WINDING DOWN

18 May 2024 It looks like wader migration is easing down now with no newbies at the RHNR. The car park male GbbGull was on display and on the track to the DC a Magpie was sunning itself. Odd to get so close, normally you point a camera at them and they are gone. This bird was in fact a newly fledged young bird with down still on its back and has not yet learnt to fear humans. Flatbeach only held two Grey Plovers and eight Knot apart from the usual Avocets, Oystercatchers, Redshank, and Ring Plovers. It was good however to see the Little Terns getting down to breeding in the usual spot. The other usual GbbGull was on its nest on its private small island out in the middle. Over on the Ternery Pool a pair of Tufted Ducks and a Pochard drifted across in front of the Parkes Hide and the BhGulls continue their noisy breeding season. I could see no Med Gulls worryingly. Over at the Salt Pool the resident Stonechat posed to deliver its scratchy song and a lone Whimbrel took off. The circuit was interrupted by a haar severely reducing visibility so I headed over to sunny Castle Water. Some of the Cormorants now have large young and a single breeding plumage Cattle Egret was seen carrying nesting material. A Buzzard and three Marsh Harriers were circling over the reed beds but again no Bittern booming was heard and no Hobbies were seen. Back at Pett Pools five pairs of Greylag Geese brought their young to the Main Pool feeding station, it looks like another good breeding season for them.

BREEDING CATTLE EGRETS

08 May 2024 Although Cattle Egrets have bred for the last 4 years at Pagham Harbour RSPB, way to the west in West Sussex, they have not bred as yet in East Sussex until now. Today I set out on a long walk around the RHNR. At the Salt Pool a newly arrived Spoonbill was feeding near the far bank, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits were seen and many Avocets appear to be nesting on the islands. A Great Egret flew past. Heading past Long Pit many Whitethroats were in song, a peak time for them to be singing and a Cuckoo was calling. Over at Castle Water two Red Kites passed very high overhead and in the Cormorant Colony Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage were visible, with striking nuptial red bills, and with one pair apparently on a nest. So hopefully breeding will happen this year. Back at the Reserve, Ternery Pool was busy with squabbling Avocets and chilling out Common Terns. At high tide there was still a good mix but in low numbers of Waders on Flatbeach albeit distant including a few summer plumage Knots and Grey Plovers, and two Little Terns in flight. The Martello Tower GbbGulls are nesting yet again.

Addendum Since I did not go into the Parkes or Denny Hides on the 8th May, I popped back in yesterday afternoon, the 10th May to check on the breeding gulls and terns. Black-headed Gulls now have chicks and the first Avocet chick of the year was also seen by LW. On Flatbeach the Common Terns are back in force and getting ready to breed and up to 8 Little Terns were feeding at the River Mouth. At high tide a small group of Turnstones was roosting and one or two Whimbrel were around. The Salt Pool Spoonbill was reverting to type and standing on one leg with bill tucked out of view.

HASTINGS COUNTRY PARK

05 May 2024 Just a quick look around the Country Park this morning. Unfortunately I arrived when it was still misty and was leaving when the sun finally came out before heading down to Pett Pools. Entering via the Firehills the first bird I saw was a newly fledged Stonechat with an adult male not too far away. There were Whitethroats everywhere often doing their parachute song display flights. The only other birds of interest in the mist were a singing Yellowhammer, a Mistle Thrush, and a breeding Meadow Pipit. Back at Pett Pools there were no waders roosting at high tide apart from a lingering flock of 15 Oystercatchers. Wader Spring migration has been very poor this year. The Appleyard female duck now has eight ducklings in tow and the usual weird looking Coot juveniles are still appearing. The main attraction on the largest Pool, was an epic battle over nesting rights between two pairs of Mute Swans, very vicious and one swan nearly got drowned. All the commotion meant that many Greylag Geese flew in to see what was going on and surrounded the battling Swans. The last two photos have been donated by the birder who took them near the Main Pool Gate at Pett Pools on the 1st May and show the fully adult Hooded Crow and the Pink-footed Goose, neither of which have been seen since. JT also saw an adult Hooded Crow at Pett Pools last year on the 29th April, almost a year to the day, and which again did not hang around, possibly the same bird but where has it been for the last year?

