RXwildlife Sightings

Red-throated Diver 178+5E, Black-throated Diver 6, Great Crested Grebe 129, Shag 2E, Velvet scoter 1+2E.

Reported from Glyne Gap by Ian Standivan. More detail on wildhastings.

Meditteranean Gull are now being seen or heard daily with four present today among the feeding Common Gull. The flock of Siskin feeding in the alders has risen to over 600. A ringtail Hen Harrier flew up the valley mid afternoon and there are still a few Tree Sparrow with the larger numbers of Reed Bunting.

A search of the goose flock at lunchtime today could not find the neck collared Greylag. The lone Pink-footed Goose is however still present. Apart from the 220+ Wigeon loafing offshore, the sea was very quiet.

The March edition of BirdWatching magazine has included Rye Harbour and RSPB Dungeness reserves in its Top 20 bird watching sites in the UK. So we hope this will introduce more people to our wide range of birds and facilities in the coming months…

… is the name of an EU funded project to increase the amount of reedbed habitat for bitterns and other wetland wildlife at 19 sites across England. Last weekend we held guided walks to Castle Water to see some of the project area and hopefully to see a Bittern. On a bitterly cold and windy Saturday 35 people had really good views of a Barn Owl and a brief glimpse of a Bittern. Sunday was a little warmer and the wind dropped, and 41 people had close views of a Sparrowhawk and we heard Cetti’s Warbler and Water Rail, but did not see a Bittern. For many the highlight was watching the nesting Cormorants, some of which may already be incubating ! More detail on project.

Pete Rouse has been out this morning and found: 3 Scaup, 2 RB Mergansers, 40 (!) Velvet Scoters, 3 Barnacle Geese, 9 Ruff, 40 Grey Plover, 1 Black-tailed Godwit.

At Pett Level yesterday there was a Greylag Goose with a black neck collar with some white lettering. Has anybody been able to read the numbers/letters? It could be an interesting record of a truly wild Greylag Goose, not just the usual feral birds… (the bird was ringed in Spain, but we do not know the exact location without knowing the lettering. These birds tend to be of Swedish origin and usually winter in the Coto Donana - thanks to Phil Jones for the information). The flock of geese also included a single Pink-footed Goose.

I was keen to see what the week’s rain had done to water levels. Predictably, the floods are deeper: deep enough to attract single pairs of Mute Swan and Canada Goose onto the fields among 100+ piping Teal, 20 Mallard, 10 Shoveler, 7 Gadwall & 4 Pintail.

Deep enough too to come over the top of my wellies. Toe-numbingly cold. That, added to the eye-watering east wind, made this visit one of the more “challenging” of recent times.
Apart from the hundreds of Common & BH Gulls attracted to the floods, small flocks of migrant GBB Gulls were moving north overhead, and 2 Buzzards drifted down the valley.
At Brede Bridge, there were 3 Green Sandpipers together at a pool close to the road.

A Long-Tailed Duck just offshore at the River Mouth, was the only highlight on a cold and windy morning. Two Brown Hare were flushed behind Ternery Pool while checking the Goats.

Rather limited coverage since Tuesday, but there have been a few highlights. At Castle Water 2 Bittern, 29 Little Egret and 12 Ruff. On the Beach Reserve a Peregrine, Merlin,200+ Lapwing and the odd Mediterranean Gull at Ternery Pool or calling overhead.