Egret East Grinstead Local Group

Transcription

1 Egret East Grinstead Local Group Newsletter No 59 January 2018 Hi All, Busby rspb images I know we all say this every year, but where did that twelve months go? It felt like twelve weeks! I will start by wishing you all a very Happy New Year, and well done to all those of you who have managed to get out already and start their year list I hope you didn t get too wet! There can only be one place to start this report and that is with the annual quiz and social evening. Once again our sub-committee, led by Kathy, did a fantastic job - what an excellent night. The quiz was slightly shorter than last year but was still very exciting and, once again, the winning team was led by Jonathon Ross - well done to Jonathon and his team. What can you say about the food? It was all delicious and there was plenty of it - I've only just finished my doggy bags. Now on to the serious stuff: our membership is slightly down on last year so we need to chase up a few slow payers to encourage them to re-join and also to try and get a few more new members. If you know of any one, try a little persuasion or give me their phone number and I will have a chat with them. We still have a very interesting Indoor and Outdoor programme for the coming year to complete and I would like to inform the group of two very exciting things that we are arranging for this year in particular. Firstly, as this is the East Grinstead Local Group s 20th anniversary since it was re-formed, we will be celebrating this by booking a special speaker. Stop press: I can now tell you that the speaker booked is none other than Simon Barnes - well done Lesley for engaging him. As he may well attract a larger crowd, this meeting will be held in the larger hall next door to our usual venue overleaf and it will be on a Tuesday night, on October 30, the last Tuesday of that month. We will also be arranging a few other things at the same time, so watch this space. Secondly, I am trying to arrange a group outdoor trip to stay in the Elan Valley in Wales and am currently sorting out the cost of this for a group of ten to twelve people, possibly in May. I will let group members have more details as soon as I have them. Once again I would like to wish you all a very, very Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you all soon, Shaun Taylor, Group Leader Visit rspb.org.uk/groups/egrinstead/events/ The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no , Scotland no. SC

2 Indoor Meetings DATES FOR YOUR DIARY The Indoor Meetings are mostly held in the Main Hall at East Court, but on 28 March 2018* the meeting will be held in the Old Court House. The talks start at 8 pm - please arrive around 7.45pm to ensure that everyone has a chance to settle down before the talk begins. The charge for members is 4, non-members January 31 - Guyana the last true wilderness? - Mike Russell February 28 - Birds Beyond the Boughs March 28 - The Children s Eternal Forest: Central American Wildlife Reserve (N.B. change of venue as above at *) - Simon Ginnaw - Michael Leach April 25 - The RSPB Species Recovery Programme - Hannah Ward May 30 - Streaky and Proud - larks, pipits and wagtails - David Darrell-Lambert Outdoor Meetings see the back page for details of the next few Outdoor Meetings. Getting Egret to members: As before, by request, members can collect a paper copy of Egret at the meetings above. If you haven t renewed your membership this year, then you won t be able to request this, but you can still see the newsletter on our website: Do volunteer to deliver a paper copy to any nearby absent member as this will save postage costs and leave more in the kitty to go towards other items, including our contribution towards RSPB projects in progress. Many thanks in anticipation, and thanks to those members who have signed up for Egret by . Please inform Chris, our website editor, if you wish to be added to the group. Empty Skies - Memories of summer from a birder in Wales, thanks to Kathy s brother-in-law It s looking very quiet this weekend in contrast to last weekend, when activity was pretty frenetic especially with the martins and swallows. My remaining young swift fledged last Sunday; it's strange - all the youngsters from my front twin box fledged at dusk this year and previous years, whereas they have all fledged in the mornings from my back box. I had the perfect view this year - the last out was a singleton and had grown much bigger than one of the adults but had waited 42 days exactly. Last Sunday there was a large mixed party of martins and swallows high above the house with the swift adult pair feeding with them. The swift pair then started calling first from high then dropping down much lower above the house but still calling madly. I looked up at the box and the youngster appeared at the entrance and launched itself into the air flying absolutely perfectly up to the awaiting adults who were circling above the house. They stayed above the house for around five minutes and it was impossible to tell the adults from the youngster as they were all flying so well, chasing with aerial acrobatics. A great end to a good swift year: the last adult swifts left on Tuesday together with most of the swallows and martins in the area which I think is quite early for the hirundines - I've got one house martin still with young but only had a couple nesting this year. Tony Clark writing his blog for swifts local network in West Wales August 2017 Editor s note: swift numbers generally are falling - by 47% between making them an amber-listed species 2

