Post by glenw on Jul 25, 2008 12:19:26 GMT
Our trip took us to 5 different sites around sussex and kent.
We started in Fairlight wood CC site near Hastings. The weather wasn't up to much so bird watching wasn't great. The site had nut feeders out and had regular visits from blue tits,great tits, chaffinches and the odd great spotted woodpecker. The neighbouring woods brought us chiffchaffs and green woodpeckers but were strangely quite.
We had a walk around fairlight country park, seeing linnets, whitethroat, bullfinches, kestrel and gulls but the weather was keeping most things hidden.
We moved then to Sheepcote valley CC site on the outskirts of Brighton. The site was busy and pretty devoid of wildlife, except rabbits by the hundred!! In brighton centre, we watched up to 5 peregrines, pressumably the family that nested on 1 of the tower blocks. They were easy to watch, 3 were sat on the burnt out pier and another 2 were busy patrolling the skies.
Whilst at the site we had a trip to pulborough brook rspb reserve. It was fairly quiet, had good views of little egrets, various ducks, a barr headed goose, green woodpeckers, black tailed godwits and a real close up with 2 deer,a mother and fawn, probably no more that 30 foot away.
next site, crowborough C&CC. had a drive to Ashdown forest and saw dartford warblers for the first time as well as hearing but not seeing nightjars(again a first). also a buzzard and several stonechats. didn't really see much around site but we didn't spend a great deal of time on site either!
On to canterbury C&CC. again not much to see on site but found the stodmarsh nature reserve not far away with plenty to see. Marsh harriers, reed warblers, sedge warblers, reed buntings, little egret, common tern, turtle dove, lapwings, various gulls and ducks and cormorants were seen, along with the common small garden birds and a couple of green woodpeckers.
final stop Folkestone C&CC site. here we saw kestrels and various gulls from the site, rock pipits, black redstarts and peregrines within 1/2 mile walk along the coast. on the final evening we were treated to 3 peregrines dive bombing a fox that had venture out, they were really giving it a hard time and i'm sure it was relieved when we stumbled across them and disturbed them!
All in all, some great birdwatching, we also saw various unusual wild flowers and butterflies, most of which we are still trying to identify!
We started in Fairlight wood CC site near Hastings. The weather wasn't up to much so bird watching wasn't great. The site had nut feeders out and had regular visits from blue tits,great tits, chaffinches and the odd great spotted woodpecker. The neighbouring woods brought us chiffchaffs and green woodpeckers but were strangely quite.
We had a walk around fairlight country park, seeing linnets, whitethroat, bullfinches, kestrel and gulls but the weather was keeping most things hidden.
We moved then to Sheepcote valley CC site on the outskirts of Brighton. The site was busy and pretty devoid of wildlife, except rabbits by the hundred!! In brighton centre, we watched up to 5 peregrines, pressumably the family that nested on 1 of the tower blocks. They were easy to watch, 3 were sat on the burnt out pier and another 2 were busy patrolling the skies.
Whilst at the site we had a trip to pulborough brook rspb reserve. It was fairly quiet, had good views of little egrets, various ducks, a barr headed goose, green woodpeckers, black tailed godwits and a real close up with 2 deer,a mother and fawn, probably no more that 30 foot away.
next site, crowborough C&CC. had a drive to Ashdown forest and saw dartford warblers for the first time as well as hearing but not seeing nightjars(again a first). also a buzzard and several stonechats. didn't really see much around site but we didn't spend a great deal of time on site either!
On to canterbury C&CC. again not much to see on site but found the stodmarsh nature reserve not far away with plenty to see. Marsh harriers, reed warblers, sedge warblers, reed buntings, little egret, common tern, turtle dove, lapwings, various gulls and ducks and cormorants were seen, along with the common small garden birds and a couple of green woodpeckers.
final stop Folkestone C&CC site. here we saw kestrels and various gulls from the site, rock pipits, black redstarts and peregrines within 1/2 mile walk along the coast. on the final evening we were treated to 3 peregrines dive bombing a fox that had venture out, they were really giving it a hard time and i'm sure it was relieved when we stumbled across them and disturbed them!
All in all, some great birdwatching, we also saw various unusual wild flowers and butterflies, most of which we are still trying to identify!
