Ashdown Forest

With its wonderful landscape and range of habitats, the Forest is a great place for birds and bird-watching!  The Ashdown Forest Bird Group collects records and undertakes surveys, for example those co-ordinated by the BTO.

Here is a rough guide to the special species you can see and where.

The main habitats on Ashdown Forest are:

1. Open lowland heath, consisting of several species of heather and gorse.
2. Open areas of grassland, heather or gorse, some with bogs     interspersed with single trees or clumps of trees, particularly Scots pines.
3. Scrub areas on the boundary between woodland and heath/grassland, consisting of birch, alder or willow near streams.
4. Woodland of various ages.

1. Open lowland heath, consisting of several species of heather and gorse
   
The most extensive areas are:
a) west of the A22 west of the Old Airstrip (accessed from Long car park)

b) south of the Nutley – Duddleswell road (accessed from Stonehill and Hollies car parks)

c) north of the Nutley – Duddleswell road (accessed from Ellison’s Pond, Smugglers and Roman Road car parks)

All year resident species

Stonechat – up to ca. 110 pairs.  In areas of heather or tussocky grass either interspersed with gorse bushes or sapling pines or adjacent to gorse thickets; partially migratory; seen March to October – a few over-winter here.

Meadow Pipit - large numbers breeding.  In areas of short grass and blanket heather; winters here in extensive heather areas, particularly south of Stonehill and Hollies car parks, below Smugglers and south of Long car parks.  Records of large roosts (and of other species) would be welcome.

Dartford Warbler – up to ca 90 pairs.  In summer in areas with blanket heather and a few gorse bushes, sapling pines etc. for song posts; in winter favours gorse thickets for feeding/shelter.  Favoured areas include either side of the Old Airstrip accessed from Long car park, and south of Hollies car park towards Airman’s Grave.


Summer only

Skylark – up to ca 100 territories, in areas of heather or short grass.

Linnet – in extensive areas of gorse, quite common.

Yellowhammer – up to ca 40 territories altogether (see also under 2), localised to areas with gorse thickets adjacent to open grassy areas.

Cuckoo – in open areas especially mid April–mid June (parasitises Meadow Pipit especially).

Winter only

Hen Harrier – rare; a few birds each winter from October/November to March, roost in areas of blanket heather, feeding mainly outside the Forest.

2. Open areas of grassland, heather or gorse, with some bogs, interspersed with single trees or clumps of trees, particularly Scots pine.

All year resident species

Lesser redpoll – roosts in gorse thickets and active around pine clumps, especially around the Old Airstrip accessed from Long car park.
        
Goldcrest – feeding in gorse thickets, also in Scots pines.

Summer only

Woodlark – up to ca 30 pairs, widely distributed across the Forest.  Present on from February to September.  Best located by diagnostic song of male in flight February to June (French nickname “Lulu” refers to its song).  Feeds on short grass and requires a few scattered trees as song posts.

Tree pipit – up to ca. 50 pairs, present from April to August; migrates in September.  Favours open areas with taller ground cover than woodlark – e.g. taller heather and longer grass, interspersed with a few tall trees, e.g. Scots pines, for song posts.

Nightjar – about 50 churring males were found on the Forest in a special survey in 2004.  Present May to August, migrating to Africa in September.  Crepuscular and nocturnal.  Best heard from 20 minutes after sunset, May to July, from most car parks.  Males churr over areas of blanket heather and gorse interspersed with trees for song posts (or woodland edges).

Common redstart – up to about 35 pairs, present April to early September.  Unlike in upland areas (e.g. Wales, Dartmoor, Lake District, Yorkshire) here it breeds not in woods, but in isolated Scots pines, in clumps of pines or mature old trees at woodland edges bordering heath and low vegetation; reliant for breeding on holes, e.g. those excavated by great spotted woodpecker.  Bred under eave of a building at the Forest Centre in 2007.  The Old Lodge Nature Reserve has the highest concentration of any public access land.


