A pair of Great Crested Grebes were successfully fishing on the lake adjacent to the recycling plant at Pebsham last evening, the male in particular surfacing with a number of small fish. No signs of breeding however. Also present were Reed and Sedge Warblers, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat.

A brief mid-afternoon walk down to the water works next to the camp site produced a some nice sightings - an adult Goldcrest frantically feeding 3 young, a Chiffchaff singing, a male & female Bullfinch, Jay, many Magpies and good numbers of Dunnocks.

Now 2 Wood Larks singing on derelict farmland in central Sussex. The photo (click above) shows the atypical habitat that these birds are occupying. Otherwise very quiet with no sight nor sound from either Cuckoo or Turtle Dove (both very obvious here in May) and just a brief alarm call from a Nightingale. Bullfinches do however seem easier to find than earlier in the year with 4 pairs noted today.

Still evening at Old Lodge top end 21.50 - 22.30. Three Nightjars churring but invisible. Two Woodcock overhead croaking like frogs. Tawny Owl calling and a close encounter with a badger. Magical...except for the aircaft noise. 

A morning's birding at Garden of Eden, Ashdown Forest. The highlight was 2 male Crossbills in the Camphill Clump pines showing very well. Lots of birds about on this fine sunny morning including 2 Redpolls, several Dartford Warblers, Whitethroat, many Stonechats and a Spotted Flycatcher.

It's been brought to my attention that I haven't given any updates on how the above 'competition' went this spring. So, a brief summary follows for those interested. Spring 2008 will be fondly remembered in East Sussex as a record-breaking year for Pomarine Skuas; not so in the West - especially Selsey Bill where the predicted SE winds were invariably fresh NE, keeping birds further out and pushing them behind the Isle of Wight. All very frustrating at times. So it was that Selsey logged only 85 whilst Seaford scored with four times as many! Even so, it was very interesting with the peak day on May 7th which included a flock of 20. My attempts at the title fell to pieces (it's a long story...) but the old campaigner Chris Janman used all his experience to be there at the right times. He ran out the clear winner with 58 birds, so well done to Chris Janman, Selsey Pom King 2008. (A fuller article will appear later in the SOS Newsletter). 

A group of 6+ Swifts circling over Cross Levels Way, Eastbourne early morning.

A visit to Ambersham and Heyshott Commons from 18.00 - 22.00 was well worth the 90 mile round trip. Dartford Warblers in abundance,  Stonechat, 2 Yellowhammers, Woodcock roding and Nightjars (all around) with some good sightings.

If anyone can put up a Swift box in a suitable location near to an existing colony I have some in stock. They are free to members but a small charge to non members. To help the birds find these boxes they come with a CD of Swift calls. There is more likelihood of Swifts using these boxes if they are placed near to other known nestsites. Contact Audrey at swifts@sos.org.uk

Fished at Cooks Pond today.  The local fishing club are turning it in to a wildlife paradise; the reeds are full of Reed Warblers with Swifts, Swallows, Sand and House Martins being chased by a Hobby.  Also 3 Common Buzzards overhead, a male Bullfinch, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, female Mandarin (she hatched 5 ducklings last year), nesting Little Grebe and Little Owl. A brilliant day - all fish caught were returned to the water with due respect.

Willow Warbler in our Crowborough garden today with family parties of Blue and Great Tit, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Nuthatch, Crow and Magpie. I think I need a nursery licence!

Good views of a Grasshopper Warbler singing from small shrub and another singing in long grass at Waltham Brooks.

Interesting to see the post on June 19 about the lovebirds in Three Bridges. At beginning of June, I saw a pair very close by in Maidenbower by the pond on Billington Drive. Again very noisy. A quick look on Maidenbower's website (maidenbower.org.uk) showed that a pair was seen back in 2004. Could they have survived this long in the wild?

A seawatch at Splash Point, Seaford from 05.00 - 07.00 produced 1 Arctic Skua, 1 Manx Shearwater, 210 Gannets and a couple of Sandwich and Commic Terns.

We are now approaching what is normally the quietest time of the year for arrivals of course, but breeding birds are always of interest. Four pairs of Common Terns are still occupying two rafts and at least three young have been seen. Several young Mandarin, five Mute Swan cygnets and the first young Great Crested Grebes of the spring were seen today. Warblers and tits seem to have done well, as have the crests. Sky Larks have bred in the surrounding fields, but the Lapwing may have failed. Large gulls are still a feature, a few Herring and Lesser Black-backed are seen most days. Common Buzzards are not showy at all, ca. 70 Swifts were feeding over the trees today, and a lone female Gadwall has appeared. Other confirmed breeders include Jay, Kestrel, Nuthatch and Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker; finches seem to have fared well too.

The next indoor meeting of the local group takes place on Wednesday 25th June at 8pm in the Large Parish Hall, De La Warr Road, East Grintead. Tim Loseby will talk and show slides on 'Fair Isle and its Birds'. £2.50 visitors, £2 members. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome to attend.

These farms represent an area of TQ70U which I do not visit on my tetrad walk. Yesterday afternoon however I felt I had hit the jackpot! Both farms had large numbers of House Sparrows (30+) with young asd the following were also seen with fledged young (FL): Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blackbird, Starling, Great Tit and Swallow. Add to the mix Green Woodpecker, Cetti's and Reed Warblers, a single Hobby at Pebsham Pond, Jay, Whitethroat as well as the more "usual" suburban species and this was a most pleasant 4 hours. I believe you could spend a whole day birding TQ70U - a tetrad which of course one is supposed to survey in two hours!!

Great to see a singing Yellow Wagtail, albeit just a single, on Horse Eye Level, Pevensey, today, with 2 Hobbies also present.