Shoreham 03 November 2013 - excitement over ...

With a strong westerly wind and a rising tide I visited Shoreham Fort where hundreds of gulls were feeding on the tideline, some on washed up fish.  At least 5 colour-ringed birds were seen but reading them was a challenge and I was only successful with three.  One was a Greater Black-backed Gull from Nomandie that I'd seen several times in 2010/11, but not for almost two years.  I also read two North Thames Herring Gulls, both new for me, but a third got away as did a yellow-ringed bird possibly from the Wash and maybe even that I saw on the Adur last Sunday. 

Five Purple Sandpipers were feeding on the inner west arm with c20 Turnstones and a late Wheatear and two Rock Pipits were on the west arm proper.  Very little was evident on a windswept Widewater, just the Mute Swan family (still 5 youngsters)  and 4 Little Grebes. 

On a morning walk around the Burgh with Megan we saw a Red Kite, 3 Buzzards, 5 Grey Partridges, 7 Long-tailed Tits and 20+ Linnets but no buntings at all.  Nothing was seen on a dusk visit to the Adur just before low tide. 

Wheatear on the west arm of Shoreham Harbour

Rock Pipit

gulls on the beach 

too much movement for easy colour-ring reading

Although Greater Black-backed Gull A26 did land on the inner east arm.  It was ringed on Chausey Island, Normandie in June 2007 and I had seen it on the Adur 5 times between April 2010 and  December 2011