RXwildlife Sightings

Today a vivid rainbow drew me over to Camber Castle where the resident Jackdaws were “playing” in the gusty winds around the central tower and 3 Black Redstarts were sheltering from the frequent showers.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Green Heron (and a few birdwatchers) featured in last night’s local BBC news.
Click here to watch video.

Pelvetia canaliculata is a seaweed that grows on hard substrates on very sheltered to moderately exposed upper shores.  Here it is growing on old wooden groynes near the mouth of the river Rother. It’s very tolerant of drying out and can survive for up to eight days out of water. Some of this seaweed spends up to 90 per cent of the time out of water.

The highlight of the day was a first-winter Red-breasted Flycatcher which spent most of the day around the Old Lighthouse or railway station (having been reported by the pagers the previous night) and frequently giving excellent views.

Click for larger image

There was a handful of other grounded migrants including a Woodcock, 22 Blackbirds, two Dartford Warblers, two Blackcaps, four Chiffchaffs, a Firecrest and 20 Goldcrests. There was also a steady trickle of birds overhead during the morning which included a Marsh Harrier, two Rock Pipits, five Tree Sparrows, 95 Chaffinches, eight Bramblings, 30 Siskins and 65 Redpolls.

David Walker from DBO website

The Rare Bird Alert has news of an extreme rarity in the RX area.

GREEN HERON still 8.20am 2mls west of Hythe at West Hythe on Royal Military Canal near dam (probably for 4th day). From West Hythe Royal Military Canal picnic site car park walk c.400yds to canal dam.

Catocala fraxini is a large moth and sometimes referred to as the ‘Blue Underwing’. Once a scarce resident in Kent and Norfolk, it is now a rare immigrant to the south-east coast of Britain, with usually  less than 10 records a year. This very worn and faded individual was found in a Robinson trap at Icklesham on the morning of the 17^th October, one of only a handful of more common moths trapped that night. Wingspan 75 mm.

Alan Martin by e-mail

During the last couple of sunny days there has been a steady stream of Red Admirals flying westward into the gentle breeze. I didn’t count, but it seemed that individuals were flying past me about every ten minutes.

Following yesterday’s False Widow sighting, the BBC have also noticed that Exotic species of spiders are making their homes in the UK.… Click Here

Misty mornings are the time to see just how many spiders are living all around us. A walk around Castle Water this morning showed how every Gorse bush (below) has thriving colonies of spiders as does the grassland and the marshes – everywhere seemed draped in strings of water droplets. Then when the sun burnt through the mist the spiders were at it again, drifting past on their long lengths of silk – ballooning (see here). I came home covered in silk!

Read the rest of this entry »

… no not the alleged ape-like creature, but a common feature of our countryside that is rarely seen.

Read the rest of this entry »