Colin Holter

Tree Sparrows

Female Brambling

Female Brambling

Tree Sparrow

Trip to Sussex/Kent border in the week, out on the marsh; pleased to come across a nice mixed flock containing lovely Tree Sparrows, & this surprise female Brambling. Not too often I see either species, watched from car as they fed on ground & often flew up into adj. bushes.
#ukbirding #nature

Pleased to see this utterly delightful but quite distant ad. Little Gull over the floods on Henfield Levels this morning (thanks to AR for posting). It seemed to be quite successfully flycatching fairly high above the floodwater + 9 singing Chiffchaffs heard on my walk...spring!
#ukbirding

Pintail migrating east up channel past East Worthing this morning.

Ducks on the move off East Worthing this morning; Pintail 187E, Shoveler 36E, Teal 2E, C.Scoter 23E+8W, Duck sp. 28E, Brent 5E + RTD 9E & GND 1E. Small movement of Med.Gulls too (13E).
Can't wait for full on spring sea-watching to get going!
#ukbirding #seabirds @sussexornitholo.bsky.social

Truleigh & Newtimber hills from Steyning Roundhill.

Steyning & Adur floods from Steyning Roundhill.

Brown Hare, South Downs nr. Steyning.

Corn Bunting on South Downs above Steyning.

Doing my final Sussex Winter Birds Survey visit on the downs near home yesterday on a rare sunny day - so lucky to still have good numbers of Corn Buntings up there + I often see Brown Hares too. Later down in the scarp woodlands; very vocal Marsh Tits, Firecrest + a few winter thrushes still.

The current preponderance of wet & gloomy days have been enlivened by appearances of a Marsh Tit in the garden. There's a decent population of them half a mile away in woods at the foot of the north scarp of the downs, but they are very sedentary & we don't often see one at home.
#ukbirding

Goldcrest finding tiny insects under bramble leaves yesterday. They undertake long migrations to escape winter & have been tracked taking around 8h to cross the North Sea, & this in a bird that weighs 4.5-7g, about the same as a single grape. Amazing!
Think on this next time you see one!
#ukbirding

A new species for me, the Killdeer at Ripley yesterday was always distant & the light wasn't great, but the scope views were much better than my pics!
Seen & enjoyed by a great many people, thank you so much to the finders.
#ukbirding

No sign from the Rackham viewpoint this morning I'm afraid.🙁

A cold & icy day trip out east earlier this week saw me watching a large group of at least 23 Bearded Tits busily feeding just after sunrise at Pett Level. Later this Bittern was warming itself in the sunshine at Dunge (ARC) + c100 White-fronted geese & 30+ Bewick's Swans. 🙂
#ukbirding

A male Kestrel hovering in the harsh sunlight of an extremely clear & frosty morning on the top of the South Downs a mile or two from home this week...the wings & tail move but the head always stays stock still, with eyes focussed on the frozen ground below...
#ukbirding

This female Blackcap has been regularly feeding on ivy berries & provided apples & currants in the garden lately + this beautiful Song Thrush has taken a liking to the same food - I wonder if it's him that wakes us up with his lovely clarion song early mornings?
Happy New Year to all❄️
#ukbirding

7 or 8 White-fronts & a single Bean Goose on Henfield Levels floods this morning. Always distant, a Peregrine strafing the fields put them all up & onto the floods, but the Bean was wilder & always a bit aloof from the hordes of Canada & Greylag geese.
Thanks to @wwres.bsky.social for his sightings.

That's great, thanks Alastair.

Whereabouts were you viewing from Alasdair?

I parked in the car park by Pagham Co-op & walked along Lagoon Rd (opposite) to the lagoon, less than 10 mins, the BNG was favouring the W end next to the harbour. Good luck.

Lovely views of this Black-necked Grebe at Pagham Lagoon yesterday in the sunshine. That makes all 5 native grebe species in Sussex for me this year, think that may be the first time I've managed that in my home county.🙂
@selseybirder.bsky.social #ukbirding

Disappearance of conservation project white-tailed eagles probed Police are investigating the disappearance of three white-tailed eagles across the country.

Shocking 'disappearance' of not one but three White-tailed Eagles, including a Sussex-born chick.
Illegal persecution still happening.
@sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
@forestryengland.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I always think there's something irrepressible about Starlings - just such a shame that there aren't as many about as there used to be...
#ukbirding

Finally beginning to see a few more winter thrushes down here in Sussex, like this lovely Fieldfare, making the most of the abundant berry crop this year. Amongst the best sights & sounds of the winter countryside for me.
#ukbirding

Snipe at Pulborough Brooks yesterday. There are 4 in the last photo.
#ukbirding #sussexbirding #birds

Some of the estimated 400+ Black-tailed Godwits at Pulborough Brooks on yet another damp, grey morning. I got up to 350 when they all took off, so certainly at least 400. Love the sound of them all chattering to each other.
#ukbirding
#birds
#sussexbirding

Back at Southwick canal today the Red-necked Grebe was always frustratingly distant, spending more time under than on top of the water. These heavily cropped record shots were the best I could manage. No sign of y'days GND, but incidental sightings of Kingfisher & 2 Peregrines too.
#ukbirding

Late this afternoon I went in search of the Red-necked Grebe that's been on the Southwick canal, I only saw it very distantly, but this Gt.Northern Diver fishing close by was some compensation. It was such a gloomy grey afternoon these almost look like intentionally monochrome pics...
#ukbirding

Absolutely Stuart, it really was quite dark in the woods at the foot of the downs, but that tiny bird stood out like a beacon!

Firecrest on one of my Sussex Winter Bird Survey squares today - the 6th year out of 8 I've recorded them on this square, they like ivy covered trees. We also currently have up to 3 Blackcaps eating ivy berries in our garden hedge - ivy is such a valuable plant...
@sussexornitholo.bsky.social

I've been doing quite well for close views of seabirds lately...yesterday 1st.w Black Guillemot at Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne. 8y since the last one at the same location, & that one stayed all winter - hopefully this one will do the likewise!
As ever thanks to the finder. #seabirds #ukbirding

At least 8 Purple Sandpipers on a very grey afternoon at Skateraw on our recent trip to East Lothian.
@birdinglothian.bsky.social
#BirdingScotland

While watching the sea ducks off Musselburgh sea wall last week these 12 Whooper Swans (incl.4 imms) appeared on the Forth, gradually drifting west and giving a pretty memorable, if distant, view of them in front of the Edinburgh skyline.
#BirdingScotland
@birdinglothian.bsky.social

It was an absolute joy to spend a long time watching good numbers of Long-tailed Ducks along the East Lothian coast last week.
The drakes chasing each other around & even calling too. So different to the occasional very distant bird off the Sussex coast at home!🙂
#birdinglothian
#birdingscotland

At least a dozen lovely Twite on a rather breezy & chilly seawall at Musselburgh last week - not a species I encounter too often back home in Sussex...(in fact just once or twice in 40y I think!)
#birdinglothian
#birdingscotland