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Description
Newhaven Tide Mills hosts some good specialities in the winter, and can be good for migrants in spring and autumn. Summer is quieter. In the winter the best birds are the Purple Sandpiper on the Breakwater at the mouth of the River Ouse. They show very well here at high tide, and on particularly high tides with stormy conditions will show up top on the highest truts. Ruddy Turnstone and Rock Pipit are also seen along this pier. At low tide from the end of the Pier, it is worth checking the beach on the opposite side of the river, for a gull roost that has in the past included Caspian Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull.
At high tide there is also often a small roost of Dunlin and Common Ringed Plover on the shingle beach, with low double figures of each. The Mill Creek (a tidal creek and the remnant of the old course of the river) normally only holds Dunlin, Common Redshank and Eurasian Curlew but other waders occasionally appear, especially in cold weather movements. There are extensive patches of rough grassland which sometimes attract wintering Short-eared Owl or Barn Owl. Another species always worth looking out for is Black Redstart; one or two normally spend the winter here but roam widely. The best spots to search are the perimeter fence of the industrial land, or the caravan park as you walk towards Seaford. If accessing the site by train then always check around Newhaven Harbour station too. There is a large roost of Black-headed Gull and Common Gull on the sea offshore every evening, with persistence and a telescope a Mediterranean Gull or two can often be seen.
Spring can bring good numbers of migrant Northern Wheatear from mid March to early May, and smaller numbers of Warblers and other passerine migrants. The Mill Creek will often have a few migrant waders, amongst the most regular are Avocet (especially in March), and Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit (in April and early May). Summer is quiet, but breeding species include Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, European Stonechat and often a pair of Common Ringed Plover, although these typically fail due to disturbance. From mid-July onwards it is worth checking any gulls for juvenile Yellow-legged Gull.
Autumn migration can be a good time to search the scrub for Warblers, while Whinchat and Northern Wheatear in particular favour the open areas of this site. Stormy weather will on occasion result in sightings of Red Phalarope on the Mill Creek, and in such weather it is also worth checking Newhaven Harbour for storm-driven Seabirds, there have been records of Sabine's Gull here.
Newhaven Tide Mills has a fairly good track record for rarities and scarcities; in the winter these include Snow Bunting, Glaucous Gull, Iceland Gull, a Franklin's Gull (in 1991), Spotted Redshank and Eurasian Spoonbill. Rarities or scarcities that have shown up during migration have included Greater Short-toed Lark, Barred Warbler, Tawny Pipit and Red-backed Shrike, and the site has good potential, particularly for autumn rarities.
Details
Access
Park either at the Buckle Car Park in Seaford or the Tide Mills Car Park, on the A259 between Newhaven and Seaford. You can also access from the bus, take a 12/12a/12X and depart at the Tide Mills bus stop. If accessing via train, you can take the train that runs between Seaford and Brighton, and disembark at either Newhaven Harbour or Bishopstone stations.