Wildlife with Hugh

The weather forecast had not looked promising heading into Sunday’s guided birding trip at Farlington Marshes. As is often the case however it turned out nicer than predicted, and all of us managed to remain upright in the wind. This session was planned around the high spring tide that covered many of the regular roosting sites out in the harbour and moved more wading birds onto the reserve. Before we got onto the reserve we saw that a boat had come adrift, a casualty of the recent tempestuous weather, it was sat in the windward corner of the harbour channel. A load of flotsam had also been blown into this corner, within this flotsam sat 3 mallards; they seemed quite indifferent to the conditions.

The September Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) at Medmerry was fairly eventful. WeBS are performed once a month throughout the year, the data is submitted to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and gives an indication as to how our wetland birds are faring. (For more information visit https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/webs ).

Wrynecks are unique looking birds, a cryptically coloured woodpecker that has the habit of contorting its neck and pointing its head at strange angles.

Five people joined myself for a guided birdwatching walk at RSPB Medmerry on an early-September afternoon. Whilst gathering in the car park, signs of a bird-filled afternoon began. A bare tree and a hawthorn bush contained many small passerines, the most numerous of which were willow warblers. Amongst the willow warblers were a couple of chiffchaffs. An unusually obliging lesser whitethroat made an appearance, munching on the hawthorn berries. It’s larger cousin, the common whitethroat, was skulking just a few feet away. A robin and a blue tit were also occupying the same area and engaged in several chases with the travelling willow warblers. Still from the car park but in areas outside of the bare tree and the hawthorn, up to 40 yellow wagtails were flying to and fro around us. A common buzzard glided over the nearby hedge scattering the yellow wagtails. Many hirundines (sand and house martins, swallows) were feeding overhead. A kestrel was hovering in amongst them. A large g...