LOCAL UPDATE

31 May 2021 Just a local update from Saturday and Sunday for those interested. Pett Level Beach Saturday morning was eerily quiet, only one Oystercatcher was heard. I did count 17 occupied Fulmar ledges so not too bad. The Ravens that had nested and their offspring were nowhere to be seen and it was left to the resident Herring Gulls to chase off wandering Buzzards. Squabbling Fulmars and nesting Jackdaws on the cliffs provided the soundscape. I talked to a Lugworm sucker-upper on the low tide-line and he told me he sells them as bait all over the country, sending them by DPD! Over at Castle Water in the RHNR on Sunday it was again quiet in terms of human visitors ( but we still had 65 bird species ) and that included the first Great White Egret for some time and a booming Bittern was also heard and seen in flight. A ringed Goldfinch was atop a bush and a sitting Carrion Crow on the nest and some pipping nesting Oystercatchers were noted. Plenty of Swifts skimmed low over one of the Pits but are not easy to photograph. The right hand side of the Castle Water Hide at the moment has good close views of nesting Cormorants and they also sit around on the island directly in front of the Hide. No Hobbies were seen but the sun had not come out when AP and JT and I were there, a cool 11 degrees when we started out. The long remaining Black-necked Grebe was in its usual spot left of the hide. A Houndstongue near the Viewpoint was coming into flower.

Update, news that a further two Black-necked Grebes have been found at the north end of Castle Water today as well as the resident bird near the Hide, so three in all – as reported by John Wilsher.

SCOTNEY AGAIN

23 May 2021 A repeat circuit today of the Scotney Gravel Pits in the company of AP and JT ( see my 3rd May blog for details of the route ). It started in light winds but that had turned into a very fresh breeze by the end. The usual warblers were present but Reed Warblers had increased since our last visit. The GBbGull was still sitting on eggs on the Cormorant island. Feral Barnacle Geese were down to eight and a few of the Greylag Geese were with young. So relatively quiet on the eastern leg but at Scotney Farm was the weird site of a female Mallard, thirty feet up sat on the beam of one of the barns. Nearby was a noisy Rook on the power lines with what must be one of this years young and a Peregrine was spotted taking prey up onto a Pylon platform but no nest could be seen. Both male and female Marsh Harriers were quartering the area. We were then buzzed by an angry looking two seater Spitfire. Heading back south the usual Yellow Wagtails and Corn Buntings were around and we located a few Tree Sparrows in the usual place. Things after that became more interesting with the arrival about ten Ringed Plover in a flock landing on a harrowed field followed by a Hobby passing through which flushed a Whimbrel, two Snipe and a small party of Dunlin. Nesting Black-headed Gulls and Avocets were seen on the islands of the westerly Pits. Importantly two LBbGulls were seen mating and soon after both were strolling along to a potential nest site with nesting material in their beaks. Close by were two other pairs with the males preening close to two presumed females snuggled down on possible nests. This is within East Sussex and could well be a new breeding site for them, makes a change from factory roofs. We will keep an eye on them to try to confirm breeding. The new excavations held the usual Little Ringed Plovers and a Buzzard nearby was hanging in the wind only ten feet above the grassy retaining bank. 64 species.

STILL HIDING

20 May 2021 On a cold grey windy morning I popped into the RHNR to do a quick circuit of the Hides in the main part of the Reserve as they are now open. Most of the photos are taken from within the various four Hides, but obviously not those of the restored 1943 WW2 American two seater trainer that wizzed over, being a North American T-6 Texan ( also called a Harvard ) on a pleasure trip out of Lydd or Headcorn Aerodrome, thanks for the info CD. On the various islands in front of the Hides and on the Salt Pool there was evidence of breeding Avocets and Black-headed Gulls, sometimes they nest on the same vegetated islands, other times the Avocets take over a whole un-vegetated island. In front of roosting Cormorants on one of the Ternery Pool islands was a Sanderling just about visible on the scum line and nearby was a pair of Common Gulls and there were a few summer plumage Dunlin on Flat Beach. One Black-headed Gull is nesting directly in front of the Ternery Pool Hide, thinking it was safe there when all the Hides were closed, but it is soldiering on regardless. Otherwise fairly quiet. The male GBbGull was guarding its nest on the Martello Tower as usual and its young should be visible soon.

