Rye Bay birding
5th January 2009, MondayDespite the cold weather, yesterday’s Rye Bay Bird Safari was very successful with a total of 79 species recorded. We started at Pett Level where 2 Barn Owls were hunting over the back of the marsh, a male Marsh Harrier floated by and a Water Pipit entertained us by sliding around on the ice on the pool nearest the road. Several large rafts of Great Crested Grebes were out on the sea but only 4 Common Scoter. A careful scan of the bushes at the Narrow Pit failed to produce the hoped for roosting Long-eared Owl, indeed the only birds of note we saw at Rye Harbour were a pair of Goldeneye on the largely frozen Long Pit. Another Marsh Harrier flew over Scotney Pit where large numbers of wildfowl included 60+ Barnacle Geese. Could some of these be wild birds given the current extreme weather conditions in Holland?
The RSPB reserve at Dungeness provided a welcome opportunity to thaw out in the Visitor Centre and also some excellent birding from the hides. Bitterns were much in evidence with several sightings of probably three different birds flying over the reedbeds in front of Christmas Dell hide. Also on the reserve were Black-necked and Slavonian Grebes, a male Red Crested Pochard, 4 Smew (2 superb adult males), 6 Ruddy Duck, Little Egret, 2 Marsh Harriers and 2 Tree Sparrows in the garden of the house at the entrance to the reserve. Water Rail and Cetti’s Warbler were heard calling. The fields around Lydd were our next destination with ca. 60 Bewick’s and an adult Whooper Swan from Robin Hood Lane and a very large flock of geese from Dennes Road including 4 Tundra Bean, perhaps 100 White-fronts and 20 Barnacles. Also in this area were a handful of Golden Plover and Fieldfares. Our final stop on Walland Marsh was a very cold one though persistent paid off with 5 Marsh Harriers in the air together, 2 Buzzards, Sparrowhawk and, just as we were about to give up and go home, a superb adult male and a ringtail Hen Harrier that flew in and quartered the reedbed, before finally dropping down to roost. A fitting climax to a wonderful day’s birding. (Paul James – Sussex Wildlife Walks).