SS15 wildlife watching: Trip away from SS15

Saturday 14 May 2022

Trip away from SS15 – West Sussex (part 2)

On 13th May 2022, I visited the following site:

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was woken up at 3 a.m. by the song of 2 male Nightingales and in the following hour I also heard a calling male Tawny Owl, a calling male Cuckoo, a barking Red Fox and a barking Roe Deer, all then followed by the dawn chorus of many bird species and the “bill clapping” of a distant pair of White Storks.

After listening to the dawn chorus, I started another walk following one of the public access waymarked trails around Knepp Wildland.

It was a beautiful sunny morning with an abundance and diversity of wildlife and the amazing sound of bird calls and songs everywhere.

The highlights, amongst 45 species recorded during my second walk, were as follows (heard only records in italics): White Stork (2 at a nest plus 1 other), Turtle Dove (1 “purring” male), Nightingale (1 singing male and 1 other singing male heard), Cuckoo (1 calling male and 2 other calling males heard), Lesser Whitethroat (1 singing male), Common Whitethroat (4 singing males and 5 other singing males heard), Garden Warbler (1 singing male), Blackcap (2 singing males and 6 other singing males heard), Chiffchaff (1 singing male and 8 other singing males heard), Reed Warbler (2 singing males), Swallow (3), Yellowhammer (1 singing male), Skylark (1 singing male), Grey Wagtail (1), Mistle Thrush (6), Common Buzzard (1), Great Spotted Woodpecker (2 and 2 other birds heard calling), Stock Dove (1), Heron (3), Egyptian Goose (2), Greylag Goose (1), Canada Goose (2), Gadwall (2), Tufted Duck (1 male), Mallard (11), Coot (6), Rabbit (c.40), Fallow Deer (8)

Here are a couple of videos from the Kneppflix YouTube channel which give an impression of the wonderful Knepp Wildland.

After a walk of around 4 hours, I returned to the campsite, packed everything up, had a final look at the pair of White Storks nesting behind the farm buildings and then drove home.