Black Redstart in Lewes + other recent highlights

A Black Redstart eating grapes from a vine at Castle Ditch Lane in central Lewes yesterday (Nick Ostler, via SOS).
At Newhaven, the number of Purple Sandpipers has built to 13 on the East pier (also a Shag there – Paul James, via SOS). Rodmell reported to be quiet, with just nine Corn Buntings and [...]

Brambling in Firle

The first Brambling of the winter seen at Firle yesterday morning, with a group of Chaffinches at Place Farm.
Walk up through the village, past the church and onto the Old Coach Road, then view the yard with the straw bales and metal barn on the left, opposite the horse paddocks and just before the track [...]

Late Osprey

A latish Osprey reported in the lower Cuckmere on Friday (23rd), by Mike Unwin (via SOS).
Today in Firle, both Swallow and Fieldfare near the Church.

Egyptian Goose etc

A walk along the river from South Heighton up past Piddinghoe this afternoon proved quite interesting.
Fourteen Greylag & two Canada Geese in field alongside Piddinghoe Pond were the first Geese I`ve seen in the valley this year,a drake Shoveler on the pond itself, a pair of Wigeon flushed from a section of the old river [...]

Still Plenty at Rodmell

Lots of the good stuff still at Rodmell this afternoon, in a biting easterly.
First up, a Buzzard, a Mistle Thrush and a few Fieldfares around the car park at Monk’s House, then a pair of Peregrines chasing down (but failing to catch) an unidentified wader – the female bird was later seen making off [...]

Rodmell Brooks

Between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. :- plenty of Corn Bunting, Redwing, Meadow Pipits and Yellow hammer around the stubble field and in the hawthorns on the north side of the path to the river.Also around Stonechat, Common Buzzard, Little Egret, Fieldfare and a not very showy ringtailed Hen Harrier a couple of hundred metres north [...]

sightings 06/12/08

Great northern Diver still present this morning on the scrape in the lower Cuckmere valley.
Large numbers of both Fieldfare and Redwing in the Southease station area this afternoon feeding on the abundant hawthorn berries available,both a male and female Sparrowhawk seen here too obviously looking to feast on a thrush supper. A Common Sandpiper near [...]