HIDING AGAIN

17 May 2021 Yippee the RHNR hides are finally open again so this morning before the rain showers I headed over to the Castle Water hide from the Dogs Hill Road direction. At the very western end of the Reserve a Hobby was on a fence post checking out its surroundings. Up to thirteen had been seen yesterday near the View Point overlooking Castle Water so a promising start. Approaching Castle Water the Cormorants were everywhere and noisy as usual and another flotilla of Greylag Geese with Goslings was on the move. The hide was empty surprisingly. The water level is still relatively high at the moment and few of the islands are visible. The main island in front of the hide was occupied by Cormorants for a while and then by various adult and sub adult Black–headed Gulls. There were low numbers of the expected summer ducks around. In the direction of the View Point I could see Hobbies in the distance and saw 10 up in the air at the same time at one point. Dragon Flies are starting to emerge hence the Hobbies over the reed beds at this time, but they are also thought to be feeding on large flies, St. Mark’s Flies. However most of the Hobbies will eventually move on fairly soon. The main reason for my visit was to try to find the long staying Black-necked Grebe that could only be seen by telescope from the north end of Castle Water during the last few months. I soon spotted it to the left of the hide and it glided around into the middle but never close enough for really good photos, but good enough to see the red eye, and much better than my photos of the Long Pit bird earlier in the year. It had to avoid a male Mute Swan at one point and various scooting mad Coots but looked well settled though I did not see it dive. Over the weekend at home three Fox Cubs came out of their set for the first time and lolled about at the top of the garden, photos of two of them, cute at this age.

TURTLE DOVE

13 May 2021 As the seasons change there are certain birds that define the passage of time and non more so than the first purring Turtle Dove of spring. In this part of East Sussex they are few and far between and are a red listed breeding bird. Almost in the centre of Rye there have been at least two pairs for many summers, in the wooded area just north of Rye Station and in the trees along the railway at the Gibbet Marsh car park. This year the Gibbet Marsh bird has been present for a couple of weeks and is purring away. The two areas are joined by lines of trees along the railway and it was never sure in the past if it was one or two or more pairs involved. The Rye Station bird has not been heard yet this year. As I was in Rye today I called in at the Gibbet Marsh car park and straight away heard the Turtle Dove up in the trees. I have included a few of todays’ photos of this iconic colourful bird for your delectation. UPDATE Linda Wren informs me that there were two at Platform 2 Rye Station today 14/05/21 so it could be the same one as shown here or a different one purring, time will tell, more study needed to nail it.

BACK IN THE RHNR

10 May 2021 Yesterday, AP, JT, and I were back in the RHNR first going to a spot with permission near the View Point that JT uses when carrying out a Webs Count around Castle Water. This spot gives good views across the reed beds allowing us to see a food pass between a Male and Female Marsh Harrier and to hear the Bittern booming. One of the Cormorant trees was close by and we could see half grown young in some of the nests. Cormorants are the most reptilian or should I say dinosaurian looking birds. Even more distantly in one of the other Cormorant Colonies we could see two Little Egrets on nests. It also seems to be the peak season for the local Geese, Canadas and Greylags to be nesting and they were supervising batches of goslings. A Hobby posed in a nearby tree, looking more like it should compared to the bird I saw a few days back along the RMC, they must be able to twist their necks nearly 360 degrees. About 10 Whimbrel were feeding on the sheep Pastures and a LBBGull was collecting nesting material and flew over onto the local factory roofs. Later when we visited Flat Beach ( nice to see the rise in water level ) a strange Cloud Formation was evident passing north over the new Discovery Centre, something to do with two weather systems merging along a straight line perhaps. It had been very thundery looking out out in the Channel all morning. Flat Beach was relatively quiet but Common Terns were visible on many of the islands and good to see 8 Little Terns whizzing around. You can tell how small they are from the size of a Dunlin behind them in one of the photos. JT had previously seen a Ruff on the Salt Pool coming into summer plumage. We soon found it on a small island too close to two Common Terns and it raised the front part of its ruff. A Kestrel flew over and the Ruff glided across closer to us and next to the long staying old faithful hopalong Ruff with the dodgy leg, which is also going into summer plumage but is not as advanced. The colouring differences between the two birds is very striking, ain’t nature strange.

