Up and down the Adur (7-11 November)

Wednesday 11 November. Megan, Cookie and I walked from Dacre Gardens up the west side of the Adur to Upper Beeding and the footbridge by The Priory. We saw two chasing Kingfishers and a male Stonechat before we crossed the river and returned on the east side. We finally saw the juvenile Goosander about 200m south of the A283 and soon after a female Stonechat. The afternoon was spent pruning half our Goat Willow and visiting the tip.

juvenile Goosander on the Adur south of the A2983 bridge

Tuesday 10 November. I made an early visit to Mill Hill. Thrushes were more in evidence than recently with 21 Blackbirds, 2 Redwings and 9 Song Thrushes seen. Also Sparrowhawk, 6 Sky Larks, Long-tailed Tit, 15 Robins, 8 Dunnocks, 3 Chaffinches and 22 Goldfinches with a Redpoll flying north the only evidence of overhead passage. A distant Cetti's Warbler was heard and 23 Pheasants were counted in one of the fields below. In the afternoon I drove to Upper Beeding and walked north along the River Adur up as far as the old Small Dole tip looking for Goosanders without success. The only duck seen was a single Mallard. Three Kingfisher sightings (probably involving two birds) was some compensation and I also saw a Buzzard and 4 Fieldfares. Being told a Barn Owl had flown behind me soon after dusk was disappointing, as was learning later that a Goosander had been seen that afternoon at Bramber, presumably just south of where I'd been looking. There is always tomorrow ...

Shoreham fly-over from Mill Hill

Lancing College and Steepdown

a light mist slowly clearing from Shoreham Airfield

Redwing at Mill Hill

Kingfisher by the Adur near Beeding Priory

Monday 09 November. Conscious there might still be Goldfinches moving east I seawatched from the far end of the beach huts at Widewater and spent more time looking north than south. In an hour from 07:25 I saw nothing on the sea, a Curlew, Sparrowhawk, 13 Linnets and 23 Goldfinches flying east and 9 Teal, 2 Little Grebes and 2 Little Egrets on the lagoon. An hour around Shoreham Fort was a little better with 3 Brent Geese, 8 Linnets, 170 Goldfinches and a Siskin seen flying east and Grey Wagtail, Rock Pipit and 12 Greenfinches in the area. A look along the Adur from the airport to Cuckoos Corner produced the 4 Grey Plover and 120 Common Gulls (most near Cuckoos Corner). One of the 500 or so Herring Gulls seen had a red/North Thames colour-ring but it was too far off to read. While closing in on it I was collared by a too friendly passer-by during which time it disappeared. I decided to head home and leave looking for the Beeding Goosanders until the afternoon but should have checked my phone for the weather as by then it was raining and I stayed in.

Sunday 08 November. Megan, Nessa, Cookie and I walked along Worthing Beach at low tide seeing 2 Turnstones and 3 Sanderling. Earlier 11 Goldfinches had flown east over the house as we were preparing to leave. 

Saturday 07 November. With an easterly wind forecast I seawatched from Widewater for an hour from 07:25. It was disappointingly quiet with a close Guillemot flying east the highlight by far. It was the second identified auk I've identified in Sussex this year, the other was also a Guillemot, in March. A Brent Goose flew west and shortly returned east and that was it on the sea. Overhead 20 Goldfinches flew east and I heard a Crossbill while the Mute Swans and their juvenile were present on the lagoon with a Teal and 8 Little Grebes. I moved on to Shoreham Fort seeing 7 Greenfinches and 16 Meadow Pipits, 45 Goldfinches and a Siskin flying east. I was later to learn I'd seen under 3% of the Goldfinch passage witnessed at Brooklands at about the same time. I can only think the majority of the remaining 97% were too far inland of the beach for me to hear/see them. The Adur opposite the airport produced 4 Grey Plovers, 14 Ringed Plovers, 2 Dunlin, 14 Redshank and an adult Yellow-legged Gull (probably the one I'd seen there on 20 October). I arrived home just as Megan was taking Cookie to Buckingham Park and so joined them seeing a Coal Tit, about the best I've managed there. In the afternoon we walked around the Houseboats where the Greenshank was in the main channel with 28 Redshanks nearby. Returning over the Rec a Cetti's Warbler was heard by the Dogs Trust.

Greenfinch at Shoreham Fort

two of the four Grey Plover on the Adur

adult Yellow-legged Gull on the Adur

Greenshank by the houseboats