Spotted flycatcher – late summer visitor, mid May to August, migrating to Africa.  Found in clumps of mixed deciduous/coniferous trees with clearings, or at woodland edge where it sallies forth for insects.  In cold weather feeds high up in tree canopy; in warm weather catches large insects nearer ground.  Uncommon/rare now on the Forest.

Snipe – rare (probably only one pair), may be resident.  Seen and heard in summer drumming from sedge bogs in isolated valleys, and seen in autumn at isolated pools.
   
Hobby – summer visitor, April to September.  Favours pine clumps with adjacent farmland for feeding.  Mainly seen around the Old Lodge Nature Reserve (managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust).

Woodcock – resident.  Quite common and widely distributed.  Roosts in woods  with damp leaf cover etc.  Best seen April to July around sunset when males undertake ‘roding’ display flight skirting woodland edges.

Yellowhammer – also found in summer in this habitat provided there are stands of dense tall gorse close to open areas of long grass.

Spring and autumn

Wheatear – occurs on passage in small numbers in March/April (nominate race) and May (Greenland sub-species) and again mainly in August – prefers a mosaic of short grass and nearby gorse bushes.

Whinchat – also occurs in small numbers on passage in April/May and again in August and early September; in areas with gorse bushes and either long grass or heather.

Common crossbill – erratic and unpredictable visitor in varying numbers following irruptions - feeds in Scots pines, normally in small flocks.

Winter

Great grey shrike – one or two individuals most winters, often in Wrens Warren valley.  May cease to visit if global warming improves Scandinavian winters.


3. Scrub areas especially on the boundary between woodland and heath/grassland

All year resident species

Reed bunting – resident breeder, localised to boggy areas where willow or gorse scrub is close to wet areas, especially near valley streams – quite widespread.  Winter roots of up to ca 250 birds have occurred.

Summer visitor
Turtle dove – uncommon and localised.  Arrives from Africa in May and leaves by late August.  Sometimes males sing from exposed tall trees in clearings or woodland edges; requires dense cover/bushes for breeding at least 5 metres deep.  Several pairs around Chelwood Gate in summer.  Shy.

Winter visitors

Siskin - erratic visitor, often in large flocks in autumn and especially in March on passage; searches for seeding alder or silver birch, hence found near streams/edge of woodland.

Lesser redpoll – flocks also visit seeding alder and silver birch in same areas as siskins.

4. Woodland of various ages (typically a mix of oak birch and sweet chestnut, but often with Scots pine

All year resident species

Stock dove – in mature woods, especially beech, e.g. around 500 Acre Rough/Wood.

Marsh tit – in old mature woods, e.g. in oak and sweet chestnut around Braeberry Ponds (best looked for in January – March, when singing and bolder – explosive call at other times “pitcheu”).

Tawny owl – best looked for in October - January after sunset when much hooting and calling to establish territories.

Bullfinch – mainly on edges of woodlands and along clearings; often in pairs; healthy population around Chelwood Gate in exotic vegetation.
        
Sparrowhawk – over woodland and on woodland edges.

Occasional visitor
Common buzzard – seen increasingly in the last few years, especially around perimeters of Forest and adjacent farmland with woods, e.g. Chelwood Vachery/Chelwood Gate.

Summer visitor
Firecrest – in very small numbers in mixed woodland with evergreens or conifers (outnumbered by Goldcrests by over 1000 to1!).

Lost in the past

Wood warbler – Until recently bred in the Forest in areas of beech woodland with little ground cover/understorey and with an altitude of > 140 metres, e.g. Tabell Ghyll.  Is it a victim of climate change needing higher altitudes for its insect prey in woodland?

Curlew - last bred in the 1980s although there continue to be the occasional tantalising records in summer.

The future

The future could see the arrival of red kite as a resident, and regular breeding of firecrest due to effects of global warming – e.g. in exotic conifers in Chelwood Vachery.  Also regular overshooting red footed falcon, hoopoe and black kite in early summers? Ravens are being sighted more and more on the Forest in winter - will they return as a breeding species after a gap of more than a century? 



Picture Credits
Dartford Warbler - Hugh Clark
 

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