RXwildlife Sightings

Today’s sightings included snipe, curlew and marsh harrier.

Don’t miss David Featherbe’s illustrated talk on Wildlife Photography Tuesday 12 December at 7.30pm (Visitor Centre opens 7 pm)

By its nature, photography captures a moment in time, an occasion that is both memorable and rare. It is also a much under rated art form. David will be presenting a selection of images from his new collection, to include a number of underwater shots taken around the UK coast and abroad. He will also include a series of photographs taken during an on going study into the strategies by which some of our orchids are pollinated.
 
Tickets (£3.00 adults, £2 concessions, £1.50 juniors) are available from the Visitor Centre or telephone 01797 320588.  Booking is advisable.

At the end of every moth trapping season I usually end up with several photographs of unidentified species and this year I sent several such images to Colin Pratt, a local expert, for identification. One of these turned out to be an image of Sciota hostilis (below, identification confimed by Sean Clancy) a rare micro moth which has been recorded only a handful of times in Britain, with only one previous record in Sussex from Pannel Valley in 1999. This particular individual was trapped on 14th June this year, and is only the fourth British record since 2000.

Little to report on the Beach Reserve this morning, with the high winds making birdwatching a tad difficult!  The only records of note were a Merlin on Flat Beach Level mid-morning and four Brent Geese on the sea-defence excavations adjacent to Lime Kiln Cottage. At Castle Water a redhead Smew was present, visible close in to the left of the hide, while the gulls roosting in front of the hide included an immature Kittiwake.

My visits to the valley are usually in the morning but, making the most of a few hours’ clear sky, I went over at sunset. Whereas I’ve recently found Blackbirds and Song Thrushes in short supply, chattering of the former and song of the latter (including a mimicked ring-tone) echoed from the trees as the birds gathered to roost.

A large number of corvids were flocked around glassy pools of floodwater: over 100 Jackdaws and 80 Carrion Crows, nearly all of them processing to the big roost near Udimore. Most of these corvids were coming in from further inland, along with howling lines of Herring Gulls.

Flocks of Pied Wagtails were also funneling down the Brede. A few evenings ago I noticed some flying north from Pett Level over in that direction but I’ve no idea where their roost is.

The fields are now more thoroughly flooded, and held about 30 Teal, 20 each of Mallard & Wigeon and 6 Shoveler. 2 Green Sandpipers whistled from a moon-reflecting mirror of floodwater and 30 Fieldfares swirled around the remaining thorn bushes.

As darkness fell, at least 4 Water Rails were squealing from the marsh, Little Owls called from all around and a Tawny Owl hooted from the oaks along the railway, responding perhaps to the call of the Marshlink as it chugged its illuminated way towards Rye.

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