UP THE PANNEL

08 May 2021 Yesterday I did a there and back walk along the RMC from Pett Level to the Pannel Valley in the morning in the expectation of a Hobby or two, now that they are back. I finally caught up with a singing Sedge Warbler by the Canal, normally they dive into brambles when I get the camera on them. A Blackbird nearby showed a single white feather in its wing, something to do with genetics. Just past Carter’s Flood a bird of prey landed on the top of a Hawthorn, a Hobby, only there for a moment before gliding off, nice rufous trousers showing and heavily streaked underparts as it should be. When perched they don’t quite look right, sort of out of proportion, definitely best seen in the air. A little further a male Kestrel was on another bush. By the time I reached the Scrape in the Pannel Valley, the crescendo of noise from the nesting birds was quite impressive. It looks like it is going to be a good season there for Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls. Interesting to see smokey headed sub-adult Med Gulls in various plumages amongst the nesting adults. There were a lot of resting Common Terns 50+ as well on the edge of the islands. None of the Gulls were feeding out on the Level but those that l saw leaving headed inland where there has been more rain in the last week. A couple of birders had come down the Pannel Valley from Pannel Lane and had seen a flock of 26 of what they took to be Curlew feeding on one of the north facing fields by Pannel Farm. I thought that unlikely for May and wandered up to have a look and a distant photo is of some of them, definitely Whimbrel and unusual there, perhaps they are roosting on the Scrape. I saw two more individual Hobbies but PeteR from his vantage point on the sea wall scoped four together hawking over Carter’s Flood, good numbers for Pett Level but passage birds probably which will move on eventually. A Common Buzzard was circling with one leg dangling down which was rather odd.

SCOTNEY CIRCUMNAVIGATION

03 May 2021 The last time AP and I did this circular walk was on the 30th December last so we were expecting very different birds. Yesterday we parked in a small lay-by at Kentpen Wall and went anticlockwise using the cycle track next to the main road then via Scotney Court Farm for the return. The two Gravel Pits adjacent to Scotney Gravel Pit are not on my OS map 125 but occupy what was Mecket Pen and Tore Wall. Google Earth of course shows all the Pits in the area clearly. There are two islands on the main Pit, both in East Sussex but the northern part of the Pit is in Kent. Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers were in every other bramble patch and ditch but I only saw one Stonechat across the main road on the Lydd Range land. One Lesser Whitethroat and one Reed Warbler were also heard. The smallest island has suffered gale damage to trees in the past but that has not stopped nesting Cormorants from improvising, accompanied by a nesting pair of GBBGulls. The larger island with no trees was covered in Greylag Geese on our last visit but has nesting Herring Gulls on it today. A fly past LBBGull was discouraged when it tried to land and out on the Pit four more were deep in conversation. The difference in size, males and females, could clearly be seen. Another pair were roosting on the banks of another Pit. The feral Barnacle Goose flock has reduced to 28, where are the rest?, back at Leeds Castle perhaps. Waders present included Ringed Plover, two Whimbrel, Redshank, two Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and numerous Avocets. AP heard a call he recognised well, a Wood Sandpiper ( two in one week for me, unheard of ). There were plenty of Swallows near Scotney Court Farm and soon we were into Corn Bunting, Skylark, and Tree Sparrow country on the return leg. Quite a few Yellow Wagtails, looking smart in the sun, were seen scattered about but it is probably still a little early for them to be on their breeding territories. We had to cut out west to some abandoned farm buildings to locate five Tree Sparrows, two of which were conveniently on the corner of a roof. One of the Corn Buntings seen was in the rough pasture with a bug of some sort in its bill, presumably to feed its young, not just corn eaters. Two Hares were scampering around. A further 25 Avocets were by the Tore Wall Pit as well as a fine summer plumage Grey Plover that I managed to photograph out of focus, sorry! Finally at the newest Gravel Pit Workings near KentPen Wall the expected Little Ringed Plover pair was present with the male circling around doing its display flight. AP claims to have also heard a singing Dunlin at some point on the walk but I missed that. 71 species, not too bad.

RAVEN UPDATE

01 May 2021 I finally got round to checking on the progress at low tide of the Cliff End Raven’s Nest. The first photo shows the view from the beach of the tree line above the Cliffs where the nest is and the second shows the actual nest – top left with one fledged juvenile peeping out from the right hand side, centre bottom are two more juveniles and top right is either another juvenile or one of the adults. While I was there one adult was landing and gliding along the cliff face, looking a bit bedraggled with flight feathers regrowing, bringing up voracious young is obviously knackering. The other photos around the nest show the juveniles in close up, the yellow gape sometimes visible. So it appears to be a successful nest, I don’t think they have nested here before, they are usually nesting along the cliffs in Hastings Country Park, and they should all be terrorising the local buzzards soon. Returning along the tide line I was bemoaning for the first time since last summer the lack of Curlew and Oystercatchers on the beach although there were dog walkers about but I was recompensed by finding two Whimbrel out on the Moorlog. Down at the Roadside Pett Pools good to see a Common Tern back again, it seemed to be checking the Pool water level. They cross back and forth across the Level in the summer from the Pannel Valley where they nest and come over the Pools and out to sea, one overhead today left its visiting card. Shelduck and Tufted Ducks were also close to the Main Road.