Having missed a chance last month to see an Aquatic Warbler at Landguard in Suffolk, I was keen to make the trip to West Sussex this morning. Unfortunately, I had an early morning job to do, so we decided to wait on positive news before travelling.
Having completed the job, I checked the bird news service. There had already been two positive reports of the bird's continued presence.
That was good enough for us and after meeting up with Brian we set off around 8.45am. After a smooth and trouble-free journey, we parked up along the High Street, Upper Beeding at 10.30am. We took the footpath along the east side of the River Adur for 900m until we joined a group of thirty other birders standing on the grass bank looking at a Hawthorn bush. The bird had not been seen since 10am. The last sighting of the bird had been within the Hawthorn bush, so we began scanning the bush. There was no sign of the bird for an hour until two local dog walkers walked past the bush. The bird flew low and left before flying behind the bush and briefly onto the footpath. It didn't stay long and soon headed off into the fenced-off field and further away along the fence line.
It soon flew back across the path and dived down into thick cover below the footpath where it remained hidden for the next hour. Suddenly it took flight heading back towards the Hawthorn bush. It landed in a dead Hogweed and began working its way towards the top, giving some stunning views.
We managed several flight views after this as it flew back and forth along the thick grass. It then crossed the river and allowed several views as it perched among the tall waterside grasses.
While waiting for the warbler to reveal itself, Brian picked out a Spotted Flycatcher in a distant tree and I also had sightings of two Kingfishers, two yellow Wagtails, a yellowhammer, and a Raven.
 |
| Aquatic Warbler |
 |
| The Hawthorn bush and grass it was seen in |
 |
| Waiting for the warbler to reappear |
No comments:
Post a Comment