Some heronries in Sussex will be active already this year. Due to the difficult and unpredictable circumstances this year some heronries and egret and cormorant nesting colonies may not be counted as usual. All birdwatchers in Sussex are encouraged to report any signs that they see when out and about in their local areas that grey herons, little egrets, cattle egrets or cormorants may be nesting.
If you have nest counts or any information at all relating to nesting colonies of grey herons, little egrets, cattle egrets or cormorants, at *any location* in Sussex this year, please send the information to Sussex BTO Heronries Census organiser Helen Crabtree at hcrabtree@gmail.com. Please send this information even for well-known sites that you believe are normally well recorded. It may be that you can fill in important gaps in the census results for this year.
Known sites about which any information at all will be welcomed are: Medmerry RSPB, Thorney Island Little Deep, Itchenor, Forest Mere (Liphook), Old Park Wood (Fishbourne), New Lake (Chichester), Norton Priory, Owl Copse (Pagham), Hoe Farm (Flansham), Warningcamp, North Park Wood (Parham), Ham Manor (Angmering), Knepp Mill Pond, Warnham LNR, Badgerhole Shaw (Coombes), Hammond’s Mill (Burgess Hill), Ardingly Reservoir, Weirwood Reservoir, Rodmell, Decoy Pond (Firle), Hempstead Wood (Uckfield), Friston Forest, Hadlow Down, Hampden Park (Eastbourne), Glynleigh Manor (Hailsham), Wadhurst Park Lake, Horsebridge Road (Wartling), Rye Harbour LNR, Alder Shaw (Brede), Winchelsea, Combe Valley CP.
There are quite likely to be nesting grey herons, little egrets, cattle egrets or cormorants at other locations, at either newly-established or simply previously unrecorded sites, so please report all signs of nesting.