3 Reports of Recent Outdoor Group Meetings Oare Marshes and Harty Ferry Sunday 06 August 2017 A few of us arrived early to enjoy the sunshine at low tide. With little wind it was surprising there were no sightings of bearded reedling feeding on the abundant seed heads in the perfect conditions. The soft purring of a turtle dove revealed its location south of the West Flood. Raptors were underway early and a succession of three little egrets Langman rspb images flying over appeared golden in the sun. The East Flood was heaving with roosting waders which we expected to be busy feeding out on the exposed Swale and creek margins. With a good turn-out, our group headed to the sea wall to scan the West Flood. After Shaun announced a special prize to the finder of a turtle dove, Elizabeth quickly located one on a pole not far from where it had been earlier. Sedge and reed warblers gave good views and a greenshank started off the wader count. Photo Sue Dennis With a continuous stream of quality sightings, the walk around the East Flood took all morning. Although ping calls were heard throughout, the bearded reedlings remained elusive with just a few brief flights observed. Notable sightings at the north end of the marsh included a small party of ruff with three adults and a juvenile, a water rail feeding a chick and a hobby fly over. Also, a very large emperor moth caterpillar, identified by its bright orange spiracles rimmed in black, was found on the side of the sea wall path. On the rising tide the number of waders roosting on the East Flood did increase, resulting in around 800 to 1,000 black tailed godwit and 300 avocet by high tide at lunch time. Waders on the East Flood at Oare are generally very tolerant of cars and people along the access road which was particularly busy on this fine day. A single juvenile little ringed plover was helpfully feeding with around ten ringed plovers for all to compare; likewise an adult little stint within the feeding dunlin flock. These were all very close to the roadside providing excellent views of the identification features. On the way back to the car park, the excited calls of sandpipers prompted group members to investigate, revealing three green sandpipers in a West Flood channel. A relaxed lunch was taken viewing the Swale at high tide from the sea wall. Given that most of the waders were roosting and not feeding at the earlier low tide, we wanted to see if the freshly exposed mud would prove inviting to the roost. While waiting for the tide to recede, five whimbrel flew across from Sheppey helpfully calling to assist identification. The gunwale of a smart red painted fishing boat provided a roost for five turnstone which stared back at us across the Swale. In the event, the majority of the waders on the East Flood decided to continue resting in the warm sun. However the draining mud was soon covered with black-headed gulls. One was noticed walking with a distinct military march, however close study revealed that this was not the Bonaparte's gull that had been reported. Black-headed gulls were spread out all along the exposed mud but the Bonaparte's was nowhere to be found. Quite a few of the group travelled on to Harty to the raptor watch point on Sheppey. On the way Capel Fleet was found to be packed with some 250 coot and 16 mute swan accompanied by 200 greylag geese along the banks. At Mocketts Farm, two buzzards, two marsh harriers and two great black-backed gulls were active around the harvesting farm vehicles. A buzzard came out of the circling dust with a large Photo Patrick Jackson 3

