night-time movements of Redwing and Godwits

This is the time of year Redwings start migrating northwards, primarily at night. Despite the cloudy conditions I counted a fair few overhead last night- listen out for them, the gorgeous atmospheric calls is one of my favourite, especially in October/November when it seems like the sound of autumn to me. If you aren’t familiar with their [...]

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 [...]

Rodmell Brooks

Late afternoon over a very cold and dreary brooks – 1 Common Buzzard sitting as usual on the telegraph poles leading northwest,60+ Corn Bunting,Yellow  Hammer,Reed Bunting,Linnet,Redwing and Stonechat around the stubble field and the male Merlin moving over the area northof the path.

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 [...]

Mid-week SOS walk, Cuckmere Haven 11.11.08

Sixteen people joined me on the best morning for weather we have had for a bit, although there still was some strength in the south-westerly wind to say the least. This would keep most birds heads down for the whole morning but it was not quite as bad as I had expected 24 hours earlier. [...]

Alciston 12.10.08

A warm misty morning, with the prospect of the sun burning through at any moment. In the end, it didn’t do so until the very end of our hour-long walk in Alciston. The village street was quiet, with House Sparrows and Goldfinches most obvious, plus a ragged male Blackbird bathing noisily in a trough at [...]