It’s that time of year where I start to compile images taken throughout 2018 for the annual bird report. If you have any images taken last year (and in Sussex) that you would like to see included in the 2018 report, please send the high resolution/original file to me with the species, location and date […]

Surveyor needed urgently from 2019 This long running survey monitors 21 breeding species with emphasis on heathland specialists by the simple method of detecting males holding territory. The core heaths of West Sussex have been surveyed for over nineteen years and we are now in need of a surveyor for the important site of Lynchmere […]

Please note the time of this walk is 9.30am NOT 2pm as printed in the Programme card.

SOS – Countywide survey in 60 tetrads Volunteers needed – can you help? Two morning visits in May/June and June/July Click here for details.

Now 18 Teams (surely a record?) have completed their Race, and the totals stand at 107  Ruff ‘n’ready (Tim Squire, Josh MacCallum Stewart) 97 The Martlets (Peter Plant, Hugh Horne, Peter Davis, Sophie May Lewis, Gary Trew) 96 Dynamic Duo (Elliot Chandler, John Thorogood) 96  Mike’s Mergansers (Mike English, Jan Jupp, Lesley Milward, Mike Russell, […]

If you are planning to do the Race – remember it has to be during the first two weeks of January – don’t forget to let me know and to ask for a Race pack. My team are up for it again! Val Bentley: chetsford@talk21.com or ring 01273 494723

We need a couple more people to carry out some Brent Geese surveys around Pagham/Medmerry. The purpose of the surveys is to plot which fields Brent Geese (and key waders) forage on, so the survey will be a mix of driving around to see if there any target species on the fields that you can […]

There are still places at the Annual Conference for SOS members on Saturday 26th January at Clair Hall, Haywards Heath. Tim Squire has put together a really interesting  programme:  Mark Mallalieu on the extraordinary influx of Hawfinches in the winter of 2017/18 (he seems to be finding more this winter!), Rachel White from Brighton University […]

At the October meeting of the SOS Scientific Committee we discussed plans for forthcoming survey work. On-going projects such as WeBS, BBS and SDFBI will continue as usual but there are two new projects planned for 2019. National Willow Tit Survey The endemic race of Willow Tit (Poecile montanus kleinschmidti) is the second-fastest declining species […]

The RSPB’s South Downs Farmland Bird Monitoring project is not being continued next year, but the SOS has agreed to try to find volunteer surveyors if the farmers involved would like to see surveys continue in order to maintain an understanding of how farming practices are affecting their breeding birds. This is an excellent opportunity […]