Waiting for Spring around Shoreham (14-16 March)

Tuesday 16 March. Seawatching at Widewater was very quiet with a Greylag Goose flying in and overhead the highlight in an hour that really dragged. Otherwise 7 Great Crested Grebes were on the sea and 13 Oystercatchers, 4 Turnstones and a Fulmar flew east and 4 Kittiwakes and a Gannet west. Meadow Pipit was heard coming in. An Avocet was on the Adur opposite the airport at 08:20 with 2 Grey Plover and a Curlew nearby. At 09:05 while I was checking the gulls opposite Ricardos the Avocet flew north over the A27. In the gull roost near Cuckoos Corner were 600 Black-headed, 11 Mediterranean and 700 Common Gulls. The latter included colour-ringed birds from southern Norway (3, 2 new) and Germany (most likely Hamburg). Later Megan and I took Cookie to Southwick Canal seeing 4 Greenfinches and a Mallard. 

Avocet on the Adur

the same bird present from the end of February into early March or a different bird?

if it is the same where has it been for the last week or so?

it flying off north suggests it is probably a different individual, so expect it back tomorrow to prove me wrong.

Common Gull A519 on the Adur near Cuckoos Corner

not one I've seen before, it is likely to have been ringed in or around Hamburg

Common Gull JJ242 (you'll have to trust me on that) on the Adur near Cuckoos Corner

I've seen it before on the Adur in December 2018 and February 2020. It is a female ringed when already adult in a colony at Espevigheia, Lillesand, Aust-Agder, Norway in June 2018

Common Gull JH395 on the Adur near Cuckoos Corner. It was ringed as a chick at Håland, Time, Rogaland, Norway in July 2019, its dark bill tip giving it away as not being fully adult

Common Gull JE221 on the Adur near Cuckoos Corner. It was ringed as a chick at Statoil Forus, Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway in July 2017 and has been seen at Equinor hovedkontor, Stavanger, Rogaland and Grannesvågen and Grannesbukta, Sola, Rogaland in May/June 2019

Second-summer Mediterranean Gull near Cuckoos Corner (4 of those seen were this age, though this individual had the most advanced head, the rest adults)

Greenfinch along Southwick Canal post wash

Monday 15 March. Two hours seawatching from Widewater was better than of late with 76 Brent Geese, a distant scoter, 5 Oystercatchers, Kittiwake, 169 Black-headed and 10 Mediterranean Gulls, 2 unidentified divers and a Fulmar flying east. A single Brent, a Mediterranean Gull and 3 Fulmars flew west and there were 13 Gannets out at sea. I met Megan and Cookie at Harbour Way and we walked along to the Adur Ferry Bridge, where 16 Oystercatchers were roosting, across to the boardwalk and back via the Fort. There we saw 9 Turnstones, a Rock Pipit and 2 Wall Lizards. Later 2 Stock Doves were in our garden.

Rock Pipit on the west arm of Shoreham Harbour

Wall Lizard on Shoreham Fort

Oystercatcher at Harbour Way

Sunday 14 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we saw 80 Wood Pigeons, 2 Buzzards, Chiffchaff, Mistle Thrush, 2 Chaffinches and 2 Greenfinches. We also heard Sky Lark and Cetti's Warbler. Low tide was after dark so I gave the Adur a miss.

Mistle Thrush on Mill Hill