4 rabbit in its talons. At the raptor point three buzzards, six marsh harriers and three kestrel were picked out of the heat haze. An impressive flock of over 200 linnets stayed around, together with six goldfinches, five greenfinches and four corn bunting on the wires. Red-legged partridges showed well at the watch point and near Capel Fleet. Mark & Elizabeth Young Sandwich Bay Ringing Station Saturday 16 September 2017 photo report Several Egret members visited the ringing station and observed the stirling work undertaken there. Pagham Harbour - Sunday 22 October 2017 photos Kathy Blythe A large group congregated in the main car park on a cool and blustery day, but luckily the rain of the previous day had abated. Initial ticks for the day included blue tit and great tit on the feeders, pheasant below, and siskins drinking from a puddle. The day started with a walk past the discovery area towards the ferry channel. No sooner had we set off than a stoat decided to run about the pond and path giving us all a great view. Powell rspb images A walk along the ferry channel towards the north wall produced many birds including a family of long-tailed tits, a Cetti's warbler and some curlew, however after some consultation of a bird song app the curlew quickly became whimbrel. As we headed back to the car park, we also saw butterflies and dragonflies catching the last few days of a waning summer. Once back the car park, it was into the cars and off to Church Norton for the seaward end of Pagham harbour and a potential firecrest in the church yard - it never did show. On the walk down to the foreshore red-legged partridge were spotted in the fields, but the real highlight was the spoonbill,clearly seen in the main channel swiping its bill from side to side feeding on invertebrates. Several house martins and swallows were also observed getting ready for the journey across the channel and on to sunnier climes. After an uneventful trip to the beach to check on the birds out at sea, which consisted entirely of three hardy great crested grebes, it was back to the cars and the main Pagham car park for a spot of lunch. Following lunch, numbers had dwindled to about 10 who were making the trip to the north wall on the eastern side of the reserve. A splinter group had departed to try Busby rspb images Butterflies at Church Norton photo Sue Dennis and find a flock of hawfinch in the Arundel area. The walk along the north wall started with a stonechat, kingfisher, and little grebe before we had even got to the wall itself. As the tide was high, the main focus was on the reed beds and fields to the north of the wall with lovely views of a reed bunting, Egyptian goose and bar tailed godwits being some of the highlights. Linsey Gooding 4

5 RSPB Pulborough Brooks and The Burgh Saturday 25 November 2017 Another great turn-out for our November visit to RSPB Pulborough Brooks. On a crisp, cold, autumnal day, 17 members were rewarded with an interesting trip, with over 50 species seen. The highlights are itemised below: Two peregrines were seen from the Winpenny hide. It is not often we see two together. What made it more unusual was that they were on the ground rather than perched on a tree or a post. Winter thrushes were very much in evidence as you would expect at this time of year. We enjoyed splendid views of redwing and fieldfare throughout our visit. Waders were thin on the ground and we had to satisfy ourselves with a dozen or so black-tailed godwits, a few snipe, a redshank, a dunlin and a single ruff. Incredibly we saw three swallows flying over the water on the brooks. They should have been long gone overseas. At least four pintails brought us great delight and complemented the wigeon, teal, mallard and shoveler. Pick of the passerines were bullfinch, siskin, stonechat, greenfinch, long-tailed tit, goldcrest, nuthatch and redpoll. A couple of buzzards and a kestrel were seen but we were out of luck with red kite. A very satisfying morning! Powell rspb images rspb images A planned trip to the Burgh in the afternoon was cancelled (nowhere to park). Several groups were visiting the area and most seemed to be following a plan similar to ours - the RSPB reserve in the morning and the Duke of Norfolk's Estate in the afternoon. Mark and Elizabeth found a way round the problem and their report is shown below as a way of demonstrating what we missed. Bob Hastings Mark and Elizabeth walked up from North Stoke: this proved to be a blessing since on the way up the track we encountered a large flock of several hundred fieldfare with small numbers of redwing. The hedgerows the Norfolk Estate has planted to support the Peppering Partridge Project were heavily laden with haws and sloes and the flock was busy feeding and chattering. Further up the track we enjoyed a spectacular view of two peregrines flying directly over us at close range and calling. Then a yellowhammer flying over dropped into the hedge right next to us. The bright yellow stood out against the contrast of the red haw berries. When we reached The Burgh we enjoyed the circular walk with bright sunshine prevailing. Unusually there were no hares about for this visit. Busby RSPB images In the valley below the South Downs looking towards Downs Farm, four red kites were hunting and playing, sometimes very close to our vantage point above them. The sun really picked out their colours and markings and it was difficult to leave them. As we went round buzzards were never far away. We estimate around twelve in all. Best of all were the close views and calls of grey partridge encountered at almost every turn. At one stage a small group decided to walk ahead of us along the track. Pheasants were numerous along with a few red-legged partridge. Small parties of skylarks were flying to and fro calling. We returned to North Stoke with the setting sun providing an orange glow across the whole horizon reflecting our spirits after this Langman rspb images memorable walk. Mark & Elizabeth Young F 5

