River Rother Bird Survey
As an angler you probably enjoy the birdlife that you observe during those occasional ‘quieter’ fishing moments. The Sussex Ornithological Society conduct a couple of brief surveys each year on several sections of the Rother including our Coultershaw stretch. These are only brief ‘snapshots’ but they reveal that we can boast over 60 species – no doubt other species can be observed at other times of year. The species identified in recent Surveys were……..
| Blackbird | Blackcap | Blue Tit | Bullfinch | Canada Goose |
| Carrion Crow | Chaffinch | Chiffcaff | Coal Tit | Collared Dove |
| Cormorant | Coot | Cuckoo | Dunnock | Willow Warbler |
| Gadwall | Robin | Goldcrest | Goldfinch | Great Spotted Woodpecker |
| Great Tit | Greenfinch | Mistle Thrush | Grey Heron | Greylag Goose |
| Grey Wagtail | House Martin | House Sparrow | Jay | Garden Warbler |
| Kingfisher | Lapwing | Kestrel | Linnet | Long-tailed Tit |
| Magpie | Mallard | Mandarin | Marsh Tit | Green Woodpecker |
| Moorhen | Mute Swan | Nightingale | Nuthatch | Lesser Spotted Woodpecker |
| Pied Wagtail | Redshank | Woodpigeon | Reed Bunting | Red-Legged Partridge |
| Rook | Sand Martin | Sedge Warbler | Shelduck | Shoveler |
| Skylark | Snipe | Song Thrush | Starling | Spotted Flycatcher |
| Stock Dove | Swallow | Swift | Teal | Treecreeper |
| Tufted Duck | Turtle Dove | Whitethroat | Pheasant | Fieldfare |
| Wren | Yellowhammer | Yellow Wagtail | Barn Owl | Little Egret |
| Jackdaw | Sparrowhawk | Buzzard | Merlin | Black Swan |
| Green Sandpiper | Egyptian Goose | Redwing | Red Kite |
How many of these have you spotted on your trips to the Rother, quite a few no doubt. The Barn Owl, Little Egret, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk were all added to the list by Members. The latest additions to this list are a Merlin spotted by Peter Springate at Shopham and more recently a Red Kite spotted at Coates Castle by keen birder Colin Bridger who has submitted several to the list. Please let us know if you see any other species ( with date and site ) and we will add them to our list. Contact the Webmaster using the link on the left.
Many of our Members are keen ornithologists, to read what we hope is the first of many articles submitted by one of our more knowledgable Members please click HERE.