Deneway Youth Rangers meet up with the Arun Regional Group

Amy King

Youth Ranger

So far, this year has been undeniably soggy; drizzles, downpours, showers and storms, Sussex has seen it all. It was during one of these particularly damp days when I visited the equally damp Arun Valley with the other Deneway Youth Rangers. We all had hopes of seeing the White-tailed Eagles, something that we are unsurprisingly yet to spot at our urban reserve in Brighton. Bundling out of the minivan, everyone was bubbling with anticipation.

We met up with Paul and Sarah from the Storrington and Arun Valley Regional Group. Armed with both local knowledge and scopes, the duo would be our guides for the day. After a quick briefing, we headed into a wet woodland near Rackham. In and amongst the trees, we found ourselves in an unexpected Eden. A thick layer of spongy, rain-soaked mosses covered everything, painting the forest a shade of gorgeous green scarcely seen in February.

“The rainfall in the lush woodland made the walk feel like an adventure into a fairytale. I could have slept in the moss” Milly

Soon, the woods parted, revealing the shimmering silver of Amberley Wildbrooks. The recent poor weather has meant that this floodplain was being put to the test. The underlying fields and gullies that crosshatched this landscape were now below the gently bobbing ducks. All but a few islands remained.

Scopes were soon trained on the distant dots. Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and Pintail were all floating on the temporary lake. We swapped books and binoculars to get a better look at the smorgasbord of ducks on display. What self-respecting eagle could resist such a buffet? Suddenly, a cloud of Lapwings leapt skyward. Six or seven thousand of them, spooked by something. What was it? What had disturbed them? A shadow was quartering over the islands. A Marsh Harrier!

Happy with our find, we headed to higher ground. A local birder had told us tales of White-fronted Geese, which I was yet to see this year. It was a short walk to the next spot, and the predictably unpredictable weather was sending us another lashing of rain. Despite this, we were all having a great time.

“I got soaked to the skin but it was so amazing I didn’t notice”

Paul and Sarah brought us to the top of a hill, and the scopes came up again. Here, we could see for miles over the flooded valley. After a small amount of searching, we had found the White-fronted Geese. They’re perhaps a dull goose, unremarkable except for a curiously white ring around the bill. With only 13,500 pairs overwintering in the UK, they are a true birders’ bird.

A large shadow passed over us. In awe of its magnificence, it took a few seconds for anyone to say the obvious. “Eagle! Right in front of us!”

“A White-tailed Eagle flew over my head and I spent ten seconds in shock before remembering to shout it out” Tallulah

Everyone’s eyes were glued on the bird. It swooped down towards the water, landing on a distant gate. Our line of five scopes scrambled to get a glimpse; I could barely make out the bedraggled shape of the eagle, but it was beautiful.

The rain was relentless, and we soon had to give in. But it had been a good day, brilliant even. And even better, we still had time to head to the local pub.

“I had an amazing time! No one’s spirits were down despite the rainy weather and it was special to see a White-tailed Eagle.” Will