Brent Geese, Barn Owls and Black-necked Grebes (12-20 March)

Wednesday 12 March. Widewater 06:25-09:30, light NNE, clear: Brent Goose 703E, Common Scoter 35E, Red-breasted Merganser 5 pairs o/sea, Great Crested Grebe 15 o/sea, Fulmar 2E, Gannet 1E. Mill Hill with Megan and Otis: 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker, Skylark and Chiffchaff (heard) and male Greenfinch. 

162 Brent Geese heading east off Widewater

another 76 Brent Geese heading east off Widewater

Great Crested Grebe on the sea off Widewater

Red-breasted Mergansers on the sea off Widewater

Thursday 13 March. Harbour Way/Boardwalk and Fort with Megan and Otis: male Eider, 16 Turnstones and a Raven. New Monks Park (late afternoon, no owls): 15 Skylarks and 14 Goldfinches. Adur at dusk: 3 Lapwings, 600+ Black-headed Gulls, 400+ Herring Gulls and 2 Skylarks.

Friday 14 March. Tottington Woods with Otis: 4 Stock Doves, 2 Red Kites, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers (heard), Jay, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests, 4 Nuthatches, 4 Treecreepers, Mistle Thrush and Chaffinch. Crown Road: 2 Stock Doves in our garden. Middle Road: Female Lord Derby's and male Ring-necked Parakeet in pre-roost tree.

Nuthatch in Tottington Woods

male Ring-necked Parakeet at Middle Road

female Lord Derby's Parakeet at Middle Road

what their offspring might look like if they became more than companions

Saturday 15 March. Brooklands with Megan and Otis: 45 Coot, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Cetti's Warbler (heard), Long-tailed Tit and Chiffchaff. Adur E side before/at dusk (no owls): 1000+ Black-headed and 5 adult Mediterranean Gulls.

Sunday 16 March. Eastern Avenue: Lord Derby's Parakeet seen from car. Adur opposite Cuckoos Corner: 3 Barn Owls and a Greenfinch.

Barn Owl hunting between the Adur and Downslink opposite Cuckoos Corner

out of focus but ring AAT is just about readable

one of my all-time favourites

Monday 17 March. Widewater 06:45-08:45, moderate NE, clear: Common Scoter 1E:5W, Red-breasted Merganser 3 pairs o/sea, Great Crested Grebe 6 o/sea, Oystercatcher 5E, Razorbill 1W, Red-throated Diver 2W, Gannet 9E:5W, Meadow Pipit 7 in. Shoreham Harbour (East side) with Megan and Otis: 37 Brent Geese flying E, 22 Turnstones and a Purple Sandpiper below the wooden jetty, Raven and Rock Pipit.

temporary addition to the Rampion skyline

Tuesday 18 March. Widewater 06:50-08:55 with RP, moderate NE, clear: Brent Goose 282E, Canada Goose 1E, Mandarin 2 E (male & female), Shoveler 2E, Teal 6E (with Mandarins), Common Scoter 19E, Red-breasted Merganser 3E:1 o/sea, Great Crested Grebe 1 o/sea, Dunlin? 10E, auk sp. 1W, Red-throated Diver 2W, diver sp. 3W and Gannet 8 offshore. Buckingham Park with Otis: Stock Dove 2, Jay 2, Jackdaw 80+. Mill Hill with Megan and Otis: Buzzard 1, Skylark, Chiffchaff and Goldfinch heard. Crown Road: Stock Dove.

112 Brent Geese flying east off Widewater

Stock Dove in our front garden

Wednesday 19 March.  Widewater 07:00-09:20, moderate E, hazy: Brent Goose 964E, Common Scoter 1E, Red-breasted Merganser 3 pairs o/sea, Great Crested Grebe 2 o/sea, Mediterranean Gull 25E, auk sp. 1W, Red-throated Diver 4E:2 o/sea, diver sp. 2E:2W:2 o/sea and  Gannet 2E. Adur with Megan and Otis: single Lapwing and Grey Plover (white-headed individual), 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Skylarks, Cetti's Warbler (Dog's Trust), Meadow Pipit and 2 Goldfinches. New Monks Park/Shoreham Airfield with Otis: Little Grebe (heard), 2 Coot, Grey Heron, 2 Barn Owls, Skylark, Cetti's Warbler (heard) and 6 Goldfinches. Adur at dusk: 7 adult Mediterranean Gulls amongst 5-600 roosting Black-headeds. 

