Birding in a Heatwave (1 Viewer)

[Simon Jeffs]

Hi Folks,

Got a week off last week so tried to get out for some birding. Pretty hard with the sweltering weather! Ashdown Forest on Sunday 28th to look for woodcocks (which we saw) and nightjars, which we didn't (or hear). Stupidly hot until nightfall, sweating buckets and getting bitten by evil mozzies. Did see some Tree Pipits, though. Far too hot to do anything Mon-Wed, but escaped to Dungeness RSPB on Thursday as it was the only place that had a breeze! Actually, it was quite a heavy one and very few birds about! Nice to have the place to oursleves in the evening, though. Friday saw us at our first trip to Pagham. Again, very windy and a bit warm, but 45 species in a few hours can't be bad (including Avocets, Curlews, Dunlins and Little Egrets). Highlight was a trio of stoats frolicking across the creek near the roadside wader scrape! Did visit that very poncy pub in Sidlesham Ferry, the Crab and Lobster, feeling very out of place in combats, scopes and bins amongst all the local poshies dining on expensive seafood! Definitely go back in Autumn. On Saturday, I spent more time optimising my digiscoping at Pulborough RSPB, and waited up till 22.30 for the Nightjars. We heard them - magical (and a bit weird), but no views. Lots of bats of well. Zippo at Arlington on Sunday excpet a strange half-glimpsed bird that may have been a pied flycatcehr but very hard to tell.

So, shall I give up until the Autumn? I'm not the sort who can get up at dawn, so is there anywhere worth bothering with until then?

Cheers

Simon

 

[JeffMoh]

Hi, Simon.

It's probably been even hotter here in Texas - 35/40C every day since the start of June - but the birding has been okay. Our yards are as busy as usual, though many of the birds are panting a lot. One lunchtime last week I did a birding walk at the college campus where I work and saw quite a few birds. (See photos on my blog at www.jeffincypress.blogspot.com)

One advantage of our heatwave has been that it's killed off mosquitoes. In fact, it's been so hot that I haven't even seen any snakes lately; they're probably hiding out in brush piles etc.

So, if I were you, I'd just ignore the heat and bird as usual.

Jeff

 

[Simon Jeffs]

Hi Jeff,

Your Texan birds are probably used to it! 30 C and over is a rare event in Sussex, although you get a few days in London each year now at that temp. My college campus (Imperial College at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London) manages a few pidgeons and a duck or two on the canal! That's why I live in Sussex and commute to London!

Cheers

Simon

 

[joannec]

Hi Jeff,

My college campus (Imperial College at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London) manages a few pidgeons and a duck or two on the canal! That's why I live in Sussex and commute to London!

Cheers

Simon

LOL, my son went to Imperial and he told me a peregrine regularly caught and ate pigeons in the Beit Quadrangle at the South Ken campus! If it got too crowded with students he/she took the pigeon up to the roof to finish off its lunch!

Sounds like you are enjoying your Sussex birding.

Joanne

 

[Simon Jeffs]

Hi Joanne,

The Paddington Pigeons have mnore diverse tastes and most can nimbly grab leftover chips, kebabs, falafels or whatever other goody has been dumped in Praed Street between the flow of taxis and buses. They haven't taken to smoking Shisha yet, but give them time. There were peregrines on the chimneys of Battersea Power Station last year, but I think they've moved on now.

Right, that's the working week over. Back to the coast....

Simon