The Sussex Serengeti

I've been reading the Birds of Sussex by the Sussex Ornithological Society over the last few weeks. It's a superb county avifauna and I'm reading it like a novel, cover to cover, as the introductory sections and the species accounts are pretty gripping and the format of atlas maps, incredibly high quality photographs and concise accounts with introductory anecedotes makes for an absorbing read. It covers records up to 2011 so it's also really interesting to see how things have changed in the last 14 years. 

I was particularly intrigued by the references to the Ramsar sites in the Arun Valley so today I left the Peninsula to explore Amberley Wildbrooks, a site I have never visited before and in the evening visited Arundel Wetland Centre for the harrier roost. 

Amberley was breath taking, the scale of the site is immense and the views from the South Downs over the flood plains covered in Fallow Deer, cattle, wetland birds, quartering Harriers and Kites and patrolling White-tailed Eagles encapsulates a vast wildness which, as the landlady of the Sportsman pub said, was like the Sussex Serengeti. I had 55 species of about 2500 individuals in about 3 hours HERE with highlights included the locally resident White-tailed Eagles, an adult Little Gull, large numbers of inland wintering Black-tailed Godwits and 3 Ruff in with the Lapwings. 

The pair of Hen Harriers came in to roost at Arundel and I also jammed into the female Goosander that has been around. HERE

Red Kites over Amberley (above and below)

Inland Black-tailed Godwits

Adult White-tailed Eagles 

Adult Little Gull at Amberley

Fallow Deer at Amberley

Views over Amberley from the Sportsman Pub (above) and over towards Amberley Castle (below)

Female Goosander at Arundel

Male Hen Harrier coming in at dusk at Arundel