Seaford seawatch (27 April) and Pulborough (25 April)

Friday 27 April. With the only SE forecast in the next 10 days and not working it seemed sensible to seawatch from Seaford despite heavy rain at the entrance to the channel. I arrived at 05:20 just after ME and we were soon joined by NP and JMS. Very little was moving and what was was generally very distant. Some early heavy showers almost caused us to give up but those of us not working stuck it out and were eventually rewarded with a handful of nice birds which made it worthwhile. More rain early afternoon and nothing moving immediately after finally proved enough. Between 05:20-15:00 I recorded the following flying E: 23 Red-throated and a Black-throated Diver, 9 Manx Shearwaters (and 11W but I missed several more), a Shag, 308 Common and a Velvet Scoter, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a distant falcon, 2 Sanderling, 28 Bar-tailed Godwits, 19 Whimbrel, 21 Arctic Skuas (9 pale & 12 dark), 2 Pomarine Skuas (with superb tailed at 11:05), 116 Sandwich, 73 Commic, 21 Common, 6 Arctic and a Little Tern and 8 unidentified auks (only a fraction of those seen by others). A number of hirundines came in. I saw 3 Sand Martins and 36 Swallows but the only House Martin eluded me and missed as many Swallows as I saw.

Wednesday 25 April. An early morning visit to Pulborough in the hope of seeing Nightingale looked to be going off the rails when I heard but failed to see individuals at Jupp's Viewpoint and the Hangar. A Whimbrel and the Black-winged Stilt were present from Winpenny Hide although the latter soon flew off to the North Brooks. I returned to the hangar where I saw the stilt and Black-tailed Godwit and heard the Nightingale again. Fortunately an hour at Fattengates produced a good view of a Nightingale. I also saw a Swift, Sedge Warbler, 8 Blackcaps and a Bullfinch. 

early morning Black-winged Stilt from Winpenny Hide

Nightingale at Fattengates