Wildstarts

08/09/2024

Photo blog of our day out with Pratibha on Friday -- watching Hobbies hunting migrating Red Admirals crossing The Swale was a cool behaviour! https://www.wildstarts.com/post/tern-arrivals-and-stint-find

28/08/2024

It's that time of year when fine days with a gentle breeze offer the chance of migrating Honey Buzzards! This pale-morph juvenile migrated over Hastings this morning.

22/08/2024

Last week we also caught up with Lois and James for a few hours in the lower Cuckmere — it delivered with waders and migrant songbirds! https://www.wildstarts.com//post/cuckmere-birding

19/08/2024

It was fun birding with young birder Chester and his family last week, tracking down Dartford Warbler and Bearded Reedling by lunchtime!

13/07/2024

As is the norm for ducks, female Shovelers alone guide their ducklings (shovelings?) through their first weeks. Gadwall and Tufted Ducks also have young in tow at the moment, giving a cuteness boost to wetland birding 😍

12/07/2024

Our only summer-visiting duck, the Garganey, swam wonderfully close during a fruitful few hours with Stuart from Jersey this afternoon

13/05/2024

Time for a photo roundup from a busy spring so far! Captions and more photos here: https://wildstarts.com/post/a-bird-filled-spring-so-far

08/03/2024

Welcoming Susy Dixon-Jones to the team! Susy has an incredible knowledge of wildlife and is passionate about connecting people from all backgrounds with nature. We're looking forward to exploring plenty of new ideas with her!

07/03/2024

This wintering Water Pipit has been putting on a great show for visitors at Pulborough Brooks in recent weeks, at times coming very close to Winpenny and West Mead hides.

It’s unusual for this species to be so showy, especially at Pulborough, but the extent of flooding on the reserve this winter has pushed it to the edges of the flood water.

27/02/2024

Picked out among a small flock of Lesser Redpolls, this frosty, white-rumped northern version is a Mealy Redpoll. They are currently regarded as different species but that's up for debate! Either way, they're a treat to find while winter's still here

24/02/2024

Around 25 Crossbills feeding larches in the High Weald this morning, with encounters with Goshawk, Hawfinch and Firecrest making for a rewarding woodland walk!

11/01/2024

Our thermal imager helps us spot extra elusive species when out in the field. Here's a Jack Snipe lurking near Hastings today...

24/12/2023

Start your 2024 year list with any of our Sussex or London area day tours, planned for your pace. Weekday bookings are £10 cheaper! Check out private tour options at https://www.wildstarts.com/birding-tours

23/12/2023

Awesome encounters with Sparrowhawk and Peregrine on this morning's Sussex Guided Bird Walk for Hector and Nigel | Read more:
https://www.wildstarts.com/post/rye-raptor-encounters

19/12/2023

A Buzzard making the most of a rare sunny day in West Sussex recently.

Buzzards have become such a common sight now it’s easy to overlook them, but it wasn’t so long ago that seeing one would have been a very rare occurrence in this part of the world.

08/12/2023

The winter tour season kicked off in style with an exciting trip with Laura from Oklahoma — read more: https://wildstarts.com/post/a-perfect-winter-birding-trip

07/12/2023

Female/immature Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers are similar at first glance. We spotted the two species side-by-side and thought we'd share some ID tips!

26/11/2023

Two House Martins and a Swallow, all juveniles, were leisurely feeding around the castle in Hastings this morning, while Christmas shoppers were out in town. Not sure we've ever seen these species this late before

21/11/2023

A skulking Great Egret at Waltham Brooks last week, taking advantage of the bounty of food washed up by the recent flooding.

09/11/2023

Here's a photo round-up with just a few of our most exciting moments from a busy autumn leading bird tours around Sussex and out of London
https://www.wildstarts.com/post/autumn-bird-tours-photo-round-up

Looking for an experience-based Christmas gift for a wildlife-lover? Our popular vouchers are available at https://www.wildstarts.com/product-page/birding-tour-voucher

t's been a very busy season for our Sussex and London tours so instead of writing them up for the journal individually, why not have a look back at some of the overall highlights? We've met some awesome people from across the UK and overseas over the last few weeks and it has been a priviledge to sh...

06/11/2023

Two of our favourite images from a short tour of Rye on a wet and windy day last week -- Curlew in flight and autumn Goldfinches doing what they do best

16/10/2023

Another *INSANE* moment yesterday! Literally seconds after I'd told Mark from LA that Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is scarce, and near-impossible to find outside of spring, this female called loudly by the path then landed in a tree in front of us. Apparently in the States, they call this 'manifesting' a bird! We've never had one on an autumn tour before.

14/10/2023

Sometimes we miss the target bird but go home with something even better... There were no Ring Ouzels on today's 3hr private tour HOWEVER... we did find the first Olive-backed Pipit in Sussex for 20 years! Duncan and Alice were delighted 😊 https://www.wildstarts.com/post/olive-backed-pipit

26/09/2023

A Wheatear with a tasty grasshopper snack on the South Downs recently, refuelling before the next leg of its long journey south.

24/09/2023

An Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) enjoying the flowers of its namesake plant in West Sussex today.

This delightful little bee is one of around 250 solitary bee species found in the UK, and is spreading northwards after only being recorded for the first time here around 20 years ago.

Its whole life cycle is timed around the flowering period of Ivy.