The misery of strong westerly winds continue, but with the Cuckmere in fine fettle the winds are all forgotten. Today, I nailed my third patch tick in under two weeks with a sublime Hooded Crow(Water Pipit and Barn Owl being the ticks). Back in the 80's they were almost annual, but certainly in recent times it's somewhat of a mega for the patch, and still a rare bird to see in Sussex, despite the recent long-staying Pagham bird.
After yesterday's report on the SOS website, I was playing it cool and not expecting to find the Crow, with March birds always being brief encounters with presumably continental birds making landfall and continuing on their way. However, with plenty of Crows feeding on the flooded fields and finding lots of food, I was relieved to re-find the Hooded Crow late morning in a field just north of the A259. It later re-located to the SW side of the Cuckmere associating with the Gull flocks and the Glossy Ibis, that was also still present along the central hedge line. Three Mediterranean Gulls of all ages were also present among the many Black-headed and Common Gulls that are taking advantage of the floods.
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| Hooded Crow at Lower Cuckmere |
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| If going for these birds, take your wellies. |
