RXwildlife Sightings

Sunday 7th March 2010. Arrived around 7am, with the tide just starting to go down, which was a shame, as I said before its always better when its high tide at Pett. Not much to see on the seaward side, what with the light conditions, due the sun rising. The numbers of ducks have really gone down, but you can still see most species, what have been seen in the last month or so, on the pools. Birds of note 2 Med Gulls (adults), adult female Merlin, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier ( cream head ) and a Barn Owl. Grebes are back at the pools with 5 Little and a single Great Crested taking up residence. Waders on the marsh Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Lapwing, Curlew, Turnstone and Snipe. Good birdwatching Pete.

In recent mild winter’s the tiny Common Whitlowgrass has been flowering from late January to early February, but this year it has only just appeared. I noticed a few flowering yesterday on short grass on sandy soils.

Identifying gulls can be very tricky, non more so than the Caspian Gull - Larus cachinnans, which is very similar to Herring Gull. Part 1 of a detailed identification article has appeared in British Birds this month and David Walker at Dungeness Bird Observatory often sees them there - click here). John and David Cooper saw one at at Castle Water on 24th January and has written it up - click here. More here.