Seaford seawatch (29 April)

Sunday 29 April. I arrived at Seaford at 05:45 slightly ahead of JK. Later we were joined by JMS and JW but not before we'd seen a male Redstart on the groyne arm and a Hobby flying N. We watched to 10:20 seeing the following flying east: single Red-throated Diver and Manx Shearwater, 34 Gannets (and 41 W), 28 Common Scoter (and 16 W), a close male Velvet Scoter with 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 6 Golden Plover (the first I can recall on a seawatch although they go up quite high), 145 Bar-tailed Godwits, 9 Whimbrel, a Great Skua, 18 Sandwich Terns (and 15 W), 15 Common Terns, 22 auks (one of which was identified as a Razorbill) and14 came Swallows in.

male Redstart at Splash Point, it did not linger

Saturday 28 April. While Megan and I took Cookie around the Trundle a distant flock of birds flying over Goodwood Racecourse caught my eye. Initally thoughts that they might be Ravens were soon dispelled when I looked through binoculars. They were young Herring Gulls except one which was off-white - a juvenile Iceland Gull. They were heading my way but veered off SW before I thought to extract my camera from my bag. It then took ages to find the birds in the viewfinder and they were almost lost to view before I did. I then dropped Megan in Chichester, where she was going to the theatre, and drove on to Pagham stopping briefly at Ivy Lake where I saw 6 Swifts, 25 Sand Martins, 30 Swallows and 40 House Martins. We parked at Sidlesham Ferry and walked to Church Norton and back seeing a Brent Goose, 2 Avocets, 103 Black-tailed and 7 Bar-tailed Godwits, 30 Whimbrel, a summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, 2 Reed and 6 Sedge Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Raven.

Iceland and Herring Gull from the Trundle

Spotted Redshank on Sidlesham Ferry

Little Egret at Pagham

Sedge Warbler by the Long Pool, one of 6 seen and at least another 4 were heard

Whimbrel in Pagham Harbour