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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 Морской песочник 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. Камнешарка and Скальный конёк 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 Хохотунья, Средиземноморская чайка, Бургомистр and Полярная чайка.
At high tide there is also often a small roost of Чернозобик and Галстучник 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 Чернозобик, Травник and Большой кроншнеп but other waders occasionally appear, especially in cold weather movements. There are extensive patches of rough grassland which sometimes attract wintering Болотная сова or Сипуха. Another species always worth looking out for is Горихвостка-чернушка; 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 Озерная чайка and Сизая чайка on the sea offshore every evening, with persistence and a telescope a Черноголовая чайка or two can often be seen.
Spring can bring good numbers of migrant Каменка 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 Шилоклювка (especially in March), and Средний кроншнеп and Малый веретенник (in April and early May). Summer is quiet, but breeding species include Тростниковая камышевка and Камышевка-барсучок, Славка-мельничек, Черноголовый чекан and often a pair of Галстучник, although these typically fail due to disturbance. From mid-July onwards it is worth checking any gulls for juvenile Средиземноморская чайка.
Autumn migration can be a good time to search the scrub for Warblers, while Луговой чекан and Каменка in particular favour the open areas of this site. Stormy weather will on occasion result in sightings of Плосконосый плавунчик on the Mill Creek, and in such weather it is also worth checking Newhaven Harbour for storm-driven Seabirds, there have been records of Вилохвостая чайка here.
Newhaven Tide Mills has a fairly good track record for rarities and scarcities; in the winter these include Пуночка, Бургомистр, Полярная чайка, a Франклинова чайка (in 1991), Щёголь and Колпица. Rarities or scarcities that have shown up during migration have included Малый жаворонок, Ястребиная славка, Полевой конёк and Обыкновенный жулан, 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.