Changing seasons around Shoreham (17-21 March)

Sunday 21 March. A pair of Great Black-backed Gulls were on the roof behind us, presumably prospecting. I took Cookie up to Beeding Hill where we met David Buckingham and walked east along the Monarch's Way, up to Truleigh Hill and back via Room Bottom. Scanning across Beeding Brooks, his local patch, DB impressively picked up a very distant Great White Egret. We also saw 2 Red Kites, 6 Buzzards, 2 Peregrines, 3 Ravens, 14 Sky Larks, 3 Fieldfares, 7 Meadow Pipits, 3 Linnets, 8 Corn Buntings and 6 Yellowhammers. One of the Peregrines and one of the Ravens were in a territorial dispute that appeared unresolved as neither had reinforcements nearby.

Great Black-backed Gulls on the roof behind us

they didn't stay long last year, hopefully it will be more to their liking this season

Fieldfare on Beeding Hill, my last this spring?

Raven over Beeding Hill

Great White Egret on Beeding Brooks from W of Truleigh Hill

Saturday 20 March. I took Cookie to Shoreham Beach and we walked along to Widewater and back. It was deadly with just 2 Great Crested Grebes seen off-shore, dodging flotillas of paddle-boarders and sea-swimmers. The highlight was a Carrion Crow nicking bread being fed to a Herring Gull and twice burying pieces in the shingle and putting a stone on top. Clever I thought until I realised the second piece was below the tideline. Fewer gulls were roosting near Cuckoos Corner but did include an adult Mediterranean Gull and a different, but again not new, Common Gull that had been colour-ringed in Norway.

Common Gull JJ242 again at Cuckoos Corner

an adult female ringed at Espevigheia, Lillesand, Aust-Agder, Norway in June 2018 and seen on the Adur in December 2018, February 2020 and earlier in the week

Friday 19 March. A light NE wind raised my hopes of a seawatch from Widewater but an hour produced single Common Scoter, Kittiwake, Fulmar and 9 Gannets east, a Shelduck west and 4 Great Crested Grebes and a Red-throated Diver on the sea. Over 1150 smaller gulls were roosting on the Adur near Cuckoos Corner. An adult Mediterranean Gull was amongst them while one of the 480+ Common Gulls had been colour-ringed in Norway, a bird I'd seen there before. I then met Megan and Cookie at Mill Hill where we saw Buzzard, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Kestrel, Jay, 2 Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrest, 2 Redwings, 4 Meadow Pipits and an immature male Bullfinch.

Thursday 18 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Steepdown where we saw 5 Mediterranean Gulls feeding with 300+ Black-headeds behind a tractor, Red Kite, Buzzard, Kestrel, 14 Sky Larks, a pair of Stonechats, 14 Meadow Pipits, 2 Chaffnches, 2 Goldfinches and 42 Corn and 2 Reed Buntings. 

Stonechat at Steepdown

ploughing below Steepdown

with attendant gulls

Black-headed, Common and Mediterranean Gulls from Steepdown

Red Kite over Steepdown

Wednesday 17 March. An hour seawatching from Widewater produced 3 Common Scoter and a Fulmar east, a Red-throated Diver west and 7 Great Crested Grebes on the sea. That little was moving was perhaps not surprising in a moderate NW wind. The Adur was also quiet with 2 Oystercatchers, 6 Redshank, a second-summer Mediterranean Gull, Buzzard, Kestrel, Sky Lark, 3 Linnets and a Reed Bunting between the railway and Cuckoos Corner.

Reed Bunting in the saltmarsh by Ricardos