THE USUAL HERON’S NEST

01 May 2024 Just up the RMC to the Pannel Valley this am. At Carter’s Flood I could confirm finally that the usual Grey Heron‘s nest in a deciduous tree is occupied and from one view it looks as if there are two small young. This is an outlier nest since all the other c20 Pett Level Herons nest in the trees below Winchelsea Town along the RMC. Strange thing is that there were four Herons in total near to the nesting tree so there maybe another nest out of site. The Pannel Scrape was quiet with lots of birds sitting on nests, but not many Med Gulls, maybe out feeding. Two Little Ringed Plovers were around and a Carrion Crow regretted hassling a Buzzard. There was plenty of Warbler bird song as usual at this time of year.

Addendum Also this morning at Pett Pools another birder photographed an adult Hooded Crow by the Main Pool gate. A Pink-footed Goose was also out on the water, quite probably the same bird from my blog of the 29 February 2024 when it was in the company of a Greater White-fronted Goose– both of obscure origin and both probably wintered on the Level.

AN UNSUCCESSFUL TWITCH

29 April 2024 On the 27th April Ploddingbirder put up two photos of a Temminck’s Stint taken at Scotney Sand Pit. I assumed this is the Pit known to me as the New Diggings so I headed over to see if it was still there. I did locate a possible distant bird with some correct features but on examining my photos later it is probably just a Common Sandpiper, albeit my first of the year. The first photo is from the 27th and second is mine today. However the visit to the Pit did turn up a rare for East Sussex small Sand Martin colony in a sand cliff, probably 6 nests, all well occupied. A Brown Hare was also trotting around down in the Pit and nearby were singing Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Sedge, Reed and Cettis Warblers and a few mostly male Yellow Wagtails. A Little Ringed Plover was also seen, a couple of pairs of which usually nest each year in the Pit.

Earlier in the morning another trip to the RHNR was not such a bright idea as it was low tide and after a clear night most of the interesting large wader flocks had moved on. A few Whimbrel and Godwits remained on the Salt Marsh but the Spotted Redshank was absent on the Salt Pool. Otherwise it was fairly quiet with the obligatory Wheatear on the Harbour Mouth granite blocks and a Turnstone on Flatbeach in near full summer plumage. The Common Terns are back in force and looking for nesting sites and I saw at last a distant Little Ringed Plover on the Barn Pools West.

And back home one of the garden nest box Great Tits feeding young is ringed on the right leg

CATTLE EGRETS

24 April 2024 This morning I headed over for a tour of Castle Water in the RHNR to look for Cattle Egrets. It was still cold and breezy but the expected seven species of Warblers just about managed some songs including my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year. A pair of Oystercatchers were on the banks of Castle Water and various Geese were with hatched broods. Cormorant nesting is now fully underway with small young being brooded in the nests. Castle Water itself is way too full and only contains a few Ducks. However about fifty mixed Swallows, Sand Martins, and House Martins were hawking over the water in company of a Common Tern. One Swallow photo bombed a pair of Gadwall. I missed an early Hobby by ten minutes which was seen by another birder from the Castle Water Hide. At the north end of Castle Water a Red Kite was having an argument with a Carrion Crow high overhead. I finally did locate three Cattle Egrets a long way off feeding with sheep close to the River Brede near Rye. There have been as many as eleven ( according to CD ) during the last week and they seem to prefer to stay close to the sheep on the pastures instead of with the bullock herds which are on much drier ground near Camber Castle.

