mainly Meds (Shoreham-by-Sea 06-13April)

Monday 13 April. An early bike ride to Shoreham Beach and a walk along it in a strong cold NE wind and very clear visibility. Very little moving with 48 Mediterranean Gulls, 24 Sandwich Terns, 10 Gannets and a Swallow flying east.

Sunday 12 April. An early bike ride to Shoreham Beach, Shoreham Fort, Widewater, New Salts Farm and Adur Rec. The wind was a very light and visibility poor, one of those days where it is hard to tell where the sea finishes and the sky starts. Few people were about and very few birds. Best were poor views of yesterday's female Black Redstart, briefly on a different roof along Old Fort Road and just 2 Mediterranean Gulls flying east.

Saturday 11 April. An early bike ride to Shoreham Beach where I walked along to Widewater before cycling home via Shoreham Fort. Expectedly few people and sadly few birds too, a female Black Redstart on a roof in Shoreham Beach and 48 Mediterranean Gulls flying east, including a flock of 32, the highlights. A low flying kamakazi male Sparrowhawk flew down the road directly towards me, breaking off at the last moment.

Friday 10 April. An early bike ride around Shoreham was my daily exercise with a rest on the deserted beach at Widewater on my way to Shoreham Fort. From there I walked back along to Shoreham Beach and returned via New Salts Farm and the Adur. Birds seen were 5 Oystercatchers, 26 Black-headed, 43 Mediterranean and 9 Common Gulls flying east, 11 Sandwich Terns, 4 Little Egrets, 2 Sparrowhawks, another female Wheatear, a Rock Pipit and 5 Linnets. Two Cetti's Warblers were heard while back home 2 Stock Doves visited our birdtable.

Thursday 09 April. An early bike ride around Shoreham was my daily exercise with a rest on the deserted beach on my way to Shoreham Fort, part-cycle and part-walk to Widewater and a return via New Salts Farm and the Adur. Birds seen were 2 Canada Geese, a Common Scoter, 51 Wood Pigeons (flying east), 7 Oystercatchers, a Curlew, 27 Black-headed, 16 Mediterranean and 22 Common Gulls flying east, 8 Sandwich Terns, 5 Little Egrets, a Jay, my first Willow Warbler and another female Wheatear. Four Cetti's Warblers were heard.

Shoreham Beach at low tide

Wednesday 08April. An early bike ride around Shoreham was my daily exercise with a rest on the deserted beach, a walk from there to Widewater and a return via Shoreham Fort,  New Salts Farm and Adur Rec. Birds seen were 10 Oystercatchers, 83 Black-headed, 117 Mediterranean and 35 Common Gulls flying east, 5 Sandwich Terns, a distant diver, 3 Gannets, 4 Little Egrets, my first 3 Swallows of the year and a female Wheatear. A Cetti's Warbler was again only heard.

Wheatear on Shoreham Beach

Little Egret at Widewater

Wall Lizard at Shoreham Fort

Tuesday 07 April. Megan and I took Cookie up to Mill Hill for our daily exercise. It was quiet, both in terms of other people and birds. The former good, the latter not! All I saw was 2 Stock Doves, 2 Jays and single Chiffchaff and Blackcap (with others heard) and a brief glimpse of what might have been am early Whitethroat. Peacock was the only butterfly seen.

Monday 06 April. An early bike ride around Shoreham was my daily exercise with a rest on the deserted beach, a walk around the Fort and Widewater and a brief stop at New Salts Farm. Flying east I saw 16 Brent Geese, 2 Teal, 2 Eider (females unfortunately), 35 Common Scoter, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, a first-year Little and 33 Black-headed Gulls, 7 'commic' and 307 Sandwich Terns, 4 Red-throated Divers and 9 Gannets. Two distant Harbour Porpoises also swam west. At the Fort were 10 Turnstones, 2 Purple Sandpipers, Peregrine (distantly on the Power Station roof), Rock Pipit (flushed across the harbour and probably yesterday's littoralis) and 5 Greenfinches . A Sparrowhawk was seen and Cetti's and Willow Warbers heard at New Salts Farm.