My date with nature

The RSPB have started a project called 'A date with nature', the idea to encourage more people to get outdoors, specifically to their fantastic Nature Reserves. Many of these dates are free to attend and are a great way to encourage children to get outside and appreciate wildlife. For me, looking closer to home can be just as rewarding, if not even more so as you stumble across something that perhaps no one has found before...

On a brief dog walk in one of the many local woods a couple of days ago, I was delighted to hear my first Nightingale of the year. The next morning I went back with my camera, daughter and dog to discover it in exactly the same place, singing again at the top of his voice from deep within the coppice. Add in the sound of many Song Thrushes, Wrens and Nuthatches, a Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest and a mewing Buzzard circling low overhead, I was in my element and pleased to be able to show my 3 year old such a selection, even if she didn't really feel the same elation I felt (and really just wanted to splash in the stream).

That evening I went back alone, my very own date with nature and a very memorable one it turned out to be. A Buzzard sitting on a fence post in the adjacent field was being harassed by Mistle Thrushes and Blackbirds which drew my attention towards it. Having never taken a decent picture of a perched Buzzard, I was off to a great start. Back on the path, a fox strolled across down at the bottom of the hill, either unaware or not bothered by my presence. Nuthatches, Goldcrests and a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker were around on the way to the coppice, where again I was graced by the birdsong of the Nightingale along with many others. A fly by Hobby, another first for the year, darted by overhead, disturbing the melodic evening chorus and causing a stir.

A few years ago I was shown a Tawny Owl nest box in use at the bottom of the woods, but having entered a different way I was unsure as to its whereabouts. My unsuccessful search for the box was not a waste of time, however, as I spotted a badger near its sett. Though it at first spotted me and went back down, I decided to wait as the light dimmed for it to emerge once more. The next half an hour was spent being entertained by 3 badgers snuffling around in the bluebells, one making its way up their track towards the very path I was squatted down on. It briefly stopped about 50 yards away, before spotting me and darting across to the other side. Though my photos are nothing to be proud of, my date with nature was completely enchanting and I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again!

Common Buzzard

Nightingale

Hobby

First Spring Sighting Dates 2015

2015 Spring Migrant first arrival dates at Feathers, Salehurst, East Sussex

Swallow: 7th April

House Martin: 16th April

Swift: 8th May

Chiffchaff: 10th April

Blackcap: 12th April

Whitethroat: 23rd April

Cuckoo: 23rd April

Spotted Flycatcher: 27th May

Male Blackcap - 15th April 2015

 

Birding in Happisburgh, Norfolk

My second time up to visit Grandparents-in-law in Happisburgh, this time I had the best part of 4 days rather than the 1 day in Autumn last year! Between Tim (my wife's Grandad) and I, we managed 86 species, which we were pleased with. Most came from dog walks along Happisburgh beach, adding a few more on a quick trip out in the car down the country lanes (finding Grey Partridge), a couple of hours at Cley Marshes Nature Reserve to add waders, ducks and geese etc, plus a trip to Norwich and Whitlingham Country Park. Here are a selection of photos from the trip:

Female Black Redstart at Happisburgh

Meadow Pipit

Small Tortoiseshell

Sandwich Tern, Common and Herring Gulls

Turnstones and Ringed Plover

Sanderling and Turnstone

Kestrel

Buzzard

Grey Partridge at Happisburgh

Yellowhammer

Pair of Grey Partridge at Happisburgh

Skylarks (never seen so many in my life!)

Three Hares behind Cley Visitor Centre

Lapwing

Black-tailed Godwit

Curlew and Lapwing

Male Marsh Harrier

Redshank

Wood Pigeon and Wigeon

Shelduck, Avocets and Gadwall

Mute Swan

Marsh Harriers (male left, female right)

Avocet and Ruff

Skylark

Brent Geese

Redshank and Lapwing

Peregrine at Norwich Cathedral

Egyptian Gosling

Egyptian Goose and Gosling

Great Crested Grebe at Whitlingham Country Park

First Swallow of the year

One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to record first dates of Summer/Winter migrants so we can look back at our records in years to come.

This morning (7th April) we recorded our first Swallow, the first of any summer migrants this year for us. I have heard Chiffchaffs in numerous local woodlands while out walking the dog but none heard/seen at Feathers yet. Hopefully over the coming weeks we will see our first House Martins & Blackcaps and hear the distant call of the Cuckoo.