6 RSPB Dungeness and Lade Gravel Pits - Sunday 10 December 2017 The strong winds and flooded roads had a devastating effect on numbers for our December outing to RSPB Dungeness. Some stayed home, others had to turn back on the dangerous roads. Only Mark and Elizabeth, Michael and I were able to get through. The weather at Dungeness was initially wet and very windy but it slowly started to clear, becoming dry by late morning. Dungeness is a bountiful habitat for wildlife and, despite the inclement weather, we were rewarded with an excellent day's birding, a species count of 50 and some very interesting birds. The strategy at first was to observe birds on Burrowes from the shelter of the hides along from the visitor centre. We moved gradually from Dennis hide through to Denge Marsh hide, calling at each of the other hides in turn. Having retraced our steps to the warmth and comfort of the visitor centre we then enjoyed a most welcome lunch. Luckily, the staff were serving complimentary mulled wine which, under the circumstances, was most appreciated. Perhaps the biggest spectacle was provided by the 200+ shovelers that congregated at the far end of Burrowes and were seen from Scott hide. This had to be the largest gathering of these birds any of us has ever experienced. What made them stand out Powell rspb images from the 100+ teal, 100+ tufted ducks, 100+ pochard and cormorants was their fabulous plumage which showed so well in the prevailing light conditions. Two kingfishers were seen, one from the visitor centre just after we registered, and another, giving a more prolonged sighting, from Scott Hide. Two female goldeneye gave us a real treat as they drifted past Makepeace hide. There were 20+ pintail around with some stunning males. The star item however had to be the three great white egrets that were scattered around the pit opposite Denge Marsh hide. After lunch, we moved across the road to the ARC pit, stopping off at the cottage to get our customary view of the famous Dungeness tree sparrows at the feeders. A snipe and yet another great white egret were the highlights of this visit. We finished the day at Lade Gravel Pits where we soon saw a fabulous Slavonian grebe at the far side of the water. Mark also spotted the long-tailed duck in the same area and we enjoyed a good, if brief, view of this bird before it disappeared behind some reeds. A close drake goldeneye looked immaculate in the fading light. Also seen was a single wigeon - the only one all day! By the time we moved to the sea it was getting very dark with a high tide and we drew a blank in our search for the waders that had eluded us all day. Busby rspb images An exciting day battling against the elements but well worth the effort! Bob Hastings STOP PRESS: Local murmuration of starlings! One of nature s greatest sights, hundreds or even thousands of starlings swoop in formation in the evening light. It s assumed that grouping together offers safety in numbers predators such as peregrine falcons find it hard to target one bird in the middle of a hypnotising flock, and the birds may also gather to keep warm at night and to exchange information. They meet up over their roosting site and perform their wheeling stunts before they settle for the night. Several RSPB reserves and areas such as the Somerset Levels and Brighton pier are well known for their autumn murmurations, beginning usually in November, but did you know that we have a murmuration site right on our doorstep? Hedgecourt Lake, in Felbridge, just outside East Grinstead has reedbeds at one edge, and the murmuration over this area is well worth a visit. Aim to be there from about pm in December, January. Photo of the lake and article Sue Dennis 6

