Cooling Marshes, Kent, 7th December 2014

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Terns, Gulls and er, skip sandwiches: South Coast Special

Pett Levels, Rye Harbour and surrounds: 21-23 May 2011




This weekend had been planned for a while but since I bought my first car last week, it provided a good opportunity to stretch its legs. Birdwatching was not a particular aim for the trip but since my companion remarked "you're always birding!" it's perhaps no surprise that a large amount of time was spent doing just this. We stayed on a farm near Hastings with rolling countryside, meandering rivers and the coast all just a stone's throw away. With bright, breezy weather all weekend, visiting tea rooms was never going to be on the cards. It was an ace trip, here are some of the birding highlights: 

First stop on Saturday afternoon was Winchelsea Beach and it was just a matter of seconds before we were enjoying the sight of Sandwich Terns feeding in the shallows. We watched dozens of them poised in mid air, facing into the strong onshore winds with sleek, arched wings, before plummeting head first into the water and the shoals washed towards shore. The odd Common Tern drifted among them and the strong South Westerlies bought in a steady stream of cormorants off the sea as well as a raptor (falcon sp.) which we were unable to identify in time.

The adjacent, low-lying Pett Levels provided respite from the wind and an enjoyable walk across the grazed floodplain. Climbing a high cliff on the other side not only brought great views of the landscape but also of a passing Mediterranean Gull (its full dark hood, red bill/legs and pale wing colouration seperating it from a Black-headed Gull)  and a Peregrine which stared down at us as it passed overhead. From our vantage point we spotted a large pool nearby with hides and headed for it. It turned out to hold a superb selection of birds including Avocet, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit (the majority of which in rather muted breeding plummage and therefore not yet fully mature), Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. The latter was subject of discussion but confidently ID'd by my friend who knows her ''sands!' It was a first for me and also my 120th British Isles species of the year (the modest target I set in January).


Sandwich Tern, Winchelsea Beach, 21/5/11

Little Egrets over Pett Levels

View of Pett Levels, East Sussex

Sunday was quieter but a visit to the stunning Rye Harbour Nature Reserve was well worth it to see Little Terns and numerous other birds braving the gale-force winds. Although little attention is paid to Black-headed gulls, the presence of hundreds of nesting birds here was an impressive site. It was hard to ignore the feverish activity of parent and chick, the noise and uh...distinctive smell, of the colony. The vast tracts of shingle beach and pools give the reserve unique ecological importance but also a fairly surreal quality, it's definitley worth a visit.

Birding highlights weren't confined to the daytime however. Back on the farm, the wonderful calls of Tawny Owls could be he heard echoing across the countryside throughout the night. It was lucky to catch a glimpse of one against the sky, silenty gliding high overhead but it was even better to spot a tawny chick in a nearby tree after a tip-off from our hosts. Can't wait for the the next road trip.

Fancy visiting the area? Check out Freshwinds Camping - lovely folk, yurt recommended.
Redshank in the reeds, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, 22/5/11


Tawny Owl chick, woodland nr Pett Village, 22/5/11


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