Sussex Ornithology
@sussexornitholo.bsky.social
The SOS has grown to become one of the largest county bird clubs in the UK, with a membership of over 2000. Registered charity No 256936 #sussexbirds
Big news for wetland birds! 🐦 Planning permission has been granted to the @nationaltrust.org.uk for the proposed restoration at Chyngton Brooks, which will return 42 hectares in the lower Cuckmere Valley to saltmarsh and mudflat. Learn more: tinyurl.com/4pkx9ppp 📸 Gary Faulkner - Dunlin
Delighted to find a Stone Curlew this morning in a local field whilst looking for Whinchat. Serious heat haze this morning but cooler this evening when the bird was more active and came closer.
There were still at least 2 well camouflaged Common Tern chicks at #RyeHarbourNR at the weekend but within a month or so they will have departed to winter off the African coast. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #sussexbirding
Peninsula update: July total 138 equalling the monthly record set in 2024 (10 above average) Year list now at 204 which is one below last year's record; three additions this month being Ring-necked Parakeet, Goshawk & Honey Buzzard
Male Kingfisher on the famous perch at Warnham LNR. Spent half an hour on the post concluding with a dramatic capture of this newt. @bbcspringwatch.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #kingfisher #birds #warnham
75 Hawfinches left roosts at Monkton, West Sussex, over two hours from sunrise this morning, a record summer count for Sussex. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
Castle Water area this morning: 5 Spoonbill, 3 species of egret, 2 Wood, 2 Green and 3 Common Sandpiper, 3 Little Ringed Plover, Little Owl etc. #UKwildlife #UKbirds @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social
Glossy Ibis in the egret roost at Pagham Hbr North Wall this evening
Reports from Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex suggest a good breeding season for Hawfinches. A trailcam in the Arundel area 1-23 July detected them daily, with up to nine in photos and up to five juveniles. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social
Part of East Guldeford Level: frustrating, as usual, with blocked paths & distant hedgerow birds. Bare min nos: 22 Tree Sparrow, with 6+ juv on Barn Farm, 5 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Corn Bunting, 4 Yellowhammer, 1 Hobby, 1 Marsh Harrier, 15 Little & 4 Cattle Egret. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #UKbirds
The next month is a great time to scan over mature mixed woodland in Sussex looking for birds of prey such as Goshawks, Honey-buzzards and Hobbies. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
Phoenicurus phoenicurus - encouraging evidence for confirmed breeding of Common Redstart at #OldLodgeNR with quite a number of Common Redstart fledglings to be found at the weekend. Recorded in only 81 Sx tetrads. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #sussexbirding #ukbirding
Rye Harbour NR - 3 Black Tern (2 Long Pit, 1 Salt Pool), 2 Little Gull (Long Pit), 1 Spoonbill, 15 Common and 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Greenshank, 4 Little Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Hobby, Sand Martins east plus all breeding birds etc @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social #UKwildlife
One of at least four white morph male Honey-buzzards in Sussex this year. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
The Friends of RHNR are organising a Rye Harbour Photo Competition. Please pass it on 🙂 ryeharbourfriends.net/2026/06/rye-...
A very successful morning with 30+ new birds caught yesterday on the #AshdownForest site, almost all juveniles. Including this young Chaffinch, a species rarely caught here.
9 joined me for the @sussexornitholo.bsky.social outing to #RyeHarbourNR on 11/7/26. My morning’s list had 47 species incl: Avocet; Common, Little & Sandwich Tern; Common Sandpiper; Curlew; Greenshank; Grey Plover; Little Egret; Peregrine; Redshank; Sand Martin @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
After a 20 year wait, an LSW finally appears whilst I'm raptor watching, flying <2m above a grassy field for 150m and landing briefly on a willow sapling. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @lesserspotnet.bsky.social
Sussex Tawny Owls Bounce Back After Devastating 2025 Season. Read the fantastic report by the Sussex Barn Owl Group here 👉🏼 tinyurl.com/av6rptps 📸Nigel Morley #sussexbirds #UkBirding
We hope that you were excited at seeing a Honey-buzzard chick in the live-streamed nest. The chick hatched on 23 June in the morning and has since been fed with wasp larvae and pieces of frog. 🐣 Read all about it here; tinyurl.com/4rwdbvtb #ukbirding #sussexbirds
Sussex is hosting the first ever live stream of UK Honey-buzzards on the nest. 🐝 More than 20 pairs of 'HB' now breed in Sussex, but they're elusive! Well done Ashdown Forest @sussexornitholo.bsky.social and partners for this breakthrough.
Honey-buzzard live cam | The Conservators of Ashdown Forest
We are beginning work on a new 10-year management plan to deliver our three strategic aims. We would like everyone to be involved.
ashdownforest.org
County House Martin survey. There is still time to help out on the Sussex House Martin survey. For those interested in birding with a purpose, to understand the trends of these white-rumped hirundines please do consider signing up for an available square(s). tinyurl.com/4ud9fsn5 📸G Faulkner
A chance encounter with ITV and Ash Walmsley of the Ashdown Conservators.... and Honey-buzzards....on the Forest today. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @sussexornitholo.bsky.social www.itv.com/watch/news/h...
itv.com
Birding doldrums? Now is prime time to spend a bit of time at a tern colony on the coast - lots of activity as parents are very busy feeding young. Such a delight to watch these Little Terns at Pagham Harbour recently, where they seem to doing quite well.🤞 @sussexornitholo.bsky.social #UKBirding
Better news was 20 Hawfinches in early morning at Sherwood Rough, Arundel, including a flock of 15 adults and recently fledged juveniles. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
15 joined me for the @sussexornitholo.bsky.social walk at #OldLodgeNR on 13/6 with target birds incl: Cuckoo; Redstart; Spotted Flycatcher; Stonechat: Tree Pipit; Willow Warbler; Whitethroat; Woodlark (30 species in total). @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
We are really excited to be hosting the Honey-buzzard live stream on our new website. As seen on Springwatch 2026. tinyurl.com/42ubayu8 The Society part-funded this work, which should contribute much to our understanding of the species’ breeding ecology in Sussex. Thanks to all partners.
Honey-buzzards - The Sussex Ornithological Society
Honey-buzzards have been studied and surveyed in Sussex since the early 1990s, with many chicks ringed at the nest as part of a wider project in Britain.
tinyurl.com
Exciting stuff !! We are delighted to be a part of this project with partners; Friends of Ashdown Forest, @wildlifewindows.bsky.social and The Ashdown Forest Foundation. The nest camera will be live streamed on WW, YouTube channel + partners websites, including ours, from Friday 12th June 0400.
@wildlifewindows.bsky.social · 2mo agoSpringwatch are featuring a LIVE Honey-buzzard nest camera we installed for Sussex Ornithological Society and the Conservators of Ashdown Forest (10th June 8pm). This is/will be a UK first! The nest camera will be live streamed on WW YouTube channel (+ partners websites) from Friday 12th June 0400.
Please do submit any nesting house martin records via BirdTrack, with breeding evidence and number of occupied nests. @sussexornitholo.bsky.social have a county wide study this year. If you want to visit a known site in Sussex some are still available request here soshousemartins.birdsurvey.org.uk
