Normal service resumed (10-11 May)

Sunday 11 May.  With no sign of the strong winds abating, and coming from a direction not conducive to seawatching I decided to have a morning at inland sites trying and see a few summer visitors I'd not yet caught up with before watching Louis Hamilton just win the Spanish Grand Prix.  John King joined me and we visited the Knepp Estate (Cuckoo, Garden Warbler, Bullfinch & Yellowhammer), Greatham (Swifts, Sedge Warbler) and Pulborough RSPB (Spoonbill, Egyptian Geese, 15 Ringed Plovers, Nightingale and a Nuthatch on the feeders).  

Nightingale at Pulborough

Saturday 10 May.  Two hours seawatching from 06:55, initially from the end of Shoreham Harbour (very exposed) then Widewater (hut 32 providing some shelter), was disappointing.  I'd hoped that the strong WSW wind might have brought something in but poor visibility may not have helped.  Most birds seen were heading west into the wind: 21 Gannets, 6 Fulmar, 5 Common Scoter and 3 Whimbrel.  Three Swallows came in while offshore a female Eider was being harassed by gulls and a handful of Sandwich Terns cruised past. Nothing of note was seen on the Adur either then or later, at low tide, with Megan.

Tuesday 6 to Friday 9 May.  I saw the first Swifts over our road with 6 on 6th and 15th on 7th but lower numbers subsequently as the wind picked up and a Peregrine was on the Power Station chimney each day.