Birling Gap

I wrote this back in April, but did not get round to posting it. Birling Gap is on the Sussex Coast and is a low point in the cliffs seperating the Seven Sisters to the west from Beachy Head to the east.

On our previous visits to Birling Gap we have walked and sat on a substantial shingle bank at the foot of the cliffs.  This had a steep profile and a level top extending back to the base of the cliffs.  This must have protected  the base of the cliffs from wave action and considerably reduced the rate of erosion.  We were dismayed on this visit to see that much of the shingle had been washed away and only a thin shallow strip remained at the base of the cliff (see Photos).  The loss of shingle exposed chalk and sand on the beach and large pieces of rubble which, presumably have come from the collapsed buildings on the clifftop, including the Coastguard Houses.  

Birling Gap 2007

Birling Gap 2013

Comparing photographs taken in September 2007 and April 2013, there does not appear to have been a substantial amount of erosion.  It will be interesting to see what happens over the winter of 2013/14 without the shingle to protect the foot of the cliff.

Ten years ago there was a lengthy battle to save the cottages at Birling Gap by installing a breakwater at the foot of the cliffs.  Stories about the campaign can be found here Coast    Eventually this was rejected and the plans were abandoned.  Erosion proceeds at the rate of about two feet a year.

At Birling Gap the cliffs either side of the beach staircase are of Coombe Rock which derived from the chalk probably during the Devensian period when large amounts of this type of material was flushed from the dry valleys in the chalk.  Below the coombe rock is chalk which has been shattered and heaved by periglacial conditions (freezing and thawing), making the whole cliff area prone to marine erosion.  Erosion is faster here than on other parts of the cliffs, so a small cove may open up.

Castledon, R. (1996) Classic Landforms of the Sussex Coast. London: The Geographical Association.

This author mentions the shingle at  the bottom of the cliff. It may be that the erosion is part of the interruption of the process of longshore drift by coastal defences to the west of this point resulting in shingle being moved eastwards from Birling Gap, but not being replenished by fresh material from the west.

For more photos of Birling Gap see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/112963374@N07/11713471243/

Autumn colours

It has taken a while for the true colours of autumn to appear this year.  The mild weather has probably got a lot to do with it.  There have been few frosts so far and leaves have stayed green and many trees lost a lot of their leaves in the  high winds a few weeks ago before they even had a chance to change colour.  But now we have had some frosty nights and the colours are really shining through. This was the view from Older Hill looking west across the Weald on Tuesday.  

Lots of Fieldfares and Redwings about in small flocks, very busily feeding on this years huge crop of berries.

For more photos of autumn colours see:http://www.flickr.com/photos/112963374@N07/11687806466/

Downland Scheme Bird Survey

Bird Survey

This morning we met at 8:00 a.m. at the Bowling Green to carry out a bird survey on the Steyning Downland Scheme.  Five of the regulars, including me, turned up and we split into two groups. Pete and I set off up the track to cross the rifle range and head up into the woods, round the top and back down again.  We got off to a good start as the first thing we saw as we turned into the rifle range was a buzzard.  It had probably been feeding in the grassland at the end by the butts and took off unhurriedly and slowly headed into the woods.  Do buzzards never do anything in a hurry?  It was a promising start, but a false promise.  By the end, we had a total of only 11 species, by far the smallest number I can recall since we started.

When we started this project back in spring 2012, we thought we might log as many as fifty species of birds. This morning when we set out the total was already 76, far more than we had ever imagined.  This includes some birds that we would never have expected to see: Bittern and Water Rail are hard to see anywhere; Little Egret, Snipe and Shoveller seem unlikely in this patch of downland with its spring and small, tree-enclosed ponds.  One obvious bird missing from our list when we set out this morning was Redwing and the others saw one on their way round their patch, bringing the total up to 77.  Amazing.  

So although Pete and I had a rather disappointing time this morning, it will not put us off.  And I sure that this patch will continue to yield surprises in the future.  Even if you do not see any spectacular or exciting birds, this is still a great place to be early in the morning.

Vikings and Kingley Vale Great Yew Forest, Monument to an ancient battle?

Ancient Yews at Kingley Vale

I have just come across a reference in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to a battle between the Vikings and the men of Chichester in 895 AD.  The passage reads as follows:

When the host that had besieged Exeter sailed on its way back home, it harried inland in Sussex near Chichester, but the garrison put them to flight and slew many hundreds of them, capturing some of their ships.

Now, there is a legend that the yew trees of Kingley Vale were planted in commemoration of a battle fought by the men of Chichester and they were planted to provide a future supply of yew staves for long bows.  It is a nice story and the passage quoted above might be the basis of it.  You can believe it if you like.

Kingley Vale is unusual in that although Yew Taxus baccata is common on the South Downs, it is not usually a dominant component of woodland, and certainly not on such a scale as this.  It is the combination of size and the dominance of Yew over much of the area that makes Kingley Vale special.  

A S Watt surveyed Kingley Vale in 1926 and came to the conclusion that one of the factors that led to the establishment of the Yew forest was the exposed nature of some parts of the site which provided conditions under which Juniper Juniperis communis could become established and that this then acted as a nursery for the Yew which ultimately took over.  Watt also studied beechwoods on the South Downs and the experience may have contributed to the formulation of his influential ideas on ecological succession.  

RSPB Pulborough Brooks

This blog does not normally do restaurant reviews, but I do recommend the bacon and onion suet pudding at the RSPB Pulborough Brooks cafe.  With a large helping of that to warm us on our way we took a tour of the reserve.  Generally rather quiet, but with good numbers of Teal, Wigeon, Lapwing together with a few Shoveller, Pintail and Schelduck and, of course lots of Canada Geese.  The female Peregrine was in her vantage point in the Willow tree.  

Fallow Deer at Pulborough Brooks

As usual there were a lot of Fallow deer.  These are the rather uniformly grey-brown animals that are typical of descendants of the Parham herd.  In the background of this photo you can see the back of one animal which is the more typical sandy brown of wild fallow deer.  I have noticed a few like this in the Arun Valley recently and it suggests some interbreeding with deer from further afield.  

Notice the red  berries in the background.  These are actually rose hips. It is a very abundant year for nuts and berries of all sorts.  We had our first sighting today of a substantial flock of Fieldfares, a sure sign that winter is just around the corner.  They are going to find plenty to feast on this winter.

We ended the afternoon by walking through Wiggonholt Common to get a view of the Brooks from the western end.  Lots more wildfowl here and two marsh harriers.  One sat perched on a tree on the far side while the other cruised back and forth in front of us over the marsh as the light faded.  A couple of crows mobbed it in a desultory sort of way, and it seemed to take no notice but twice it put up great flocks of teal, wigeon and lapwing: a great kefuffle of flapping, quacking and whistling.