A Pallid Harrier!? 15/09/2026

Arrival 10:00 – Departure 11:30.

Distance 1 mile.

20°C Overcast

When I woke up this morning I saw there was a juvenile Pallid Harrier reported at Cissbury Ring, just a twenty minute drive from me! I have bad luck when twitching birds so I always wait for a few reports to come through before heading out, and by around half past nine, one more had come through so I headed out.

Parking and pondering

Pulling up at the top Cissbury ring car park, I saw it was already quite busy with probably seven cars there already, which filled me with a bit of confidence. After getting all of my equipment on, my camera, my binoculars, and my bag with my scope just in case, I started walking down to where it had been seen before. I bumped into someone who had been looking for it and was heading back and he said that it had not been seen for around half an hour. Naturally this dulled my excitement somewhat but I was determined to see this bird, they are so beautiful and a lifer for me.

Wandering farther down the trail I was wondering which direction to turn. Should I continue straight, or turn right down Monarch’s way? At first I continued straight, then I got an important phone call. I tried to stay out looking for the bird while on the phone but the wind was interrupting more than I’d like, so I went back to the car.

Checking from the car

While in the car on the phone I was looking out across the fields watching the Carrion Crows playing, then I noticed something bigger and lighter. The brief, five second, glimpse I got of this bird was enough to confirm the identity, a light brown, long winged, low-flying bird of prey, given the reports it could only be one thing. The Pallid Harrier had shown itself! Unbeknownst to anyone else as i was the only one in the car park, all the other birders were halfway down Monarch’s Way. Thankfully my phone call ended soon after so I kitted up again and got back out.

Walking straight on again as I had seen the direction it flew, I found a slight high-point which allowed me to look out over the fields. I stood for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, searching the fields to the north and south and then I saw it again, this time for around one minute. As it was flying so close to the ground, it dipped in and out of view, but it stayed long enough for me to get a few semi-decent photos, which I later stacked together.

At the same time, there were two Red Kites circling right above my head, so once the Pallid Harrier had disappeared over the treeline, my focus shifted to watching these majestic birds above me. The Carrion Crows and Jackdaws quickly came and harassed the Red Kites and they flew off across the farmland.

Disappointing Dialogue but Peaceful Pipits

After seeing the beautiful Pallid Harrier, I stayed for a few minutes, but to no more avail. As I headed back down towards the car park, I bumped into some people who had just seen it as well, an older couple, who were lovely. I told them this was a lifer for me and they were really happy for me. This is the part of birding that I love, when I meet lovely people. However someone else came along, and disappointingly they were not nearly as nice. As soon as they walked up to me they looked me up and down and almost accusatorily asked “Who are you?”, which I was quite taken aback by. This gentleman then proceeded to moan at the couple I was with about them posting on the “Sussex uncommon and scarce” Whatsapp group chat rather than the “Sussex rare and mega” group chat, which I thought was a bit far. The rest of the interaction was very cliquey and unpleasant so I removed myself from it quite quickly.

Back at the car, I packed my stuff away and spotted a lovely little flock of around five Meadow Pipits sitting on a wire in the car park, and a Raven cronking in the distance, a nice way to finish the trip.

Final thoughts

This whole very cliquey, insider knowledge, unfriendly atmosphere some, or I find most, birders come with is one of the reasons I wanted to start this business. I wanted somewhere novices, kids, enthusiasts, and everything in between could all get on, and come together unjudged, and have fun.

As a fairly young birder, I’ve found I experience a lot of presumably age-based prejudice. Ever since I was a kid I noticed people leaving hides when me and my grandad arrived, presuming I would be loud because I was a child. And even now, people don’t seem to trust, believe or take me seriously, seemingly just because I am in my mid twenties rather than in my retirement years.

I believe that it is more important now than ever before to get more and more people into nature and these uncomfortable, secluded groups are not the way to go, we need as many people involved in nature as possible. Whether they are five or fifty, everyone deserves the chance to, and should love and interact positively with the world around us.

Despite the unpleasant interaction, I had a lovely time and saw a beautiful bird for the first time in my life, and this trip has inspired me more than ever to get this business growing, and get more people out into nature.