RXwildlife Sightings

Easy enough to see what’s on the shore, but how often does anyone look in the village? Today the older Farm Lane area (TQ91P) proved richest, with a modest 11 species around the houses plus 14 more on the pools and fields, including 100+ Curlew and 50+ Corn Buntings. Most of Camber is in the next tetrad, TQ91U, more recent so less wooded; I could find only 9 species in the gardens, but the big surprise was a polluted and litter-strewn ditch at TQ970187 which, as well as a horde of multicoloured Mallard, held a Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher. Incidentally, there were still 2 Common Sands on the river by North Salts, Rye, yesterday. The Jury’s Gap tetrad, TQ91Z, proved very barren, while finally a visit to Scotney pits (TR01E) produced a Long-tailed Duck, one of two according to another observer there.

     The absences are also of interest - I found no Rooks, Jackdaws, Robins, Dunnocks, Greenfinches or Green Woodpeckers, and surprisingly (considering their numbers around Rye) no Fieldfares or Redwings; even Blackbirds seemed rather scarce. However, House Sparrows were everywhere in much greater numbers than inland from Rye.

A Dartford Warbler was present on Harbour Farm late morning, flitting between bramble bushes next to the path to corner pools, while on Long Pit, two Long-tailed Duck, a Scaup and a male Goldeneye were present. Several small groups of Snipe around this morning, with a group of 11 showing well on Wader Pool. At Castle Water a pair of Great Crested Grebe indulged in a little courtship (below).