240 Brent Geese flying east off Widewater

adult Mediterranean Gulls passing Widewater

another red-ringed Barn Owl on the edge of the airfield

Thursday 20 March. Widewater 06:00-09:00, light SE, hazy: flying E 1850 Brent and 8 Greylag Geese, 2 Shelduck, 4 Pintail, 120 Common Scoter, 3 Curlew (in a Brent flock), 45 Black-headed, 10 adult Mediterranean and 16 Common Gulls, 2 unidentified and 16 Red-throated Divers and a Gannet. On the sea 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Great Crested and 3 Black-necked Grebes. Shoreham Fort with Otis: 260 Brent Geese, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, and 2 unidentified divers flying E, the drake Eider in the harbour and a Raven on the warehouse roof nearest the nest.

sunrise from Widewater

about 150 Brent Geese passing Widewater at 06:04

about 190 Brent Geese passing Widewater at 06:24

Greylag Geese passing Widewater at 06:47

another Brent flock at 07:02

Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes and a Merganser off Widewater

about 55 Brent Geese passing Shoreham Harbour at 10:04

drake Eider in Shoreham Harbour

Continental Cormorant from Shoreham Fort

 

Caspian Gull at Widewater and the first Wheatear (09-11 March)

Sunday 09 March. A disappointing seawatch at Widewater from 06:45-07:45 produced just 2 Common Scoter flying east, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers and 3 Great Crested Grebes on the sea and 8 Gannets offshore. I walked along the beach to Brooklands seeing 10 Ringed Plover and 24 Dunlin but no early Wheatear or, when there, any sign of yesterday's Caspian Gull. Megan picked me up and we went to Worthing for a couple of hours. On the way back Megan dropped me at Widewater where I joined Richard Allen who had just found a first-winter Caspian Gull on the eastern island. Expecting it to be yesterday's bird close examination revealed it to be a different, slightly less distinctive individual. After about 10 minutes, and for no apparent reason, it flew high east, doubled back and disappeared off to the west. Later the female Lord Derby's and male Ring-necked Parakeets were feeding on buds at St Nicholas & St Mary School car park.

similar to the Brooklands bird but with more worn tertials and median coverts and more patterned scapulars (see Richard's comparison below)

focusing issues as it flew off east

better as it circled around before flying directly away

Caspian Gull comparison produced by Richard Allen although I think the Widewater bird looks a bit dingier in this image than it did in field (see above images)

nominate (carbo) Cormorant at Brooklands

Continental (sinensis) Cormorant at Brooklands

Monday 10 March. Harbour Way/Boardwalk and Shoreham Fort with Megan and Otis: distant views of Eider and Raven. I'd only been home 10 minutes when a Wheatear was found at the Fort. How annoying not to have seen it! I returned that afternoon and after several circuits of the Fort finally saw the Wheatear. It was my earliest in Sussex by two days although 10 March matched one I'd seen in Hampshire in 1983 and a day later than my earliest, on the Isle of Wight on 9 March 1977. All were males. I also had better views of the male Eider and Raven. 

the first spring Wheatear is always rather special, even when one doesn't find it

Tuesday 11 March. Mile Oak/Truleigh Hill/Thundersbarrow circuit with Frank and Otis: Grey Partridge and Common Snipe (flushed from beside the track by Otis), 2 Buzzards, 5 Skylarks, Meadow Pipit and 45 Corn Buntings. It was good to go birding with Frank Lambert again but a mostly dull morning with a strong wind didn't help us.