EASTBOURNE 2025
16th January - Hampden Park - West Rise - Sovereign Harbour
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The GREAT EGRET was in Hampden Park again this morning roosting with 3 LITTLE EGRETS, and the WATER RAIL was on fine form also. A bit later Pete arrived in Eastbourne, making a rare visit, so we decided on a birding tour to West Rise and then the nearby Sovereign Harbour. The harbour was pretty devoid of birds as usual but a real surprise was this visibly very slightly injured (or tired?) KITTIWAKE which flopped down in front of us as soon as we arrived. After a minute or so it flew off, reassuringly strongly, to perch on a distant wall.
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The earlier stop at West Rise had been very good indeed: on arrival we made a cursory scan for the recent BITTERN which, incredibly, was visible there again in exactly the same patch of reeds, perched half-way up and stretching its neck to have a good look around. There were fairly good numbers of bathing gulls (which included two CASPIANS) and Pete's much-wanted WATER PIPIT perched up briefly on a post.
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14th January - West Rise Marsh
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​This was the scene early doors - just a few gulls out on the ice (with an ARGENTATUS in the middle), and ducks and geese huddled into a small patch of water. Many more gulls came in over the next couple of hours, including at least 2 CASPIANS. It was frustrating not to be able to read the leg ring on a distant GREAT BLACK BACKED.
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The sun came out mid-morning and almost all the
ice had melted by the time I made a second brief
visit in the afternoon. Good job I went back there
actually as I bumped into Darren at Fisherman's
Point who had just moments before spotted a rare
BITTERN in the reeds - a patch tick!!
The bird eventually showed itself again and was
quite easy to see with the naked eye for a good 5
minutes or so as it clambered up a reed stem.
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13th January - West Rise Marsh
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Another cold morning - large parts of the lake were
frozen over which squeezed large numbers of gulls
and ducks into a fairly small area. Numbers of
SHOVELAR seemed particularly high (about 150)
and there were more GADWALL about as well.
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The GOOSANDER was seen again briefly and the
BRENT GOOSE was in with the flock of CANADAS.
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The nervous gulls were constantly exploding up
in a large flock and swirling around before settling
again. Among them were at least 2 CASPIAN
GULLS, one of which landed obligingly on the ice
next to a MEDITERRANEAN GULL.
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There were probably more than 2 ARGENTATUS
herrings out there as well.
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12th January - Hampden Park
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Another freezing cold, sunny winter day. I got to the park just before dawn to find the GREAT EGRET still roosting in the frosty trees in the close company of 2 LITTLE EGRETS - really glad to get a record-shot at last of the big fella! I heard recently that the WATER RAIL which wintered two years ago was now back again, and I got lucky on my 2nd look from the footbridge over its favourite bit of stream.
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Well over a hundred BLACK-HEADED GULLS were standing on the ice and I found this one sporting a silver ring numbered TRR4 - never seen this one before, and it was presumably ringed in the Netherlands along with its friend EVP7 (which I haven't seen for a couple of weeks).
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9th January - West Rise Marsh
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The BRENT GOOSE was there again this morning and it was a nice surprise to see the recent GOOSANDER still hanging around as well. It was with other ducks on the main lake early morning and I think it must have spent the night there. It promptly flew off, though, and pitched down in the sewer nearby - visibly it spends most of its day paddling up and down these narrow channels and away from open water (hence the very few sightings).
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A pair of GOLDEN PLOVER flew over and I managed to sneak up close to one of 4 WATER PIPITS. Two of these were in amongst a bunch of passerines feeding avidly on the flooded spiky grassland: PIED WAGTAILS, MEADOW PIPITS, a STONECHAT and, surprisingly, a single CHIFFCHAFF.
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7 January - Hampden Park & West Rise Marsh
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I was at the park early doors, well before daylight, in the hope of seeing the CATTLE EGRET again, which was found roosting with the other egrets last Friday. Alas it was not to be - just 3 LITTLE EGRETS were there, slowly waking up and doing some stretches.
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On then to West Rise which was quiet, the highlight being our friend the BRENT GOOSE, back again and munching away amongst 50 CANADA GEESE in the Sheep Field.
2nd January - West Rise Marsh
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When I arrived this morning I realised my camera battery was
flat, so I had to use a mobile phone to get this amazing BRENT
GOOSE, a real rarity here, which was idly swimming about on the
flooded marshy area bordering the Sevenoaks Road.
Other than this, though, it was an unspectacular start to the new
year - just a couple of WATER PIPITS, one or two SNIPE and just
a handful of HERRING GULLS on the rather empty-looking lake.
