25th February 2019 - Walking in West Sussex woodland near Horsham (2) and the Downs

I returned to the same patch of woodland near Horsham I visited last week and the weather was a glorious 12 degrees. Upon arrival it was clear that the birds were active with 5 Treecreepers and 2 Marsh Tits flitting around the wood. About 20 minutes had passed and I was sure I could hear some light drumming which turned out to be a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and it was only 100m away from me! I slowly encroached on where I thought it came from and luckily enough I picked up the bird in my binoculars but only very briefly before it flew deeper into the wood. I heard it call again twice but couldn't relocate it, much to my huge frustration. I probably got around 10 seconds worth of view which was better than nothing! Other birds seen on my visit included a single Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest and Song Thrush.

Later on that day in the late afternoon, I again visited the downs and had a fantastic view of a ringtail Hen Harrier which flew directly over my head. Also 3 Common Buzzards, a Kestrel, 3 Tawny Owls (heard only) and 3 Hares (my first in Sussex for a while).