We may have long nights and short cold days at the moment, but we really can still find joy in wildlife!
Last Monday I went in search of nesting fulmar along the undercliff between Brighton Marina and Rottingdean. They are also found above West Beach, Newhaven. The first clue was a strange ticking noise as I was walking along. When I looked up at the chalky cliffs I soon spotted one of the birds up on a ledge. Soon it was joined by a mate, and they started up a strange head bobbing bonding duet.
Fulmar look like gulls but are actually part of the petrel family, which also includes the albatross! They have a distinctive eye liner ring, a “tubenose” and hold themselves stiffly erect in flight when not performing clifftop aerobatics.
The fulmar are earlier than most birds to start nesting but plenty of other species will start to follow.
There are some other bird spectacles that are best to watch in winter, so it’s worth wrapping up warm and trying to see them. Starlings form huge murmurations which reach a peak during January and February. The huge flocks of birds are best viewed from Eastbourne or Brighton Pier as the sun sets, before they settle down to roost.
The harbour arm in Newhaven is a great place to spot purple sandpipers and turnstones. Wetland areas such as Cuckmere Haven also fill up with huge flocks of overwintering migrant birds. Do take a walk down there.
Even in the town centre you can hear flocks of noisy birds such as sparrows. Birds and old nests and cavities are far easier to spot in the bare branches of winter!
Next weekend is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Do get involved if you can. If you don’t have a garden you can do this in a local green space instead.
As the night arrives so early these days, why not head for a dark spot with binoculars and check out the stars? Seven Sisters Country Park have a Dark Skies Festival in February which is worth checking out!
While you are out in the dark, do keep your ears open for the barks and calls of foxes which are particularly noisy during their mating season. You might even hear an owl or the calls of birds on migration.
If you would like some help spotting wildlife why not join SNHS on their new programme of ‘Wonderful Wildlife of Seaford’ walks. Or just take a walk on the seafront and enjoy a coffee at one of the cafes so you can keep an eye on the sea. You might even spot one of the humpback whales that has been spotted recently!
Dinah says one of her winter tasks will be clearing out ponds in her garden and at Seaford Primary School. There may not be much joy in wading through freezing water but she will enjoy simply warming up with a hot drink afterwards, dreaming of the dragonflies and frogs that will appear later in the year.
Or if you really can’t face going out, why not celebrate wildlife at home. Try some art, go through your photos from the summer, or watch Winterwatch! The Hope and Anger singing group were recently practicing a lovely song about how we are getting two more minutes of sunlight every day. That really is the way the world gets a little brighter!
Above all find some joy. Spring is on its way!
Judy (Seaford Action for Nature)
