Grey Heron 2 Icklesham
Spoonbill 1 immature (not juv.) Icklesham 6.30pm - 7.30pm. First seen to fly from the upper valley towards the scrape as we walked to the hide. Then watched on the scrape for the next hour. Large, long spoon-shaped bill. Three quarters extending from base of upper mandible black with a large flesh-coloured spoon forming the tip. Underside of lower mandible appeared yellower being brighter towards the base. Black eye. Plumage virtually wholly white. Tertials covered primaries at rest with tail just projecting. White, sometimes appearing pale yellow, round loral spot. Long black legs being dark grey above knee. In flight wings primarily white with a few apparently irregular black feathers in the primaries and the effect of a very narrow black trailing edge to the primaries. Neck held outstretched in flight and legs projecting well beyond tail. Fed by wading in water with spoon submerged waving head from side to side with bill slightly open.
Canada Goose c.15 Icklesham
Teal 2 Icklesham
Tufted Duck c.5 Rye
Ruddy Duck c.5 Rye
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1
Peregrine c.3
Oystercatcher 1 Icklesham
Avocet 2 Icklesham
Little Ringed Plover c.8 Icklesham
Lapwing c.5 Icklesham
Dunlin c.6 Icklsham & Rye s/p
Green Sandpiper c.4 Icklesham
Common Sandpiper c.3 Icklesham & Rye
Greenshank c.4 Icklesham 2 Rye
Curlew 5 Rye
Ruff 1 Icklesham 1 adult male moulting into w/p with first grey centred scapulars visible
Black-headed Gull c.50 Icklesham & Rye
Mediterranean Gull 1 adult s/p Rye
Sandwich Tern c.300 Rye including some juvs
Common Tern c.25 Icklesham & Rye including black-billed individual at Rye
Roseate Tern 1 adult s/p Rye watched for around 30 minutes prior to dusk. First noticed flying amongst a mixed flock of Common and Sandwich Terns from the Parkes Hide where attention immediately drawn to it by virtue of its Common Tern size but very ‘white’ plumage recalling that of a Sandwich Tern. It soon landed on an island out of view at the far end of the Ternery Pool. Quickly walked to the main hide where joined by Paul Troake who quickly located it perched in full view on the near side of an island where it remained until we left shortly before dusk. Bill virtually entirely black with restricted dark red base to both mandibles. Complete black forehead, crown and nape. Underparts white with a hint of a pinkish suffusion to the breast. Legs longer than accompanying Common Terns and a noticeably brighter scarlet red. Grey metal rings on both legs. Upperwings pale grey. Primaries had pale grey centres with white inner fringes but darker grey on the outer webs. Outer tail feathers long and white extending well beyond the tips of the primaries.
Turtle Dove 1 Beachy heard calling and then seen in flight
Swift c.25 Beachy
Bee-Eater 1 adult c.9.35am - 11.15am watched perched and in flight favouring the taller trees on the north-eastern flank of Whitbread Hollow but also seen in flight over the mist-net sites occasionally joining parties of passage Sand Martins whilst in flight. Finally departed on its own very high to the west. Flight often consisted of a series of rapid wingbeats whilst often gaining height followed by long aerobatic often slow circular glides often returning to the same perch. At other times it would adopt a much faster flight with a Woodpecker-like undulating flight being a series of rapid wingbeats interspersed with holding its wings closed against its body. Seen to catch several bees and once a butterfly in flight, which it would return with to perch and proceed to strike them against the bare branches of the tree. Called several times in flight being a loud liquid bubbling ‘prrrt’ ‘prrrt’. Wings very pointed in flight with underwings appearing grey with contrasting black trailing edge to both the secondaries and primaries. Central tail feathers clearly projected beyond remainder of tail proving obvious in flight. Bill wholly black being long, quite deep based, slightly decurved and pointed. Black lores and ear coverts. Restricted pale blue forehead, rich chestnut-brown crown, nape and mantle. Pale yellow scapulars appeared completely unmarked. Pale lemon yellow throat with very narrow black lower border. Rest of underparts wholly turquoise-blue including the undertail coverts. Upperwing coverts chestnut contrasting whilst at rest with greenish-blue primaries. Upper surface of tail appeared a pale bluish.
Green Woodpecker 1 Beachy
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Beachy
Skylark c.3 Beachy
Sand Martin c.100 Beachy
Swallow c.15 Beachy
House Martin c.5 Beachy
Meadow Pipit c.5 Beachy
Pied Wagtail 2 Beachy
Wren 1 Beachy
Wheatear c.4 Rye
Stonechat c.2 Beachy
Whitethroat c.10 Beachy
Chiffchaff 1 Beachy
Jay c.2 Beachy
Rook c.80
Raven 3 in flight together Birling
Starling c.100 Beachy c.300 Rye
Reed Bunting 1 Icklesham
Corn Bunting c.2 Beachy still in song
