Knepp Estate (09 May 2018)

Wednesday 09 May. Lots of birds were singing during a morning visit to the southern section of the Knepp Estate with Cookie. Highlights were 4 Turtle Doves, 2 Cuckoos, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, a Garden Warbler and 4 Bullfinches. I had very mixed feelings about the 2 released White Storks seen. In the afternoon Megan and I heard a Lesser Whitethroat at Mill Hill and an evening visit to West Mill produced another Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Nightingales (with a third heard).

Turtle Dove on the Knepp Estate, almost the first bird I saw

these two and a third were in the extreme southern section

Cuckoo at the Knepp Estate

female Great Spotted Woodpecker

White Storks in the Knepp Estate (just). Their rings were not obvious until close and as many records of White Stork in Sussex are unlikely to be seen this well those not seem destined to be tainted with the release possibility (at least initially those in the centre of the county).

interestingly the colour rings were a different colour and on different legs

grey CU

red DC

the highlight of our visit to Mill Hill

Tuesday 08 May. A seawatch from Hove seafront on my way to work was hardly worth getting up early for with 3 Canada Geese the highlight. A fog bank didn;t help and might have explained why I didn't see 5 Pomarine Skuas on their way to Seaford.

Monday 07 May (continued). I returned to the coast watching from the end of Shoreham Harbour from 17:30-19:30 and managed two Pomarine Skuas just about my side of the murk at 18:41 and 19:27. The former had a good tail and was seen off Brooklands a few minutes before, the latter didn't and was presumably that seen off Goring at 19:00. Unfortunately a flock of 5 seen at Selsey at 17:03 and Seaford at 18:11 wasn't seen by me or BJ who was on the arm when I arrived.

another Shetland-Sussex connection, the other way this time but little compensation for the 'loss' of two of our best birders, the late MSC and more recently DC.