Plunging Peregrine at Fishbourne Channel, Guided Birdwatching Trip Report

Throughout November it has only been possible to run one to one guided sessions. On such an outing around Fishbourne Channel there was a great abundance of birds, and no shortage of avian drama.

As is typical at this location the variety and quantity of wading birds was a joy to see. One of the first to be seen was a spotted redshank roosting on the far side of the channel. It was fairly distant but the overall impression was noticeably different from the common redshanks nearby. Later on a spotted redshank was far closer and enabled fantastic views, particularly when it decided to helpfully stand next to the common redshanks for comparison!

The tide was receding throughout our stay, revealing the rich feeding grounds of intertidal mudflats. This meant that many wading birds were moving from their high tide roost sites, to their feeding grounds. The redshanks, grey plovers, curlews, oystercatchers and many more, were flying over the water giving us the opportunity to compare their distinctive features in flight. As the ground around the edges of the channel is the first bit to reappear from under the sea, the feeding waders were significantly closer to us than if the tide was completely out.

Upon hearing greenfinches in the bushes behind us we made our way towards the trees and hedges surrounding an arable field. The greenfinches were in a hawthorn tree happily feeding away on the berry crop. On the ground in the field were numerous pied wagtails jumping around and starlings probing in the mud.

All of a sudden a sparrowhawk burst into view from just overhead and successfully grabbed one of the starlings, pinning it to the ground. The hawk didn’t have a hold of the starling for long as a nearby carrion crow mobbed the hawk away. The starling bid a lucky escape, and the sparrowhawk went and sat low down in a nearby tree. This location did not grant a reprieve from the crow’s attention. Despite this the hawk sat there for an extended period of time, all the while being accosted by the crow.

Back alongside the channel a few flighty yellowhammers called and moved around restlessly, a lone reed bunting briefly perched up beautifully in a close bush for us to admire. Meadow pipits and rock pipits bounced and called overhead, only settling around the seclusion of the rough grass and saltmarsh. A delightful male stonechat appeared atop a bramble, and the female was close by in the rough grassland. A large number of wigeon and brent geese were in the area. Amongst them were smaller numbers of teal, pintail, gadwall and mallard. Several greenshanks too, as it is a favoured wintering area for them, and a large flock of black-tailed godwits.

View across Fishbourne Channel.

The godwits all took flight, indicating the presence of a predator, and slowly the other species starting showing signs of unease. Scanning through the birds a peregrine was found hurtling across the channel. It was most definitely in a hunting mood, for it rose and stooped attacking at great speed around four times, although so far it was unsuccessful. At one stage it was flying from right to left over the water through the melee of birds when it suddenly dropped down slightly, grabbed something, and plunged straight into the sea with it!

What an incredible sight, there was this peregrine floating on the surface of the water, head up, wings spread, and whatever it had caught grasped in its talons under the water. It sat there, akin to an osprey, for a short time before powerfully lifting itself, and its catch, out of the water and into the air. The unfortunate bird it had caught was a grey plover. The peregrine flew the plover over to the far bank. The grey plover fought back, but there was no getting away from this determined raptor.

Two carrion crows quickly caught sight of the action and decided to get involved. They flushed the peregrine off its prey but there was no chance it was giving up. The peregrine chased away the two intruders and settled back down on the plover. Finally the peregrine decided it best to fly its meal off somewhere, presumably to a more peaceful spot!

Both at the start and near the end of the session a kingfisher was seen hovering for an impressive length of time. Whether it was the same individual I am not sure, however on each occasion they alternated between sitting on the mud, and hovering over the water. In the absence of a suitable perch this is a tactic often employed by kingfishers. While near the waters edge there may be a wide choice of perches, over the intertidal mud there may be no more than a choice buoy and a few lumps and bumps.

The unseasonably mild conditions continued on this day, and we enjoyed a lovely sunny morning. In total 52 species were noted on the trip, indicating the great variety of birds that can be seen at this location. If you are interested in attending a guided birdwatching session such as this one, the upcoming events can be seen on the ‘Events’ page of this website. Or to stand the best chance of a space being available, you can get the information emailed to you prior to its publication online by joining my mailing list. To do so simply email me at baggaleyhugh@gmail.com

- Hugh Baggaley