Lisa G Saw • March 10, 2026

February 26

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS

Bob and I have visited West Rise Marsh a few times this month to look for Jack Snipe, but sadly without much success. We did see one, we think, on one visit, but it flew off before we set eyes on it. It's much the same with the Common Snipe, which as their name suggests, we see more of, but they're super skittish and fly off well before we're even close to where they're hiding, around the boggy wet marshes.

With so many wet, windy and dull days, plus the fact I still have to go to work, I was starting to wonder if my February Highlights would be virtually non existent, so I was content with photographing and observing a Heron, standing in the water. They can stand motionless for ages, and move very slowly, stealth-like through the water to new areas. Unfortunately, I was just moving into a new position, when it actually caught a fish. I missed capturing that moment when its head quickly and unexpectedly darted downwards and snatched its prey from the water. But, you can see the Heron in mid-gulp (first photo).

With the weather improving later in the day, we decided upon another visit to Eastbourne Pier just before sundown. I was blown away by the sheer volume of Starlings murmurating either side of the pier. It was just a shame they were staying fairly low in the sky and not bunching up close together, turning and changing direction rapidly, like we've sometimes seen.

As a result, I tried a different approach, and slowed down the shutter speed on my camera to try and create an image that really gives you a sense of the speed of their movement, as well as their volume. Numbers are usually much higher by February and March, so it's still a good time to watch this amazing spectacle.

There were limited opportunities to get out for a walk this month, and my camera had a bit of a rest. On the days we did manage to get out, I ended up taking my camera for a long walk, as it was even switched on. My Wildlife Highlights might have ended here, but thankfully, we had some wonderful garden visitors towards the end of the month - Long Tailed Tits. I love these birds. Bob, having bought some new bird feeders, put out some fat balls in one of the cages and it was only a matter of about 3 days before the Long Tailed Tits found them and have become fairly frequent visitors, much to our joy. I took some photos from indoors as it was raining - hence the poor light - but they were fun to watch for a little while. In the second photo, one of them stretched out their leg behind and then raised it over to its head and had a scratch.

One of the main problems for them, is that we seem to have a very feisty little Blue Tit, who is defending the bird feeders and chasing off the Long Tailed Tits. However, the Blue Tit went to roost before them, so they came in for a feed during the last of the daylight and made the most of it. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them. I've heard about how you can have a row of Long Tailed Tits all nestled in tight together on one branch. I think this is when the fledglings have left the nest but not off on their own yet. I would love to see that someday!

Right at the end of the month, Bob and I went away to Norfolk for a week's break to celebrate my birthday. We love visiting RSPB Minsmere whenever we have the opportunity, so we stopped there on our journey north and had a fabulous day. We saw plenty of little Muntjac Deer roaming the woodland, and this one was fairly close to the path, busy munching away at the ground. I'll post more about our day at Minsmere in another blog soon (with a link here).

On the last day of the month, I really enjoyed a trip to Horsey Beach in Norfolk. There were lots of Grey Seals hauled out on the beach as it's the moulting season. Each Seal has its own unique pattern on its fur, and even after it's moulted the same pattern remains on the next layer.

There will be plenty more to follow in a separate blog about this trip. This is just a little taster - a seal scratching its face.

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January 26

By Lisa G Saw • February 7, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS January can be a difficult month for many people. I don't usually suffer from the January Blues, but I did notice this year I felt a certain flatness. I think it was largely because there were days when Bob and I would go out for a walk and hardly see anything at all. Well, that is, anything out of the ordinary. There's no doubting it - I get a real lift when nature reveals its beauty to me in its many wonderful and surprising ways. But, it's been a good reminder that even the simple things can give great pleasure if we take the time to appreciate them. Sometimes, it's worth looking with more careful eyes and appreciating even the ordinary. The year actually was off to a great start, when the snow fell early on in the month. I love the snow! I'll leap at any opportunity I have to walk in it! Living close to the coast meant we didn't have any on our doorstep, but Ashdown Forest had a good covering and it wasn't too far away to visit. Even the car park looked lovely, with the sun shining through the wintry trees on this gorgeous sunny day. It might have been crisp and cold, but we were dressed for it and of course had some welcome hot drinks after our walk. The highlight of the day, aside from the snow, was having some brief glimpses of a couple of Crossbills at the top of the fir trees, though not as good as we'd had in December .

Starling Murmuration over Eastbourne Pier

December 25

By Lisa G Saw • January 15, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS This is the first post in a new series I'm starting in which I'll be sharing my wildlife highlights from each month, and some of my memorable experiences out in nature. Mostly, the focus is on my outings locally in Sussex, but sometimes Bob and I venture to nearby counties too. I hope you enjoy reading about my outings and seeing the photos. It's amazing what can be found on your doorstep when you look for it, or take the time to notice what might be right in front of you. I was going to start this series with January - you know: new year, new start, and all that - but, December turned out to be a great month for us. I had a bit more time off towards the end of the month, so I thought why not start with the highlights at the end of 2025. Bob and I spend a lot of time walking around the South Downs in East Sussex, as it's so close to home. We can literally walk from our front door and be surrounded by fields within minutes. We know we're very lucky to be in this position. Bob knows 'his patch' very well and I'm starting to appreciate the many gems to be found thoughout the year. On more than one occasion during the month we chose to walk along part of the Cuckmere River and photograph the Scandinavian Rock Pipits that were very ameanable! The best encounters were usually when I waited for them to come towards me. So, crouching down low, I'd patiently wait. I was very pleased with these first shots when the light was lovely and low.

Autumn in Scotland 2025

By Lisa G Saw • November 23, 2025

This autumn Bob and I returned to the Highands, two years after our last trip to the area. With his son Matt and fiancée Emily now living there, it was a great opportunity to see them, enjoy some wildlife watching and spend time out in nature. The weather forecast for our time away was less than ideal, but we were determined to make the most of our visit, even if that meant wearing waterproofs most days! We stayed in two different self-catered accommodation in the Aigas Valley near where Matt and Emily live, on the west side of Loch Ness. It was lovely staying somewhere new and very picturesque, especially during the autumn. The only downside about the holiday was that I managed to hurt my back the day before leaving. It was very frustrating, but I didn't want it to ruin the holiday, so I tried to focus more on enjoying the experience of where we were and not worrying too much about the photography. That being said, I did use my camera on the first morning as a little test. On that first day, and on two subsequent days, we explored Glen Affric. It looked beautiful with the autumn colours (top and below). On every visit, we stopped at Dog Falls, where the picturesque River Affric tumbles and cascades over the rocks. For a stretch, a path runs alongside it, providing us with plenty of opportunities to stop and look out for any Dippers. As luck would have it, I did spot one very early on. It flew across the river to the far side and proceeded to bob up and down, periodically diping its head into the water looking for food. It was wonderful to have some time watching it, and keeping up with it as it worked its way down river. But eventually, it flew off and we lost sight of it. Unfortunately, it was to be our only Dipper sighting the whole time we were in these parts and none of the photos were worth keeping.