24 April 2009

A beautiful evening, although the wind was starting to get up ahead of the showers that arrived overnight.
A bike-ride around Firle just before dusk failed to glean any Nightingales or Turtle Doves, but there was a group of around 20 Swallows down by the decoy pond (along with a large heron chick, on the [...]

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Glynde Reach

In an entirely predictable but still very annoying turn of events, the appearance of the shrike at Glynde appears to have coincided neatly with the only week in the last year that I’ve spent out of Sussex.
But a walk along the Reach today was worth it anyway. The water was frozen, and the landscape surrounding [...]

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Safari Britain, 19 July

The wind kept the first part of the Safari Britain walk virtually birdless, but it livened up later on.
First up was our reliable Wren, just up from the campsite. Invisible Woodpigeons called from the treetops and a few anonymous birds (possibly Nuthatches and Blue Tits) called indistinctively but refused to show themselves.
Out on the escarpment, [...]

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Cuilfail

Finally made it up Chapel Lane in Lewes, which climbs over the Cuilfail Tunnel onto Caburn. It’s an amazing spot. You look down over the river, the railway land and the town, giving you the chance to see birds of prey from above, and Little Egrets following the Ouse.
Yesterday, on a warm morning in [...]

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The first Whitethroat’s alright

An early walk today, inspired by the fine weather (and an early-rising child, who attended happily in the backpack).
Finally, a Whitethroat, singing from wires over the Firle Bostal road just south of the village. We get so used to them (dare I admit, fed up with them?) before the summer’s out, but the first ones [...]

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Fresh hirundines

Spring incontestably in the air now. At least three Blackcaps singing between the Ram and the entrance to Firle Park this morning, with Skylarks in full voice along the A27.
At Glynde Station, my first Swallow of the year was sharing airspace with a couple of freshly arrived House Martins, and then from the train there [...]

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Blackap, Siskin, Little Owl

A weird weather day. It looked still and dry just after dawn, so I went up to Firle Plantation to listen for songbirds; but by the time I’d arrived an icy wind had blown up, accompanied by rain.
Nevertheless, my first Firle Blackcap of the year was singing there, and on the track back down to [...]

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