Author: Val Bentley

Forecast wasn’t too good for the morning and we had one early heavy shower, but only one brief later one, so got away with Angela’s brolly only putting in two appearances!

Hannah, Angela and Dan accompanied Ezio and me around the whole patch this morning – the first time for months we’ve been able to include the section past Frogshole Cottage.  We started by Braziers with a delightful flock of Long-tailed Tits flitting from tree to tree and collected most of the expected species along the Downslink, but few seen, most just heard.  A Cuckoo was calling from the Rye Farm area, and a Cormorant was sitting by one of the wet patches.  In the viewpoint field we heard singing Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat. Cetti’s Warbler and a fairly feeble Reed Bunting.  We saw Lapwings in the field from the concrete bridge, and as we stood watching the heronry half a dozen Swifts screamed overhead.  A Chaffinch sang near Stretham and Angela picked up the quiet song of a Goldcrest.  Along the riverbank were Goldfinches and many Linnets, and a Kestrel was flying to the east.  South of Buckwish Farm there were two Coots in the water, and – the surprise of the day – a Redshank.  Had almost given up on Buzzard when one appeared as we headed up the Rye Fam track.

We got 46 species (not 43 as I thought, had missed Great Spot, Dunnock and Goldcrest off my list):

We expected but didn’t get – Green Woodpecker, Stock Dove and, rather unbelievably, Magpie.  When I got home and heard some noisy Starlings, I realised we hadn’t seen any of  these either!  It’s quite unusual to see a Redshank here in May, so very pleased with that.

Val Bentley et al, 27th May 2024

Angela and I were able to welcome new member Rikki on the walk this morning – a very dull morning, which made it tricky to see any colour at all on the birds high up in the trees, and the wildfowl were a bit monochrome too!

All the usual stuff along the first part of the walk, plenty of Robins & Wrens, and a couple of Song Thrushes.  Nice to hear 2 Chaffinches in song along the embankment, and further down a Chiffchaff singing.  Wildfowl on the floods was fairly distant, but we found Pintail, Coot, Shoveler, Teal and Wigeon, with a pair of Little Grebes too. Hear a Reed Bunting, but couldn’t find it.  Angela had noticed 7 (?) Little Egrets near the heronry on her way up; only one there when we arrived, though we found more later.  A group of 4 rather bored looking Herons were in one of the fields.  Beyond the heronry were some geese, a handful of Canadas with 11 smart White-fronted (new species for Rikki).

Pretty quiet along the river until a large flock of birds came across and landed in Wyckham Wood, all Wood Pigeons – maybe 500?  In floods on the Henfield side of the river were a group of 4 Gadwall, and we heard a Cetti’s.  Just west of New Inn were some Black-headed Gulls, and another gull making an odd call – turned out to be a Med Gull in flight!  A Pied Wag flew over, and a single Fieldfare called as we walked along the bridleway. On the diversion down towards Buckwish Farm there was a cacophony in the trees – some Goldfinches, and a largish group of Redwings were the culprits, and there was the occasional Redwing song heard!

The Rye Farm pools produced one Chiffchaff and the pair of Grey Wags, but no Water Rail today.

46 species seen or heard, and a rather oddly placed toilet in the grounds of the house at the top of the Rye Farm track.

Too good to stay indoors on the computer all morning, so did a quick recce along the Rye Farm track.  Probably 5 Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest flitting around by the ponds, and a Water Rail feeding nonchalantly at the back.  There were 8 Bewick’s Swans just west of Buckwish, the usual geese and ducks, though only spotted one pair of Gadwall.  There was an unusual Canada/Greylag hybrid, rather a pretty goose, and different from the other hybrids we have seen in recent years.

Val Bentley, 1st February 2024

The hybrid goose

Bewick’s in a flap

Water Rail

Today (25 Jan) 2 Bewick’s north of Rye Farm .

Many of the other suspects,  Chiffchaffs and Grey Wagtail and the Water Rail at the ” mucky pond” , a Red Kite over the village and then over the levels .

Missed the Stonechats where I normally see them , hope they are OK ( 2 pairs near the beacon ok after the cold snap) lots of Fieldfare and Redwing.

(Richard de Souza)

The Bewick’s Swans had moved back to the Eaton’s Farm area (north of New Inn and to the west of the river) on the 21st.  Apparently there were 7 by the Arun a week or so ago, but then that reduced to 2 by the time Roger & Paul found 5 at New Inn on the 17th. Presumably those 2 have now joined the 5 here, so we have the entire Sussex wintering population at the moment – but could only get 3 in the frame!

Still around on 1st Dec.  Photo from today

A very quiet wander around the south-west of the patch.  Very little along the first part of the railway line, other than Wood Pigeons, Wrens and Robins, though we heard a Green Woodpecker yaffle.  Jackdaws were still hanging around the chimney pots of Victoria House.  Pretty muddy along the path west of the railway line, which was bordered by a lot of orange balsam.  Only seen in the past few years, and yet another alien, but according to google, not a threat to other native plants.  Entering the fields we heard quite a few House Martins overhead and further on the dead elms held Yellowhammer, Greenfinch, Goldfinches and Linnets. Ravens cronked from the east. A bird seen in an ash tree looked like a pipit , but didn’t get a good enough look to see if it was a Tree Pipit, though there were Blue Tits and Chiffchaffs in there too.  Angela and I were pretty sure we heard a pair of Bullfinches calling.

In the wetter bits of the field we found quite a few plants, including bistort, silverweed and one I’d never noticed before.  Hazel identified it later as Gypsywort and found out that it “can be used to treat slightly overactive thyroid and nervous heart conditions. Juice yields a dark dye once used by gypsies to tan their skin”.

Also noted were Purple Loosestrife in several places and Flowering Rush in the overflow pit.

The stroll along the river gave us a young Heron, sitting rather incongruously on a fence post.  We noted that Sharon’s fields now have some scrapes dug out, the most northerly one was holding water, and something flew up from there, but too quick for us to id it.  Several Swallows were flying around overhead, and a Great Spot was hiding in a dead tree – only seen when it flew off.

Just Angela and I continued with the dogleg down to Rye Farm.  By the bridge there were some impressive looking sloes, and in bushes near the interpretation board there was lots of activity, probably mostly Chiffies and Blue Tits.  We looked at the ponds by the trackside, which are difficult to see now, but a bird flew along with the undulating flight of a Grey Wagtail.  A Holly Blue butterfly was seen on the way back to the start.

Only 31 species today – many heard but not seen.