Purple Heron & Ring Ouzels

Monday 25th April

News of an adult Purple Heron found earlier in the day prompted a late afternoon detour to Charleston Reedbed in the Cuckmere Valley on the way to do a Nightingale survey near Horam. Purple Herons do have a habit of being elusive and hiding themselves away for hours on end only to emerge at dusk but this one was quite the opposite, posing nicely on the bank of a drainage ditch just to the north of the reedbed. Gradually it became more and more hidden before it got disturbed a couple of times by cows in the field and flew further north. By the time Gareth arrived, all that could be seen was its head and bill though fortunately for him it proved more cooperative after we'd left.

We then stopped at the Long Man of Wilmington from where there had been reports of up to 12 Ring Ouzels earlier in the day. This is the second year running that Ring Ouzels have been recorded at the Long Man in spring, suggesting that it may be a regular stopping off point on their migration north. At first there was no sign but just as we were about to call it a day, a party of 9 ouzels flew past with another (a smart male) perched on a bush at the top of the ridge high above us. Luckily it stayed there long enough for me to get the scope on it as did 5 of the original 9 which perched up in a dead ash tree further to the east.

No Nightingales however despite some promising looking habitat. 

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