Goosander saves the day (2-10 January 2016)

Sunday 10th.  A morning around Shoreham visiting Widewater three times, Shoreham Fort twice, Truleigh Hill and Southwick Canal.  The drake Goosander on Widewater was the obvious highlight, not seen on my first visit, seen well but in poor light on my second and still there but further away on my third when the light had improved marginally.  One Purple Sandpiper and 8 Greenfinches on my first visit to the Fort, five Purples and a Rock Pipit on my second at high tide.

Goosander at Widewater

another welcome but perhaps erratic appearance at this site 

my ambition to see Scaly-sided Merganser is put on hold for at least another winter so this is the next best thing

flooded Beeding Brooks from Truleigh Hill

Rock Pipit at Shoreham Fort

Saturday 9th.  Little at Cissbury with Megan and only an unread North Thames Herring Gull on the Adur at dusk - not helped by the river still being quite full at low tide.  I was then kicking myself I had not tried Widewater as the Goosander seen by Richard Ives on Wednesday had reappeared.

Megan by Cissbury trig-point

Thursday 7th.  A pleasant walk around Rackham and Parham Park with Megan seeing 2 distant Bewick's Swans from the viewpoint on the eastern edge of Amberley and a selection of common woodland birds of which Treecreeper was the nicest.  North Thames Herring Gull UU7T was on the Adur at dusk.

Tuesday 5th.  2500+ Starlings headed west from the Palace Pier as I was cycling to work.

Sunday 3rd.   A morning around Shoreham with the pair of Red-breasted Mergansers on Widewater with another and 3 Brent Geese the only birds seen offshore in half an hour.  I should have stuck it longer to see Alan Kitson's Little Gulls and Great Skua although there were four adult and a first-winter Little Gull feeding with other gulls including a juvenile Kittiwake in the breakers off Shoreham Fort. Superb.  Later a Dunlin and 3 Redshank was all i saw on the Adur.