RXwildlife Sightings

On a miserably cold and unexpectedly rainy morning, John Newton & I found 89 species around the level & Pannel Valley - 90 if you include Bar-headed Goose.

Interesting birds included f Marsh Harrier (probably the same one Phil Newton saw - with 2 Peregrines - yesterday at Doleham), Wigeon, Grasshopper Warbler, Turtle Dove, Lesser Whitethroat, Swift, Barn Owl, Lesser Redpoll & Kingfisher.

The Med Gulls at the Pannel Scrape were all immatures, but 2 adults flew NE along the beach with BH Gulls.

Several Sanderling were on the tideline or moving east. At Pett they usually occur out on the edge at low tide down at the Rye H end, except on migration.

A Canada Goose had goslings W of Pannel Bridge and Mistle Thrushes were feeding a  fledgling at Toot Rock.
We missed quite few common birds such as Kestrel and Redshank!

Large black flies, flying with dangling legs around the flowers of Alexanders are St. Mark’s Flies. They are named after the saint’s day on 25th April, when they normally appear, so are a little late this year. The males (in first photo) have large eyes and thin abdomens, whereas the females have small eyes and large abdomens. A good place to see them is along the path to Lime Kiln Cottage at Rye Harbour.

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This mornings count of Whimbrel in the roost at Flat Beach Quarry found 206 birds, only one more than yesterdays total! Also here were three Bar-tailed Godwit, four Little Tern and good numbers of Common Tern and Sandwich Tern. A further 19 Bar-tailed Godwit fed along the shore, while at sea a large (500+) flock of Common Scoter rested on the waves. In addition, the Nightingale could still be heard singing loudly on the Narrow Pits mid-morning.

A late morning visit to Castle Water found masses of hirundines moving through. Numbers were difficult to estimate, but there were several hundred each of Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin all feeding over Castle Pit itself, as well as 50+ Swift. The scrub around the hide contained Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler, while from the hide itself a Little Ringed Plover gave good views on the islands in front.