Cuckmere waders and Shoreham (24-27 July)

Monday 27 July. Megan and I took Cookie to Harbour Way, walking to Shoreham Fort and along the boardwalk and a bit of the beach, as the tide allowed. Despite blustery weather nothing was noted on the sea although a smart first-summer Mediterranean Gull flew overhead and inland, too quickly for me to react with the camera. Few other gulls were seen with a single Lesser Black-back the most interesting. The 2 young Herring Gulls were seen on our side of the roof behind us but there was no sign of the juvenile Herring Gulls which might have been taken to the coast.

Sunday 26 July. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we saw 14 Swifts, 2 Peregrines taking a Wood Pigeon, Chiffchaff, 5 Whitethroats and 2 Yellowhammers. The 2 young Herring Gulls were seen on our side of the Glebelands roof. Mid afternoon I drove to Seaford parking by Chyngton Farm and walking down into the Cuckmere to look along the east side for the Wood Sandpiper and Little Stint found there the previous day by Matt Eade (WS) and Brian Cox (LS). Also seen were 3 Red-legged Partridges, 3 Swifts, 11 Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, 15 Little Egrets, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20+ Sand Martins and 2 Swallows. On the way home I called in at Splash Point to catch up on one of the things I'd most missed during lockdown - the noisy Kittiwake colony. At least 150 birds, mostly juveniles, were on the cliffs. Very smart although being mostly silent took a bit of the edge off it atmospherically. At home I saw one Swift from the garden in deteriorating weather.

Whtethroat on Mill Hill

Wall

Chalkhill Blue (our first of the year)

Peregrine over Mill Hill

one of the young Herring Gulls

the other

Dunlin beside the Cuckmere at high tide

Little Stint in the Cuckmere

no longer something I see every year

Wood Sandpiper in the Cuckmere

the best view I can remember for a long time

Kittiwakes at Seaford

Saturday 25 July. Megan, Josh and I took Cookie for a very blustery walk along Worthing seafront where I saw a Sandwich and 2 Common Terns. The 2 young and 2 juvenile Herring Gulls were seen from the garden but no Swifts, most likely due to the weather.

Friday 24 July. Megan and I took Cookie around the Adur seeing 2 Whimbrel, a Turnstone, an adult Mediterranean Gull (flying over the Rec) and 2 Little Egrets. The 2 young Herring Gulls were seen on our side of the Glebelands roof while the two juveniles making quite a noise on our flat roof, rolling or kicking around a large pebble which I meanly removed. In the evening 6 Swifts were seen from the garden.

the footpath along the west bank of the Adur is again closed, for at least a year, having been officially opened in March 2019 after several years of disruption. Before then Sedge Warblers regularly bred in this ditch ...

According to the Environment Agency "The works involve partial demolition and realignment of the recently constructed Environment Agency Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls scheme which provided permanent improved flood defences in this area. The existing defences need to be removed to accommodate a new pumping station which will take the majority of surface water run-off from the new Ikea store and New Monks Farm developments, and pump it into the River Adur."

pity nobody thought this might need doing a couple of years ago but in the banana-republic our country seems to have become little really comes as a surprise

on a happier note here is Cookie at our allotment

one of the two young Herring Gulls