With my impending wedding, the chances of getting out birding have been pretty limited, but to be honest I just got fed up with the weather, hours trudging around finding very little, hours after trying to warm up!! We need some sunshine!! Anyway, things brightened up somewhat the weekend of the 6th and 7th April, with the 6th seeing me head into East Sussex and an early morning start at Cuckmere, which despite the sun-rise it was bitterly cold with plenty of ground frost. Plenty of gulls were on the move eastwards, mainly Common Gull's but the odd Med Gull flew over mainly in pairs calling away and all adult birds. Along the river bank, plenty of pipit's and Skylarks were sheltering from the cold, then I almost trod on a Snipe...which flew a short distance in front of me before landing again..the give-away bobbing motion clinched a Jack Snipe, the bird then rather suprisingly flew low across the scrape and ditched in and out of view...just as the camera was focusing! Took a while to locate the Black-necked Grebe which was with the Little Grebes on the meanders, mainly as on the far bank two seperate dog walkers let their dogs run free and obviously disturbing the grebes which proceeded in doing their best to hide. The Black-necked Grebe was always distant, by now the cold had got to me and decided to walk back to the motor where I bumped into Mick and his daughter, a brief catch up and I was back in the car and continued east to Rye in the hope of catching up with a Kentish Plover. Seem to take an age to get here and parking up, soon bumped into several birders with no sign of any Kentish Plovers all morning! Cold easterles were making birding and scanning albeit difficult but it was soon evident that any Kentish Plovers were on view from the shelter at Lime Kiln cottage...good views of Avocet and Ringed Plover were had from here whilst a single Bar-tailed Godwit was also seen at the back of the pool, Med Gulls occassionally called as they headed over and Sandwich terns were seen flying around in the background. I decided to head sout and check the flat beach and took shelter from the old lifeguard building to scan the waders...scope attachment to my tripod had decide to break so was birding free-hand..a pale plover had passed my scope and looked good for a Kentish, tried desperatley to re-locate the bird and had raised the alarm to Mike and his partner..my suspicions were confirmed when Mike got his scope on the bird albeit a bit distant feeding amongst the Grey Plover...we managed to get other birders onto the bird, a nice male...just a shame it was not closer and the temperatures a little warmer! Nice to meet Dave Potter on site albeit not realising until reading his blog :-(
Headed back home via Uckfield where I saw what looked good for a Goshawk nr Crowhurst(diverted here en-route to Uckfield)!! circling above a pine forest!! nowhere to stop the car and diverted traffic behind, but was defo no Sparrowhawk nor Buzzard..dare not ask if any breed in the area!
The reason for visiting Uckfield was to meet up with Joanne Chattaway the editor of the Sussex bird report, to chat about the recent report etc..was great to see Joanne again and catch up exchanging views and sightings and walking away with 10 x 2011 bird reports to sell at the Arundel WWT gift shop, the first time they have sold them here as far as I am aware so will see how they go!
The following day saw a afternoon trip to the Arundel WWT and several usual birds were found, including Raven, Red Kite, at least 5 individual Buzzards and a Black-headed Gull that was ringed (right leg - white ring 2C33) so info sent off to Euring..also for the second week running a different Red Kite was hunting just east of the A27 (service station) in Arundel
