Mainly West Sussex 10-20 September

Friday 22 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where migrants were 150 Swallows and 350 House Martins, Wheatear, 3 Lesser and 2 Common Whitethoats, 20 Blackcaps, 13 Chiffchaffs and a Spotted Flycatcher. Later Megan and I took Cookie to Pulborough and walked around the woodland seeing 2 Coal Tits and a Nuthatch.

Chiffchaff at Mill Hill. First use of my replacement camera - same as the old one but the zoom works properly

Lesser Whitethroat at Mill Hill, not such an obliging subject.

Wednesday 20 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where highlights were a Redstart, 200+ Swallows and 300+ House Martins, 3 Whitethoats, 25 Blackcaps and 12 Chiffchaffs.

Tuesday 19 September. A Peregrine on Southwick Power Station as I cycled to work.

Monday 18 September. A Peregrine on Southwick Power Station and a Wheatear by Hove Lagoon as I cycled to work.

Sunday 17 September. Eight hours at Beachy mostly with John King produced single Marsh Harrier, Hobby, 5 Sand Martins, 500 Swallows, 2000+ House Martins, 4 Yellow and a Grey Wagtail, Redstart, Whinchat, 3 Wheatears, 8 Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Blackcaps, 16 Chiffchaffs, Goldcrest and Raven. This makes it sound better than it was as I was wondering why I'd made the effort to drive to Beachy when I could see almost as much at Mill Hill!

looking south from Beachy Head

Eastbourne under a blanket of cloud from the cliff path near the Bomber memorial

Saturday 16 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where migrants were 2 Sand Martins, 20 Swallows and 2 House Martins, 45 Meadow Pipits, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Whitethoats, 9 Blackcaps and 25 Chiffchaffs. Also 12 Long-tailed Tits. Later with Megan on Beeding Hill we saw a smart male Redstart.

Goats on Beeding Hill

I've never seen such clean goats

Friday 15 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where migrants were 5 Swallows and 4 House Martins, 115 Meadow Pipits (flying W), 2 Whitethoats, Garden Warbler, 2 Blackcaps and 8 Chiffchaffs. Also 2 Jays. Later with Megan at Widewater a Dunlin, 20 Meadow Pipits and 2 Wheatears.

Tuesday 12 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where migrants were a lateish Swift, single Swallows, Reed Warbler, 2 Whitethoats, 7 Blackcaps and 8 Chiffchaffs. Later 2 Wheatears at Shoreham Fort and 16 Dunlin and a Kingfisher on the Adur.

Reed Warbler at Mill Hill. The yellowish feet were quite striking but most features overlap with Marsh Warbler and they are notoriously difficult to separate when not singing.Marsh tends to have a blunter looking bill - not evident here.

slightly more rufous rump and lack of pale edges to primaries apparent in this image are more suggestive of Reed Warbler

although the primaries appear paler edged in this image and it has a distinctly dark alula Reed Warblers often appear like this.

Marsh Warbler tends to have a supercilium almost as prominent as its eye-ring whereas Reed's eyering is more distinct, as here.

Reed has a longer notch on the inner web of P2 which ties in with this image. 

Reed has black toenails which are just about imaginable in this image

plus this is Mill Hill not Unst!

Whitethroat at Mill Hill

Rock Pipit at Shoreham Harbour

Wheatear at Shoreham Fort

 

Monday 11 September. Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, 7 Long-tailed and 10 Blue Tits from my office window.

Sunday 10 September. An early visit to Mill Hill with Cookie where migrants were 3 Swallows, 2 Whitethoats, 12 Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff. Also 2 Jays. I then went to Arundel WWT where I bought an Opticron MM4 travel scope and took it to Pulborough RSPB to try it out on a Ruff and Green Sandpiper. Not a bad piece of kit.