We have had some interest in a few nest boxes from Blue Tits, though we're not sure for sure whether any will be used. The Kestrels seem set in the Church which is great news, the House Sparrows and Starlings are using the multiple barns and buildings to nest, particularly the old Oast House next to our Nature Area, and there are a pair of Dunnocks nesting somewhere nearby the hide too!

Male Kestrel with prey

Male House Sparrow on the Oast House

Nest building Dunnock

The weather was fairly fine throughout March and has warmed up in to April, with temperatures set to reach as high as 17° on Friday, up from 14° today (which still feels warm!). A few butterflies have been about, mostly Small Tortoiseshells here emerging from their winter hibernation. The Bees are buzzing too, joined on the "viburnum bodnantense" by a Large Bee-Fly last week.

Large Bee-Fly

Large Bee-Fly

Finally a few Goldcrest pictures from lunch time today:

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results 2015 for East Sussex

The results for the 2015 Big Garden Birdwatch were released last week, with the House Sparrow keeping the UK top spot and the top 10 remaining the same species but in a slightly different order. House Sparrows have declined by an estimated 71% from 1977 to 2008, but recent evidence suggests numbers in East Sussex have been increasing since 2010, with the county BGBW results showing a 25% increase since the turn of the decade.

The top 20 species for gardens in East Sussex are recorded in the table below, courtesy of the RSPB.
The table shows the 'County', 'Species', 'Mean', 'Rank' and '% Gardens'.

East Sussex	House_sparrow	4.17	1	64.03
East Sussex	Blue_tit	3.07	2	81.55
East Sussex	Starling	2.89	3	46.37
East Sussex	Woodpigeon	2.17	4	75.67
East Sussex	Blackbird	2.07	5	86.02
East Sussex	Robin	1.38	6	84.01
East Sussex	Magpie	1.36	7	61.81
East Sussex	Great_tit	1.33	8	52.20
East Sussex	Collared_dove	1.22	9	48.55
East Sussex	Feral_pigeon	1.11	10	24.48
East Sussex	Chaffinch	1.02	11	36.60
East Sussex	Jackdaw	1.01	12	27.23
East Sussex	Carrion_crow	0.93	13	33.66
East Sussex	Goldfinch	0.90	14	21.62
East Sussex	Dunnock	0.82	15	42.55
East Sussex	Herring_gull	0.76	16	22.44
East Sussex	Long_tailed_tit	0.53	17	15.64
East Sussex	Coal_tit	0.41	18	22.72
East Sussex	Nuthatch	0.39	19	26.60
East Sussex	Greenfinch	0.37	20	14.97

Great Spotted Woodpecker and Wren took the number 21 and 22 spots respectively, with both spotted in over a quarter of gardens throughout the county.

#1 - House Sparrow

#20 - Greenfinch

March Roundup

Allan's Beckley garden often attracts Reed Buntings in the winter, but up to the 9th March they were a no show, until one female arrived for a brief visit.

 The Treecreepers have been quieter though a ringed one visited the feeder on the 10th and another was back on the wall by the car park on Sunday 22nd, when Allan took this lovely shot.

 At home (Staplecross) in the early afternoon on the 22nd, two Red Kites passed overhead. On his way to work on the 26th, there was another Red Kite on the brow of the hill just up the road from the shop, heading off in the an easterly direction, later spotted perched in a tree off the Hawkhurst Road by a customer at around 11am. The 26th March also brought about a surprise visit from a drake Mandarin duck, landing in the tree overhanging the entrance to the car park.

In the afternoon, 5 visitors to the hide reported seeing a pair of Siskins in the Nature Area, though unfortunately the sighting wasn't confirmed by ourselves and we are still, as of yet this winter, to see any Siskins at Feathers.

At around half 8 in the evening, driving back past Footland Woods near Cripps Corner, a Tawny Owl was sat right in the middle of the road, only flying off when I was pretty close by.

At around 2 oclock on the 27th, I spotted another Red Kite in the same place as Allan had the day before, so presumably the same bird has been lingering in the area. There has been plenty of reports of Red Kites on the SOS sightings pages recently, with records of 6 nesting pairs on the downs in West Sussex. Perhaps a sign of things to come!

The Wren (or Wrens!) has been very showy in the Nature Area, often spending prolonged periods down by the rocks and logs next to our pond. They're great fun to watch but are a real challenge to photograph as they flit about.

We're not sure what stage the Kestrels are at in the Church or whether they will nest there at all, though they have been spotted on numerous occasions so we hope they choose to use it.