Trip reports

Field Meeting at Cuckmere Haven

Friday, 17 October 2008

A superb, warm, sunny day with the usual good company and lunch overlooking the white chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters: no rare migrants and just 35 species, but hey- life's good!
We started with Kingfishers near the Country Park car park (was this worth the newly increased
parking charge) and had good close views of Rooks before crossing to the other side of the river.
Small parties of Swallows and House Martins were over the river; Stonechats on the scrub; and Rock
Pipits at their usual spot by the river mouth. For some, a Merlin came down the valley - fast, low and
direct, it was gone in an instant.
There were large numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with flocks of over a hundred on some
fields; and on the grazing meadows Wigeon and Curlew, Grey Heron and Little Egret, with a flock of
40+ Goldfinch feeding on thistle heads. A couple of Brent Geese completed the day.
Nick Barlow