RXwildlife Sightings

Nikki Gammans from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust ran a very successful bumblebee walk at Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve on Saturday, organised by the Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve. It was well attended and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event and went away with new skills in bumblebee identification and learnt a lot about the bumblebee management at the nature reserve. Nikki highly praised the work we have already carried out at the nature reserve in creating large areas of bumblebee habitat.

More information on Wild Hastings.

Interested in being a Friend of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve? Check out their website for details on joining.

The Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve was formed in April 2007 by members of the Volunteer Rangers, as a means of involving the wider community in the management and enjoyment of the Reserve.

Our aim is to protect, promote and enhance the natural environment of the Reserve, and to encourage others to join us in this work, so that the value of the Reserve and its wildlife is protected for future generations.

To fulfill this objective, we will continue to support the conservation work set out in the management plan, assist in monitoring wildlife, and raise funds for projects within the Reserve that might not otherwise be possible.

To help visitors enjoy the Reserve to the full, we organise a programme of events throughout the year, and aim to enhance and assist with running the Visitor Centre.

An interesting large gull appeared on the harbour arm at Hastings at 11.45 this morning. I had been looking at the immature Great Black-backed Gulls earlier but a further look suddenly revealed a mystery bird perching close to the spray-drenched western edge of the wall. It was larger than Herring Gull and appeared all-pale but the bill was mainly black. Read the rest of this entry »

Records from the Hastings Weald Spring Migration Network throughout the day yesterday recorded good numbers of wildfowl moving east and some grounded migrants along the coast.

Seawatching from West St Leonards and Hastings Harbour produced c.1500 Brent Geese, 50 common scoter, 5 garganey, 17 teal, 13 shoveler, 5 wigeon, 2 pintail, 8 eider, 2 red-breasted merganser, 7 gadwall, and a shelduck. As well as wildfowl a little gull, a marsh harrier, a merlin and a red-necked grebe were recorded moving east, also small numbers of black-headed gull.

Grounded migrants recorded included a firecrest at West Hill and 3 wheatear at Glyne Gap. Three purple sandpiper were also at Glyne Gap.

There was a decent movement of brent geese early morning past Hastings & St. Leonards with 750 moving east between 6am and 8.30am. Also a marsh harrier, 2 red-breasted merganser, 2 wigeon and 2 teal were seen flying east.

In the cold wind not many birds in the air save those which seemed to enjoy it. The sky rather empty but then a single crow flying north proved to be a Raven, elegant and powerful as it headed north. Some while later another single Raven but quite high powering slowly in the same direction.
In the gardens three wary Redwings watching from Lime branches were joined by two of the wintering Blackcaps.
At the harbour one of the RX boats rolling on the swell and coming ashore fish laden. 80 or more Great Black-backed gulls seemed well fed and rested, those on the harbour wall facing east. An uneaten spotted dogfish lying on the shingle and a general air of indifference amongst the Herring gulls suggested that lunch had been early today and there was no sudden rush to inspect the catch – perhaps they knew that the gutting had been carried out at sea.
A male Peregrine cutting over the shore and followed at lower level by his larger mate who flew not too high above the traffic. Then a pair of Ravens heading towards the cliffs as Gannets wheeled and dived over the bright horizon.

With the arrival of colder air the bird community in the Victorian gardens outside my flat window has been galvanised into activity. But what is also apparent after living here for three years is that the trees themselves take on a new significance at this time. The Limes and Horse Chestnuts are slowly growing their winter buds and at this time in the season the apparently bare branches take on a new attraction for some birds. This morning three Blackcaps appeared in the Limes and as in the previous winters they have been spending a lot of time gleaning from the buds of these trees. Read the rest of this entry »

For anybody living near Hastings, the yellow wooden hulled RX60 Alfie Elliot is a familiar sight. Click here for an insight into responsible fishing.

At 07.30, I was up at the Firehills too late again. Even as I was getting out of the car I could see dense lines of Woodpigeons, comprising several hundred birds, moving along the cliffline while another couple of hundred were sweeping over the car park on whistling wings.
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Back on the Bernard Ince memorial bench, squinting into the bright sunshine as flocks arrive straight off the sea, out of the sun above the luminous ripple of the Pas de Calais. I can’t see them till they’re right on top of me and once was first alerted by shadows flicking across my notebook page.
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