycatcher but no joy with the Wryneck at Thorney Island.
Posted on 05 Sep 2008 by Don & Bob from surrey |
| 04 Sep 2008 |
'Black-headed' Wagtail
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No sign of the 'black-headed' Yellow Wagtail by 08.00 this morning amongst the 50-60 flava wagtails in the field with cows in immediately W of the River Adur, more or less 200m N (and a bit E) of Botolphs Church in the Adur Valley, map reference approximately TQ 194095. Five Grey Partridges there though! (Richard Fairbank).
Posted on 04 Sep 2008 by Paul James |
| 04 Sep 2008 |
A27 closed at Arundel
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Weekend birders be aware - there are notices along the A27 advising that this road will be closed at Arundel from 8pm on Friday evening 12th September to 6am on Monday 15th September. A diversion will take traffic from the A27 at Crossbush, down the A284 to Littlehampton through Lyminster and Wick, along the A259 to Bognor and then up the A29 and back on to the A27 at Fontwell.
Posted on 04 Sep 2008 by Audrey Wende |
| 04 Sep 2008 |
News from Birdguides
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The WRYNECK still present at Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve at 09.30 in the field between Winpenny hide and Little Hanger hide but no sign late morning. The GREY PHALAROPES still at Sidlesham Ferry and Newhaven Tidemills though the latter bird is reported to have since died. (www.birdguides.com).
Posted on 04 Sep 2008 by Paul James |
| 03 Sep 2008 |
Seven Sisters Country Park
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A quiet morning with only a group of 4 Little Grebes on the meanders and two nice Wheatears riding the breeze over the river wall. It picked up a little though when I stumbled upon a lone juvenile Sanderling on the track alongside the lagoon. It obligingly stood stationary on the ground only yards in front of me. Even when I moved on it simply ran ahead, reluctant to take flight (exhausted after yesterday's bad weather?).
Posted on 03 Sep 2008 by Pete Tattam |
| 03 Sep 2008 |
Pulborough Brooks - Wryneck
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A WRYNECK present all morning between Little Hanger hide and Winpenny hide. It was feeding in the field alongside the nature trail and using the blackthorn hedge as a retreat. Best seen from path by Winpenny Hide: look up fenceline and wait for it to drop into field to feed or perch on fence. Also present 2 Redstarts along same fenceline, and ca. 35 Yellow Wagtails amongst cattle on high fields (along public footpath). Two Wood Sandpipers present on North Brooks.
Posted on 03 Sep 2008 by Pete Hughes |
| 03 Sep 2008 |
Grey Phalaropes
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Further GREY PHALAROPES today on the small tidal pool at Newhaven Tidemills and at Sidlesham Ferry. (www.birdguides.com).
Posted on 03 Sep 2008 by Paul James |
| 03 Sep 2008 |
Wryneck update
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The WRYNECK still present at Pulborough Brooks until at least 16.00 in field between Winpenny hide and Little Hanger hide.
Posted on 03 Sep 2008 by Pete Hughes |
| 03 Sep 2008 |
Grey Phalarope
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After being blown off the seafront shingle I had a brief look on the filling small tidal pool on the Tide Mills at Newhaven at 14.45. What at first I took to be a Sanderling walking on the shingle edge immediately changed into a very nice 1st winter GREY PHALAROPE once it plopped into the water and started swimming about - absolutely nothing else of note! There seems to be quite an influx of Grey Phalaropes at the moment.
Posted on 03 Sep 2008 by paul stevens |
| 03 Sep 2008 |
Yellow Wagtail 'feldegg' type
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A large flock of Yellow Wagtails has been feeding in a cattle field for the past few days 200m north of Botolphs Church in the Adur Valley (map reference TQ 194095). Chris Wright phoned telling me that a male Yellow Wagtail with a conspicuous black head was feeding in the flock. This evening 18.30 - 19.30 I arrived and counted 60 birds heading south to roost I guess in one of the nearby reed beds around Passies Pond. Checking out the remainder of the Yellow Wagtails (approximately 50 birds) I relocated the black-headed wagtail feeding amongst the cattle. It looks a fine male with plenty of yellow on the throat, breast, belly and flanks. The head markings are completely black extending down the crown and nape with no supercilium, the sides of the face above the yellow are totally black. It certainly fits feldegg type showing all the characteristics of this race. Although viewed in dull evening light from the river bank west side, I did manage to get reasonably good scope views on 60x magnification. A Hobby dashed through chasing feeding Swallows and martins.
Posted on 03 Sep 2008 by Bernie Forbes |
