RXwildlife Sightings

Curious? click here for BBC report.

The hybrid Pochard x Ferruginous Duck that has frequented the Long Pit for the last few winters was again in amongst the Pochard flock recently. To see previous pictures and discussion, copy and paste the word Ferruginous into the “search” box in top left corner of this page.

Despite the cold weather in mainland Europe there are very few Smew around in RX land - just 2 each at Dungeness and Castle Water. Yesterday this pair was catching small Perch just in front of the Castle Water hide (where a tangle of willow branches was submerged a few years ago to act as a fish refuge).

… with the Bittern. After three unsuccessful attempts to get a close view of this sometimes invisible bird, I had much better success this morning at the Castle Water hide.

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At dawn this morning there was surprisingly little ice in front of the Castle Water hide. Even so, there were some birds that seemed attracted to it…

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With an "easy" Bittern in prospect I got to the Castle Water hide at dawn and despite there being no Bittern there was a lot to see. 300 Lapwing roosting on the ice, some showing frost on the feathers!

Looking closer…

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At the Castle Water hide today the ice had extended out beyond the reeds and Janet Richardson took this portrait of a Bittern trying to work out what has happened to the water.

Here is my personal choice of last year’s wildlife highs and lows.

Insects - highs

1. Painted Lady - invasion by huge numbers
2. Huebneria affinis - identification of this fly last seen in UK in 1921
3. Red-veined Darter- confirmed breeding at Castle Water

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I set out this afternoon to photograph the rising "blue moon" over the wind farm, but failed because of cloud cover. My consolation was a colourful sunset over the Firehills at Fairlight.

If you are looking for a good wildlife Christmas quiz, then the RSPB have the best I could find… click here.