At Galley hill this afternoon at 13.42 2 porpoises were feeding around 100ft offshore, due to the sea being fairly calm I got much better views than I normally do at this time of year. They were both large animals (for porpoises) so certainly adults. They moved off slowly west.
Also offshore was 1 red-throated diver, 1 razorbill and 2 common scoters.
Posted by Ian Standivan on the wildhastings egroup.
Black-necked Grebe still at Scotney Court Gravel Pit at the Sussex end close to the road. A Long-eared Owl at the usual roost at the Narrow Pit, Rye Harbour. An imm male Scaup, ca. 15 Velvet Scoter and 3 Eider on the sea from the sea wall opposite Pett Pools. Two adult White-fronted Geese on Pett Level with Greylag and Canada Geese.
(Paul James) www.sos.org.uk
A frozen, foggy, glaucous world, pale fields patched green where sleeping ewes had thawed them. Grey silence webbed with Robin and Thrush song and the call of a winter Chiffchaff hidden in ivy.
Frosty, slippery plank-bridges best avoided, I re-routed via the Toot Rock terrafirma, arriving at the same time as noisy incoming Jackdaws, silent departing Common Gulls and the driver of the EA dredger.
The canal’s low water levels and banks of freshly-scooped silt attract crowds of Teal, echoing Redshank, a lone Kingfisher, hunched Herons and miserable-looking Egrets.
Song Thrushes are widespread, even out on the marsh where they probe the poached mud around the curly-coated cattle.
As I returned at dusk, a barrel-bodied Woodcock fluttered through the twilight down to some suitably soggy bottom and the reedy quack of Gadwall came up from a hidden pond as Canada Geese honked in off the marsh and a Tawny Owl began to hoot.
Some good views this evening from the new viewpoint at the northern end of Castle Water. 2 Bittern, a Kingfisher, Water Rail (1 seen, several heard) 2 calling Cetti’s Warbler, 20+ Little Egret, 50 Stock Doves roosting… but it was very cold.
Ploughing on the side of the valley has attracted a large flock of gulls this afternoon. They are spending their time following the tractor or bathing and resting on the scrape. The total includes 1,500+ Common, 6 Herring, 200+ Black-headed and a single adult Mediterranean Gull. Apart from several calling Bearded Tit, the reedbeds are otherwise very quiet.
Few highlights from this morning, a ringtail Hen Harrier, Merlin, 10 Grey Partridge and 20+ Corn Bunting were seen on Harbour Farm.
The two Common Seals are still frequenting the river mouth, and seem to be in good health.
There were over one hundred teal at Filsham LNR this morning crammed onto a tiny area of unfrozen water in front of the viewpoint creating a real spectacle when they flew up (as they did frequently) and flew fast and low round and the round the island there with their collective wings creating an immense noise when they turned sharply only a few feet away.
Also at the viewpoint, two mallard and a wigeon were more sedentary while a water rail flew across and clambered up a bank. A little egret flew close over head and elsewhere on the reserve two cetti’s warblers (one visible the other singing) were present.
Posted by Joe Dickens on wildhastings.
It sounds like a horse race but, in fact, it is another of our local fungi that generally develop in the colder months. Growing on the ground, the palomino cup, Peziza repanda, is similar to one or two other species of this genus and one can only be certain of the identity by looking at the spores which are smooth in this species (see second picture), but warty in allied kinds. The flesh is thin and fragile and it appears not to have been tested for edibility - I doubt it would be worth the effort (especially if fatal). The example shown was photographed in my garden in Sedlescombe today.
A sudden return to the high numbers of gulls at the Patch included three first-winter Caspian Gulls and the regular adult Mediterranean Gull. Two Chiffchaffs were also seen in the area.
David Walker from DBO website
The weekend produced an excellent array of birds. Slavonian grebe, several smew, five goosanders and the red-crested pochards were all still present. A Dartford warbler was seen near Hooker’s pits on Saturday and 190 white-fronted geese flew eastwards over the reserve on Sunday. Also seen on Sunday were two bitterns (at Christmas Dell and the Hanson ARC site), hen and marsh harrier, peregrine and merlin.
Today’s highlights were provided by a black-necked grebe seen from Firth hide and twenty tree sparrows in the scrub near the reserve entrance.