7 Website: groupwww.rspb.org.uk/groups/eastgrinstead East Grinstead and District Wildlife Explorers and Family early 2018 Programme Brilliant Bird Watching January - The Big Garden Bird Watch Saturday 27th January pm Briars Lodge Field Centre Visit Broadwater Warren in May Saturday 12th May to 3.30pm Meet in car park 1.30pm Tracks, signs and Poo February Saturday 10th February pm Briars Lodge Field Centre Marvellous Meadows June - Exploring a meadow Saturday 16th June pm Briars Lodge Field Centre WEX News in brief WEX received a great report from their inspection by the RSPB last May, getting much credit for all their efforts. The inspector s comments were very positive: Thank you so much for including me in your session last weekend. It was lovely to see the young people engaging with nature and the work of the RSPB. All of the leaders had a lovely calm manner with the young people and both the children and the parents particularly valued your enthusiasm which was infectious. The young people were encouraged to explore and discover and were clearly learning and having fun throughout the session and even their parents were too. Future plans include updating the website for The Briars, putting in a supply of electricity to Briar s Lodge Barn, clearing the ditch ponds, pre-planning the composition of the children s group, reestablishing bird boxes with possible time lapse cameras to monitor wildlife and last but not least ensuring that Hidden Objects and Pond Dipping activities are included. WEX Bug House As planned, building bug houses went ahead and there are now three luxurious and extensive residences at The Briars for all creatures of a buggy nature, and, as above, pond dipping was scheduled again and went down well. The group has now begun following the RSPB Wild Challenges Awards and numbers have increased to an average of 16 children per meeting. Edited extracts and photo from Lisa Green s Report (Education, Families and Youth Manager WEX) and extracts from Activities Report by Hilary Rowberry 7

8 OUTINGS FOR THE EAST GRINSTEAD RSPB LOCAL GROUP 2018 Please contact Shaun Taylor on hours beforehand to confirm your attendance, and also if you need a lift; this avoids disappointment if the event is cancelled without you knowing. Please check the website for notification of any changes to events. For all full day field trips bring a packed lunch unless you prefer to make use of cafés where available. Sunday 21 January 2018 SHELLNESS (SWALE NR) & HARTY FERRY Meet at Car Park, Shellness Road at Grid Ref. TR Multiple coastal species; hen harrier and short eared owls known. No facilities at the car park itself, but café and toilets can be found nearby in the town. Saturday 24 February 2018 RYE HARBOUR Meet in the Reserve Car Park at Grid Ref. TQ Coastal birds, sometimes in large numbers, and inland lagoons. No café, but small village shop near the car park. Sunday 25 March 2018 ACRES DOWN & BLASHFORD LAKES Meet in the Reserve Car Park at Grid Ref. SU Woodland species and wildfowl in Hampshire, and do look out for free roaming ponies and possibly others with four legs. No café at Blashford, but toilets are located in the education block. Sunday 29 April 2018 FINGRINGHOE WICK & ABBERTON RESERVOIR Meet in the RSPB Reserve Car Park at Grid Ref. TM Expect species for grassland, heathland, lakes and ponds; recent reserve expansion and creation of a nationally important intertidal area. Visitor Centre, café and toilets. TBA May 2018 COACH OUTING RSPB MINSMERE Watch this space for details booking will be needed for this trip. Details of further trips in 2018 will be in the next editions. Committee: Hon. President: Nick Walker Group Leader: Shaun Taylor Treasurer: Bob Hastings Indoor Meetings: Lesley Berry Membership: Maureen Caulkett Newsletter: Sue Shropshire Website: Chris Griffin Pin Badges and Refreshments: Terris Bacon Publicity: Mark Roberts Minutes Secretary and Sales: Susan Dennis Outdoor Meetings: Shaun Taylor Wildlife Explorers: Hilary Rowberry The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no , Scotland no. SC