Wintering bird surveys along the Adur
In the coming year, we will be working hard to collect a comprehensive set of data and information from across the Adur to help us understand what habitats and species are currently present in the landscape, ahead of any changes being made. Over the last few weeks, our ecologists have been undertaking wintering bird surveys all along the River Adur starting from the Knepp estate at the top of catchment, right down to Shoreham by Sea at the mouth of the river.
A frozen River Adur
In spite of the numerous winter storms, high floods and freezing temperatures, they have managed to so far walk a distance of 80 km recording over 77 different species. Notably they’ve spotted elusive species like the Jack Snipe and the Water Rail along with 22 amber-listed, and 17 red-listed, species of conservation concern.
Thermal image of a Jack Snipe
The surveys begun at sunrise and involved walking transects along the river embankments and field boundaries covering a diverse range of habitats across the floodplain. Large numbers of Common Snipe were spotted in the flooded fields and ditches, whilst thick, un-flailed hedgerows proved popular with Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, and Blackbird who were feasting on sloe, haw, and hip berry crops. Nearby fields with winter bird seed cover crops attracted large flocks of finches, including the red-listed Linnet and Yellowhammer, with one field boasting a record 350 linnets.
A frosty sunrise on the Adur
Despite the winter weather presenting challenges, frosty mornings have offered ideal photo opportunities (as well as frozen fingertips). The ecologists are now gearing up for the second round of surveys starting in February and we will wait to see if any new species are detected.
Photo credits: Tom Forward