RHNR PLUS PETT POOLS

18 April 2024 A much better visit to the RHNR this am, the sun was out at last. At the Salt Pool a Magpie was on a post and 60+ roosting Avocets were on the islands. Three Bar-tailed Godwits were newly in and I finally managed to find the near summer plumage Spotted Redshank, my favourite wader and quite possibly the same bird that has over wintered for many years ( the winter plumage bird was from my photo taken in November 2022 ). Shelduck are searching for nesting burrows and a Coot on the ” pool with no name ” was not taking any chances with the water level and had built high and already has one chick. A fine male Shoveler was on show. Warblers were at last singing and showing themselves. On Ternery Pool three non breeding Common Gulls were roosting next to the island occupied by two adults. A few Sandwich Terns were near the main Med Gull colony with a lonely just arrived Common Tern on another island. At the Harbour Mouth was a Wheatear on the granite boulders. Flatbeach was quiet except for the usual flock of 100 Knots which would not settle and put on an aerial display. A single Wigeon pair was still present.

PS I obviously timed my trip to the RHNR just a tad too early, todays list on the 20/4/24 by other birders included 1 Cuckoo, 43 Bar-tailed Godwits, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 35 Whimbrel, 4 Wheatears, 3 Garganey, as well as 2 Greenshank – heard only. Also a further 111 Bar-tailed Godwits went east past Dungeness, so wader passage has kicked in at last..

Back at Pett Pools a male Marsh Harrier brought in a Marsh Frog to a waiting female. A male Pochard on the Roadside Pool headed into the reeds where the female was probably on a nest

FULMARS AND RAVENS

13 April 2024 I profited from a morning low tide to check on breeding Fulmars and Ravens along the cliffs at Cliff End, Pett Level. I counted eight occupied Fulmar nests on ledges, as usual some in more precarious positions than others. One pair had bagged an ancient Raven’s nest. Because the oak trees above the cliffs are still not in leaf it was a good opportunity to look at the regular Raven’s nest at the Fairlight end of the cliffs. It was again occupied with an adult in attendance at the nest, flying in with food and then brooding the young. Around the corner towards the berms I saw a distant Black Redstart and heard a burst of song. A Peregrine whizzed past at speed and Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were singing up above the cliffs. There were no waders to be seen on the beach because of too many dog walkers but I did locate a Grey Heron stalking about a long way off on the moorlog.

KNOT SO MUCH ABOUT

08 April 2024 To avoid the roadworks in Rye Harbour I walked into the RHNR from the Dogs Hill Road end. Only brief views were had of Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler but three Whimbrel seen were the best of the expected migrants. So still migration is not really fully underway. Ternery Pool however was busy with nesting Gulls. Flatbeach held the only lone Wigeon and one pair of Pintail that I could find. Dunlin numbers are now way down but the high tide flock of about 100 Knot was still present. Otherwise it was uninspiring and Pett Pools was not much better. The promised sun did not come out until I returned to my car but it did encourage a Peacock Butterfly onto the Alexanders. The half white Greylag Goose of dubious parentage and with pure white primaries was at the Main Pool feeding station but only one Aylesbury Duck was present, I hope the other is on eggs somewhere. Herring Gulls were squabbling over nesting rights on one of the tern rafts put out by Barry ( BY ).

BACK UP THE PANNEL

31 March 2024 As it is was a Bank Holiday weekend I avoided the RHNR like the plague so it was up the RMC to the Pannel Scrape this morning instead. It was quiet up the Canal, no Sedge Warblers yet ( though BY heard two at Pett Pools ), with just five invisible Cettis but singing Linnets are now back. Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were singing and Buzzards and a Kestrel were overhead. A cob Mute Swan was strutting about, no doubt the Pen was on a nest nearby. At the Scrape a small flock of Gadwall wheeled about overhead. As reported during the week, displaying migrant Little Ringed Plovers are back, two were there today. All the islands have been well cleared and there are good numbers of Lapwings (about 12 ) on eggs and plenty of Redshanks in pairs. A few Avocets were present and a single Black–tailed Godwit but none of the recent Little Gulls. Black-headed Gulls are now in full nesting mode all over the islands and there are many Mediterranean Gulls amongst them or out on the Deer Field to the west. PJ was in the hide along with LW and RP when I arrived and he explained that a lot of the Med Gulls are first or second year birds and will not breed, they seem to be fully adult only after three years. The second year birds now look almost like the adults but have three black spots on the wing tips and the bill is not fully red as seen in some of the photos below.