Shoreham Area (04 November 2012)

4 November.  With very rough weather overnight I decided to have a look at Shoreham Harbour but the wind was too strong to venture far onto the western arm.  Nothing was evident in the harbour entrance or amongst the gulls on the beach but one Purple Sandpiper was on the inner arm and a Rock Pipit was struggling to stand upright on the beach.  Widewater offered some shelter peering between beach huts for seawatching and in the event this proved to be a good move although very little was moving. A Sanderling flew west, the cynic in me wondering what it might be identified as further down the coast, then after 45 minutes when I was thinking of giving up a dark petrel flew east very fast with the wind behind it.  It was just off the beach and unfortunately all too soon disappeared behind a rock groyne but not before I'd seen its long, pointed wings making it a Leach's.  If that wasn't enough, ten minutes later a Grey Phalarope flew west jinking about just in the surf.  I stayed another half an hour but the weather improved dramatically and all I saw were 4 Brent Geese and a first-winter Kittiwake.  A Knot was on the Adur and a selection of gulls, but no colour-rings.  Later walking with Megan a Swallow flew west over the Adur.