Following in the footsteps of others with my stool (Cornwall & Devon, 31 March)

Wednesday 31 March. With Stay-at-home lockdown over the draw of American Herring Gull in Cornwall and Northern Mockingbird in Devon were too irresistible, but which to go for first. There were also issues around viewing the mockingbird, seen best from a narrow alleyway (what is called a twitten in Sussex) where a step-ladder or similar is needed to look over a seven foot fence. That is where my stool comes in and I set off for the West Country mid evening on 30th with it and a few other bits in the back of my car. On the journey down I was weighing up the pros and cons of where to start, not an issue I've faced since Scilly in October 1999 when the choice between Short-toed Eagle on the Eastern Isles and Siberian Thrush on Gugh was made much easier by seeing the former from the Scillonian as we approached the islands. I decided I'd rather see the American Herring Gull, particularly having seen a strong contender locally a couple of weeks earlier. It would also mean less travelling at busy times and a shorter journey home although I'd see how I felt at Honiton. There, at about 11pm, I was still feeling wide awake and kept going, arriving at Drift at about 2am. I found a pull in on a quiet road and struggled for several minutes maneuvering my stool so I could sleep across the back seat of the car. I was up at dawn and soon in Newlyn although I initially misunderstood where to look for the gull and tried the beach south of the harbour. Quickly realising there were no gulls there I walked back along the road overlooking the harbour and soon saw five other birders looking intently into it. The American Herring Gull was swimming inside the harbour and soon flew onto the beach below us. What a bird! Why don't our Herring Gulls look that good? I watched and photographed it for the best part of an hour - it was on view the whole time, mostly on the small beach (the tide was high tide) south of the base of Old Quay. With news the Northern Mockingbird had been seen I headed straight for Exmouth. Perhaps I should have detoured to look for the Ring-necked Ducks on Dozmary Pool but I was on a mission and they weren't my  primary objective. I'd filled up with petrol, Penzance Tescos was 10p/litre cheaper the Shoreham Tescos had been the previous evening, and drove for about 2.5 hours to Exmouth. About half a dozen birders standing by the road with scopes indicated where to stop although they didn't seem to be looking at anything. Three birders I'd seen in Newlyn emerged from the alleyway opposite and told me the bird was being watched from it. I got my stool and walked down the alleyway, much narrower than I was expecting, and set up next to two other birders sharing a stepladder. They quickly put me onto the Northern Mockingbird drinking from a gutter briefly before flying into a holly tree. From my vantage point I had brilliant views, particularly when it flew onto the top of a shorter tree in the middle of the garden. A nice bird but it didn't do a lot and after about 25 minutes I'd had my fill. Returning to the road there was a bit more activity and I assumed the bird could be seen although it had definitely been worth taking the stool. Very satisfied I left and came straight home. It took about four hours, a diversion between Chichester and Fontwell not helping, but I wasn't rushing.

my first view of the American Herring Gull and it immediately stood out with its dark plumage and two-toned bill

a quick fly-round to show off its tail

paler head and solid looking underparts

a warm brown plumaged bird 

another quick fly around before landing on the Old Quay beach

it reminded me a lot of the Adur bird

potential American Herring Gull on the River Adur on 11 March 2021 (see here)

the alleyway, the fence, my kitchen stool and birders on a stepladder 

view from the stool, I first saw the mockingbird on the middle house's gutter, then the holly to its left and finally the nearer holly, centre-right

my first view of the Mockingbird, little did I know how much better the views would be

in the holly

in the nearer bush

Shoreham and the opportunity to escape (26-30 March)

Tuesday 30 March. Another quiet day in Sussex. An hour at Widewater before the wind turned to the south was more than enough for me with just 22 Brent Geese, 8 Mediterranean Gulls and 5 Sandwich Terns seen flying east. None were close and a dreadful haze/glare made even them a struggle to identify. Two Great Crested Grebes and a Seal with a fish were on/in the water and 6 more Sandwich Terns were sat on buoys away to the west. After an early return home Megan and I took Cookie up to Mill Hill. Here we saw a Buzzard, 4 singing Chiffchaffs, 3 Song Thrushes, a Linnet, 2 Goldfinches and a singing Yellowhammer. A Sky Lark was also singing but remained unseen.

Monday 29 March. With the end of Stay at Home I was not the only Sussex birder heading out of the county. I joined several others at Ockley Common where the wintering male Rustic Bunting was in almost full breeding plumage and looking rather special. Despite some seed having been put out it remained out of sight for much of the time I was there. The two Little Buntings were even more wary and I only saw one in flight. Also seen were Curlew, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, 2 Buzzards, 2 Wood Larks, a male Dartford Warbler, 6 Stonechats, 3 Redpolls, 4 Crossbills and 4 Reed Buntings. The Burgh on the way home produced 2 each of Red-legged and Grey Partridge, 4 Stock Doves, 3 Red Kites, one of the released White-tailed Eagles, 4 Buzzards, 2 Ravens and 6 Yellowhammers. A brief call in at Patching Sewage Works was well timed, coinciding with an appearance of the Yellow-browed and a Willow Warbler.

male Rustic Bunting on Ockley Common

one of the Little Buntings on Ockley Common

Crossbills on Ockley Common

Redpoll on Ockley Common

Yellow-browed Warbler enjoying the sunshine by Patching Sewage Works

Sunday 28 March. I seawatched from Widewater in a cold,  strong SW from 07:30-10:30 being joined by David B and Matt P. I saw 2 Brent Geese, 10 Common Scoter, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 5 Kittiwakes, 8 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Sandwich Terns and 5 distant/Red-throated Divers flying east. A second-summer Mediterranean Gull and 33 Gannets flew west, a Great Crested Grebe was on the sea and 14+ Meadow Pipits came in. A pre-high tide visit to Shoreham Fort failed to produce the Purple Sandpipers although 23 Turnstones were on the beach while a Grey Plover, Curlew, 2 Redshank and a Greenshank were seen from the RSPB Adur Saltings viewpoint. The afternoon was spent listening to the first F1 Grand Prix of the season - a real cracker.

Greenshank and Redshank on the Adur Stalings

Saturday 27 March. The Patching Yellow-browed Warbler proved too tempting when I realised it was under 10 miles/20 minutes drive from home. It took a while to show and was then very active making obtaining photos difficult but performed pretty well for the handful of socially distanced observers present. I also saw about 8 Chiffchaffs and a male Blackcap, the latter my first of the year. One of the Chiffchaffs was noticeably paler but to my eye lacked the warm buff supercilium and face that I would expect to see if it were a tristis. It was silent.

Yellow-browed Warbler by Patching Sewage Works

constantly on the move

but usually facing away

fortunately not always

Friday 26 March. I seawatched from Widewater from 07:05-08:50, sheltering in the lee of a beach hut from the strong SW wind. Forecast showers did not materialise and it was very clear. Passage was somewhat disappointing although did include a Little and 17 Mediterranean Gulls, all adults flying east. Also seen were 8 Common Scoter, Great Crested Grebe, 36 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Sandwich Terns, 17 Red-throated Divers, 4 Fulmars and 105 Gannets. At low tide I took Cookie down to the Adur and walked up towards Cuckoos Corner to check the gull flock. Few were present and the one with a ring, a local Herring Gull, flew before I could completely read or photograph it. Two Oystercatchers (the only waders seen - no Redshank), 2 Little Egrets and a Sparrowhawk hardly made the visit worthwhile.